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What's
So Great About Locals? Whenever you go into a town that has a lot of tourism, there's always that attitude that "locals" have some kind of an elevated status. Somehow they're more unpretentious, have more character and are better people than those of us who don't live there. Every travel brochure tells the reader to "follow the locals", as though the locals are some kind of Gods. And locals aren't cool unless they despise tourists. Even though some of them would be homeless without the tourists, they go on hating them. If you make your living by renting bikes on the beach, you should probably rethink your position on tourists. Everybody complains about tourists. I guess if you're someone who has decided to take two weeks off from your job and take a vacation by visiting another state, you're inferior to the people who live there all because you don't know your way around the city. Occasionally you have to ask one of the locals for directions and this makes you stupid. A few years ago before I moved there, I was watching coverage of one of the disasters out in California. I can't remember if it was an earthquake, flood, fire, mudslide or locusts. It was something pretty Armegeddony, that's all I remember. The scene was crawling with reporters. And no matter where a given disaster occurs, reporters always give kudos to how strong the local people are. They always say something like, "Well it's gonna take a lot more than an earthquake to break the spirit of these people. That's what makes this area so special. They know how to pull together and help each other out when disaster strikes." The implication is that the rest of us don't have what it takes to get through a disaster. "It's really remarkable Jim, people are helping total strangers." Well let's hope so. I don't ever want to be trapped under some rubble some day and realize that I'm in a city where people just don't care about a stranger in need. "Is that a tourist? Ha ha ha. Serves him right." This was a disaster in California. These same reporters will spend the rest of the year blaming the breakdown of society on everything that comes out of California and now suddenly everybody is a Good Samaritan. They interviewed this one young woman at a pool hall and asked her to comment on the fact that everyone was helping out. She said "well, ya know, we're locals". Like somehow people who live in the town have a higher moral fiber than the rest of the country. And she said it to the reporter with a little bit of a jaded attitude almost as if to say, "well, you high fallutin' media types wouldn't understand the complexities of our righteous behavior, we have a code of honor by which we live." It seemed like she was trying to make people feel guilty because they weren't part of the disaster. "Look at you, sittin' on that couch stuffing your face. You would never be able to handle this kind of adversity. You just don't have what it takes. You disgust me." Of course she was playing pool at the time - probably just taking a break and unwinding after a long day of saving lives. You would almost think that somewhere out there was a tourist walking around in plaid shorts and a snorkel mask saying "hey, is that a native Californian trapped beneath all that rubble? What's he saying? Something about he's having trouble teething. Well that makes no sense, he's a grown man, he should have all his teeth by now. Oh, wait a minute, he's joking. I'll tell ya those Californians, they're so laid back. For a second there I thought he said he was having trouble breathing. Hey kids, get the camcorder. We gotta get this on tape. This is a local in his natural habitat." Watching the news
makes you realize that wherever the disaster happens to be, that's where
the strongest people are. That's where you'll find the people who know
how to pull together. Here's something you'll never hear on the news:
"Well, the earthquake hit and these people just fell to pieces. But
that's what Californians are known for. They're so weak and cowardice
and unsupportive. They're fighting over the most basic necessities like
food water and phone calls. Oh I see, I guess most of them have to call
their agents. It wasn't even that strong of an earthquake. This is pathetic.
It's too bad this didn't happen in the Midwest. Those people have the
solid upbringing that prepares them for almost any kind of disaster.
Back to you Jim." close this window to return to the Tom Ryan writing page SHECKY!
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