Yesterday afternoon on the bus there was a girl who just finished her freshmen year at UNCC. She was talking to a Bank employee, who I think was trying to hit on her. She kept talking, loud enough for the whole bus to hear, about how she just moved to Charlotte from New Jersey and how much she loves it here. She talked about how nice people are, and how rude people are in up north (clearly she is very new to the area). How life is slower paced and all the other typical cliches us northern transplants place on the city. She talked about her cushy internship with Hearst, that are only given to employees’ kids, how Charlotte drivers totally suck, how segregated the South is. She, of course, had a very diverse group of friends in Jersey. She even dated a half-asian guy, but it was long distance and they never went out on a real date, just, you know, chatted online a lot. Then talk turned to college parties and how she wasn’t sure what to major in yet. Whatever it is she wants to be making $165,000 a year by the time she is thirty.
All northern people think they are better when they first move here. That’s a given. Then they realize that there is a special type of better, exclusive to Charlotte. That’s why the coolest Charlottans are actually from out of town. They have the best of both worlds. They have mixed their hip liberal upbringing with traditional debutant desires for money and status. They replace “this is how we did up north” with “this is how we do it in (insert Charlotte neighborhood here)” The girl will learn eventually. She was already wearing boat shoes and a polo with her work slacks, so she is ahead of the game.
And to all the people who had to suffer through my annoying north v. south rants in 2003, I am truly sorry. (especially to you, Nines)
Lick
