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  matt's weblog . . .: the problem with stereotypes

Sunday, July 03, 2005

the problem with stereotypes

It is sentiments like this that make the residents of Red State America/Fly-Over-Country resent the condescending elitists on the coasts: LeMieux-Ruibal: "Cracker Barrel" Nevermore! In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sophisticated Tapas from Spain. I was born and raised on the Left Coast in Los Angeles and am a Grand Rapidian (?) by choice, not birth. I can tell you for a certainty that while this snot-nosed, 25-year-old's faux-review of San Chez is spot on, his gratuitous derision of its surroundings -- Grand Rapids, West Michigan, and "that empire of white trash that is Michigan," generally -- reveals a closed-mindedness that is endemic amongst people of his ilk. San Chez is a good restaurant (and, indeed, is one of my favorites), but it is certainly not the best one in G.R., nor even the best one within a two block radius of its location. Of course, he wouldn't know that because he didn't bother to look; rather, he let his assumptions and stereotype of the midwest generally lead him to conclude that it was a proverbial diamond in the rough. Again, as anyone remotely familiar with Grand Rapids -- downtown, in particular -- eateries can assure you, it is not; indeed, San Chez is much more representative of downtown restaurants, than it is uniquely superior. Being so closed-minded and permitting himself to be so-controlled by his predisposition to look down on the midwest caused him to miss out on dining experiences at establishments within walking distance of San Chez that are just as good, if not better. The worst and saddest part, though, is not that he missed out on The Sierra Room or Bella Vita or Bar Divani or any of the other similarly wonderful restaurants in Downtown G.R.; the worst and saddest part is that this sort of closed-minded condescension (and its consequences) so pervades the Blue State elitest psyche that it causes them to arrive at conclusions about all sorts of matters -- from restaurants to politics -- based not on facts or reason, but on uninformed, emotion-driven assumptions. This, I think, is what separates "us" (and by "us" I don't mean conservatives, I mean well-informed, thoughtful citizens -- liberal and conservative, alike) from "them". It really is a shame

1 Comments:

Blogger Brad said...

Grand Rapidian?

I always thought we were Grand Rapidiots.

Or at least that's what I call everyone else on the road when I'm driving...

7/07/2005 12:30 AM|Comment Permalink|  

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