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I was at a gathering today out in O'Fallon, Missouri and was asked where I live.
"South City," I said.
"Ah, the City," the man said in a tone that was condescending and full of pity. After he spoke, his hands went on top of his head and he leaned back into the couch. Clearly he was finished with me.
"Ok, whatever", I thought to myself. He asked a question and if the answer wasn't good enough for him that wasn't my problem.
Later in the afternoon, I was told that O'Fallon had everything the City had, so there's no reason to venture east of Skinker.
"You're right," I said, "They both have restaurants."
As I drove home along Hampton Avenue, it felt good to be back in the "shithole" city I call home. It doesn't matter to me where St. Louis ranks on the millions of subjective "best of" lists out there, it doesn't matter to me what people from other cities think or what lies people from the burbs want to believe, I have a good life in the City. I'm not ashamed of where I live and I won't let others make me feel like I should be.
"South City," I said.
"Ah, the City," the man said in a tone that was condescending and full of pity. After he spoke, his hands went on top of his head and he leaned back into the couch. Clearly he was finished with me.
"Ok, whatever", I thought to myself. He asked a question and if the answer wasn't good enough for him that wasn't my problem.
Later in the afternoon, I was told that O'Fallon had everything the City had, so there's no reason to venture east of Skinker.
"You're right," I said, "They both have restaurants."
As I drove home along Hampton Avenue, it felt good to be back in the "shithole" city I call home. It doesn't matter to me where St. Louis ranks on the millions of subjective "best of" lists out there, it doesn't matter to me what people from other cities think or what lies people from the burbs want to believe, I have a good life in the City. I'm not ashamed of where I live and I won't let others make me feel like I should be.
2 comments:
By 
, at
4:03 PM
Now you have seen firsthand an explanation of the past disinvestment of the north side and city in general. I would bet money that man's family can be traced back to the city and probably the north side and they abandoned their neighborhood at some point in history.
And O'Fallon has everything the city has???? That is beyond naive. I am not sure how to even respond to that, and you probably did the right thing by not engaging in that moronic conversation.
By
Dragon Lady, at
12:02 PM
I work in O'fallon and hear this kind of crap every single day. You just have to be prepared and have canned responses that are backhanded compliments. And say them with the most innocent smile on your face. I grew up out there, so I'm always more than ready to explain to people that I already did my time in St. Charles County and I thought that I would trying leaving that bubble to find out about the rest of the world so that I wouldn't be single minded and simple. That gets the eyebrows raised and people usually just walk away.
When people say racist things and I'm supposed to get the coded language, I ask what they mean by that. That usually puts them on the spot and forces them to elaborate and it makes them go away and keep that kind of crap to themselves.
O'Fallon has everything the city has? That's a new one. I haven't even run into someone that bold yet. I'm sorry, where are the brick buildings? The museums? The history? Forest Park? Pedestrians? Public Transportation? Arts? I could go on and on and on.
Don't even mind getting into a game of mental aerobics with those people. They can only answer with approved answers handed down by their subdivision committee.