Where are you from? (Part 2)
One of the things that most intrigues me as I make my pilgrimage to various locales in the country (Missouri, California, New York, Michigan) is the way in which not simply classism but regionalism affects our perceptions and assumptions of others–whole parts of the country are relegated to stereotype based on the general area in which you live, such that “South” is often a metaphor for racist, backward ice-tea drinkers, “East Coast” is considered cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and perhaps a bit snooty or elitist, while “Pacific Northwest” connotes lefty, coffee-drenched Sierra Club members. During the course of the 2008 Presidential election season(s), I was fascinated with the way “Alaska” became an adjective, as if whatever nonsense Sarah Palin was spouting at the time could almost be chalked up to her Alaskan roots–a place where people engaged in “straight talk”, wore beards, and flattered their women by likening them to pitbulls.