Jeff Hindenach would like to carefully point out that California is not the wasteland of the beautiful, rich and stupid that we all seem to think it is.
By Jeff Hindenach
210 west News Editor [send email]
Fuck you, Jeb Bush, you and all your lackies out there who think the
U.S. would be a better place without California.
For those not familiar with the jab Gov. Bush made at California, more
specifically San Francisco, here's a replay from the wires:
"It looks like the people of San Francisco are an endangered species,
which may not be a bad thing," Bush said during the meeting Wednesday.
"That's probably good news for the country."
People in the room broke into laughter.
"Did I just say that out loud?" the governor asked.
The discussion was about environmental protection. Regardless, this is
the bad rap that California constantly gets from ignorant people across the
country who find it necessary to stereotype California because of its
few brain-dead surfers and an open-minded mentality. The country thinks all
Californians are stupid when in fact, in my short time here, I have
discovered that Californians are some of the smartest people in the
country.
Some examples:
- Silicon Valley. The southern half of the San
Francisco Peninsula has the richest and most educated population in the
country. It was actually ranked number one in the number of college
graduates and the highest level of degrees of those graduates.
Everywhere you look in Silicon Valley, there is a tech company full of engineering geeks, creating the technology that fuels a global market. It is said
to be the "Technology Capital of the World."
- A few miles north, we have Palo Alto, which houses Stanford, one of the premiere learning institutes in the country, providing some of the most important studies and findings in the country. And some of the most famous and fruitful venture capitalists reside in Palo Alto. This is a city
that is brimming with riches and intelligence.
- We have some of the most premiere state universities in the country,
including UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine.
- California is the fifth largest economy in the WORLD. Not the U.S., the world. It's a clear sign of the innovation and diversity that comes from California. Not only does it house one of the premier tech industries of the world, but also the premier entertainment industries. And I'm not just
talking Hollywood. The highest population of the porn industry is produced
in San Fernando Valley, just north of L.A., which is an extremely lucrative
business. And, it is expected that California will bypass Wisconsin as the
leading producer of cheese in the U.S. in the year 2005. How is that for diversity of production?
But there are also stereotypes of California that drive me nuts and
should be cleared up:
- Stereotype 1: "California is full of mindless actors and surfers who just spend their time on the beach, getting a tan." OK, so SoCal is full of these people. But we're talking maybe a fourth of the state here. In the rest of California, it's not even warm enough for most of the year to even go to the beach. And the water is NEVER warm enough to surf in. It's like saying the entire state of New York is rude and pushy. That is a lot more to Cali than L.A.
- Stereotype 2: "Those hippies in SF only care about world peace and getting high." This is one that really ticks me off. The reason that San Franciscans care so much about the war in Iraq and peace in the Middle East is because they are enormously informed on the situation. I've always prided myself on being a semi-intelligent person, but after moving to the Bay Area, I have been proven wrong. Everyone who I have met here so far is so well-educated and informed on things from politics to religion to the arts that I feel dwarfed in comparison. They are an intelligent, well-cultured society which believes in standing up for themselves and the rights of their fellow humans.
- Stereotype 3: "Californians had to be stupid to vote in Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor." On the contrary, it was a very smart decision. In the last few months, Arnold has shown that he knows how to handle the office of governor. He has the richest and most intelligent people in California backing him as his transition team. He has the best advisors money can buy. He may not be the most intelligent person in the world, but he knows when to ask for help, and where to go to get it. I have no doubt that Arnold and all the people he has backing him will turn California around.
California is one of the most amazing places to live. From its progressiveness to its intelligence to its culture, it is always teaching me more about life and about myself. And all the stereotypes you know about California, well, throw those out the window. I had the same stereotypes coming into my moving here, and every single one has been proven wrong.
So Jeb Bush, before you go bashing California again, take a minute to remember all the benefits that come from California, all the things in your life that are better because of California, and all the things you can learn from California, and carefully remove your foot from your mouth.
Wow, Kelly. Spoken like a true non-Californian. This was the point of the column. If you don't live here, you have no idea. Obviously you've only ever visited LA, which is where most people get their misconceptions from. Smog in Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose or San Francisco? Not likely. San Jose and Sacramento don't even have beaches and San Francisco's don't get a whole lot of use. It's cold up here in NorCal. Not a whole lot of people out trying to get caught up on their skin cancer. I know people in SF who have lived here for years and have never had a tan. And I know people who have lived here all their life and not only know every state, but every state capital and most of the world capitals for that matter. And so far, Schwarzy seems to be doing better than Davis, so I say, let him lead. You should really come visit Cali for an extended period of time. I had the same misconceptions you did before I moved here, and now, i wouldn't live anywhere else.
No, I don't agree. They still stend inordinate amounts of time actually laying in the sun as if to speed up the skin cancer they'll get. And California is a culture all hyped up on Diet Coke and In-and-out Burgers all speeding around full of self-importance talking on cell phones at cafes and in waiting lines. And the kicker is, they don't even know what states lie to the East of them. To them it's California, Vegas, Illinois somewhere, Florida, and New York. Educated? They don't even know simple geography and let's just say people don't attend college there for the academics (Stanford aside). Amazing place to live? Sure smog, traffic, and beach bums may be fun to visit, but not live there. I'd take a place with room to stretch out my arms without hitting anyone. And the Arnold thing- it's ridiculous. Sadly, it makes the whole Jessie Ventura incident look good.
Damn, he's right. I had the same ideas about Cali -- until I actually went there. I was shocked. There was even a little bit of awe. It was nothing like in the movies ... and really, I should have known better than to think it would be.
People in California are just the same as the rest of us in the flyover states. I had no idea.