Reply #26: Okay, a few funny stories about the elitist vs. the working class [View All]

First, I'm talking about Conn., too, not just Mass. You guys are a little more "colorful" than my prissy, PC Conn. friends (who I love dearly, I may add). But here's a good cultural clash story from 1989:

I did a co-op at IBM and was friendly with a guy named George who came from Monticello, NY. We had low level jobs at IBM, and he was as regular a guy as you're going to get. Anyway, he went up to Boston with a friend and they ended up at a party at Tufts Univ. They walk in, and you know what they're serving? Champagne and bagels. George was like, "where's the beer and the pretzels and chips?" So they drove over to a package store (yeah, I remember that term), bought a six pack of Bud, and returned to the party. George claims people glared at him for bringing that lowly beer. Then he proceeded to get into an argument with one girl about gun control -- she was for it and he was against it -- until 4 AM!!!!! I mean talk about lamo!!

Considering this story, maybe it was best that I didn't meet JK after a couple of beers, because officially, I absolutely DESTEST Yale!! I went to UConn, like the rest of the middle class people in Conn., and one of our joys, in our quest to stick it to the elitist snobs (for which I will throw the Bush family in there) of Conn., was to go down to New Haven for the traditional Yale - UConn football game. Our goal was to tailgate in the parking lot, having not bought a ticket to the game, thereby accomplishing several goals: a) not giving those Yalie snobs one dime, b) trashing their field, and c) winning the game of course, because Yale Sucks!!! Anyway, back in I think '88, those Yalie snots banned us from tailgating in the parking lot, so we could no longer trash their hoity toity campus. What a bunch of babies.

And, finally, I don't miss the New England music snobbery. I met some guy who went to Williams College in the Berkshires who was visiting at UConn, and someone mentioned that he loved classical music. I was totally into the Amadeus soundtrack, and mentioned that, and he snottily replied "Oh, I only listen to full operas and symphonies, not that commercial stuff". I could probably give a million music snob examples that pissed me off beyond belief.

Having said all of that, there are working class neighborhoods in Boston, and all over New England, for which I think at least some of you hail from. But the PC stuff (which includes putting us SAHMs down as an affront to feminism which I completely disagree with, but I digress . . . ) needs to go away IMHO. And, really, it is beginning to fade, especially with the rise of the new PC crowd -- Christian conservatives.