Do you have culture?
Not long ago, my friend C. and I were riding the free GUTS bus (Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle for the uninitiated) to Dupont Circle after class one night when we both overheard a student talking to her friends about how lame DC is, and how it has no culture, and how New York or Boston was so much better, and how there were no real neighborhoods in DC, and how it has no personality, and how... Okay you get the point.
There have been few times in my life when I have ever confronted someone with the intent to argue with them--I can only think of 2 at the moment. However, I love DC, and there is nothing more disparaging to me than someone insulting somthing that I know to be untrue.
So, what did I do (much to the surprise and support of my friend C. who grew up here)? I leaned over and inquired as to what made her think this--what year she was, where she lived, where she had been exploring in DC, etc. To all of these I got what I deemed to be unsatisfactory answers.
This whole interaction gave me pause for thought and an interesting conversation with David that night over dinner. Is it just immaturity? Location of Georgetown (it is not easily accessible to the rest of DC since none of this part of town is on the Metro)? Apathy of the college-aged? Ignorance of the rich history and culture of DC? Desire to look cool in front of friends by dissing something?
Who knows. But what I can tell you is that Georgetown as a university does not seem to be giving DC good PR.
There have been few times in my life when I have ever confronted someone with the intent to argue with them--I can only think of 2 at the moment. However, I love DC, and there is nothing more disparaging to me than someone insulting somthing that I know to be untrue.
So, what did I do (much to the surprise and support of my friend C. who grew up here)? I leaned over and inquired as to what made her think this--what year she was, where she lived, where she had been exploring in DC, etc. To all of these I got what I deemed to be unsatisfactory answers.
This whole interaction gave me pause for thought and an interesting conversation with David that night over dinner. Is it just immaturity? Location of Georgetown (it is not easily accessible to the rest of DC since none of this part of town is on the Metro)? Apathy of the college-aged? Ignorance of the rich history and culture of DC? Desire to look cool in front of friends by dissing something?
Who knows. But what I can tell you is that Georgetown as a university does not seem to be giving DC good PR.
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So much for my soapbox career. :)