People from Ohio

Since I moved to the Cincinnati metro area (specifically northern KY), I've met a lot of people from Ohio and drawn a few conclusions about what many of these people value in life, and their perceptions of others.  I'm going to describe a few of my experiences, and in doing so, project an image that I realize is not embraced by all buckeyes (just most that I have encountered).    When I refer to "people from Ohio" or "buckeyes" in this posting, I am referring to those with which I have had bad experiences.  Keep in mind that some of these conclusions are a reaction to instances where I have been judged for being from Kentucky, and others are just observations.  

1.  People from Ohio do not know how to put themselves together.  They wear average, "everybody" clothes, like Northface fleeces with Abercrombie jeans.  They seldom take time to fix their hair, apply makeup, or wear decent jewelry.  They look pretty plain, and do an excellent job of blending into the landscape.  

2.  They lack colorful, memorable personalities.  Have you ever met a real character from Ohio?  Someone special in their own right?  I've met some boring people, who can get really drunk and stupid from Ohio, but not anyone who is all that interesting.  Not saying that they aren't cordial, they do know how to be moderately polite and they open up once you get to know them.  Just no eye-catching, awesomely unique personalities.  

3.  People from Ohio assess each other by net worth, more-so than people from Kentucky.  In my encounters, I have always been openly asked how much I have paid for something, or what I do for a living (so they could get a feel for how much I was making).  This usually happens on the very first occasion that you meet someone.  Is it just me, or is that rude?  I was taught to value people based upon the relationships you develop with them.  My mother might still smack me, even at the seasoned age of 23, if I asked someone how much they paid for something.  

Last but not least, these boring, average looking people who seem to put so much priority on money, are extremely judgmental of Kentuckians.  This attitude entails that they 1.  have a greater net worth, 2.  are more educated, and 3.  are entitled to say and do certain things, because of the first two assumptions.  This attitude bothers me for many reasons.   First, I have been criticized numerous times for having an accent.  Second, I have been talked-down to by these wannabe elitists, who assume that because I have an accent and was raised in Kentucky, I am far less educated and poor.  They feel as if they must "teach me" things, or over-explain concepts in simple language.  Overall, it is a very poor way to treat someone based upon false premises.  

So what exactly is a redneck?  I've been called this now several times by people from Ohio.  I will investigate this concept in terms of what buckeyes seem to value:  money and education.  

Is a redneck someone who owns property, and whose family has owned property on two different continents for generations?  Or someone who comes from a family who all have graduate degrees, have worked hard, and made smart decisions with their investments?  Is that really why you are making fun of me?  

Maybe, you're calling me a redneck because of my education.  I went to a top 50 liberal arts college that cost 33K a year (since you love numbers so much).  I paid for that though my own merits, and with the help of my hardworking parents.  I studied philosophy and art history.  I'm now studying, among other things, the Dutch masters, Roman Archaeology, and Linear B.  Hey buckeye, when was the last time you read Plato, deciphered an ancient language, or even went to a fucking museum?  How did you fare on those college entrance exams?  Probably not as well as I did.  But, I guess that's what makes me a redneck!

Is it my accent that makes me a redneck?  Not what I say, but the sound of what I'm saying?  My accent reflects my heritage - I'm a first-generation american.  My dad is American and my mother was born and raised in Scotland.  I love the appalachian accent:  it's symbolic of the Scots and the Irish who immigrated to the colonies and were forced by the English to live in the mountains.  Geographically, they were restrained by the mountains, which literally isolated their language, just as the Louisiana swamps trapped Creole.  My accent is a product of both growing up in Appalachia and spending summers as a child in Scotland.  I speak slowly and place the most emphasis on my REALLY long vowel sounds.  My predominantly Scottish heritage might be exactly what makes me such a fuckin' redneck.  

Maybe, I am a redneck because of the culture in which I was raised.  I have been traveling  abroad since age 3, and I have family throughout Great Britain, France, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.  I was classically trained in voice for 15 years, and I also speak french.  I guess those buckeyes were right, I completely disregarded the fact that rednecks don't actually speak redneck, they speak french!  Wait 'till the French find out, they will be SO pissed!  

Buckeyes have no fuckin' clue about culture.  This is because they don't have one.  Ohio is flat and boring, and so are its citizens.  Their only consolation is a self-imposed idea of supremacy over their Kentucky neighbors.  With the personality of a slice of white bread, they find comfort in this fallacy.  

On the contrary, Kentucky has a very unique and colorful culture.  I associate the development of this culture with the division of classes in Kentucky.  You can argue that it's everywhere, as a product of capitalism, but I am arguing that it's far more prevalent in the Bluegrass state than most all of the other states, and Kentuckians deal with it quite well.  Think about it, you have what statistics have proven to be some of the poorest, most illiterate people in the nation living in the mountains.  Among them live some of the wealthiest people, who come from money which has been invested and saved from the coal boom.  Likewise, in central Kentucky you have some very poor farm hands who work tirelessly for the biggest names in the horse industry.  The racing business brings Rupert Murdoch, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Prince of United Arab Emirates to the middle of Kentucky, where they all own farms and pour money into our states economy.  

The horse industry has, in turn, shaped much of Kentucky's culture.  Not only as a favored pastime and excuse for us to drink our bourbon, but as a synthesizer for the very wealthy, and the very poor.  Because this is a pastime shared by all, regardless of social status, Kentuckians share a special love for days at the races.  Likewise, the industry is a source of employment for people of all social classes, which forces some of the poorer residents to interact with some of the most wealthy.  

How does this define KY culture?  These interactions between the rich and the poor, which have been going on for hundreds of years now, have taught these social classes to be polite, respectful and kind to one another, regardless of status.  That said, a real Kentuckian will demonstrate graciousness, compassion and good manners to everyone they meet.  They would be ashamed to ask someone how much they made or paid for something, because they have been raised to understand a divided economic climate, and how money and possessions can have very little to do with forming quality personal relationships.  A real Kentuckian will never command someone, that is, explain the "best" or "right" way to do something.  They may tease you about it, but they would never risk sounding condescending to someone else, and that goes for Ph.D's, GED's and everyone in between.  A good Kentuckian loves their family, friends, bourbon, racing, laughing, basketball, and storytelling with immeasurable loyalty.  In Kentucky, you will feel hospitality and a strong sense of community.  Unfortunately, I have not experienced this in Ohio.  

Ohio natives have a strong sense of "I".  Each person is concerned with only their best interests.  Ohio lacks a unifying aspect of their culture in which everyone can engage.  They all cheer for THE Ohio State's football team, but instead of actively engaging in a social activity, like going to the race track or having a bourbon with friends, they can only passively watch.  This is a huge problem for the social climate in Ohio, and is reflected in their personalities (or lack thereof)  Rather than feeling like you belong to a community, which is how I have felt throughout my entire life in KY, in Ohio there is a competitive tone to everything they do.  Whether its money, or how much you know about something, I've experienced that these buckeyes are always trying to size themselves up against others.  This concept is foreign to me, and the only way I can explain it is by looking at it as a reaction to their insecurities.  This seems to me like an entirely plausible explanation.  I would be insecure too, if I had no sense of style and looked exactly like everyone else.  But I guess being confident and self-assured is also redneck.

All this said, if you are from Ohio, you have two options:  

1.  Get off your high horse.  Get out of Ohio.  Stop thinking that your mid-size, mid-west cities are comparable to London and New York.  

OR

2.  Find a real Kentuckian and call them a REDNECK.  Be prepared for a raw, uncensored and honest retort.  You will either laugh your ass off (at your own expense), or ball your eyes out.  Either way, I promise it will be a genuine character-building experience (to say the least), and it might even help you develop some sort of personality.    

DISCLAIMER:  This is subjective, and based on my having more negative experiences with Ohio tool-bags than positive.  However, I have had positive encounters with buckeyes, but they have either been in my grad program, in my sorority or the person has been affiliated with Kentucky in some way.