I get it, you've been to Portland once

[jianantonic]

I've had a great time so far in Guam, and today was another fine day.  There was just one thing that grated on me really badly, and I need to write about it.

This is possibly my biggest pet peeve -- something that comes up frequently for me as a traveler.  I absolutely HATE it when people try to tell me about my own _____ (fill in the blank -- today it would be "home.")

One of the guys we're working with here in Guam asked us where we live.  When we answered "Portland," we got the common follow-up, "What part of town?"

"I'm in Beaverton."
"Oh, that's that little town south of Portland!"
"No, it's actually kind of a big city, and it's west."
"You mean southwest."
"No...just west."
"What exit of off I-5 are you?"
"Beaverton isn't on I-5."
"Sure it is.  Which exit do you take?"
"The one about 10 miles away that puts me on the road to the road to the road to my house, I guess."
"I'm sure it's on I-5."
"Well, you might be right.  I've only lived there for two years.  It's not like I know the suburbs as well as someone who visited the city once for a three-day convention five years ago."

He did the same thing with my school, too.  When he found out I was from Virginia, he wanted to know where I went to college:

"You've probably never heard of it; it's very small.  Bridgewater College."
"Oh, sure, over by the coast?"
"Um, no...unless the WV border counts as a coastline."
"Oh.  Liberal arts school?"
"Yep."
"So you must be a teacher."
...
Seriously, wtf?  It's Thursday, I'm working WITH YOU, and I'm not teaching.  Dude sure as hell isn't learning anything.  

I just haaaate this.  The guy was nice and I get that he was just trying to make conversation, but it's okay not to know everything about everything.  And when you don't know, instead of digging deeper holes and telling the person who is intimately familiar with these things that she is wrong about them, maybe just ask questions.  Then you can lord some actual knowledge over the next person you meet from my town or my college.  (I am aware that my former self could have used a lecture like this, too.)

It's like name-dropping.  It's a shallow, transparent way to try to prove you are some kind of insider.  And it's fucking annoying, so don't do it.

Now that that's off my chest...Guam is really great and I'm sad I only have one more day here.  I am glad I'll be going home soon, though, and I'm looking forward to being back in Portland, though the trip there is going to suck balls.  I get to time travel, though.  I leave on Saturday and land in Hawaii on Friday.  I have a five-hour layover in Honolulu, so I might step out of the airport and do a little Hololuluing, or I may just go to the United lounge and pass out.  I just really really hope I'm able to sleep on the flights, because they're long, and Shellie won't be with me since she's staying another week here.  

Comments

[oobermeister.livejournal.com]

you should have taught that guy a lesson

[pinkhorizons.livejournal.com]

I get that too, most often while giving tours and talking with visitors at the museum! Some people will argue with almost everything I say, including which landmarks I pass on my drive home. "You just told me this is the first time you've ever been out here, and you got lost twice. I drive to and from work successfully every day. Yes, I'm sure you know better than me where X is...".

They most often argue when whatever they are seeing doesn't fit with their stereotypical notions of how native people lived 500 years ago... for example, people on the east coast didn't live in teepees or even cover their wigwams with animal hides. I had one guy tell me, "No, I bet they did." I wanted to say, "Oh are you an archaeologist, with some recent, groundbreaking research to share?" It must be weird to go through life thinking you know everything, even in the face of obvious evidence to the contrary. That must be a hard thing to stay invested with. And then sometimes I think it's just that argument is their only mode of communication. Kind of like some of the women I worked with who framed every statement or question as a complaint.

Sigh. "Where do you people come from and who taught you to interact like this?!?"

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

The "All Indians are the same!!!!!" thing has come up a lot recently, what with Halloween and all. Really stupid attitude.