15211.org

15211.org friend, J, brought our attention to this piece about Pittsburgh in today’s USA Today. You should read it. It will make you say “oh, I didn’t know such-and-such was going on here” and may even make you a little bit, dare I say, proud. In addition to describing our cultural and recreational amenities, the article touches on both the perception problem we have and the self-esteem issues from which we suffer.

A Pittsburgh native responds this way when asked by the reporter why we can’t shake our inferiority complex, “We are a bunch of knuckleheaded second- and third-generation children of immigrants, and we have this tremendous work ethic that says: ‘Don’t talk about yourself.’ ” Um, I’ll have to respectfully disagree. First, I think it’s less about being humble and more about wanting to acknowledge our shortcomings before they’re pointed out to us. We assume that the insult, even if it’s veiled, is coming so we beat them to it. This is habit we should work on breaking.

Secondly, we are not ALL a bunch of second-and-third generation immigrants. (I may agree with the knuckleheaded part, but just speaking for myself). Some of us are actually from other places like Johnstown and Indianapolis and as far flung as San Diego and Houston and even other countries.

Perhaps the problem is that we need to stop categorizing people and taking sides and clinging to some old definition of what it means to be a proud Pittsburgher. This isn’t a homogenous city. There are electricians and surgeons and carpenters and attorneys and retirees and students living amongst each other all over the city. (And I say “city” because urban living on the whole is more diverse than outlying areas).

Next time someone asks you where you’re from, just say “Pittsburgh”. Unapologetically and emphatically and if you’re feeling particularly puffed up about it, you can even be a little bit cocky. After all, if we say it together and often enough perhaps we’ll actually start believing it. That’s step one in redefining our region because it doesn’t matter how creatively or spectacularly we market ourselves to the outside world. If we don’t buy into the concept, no one else will.