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Tuesday, August 8

Oregon

Oregon... better known as California's Canada, Idaho's Portugal, or (my personal favorite) Washington's Mexico.

So is our new identity as Canadian-Mexican-Portuguese-Americans (thanks to everyone's favorite satirist, Stephen Colbert)...

...Reality?

...Or Wikiality?

I think that Mr. Colbert actually got it right. I am a native Oregonian. I can recall countless conversations, when meeting new people, that went something like:

Them: Where are you from?
Me: Oregon.
Them: Where is that?
Me: On the west coast, between Washington and California.
Them: Oh, I thought that was Idaho.
Me: (hangs head)

Do I need to complain about it or feel ashamed? Not really. I'm sure that New Jersey has redeeming qualities, but I prefer the "stumped look" that I get in response, over the look of disgust that the Garden State's residents must get when they announce where they are from. IMHO: anonymity, and quiet but thoughtful pride of our fair state are preferable to the noisy advertisement of cities like NYC or LA.

Isn't that what makes Oregon... Oregon?

1 comment:

Jennifer (ponderosa) said...

A lot of the native Oregonians I know seem so proud of their state, so comfortable with it, that they don't need to promote it. I love that.