New Jersey's new advertising motto is "New Jersey: Come See For Yourself." The response of Conan, Jon Stewart, et alia to this has been jokes about smelling bad and stuff. How original!
As a native New Jerseyite, I don't appreciate the New Jersey bashing. I'm not saying we're the greatest in the world or anything, but we really aren't such a bad state: we've got the best tomatoes and peaches and corn, beautiful beaches, and more diners than you can shake a stick at! And those are just a few of the nice things about the old Garden State.
Plus, a lot of the "New Jersey" stereotypes (such as industrial blight, toxic waste, and mobsters) are really only applicable to North Jersey, and only certain sections of that. Yet the whole state gets brushed with the same pigment of scorn and condescension. Well, I'm sick of it! Go pick on some other state, people!
2 comments:
As a Jersey-born guy who bought two New Jersey t-shirts on the Turnpike today while leaving the state, I'm with you on this one. Within a few miles of the central Jersey town where I grew up, I can find beautiful scenery such as farmland and wilderness areas, as well as numerous historic sites, good universities, cool old downtowns, and more socioeconomic and ethnic diversity than you'll find in most other states. New Jersey is far from perfect, but it's also a much more interesting place than most people give it credit for.
Why don't we pick on Texas for awhile.
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