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Originally Posted by LA21st
But, there is a cold (?) feeling to the residents. Maybe not cold, stiff? I dont know how to describe it really. But its noticeable. When I moved to Chicago, I saw a difference for sure.
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I know exactly how to describe it... it's called upper-middle to upper class white people, with an influential dose of WASP propriety.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed
I think there's an argument to be made that DC is/was the WASPiest major city, particularly of the big prewar cities. Maybe that's why it doesn't feel like there's a local culture to some.
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Right, the historical white culture of DC is not going to win any vibrance or fun points. But it is the culture that's present. Just like having a large population of working-class Italian is going to color another city's culture. It's not that white ethnic culture is not present in DC, it's just WASPy... staid and boring... and they prefer it that way, of course.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edale
I understand that. My point is that, to me, the lack of these ethnic groups and neighborhoods makes DC feel more sterile than other cities. As a big city in the Bos-Wash corridor, it's a real outlier in this sense.
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Yeah, I get what you're saying. It does feel more sterile... because it is. Doesn't have the same grit, owing to its history and function. It's generally just nicer than Baltimore, Philly, and NYC overall, in terms of orderliness, cleanliness, and overall upkeep. Even the "bad" areas of DC proper actually look pretty damn nice in comparison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edale
Apparently in Boston (and perhaps some other cities with large amounts of Italians) that holiday is a big deal for the local Italian American community. You had all these civic groups, Knights of Columbus, other Italian American groups and organizations walking through the streets. I didn't even really associate Columbus Day with Italian Americans, because it's not celebrated where I live. So to see elders, kids, and everyone in between parading through Little Italy was memorable and felt like a very Boston thing to experience.
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I guess I've always assumed that the whole Italian-Americans & Christopher Columbus thing is just common knowledge, but obviously that's just based on my own persepective.
It's definitely a big thing... I think it goes back to the days of discrimination and violence towards Italian immigrants in the late 19th/early 20th century. Italian-Americans started celebrating the holiday to rally together as a source of pride and "their" part in founding America.
A good friend of mine of Italian ancestry who I grew up with has a life-sized cardboard cutout of Columbus standing in his office...