Having lunch on Dupont Circle is one of my favorite things to do. I love cozying up under a tree, checking out the people who are checking out the people, and enjoying the sounds of the city I've called home for over 5 years now. We did it yesterday -- the sun was shining, the weather was sweet -- when I heard something that surprised me:
Isn't it crazy that we're in Washington DC right now?
It reminded me of the way I felt when I first got here. Everything was so foreign. It's like that feeling you get when you're in Paris and you see someone or something so typically French you just want to take a picture. The city was a set for someone else's sitcom. Now we're cast members -- that's crazy.
And, oh, what a crazy cast of characters we are...
The thing I love/hate about DC is the brand of crazy that ends up here. Almost no one I meet is "from" the District, not even people who went to high school here. But everyone is similar because a lot of us are here for a similar reason. The thought of being a 23-year-old parent in the suburbs causes a knee-jerk physical reaction of horror in my social circle. It's not that we think it's wrong (even if it is one of "the worst ideas ever") per se, but it's definitely not for us. We want jobs with the State Department or global NGOs; we want to manage campaigns and shape the national dialogue/legislation in our own image; we want to be in the geeky blogging elite and rub elbows with those DC celebs who are frequently quoted in the New York Times, but who Perez Hilton would never have heard of. It's a totally different culture of coolness here. That's not to say we don't sort of panic when we realize that our friends from home are already married property-owners, or that we don't feel a little guilty leaving our parents, grandparents and siblings behind and only visiting once or twice a year. We're always operating under these mutually exclusive priorities. Maintain relationships with loved ones who won't live forever, or go see Prof. "Thingy" talk about news media's relationship with politics? It ends up being a tough call. It makes us all a little crazy. But then, we're in that situation because we never wanted to stay in those small towns and become carbon copies of our parents in the first place, so maybe there's a predisposition to the craziness. I wonder if a city's vibe changes you, or if you're drawn to a city because of the vibe.
I like the vibe, either way. I at least don't feel alone in my internal struggle. Then again, it means that everyone you meet is in just as bad shape as you are. We're all in it together, I guess?
Except for those Texans. Those kids have their sh*t together.
14 comments:
aww i'm honored. and i already feel 'crazy,' too. A lot of ppl from Hong Kong feel this way, too, about their heartland/mainland.
You said "No one is 'from' the District, not even people who are."
By "no one" I assume you mean "nearly no one young, white, and privileged like me," right?
Because, otherwise, you'd be an ignorant, self-involved twit.
Lay off anon. there are a lot of people of color who aren't from the District proper either. There is a strong Carolina contingent among District AfroAms, if you haven't noticed. Of course, we come for the jobs too, that's why I'm here.
Wow, a presumption, supposition, and accusation all in one comment. Impressive, you wielder of words you.
I was born and raised in the District (just like five generations of my family before me...), which I still call home. So, I'm very much "from the District."
I realize that a lot of people here are from elsewhere, and that they come and go; but there actually are a lot of us who are from here.
Well, Anonymous, I won't lie -- that comment hurt a little. But it hurt because I think you have a point, so I changed the post to reflect the fact that I was speaking only of my personal (and very much limited, as you point out) experiences with DC.
I think you could have shown a little more tact in your response to my post. Clearly you're entitled to your opinion, and I'm flattered that you even sat there and read what I have to say. But it seems like you're basing your opinion of me on a few lines of text and your personal stereotypes of and grudges against "rich white girls". I write to entertain, not to offend. Let's keep it respectful, okay?
Thanks for the lesson, I'll be more self-aware in the future.
To be clear, there are two different "Anonymouses" posting here. I was the second (and now, third!) Anonymous, and meant no disrespect. Thanks.
Anon - Obviously, and quite clearly, we don't presume to write from any other viewpoint than our own - hence the use of the first person on the blog.
Betch wasn't writing to offend those that proudly hail from the District - just writing to explain the feeling that those of us who are transient have while living here.
Thanks for reading!
Your post DOES reflect my experience (which is ONLY a segment of DC). And this does highlight the deep segregation that exists in DC. But it's so weird to have chosen to not live your parents or even you high school friends' life and to chose a very specific life in a city that require specificity (are you a nonprofit junkie? A hill rat? A long timer who's been in DC for generations?).
i like cheese. oh, and pineapple and nuts. but not together, that's gross.
I was born at Walter Reed back in 1968 and currently live just outside the lines of DC and I've been here my whole life and went to school downtown. I am one of the few who can say I'm a "Local". On top of that my entire family, (Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and their kids) all live in the same town as I. I'm always fascinated by the lives of the people that flutter in and out of the all powerful DC. Although I have been here for so long I try and make sure not to lose sight of how lucky I am to live here. It's a beautiful city with so much to offer. Great post!
By the way Anon #1 I'm white and probably a little more priviledged than most. I'm shocked you could make such racial assumptions. Then again you know what they say about that word ASSUME. Assume makes an ass out of u and me. But mostly U.
Betch,
Interesting... I came to DC in 1986, at age 22, with many thoughts and opinions like yours.
I loved DC then for it's differences from other cities, it's power, it's great and widely differeing neighborhoods and so many of the things that you mentioned.
I swore, once upon a time, that I would remain in DC, and not move to the suburbs... but... here I am, almost 22 years later, living in the Virgniia suburbs, commuting into the city that I love, married with kids, doing the soccer dad thing, all the while remembering that I once thought I would be too cool to be a suburbanite.
Thanks for the memory!
GF
One of the crazy things about this city as that so many people love to throw down the race card. I am one who loves to throw it back, because many people seem to accept that no white people are from the district either, or that there was once a time when the city was a great mix of people from everywhere. This was before many were scared out by the new "regime" that took over after the 60's riots.
The best crazy thing about being a federal district is you can reinvent yourself and your city, as is happening right now. I think we are mixing it up again with more than just two racial ingredients. VIVA el distrito federal!
September 15, 2007 5:39 PM
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