In his defense...

Apparently Jim's comment " ...Ohio seems like a very red neck place to be from. I don't know how much they work on reading skills instead of picking corn or fixing cars out there." really hit a nerve with some of my fellow Ohio natives. You know the comment on the post about me. Aboug how much he loves and adores me as a wife. (Maybe they missed the point.)

In Jim's defense:

People born & raised or routed in on the NorthEast coast for a good majority of life, all think that the midwest is full of stupid hillbilly red necks sitting on a rockin' chair on the front porch with a shot gun. Until I left I didn't know there was such a harsh view of the whole non-coastal US. I didn't even realize that people consider Ohio to be the mid west until I moved away.

It's called stereotyping. heard of it? I don't think it's anything to take offense to. I guess lots of people do, but I think it's just silly to get your panties in a bunch over a little bit of truth mixed with a little bit of exaggeration. I mean what do you think about people from New Jersey or New York City? Arm pit of America, Sopranos, stinky polluted air, heroin needles lining the beaches.

Well that's what I think and I can't get enough of making fun of Jim for his New Jersey roots.

And, he equally can't get enough of making fun of me for my red neck Ohio roots.

It's been going on since probably before we even started dating.

Jim grew up thinking that New Jersey was some kind of holy land. Like the skies opened up one day and dropped Jersey down to bless the rest of the unworthy land in America. He really thought he'd never leave the place. That there is no better place on earth. He intended to take a brief hiatus to live in NY , get his degree, and head straight back to that stupid traffic filled, jug handle circle chaos, over populated land of unhappy jerks. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what he did...with little 'ole country bumpkin Chelle Jo tagging along (I eventually convinced him to at least escape over the state line to PA and we're both soo happy we did).

Furthermore, it's no secret that Jim had a superior education than myself. For god sake they had vocabulary words until the 12th grade. I'm pretty certain we stopped having vocab after 3rd grade, maybe 4th. I've always said that my teachers were just happy that I was a smart kid naturally. I was never really challenged academically, not the way Jim was. It was like an all out war to be valedictorian. Kids giving up any kind of social life and burying themselves in a stack of text books for 4 straight years to ensure their spot at the top. Sounds serious. I'm pretty sure our valedictorians spent Senior year in the home-ec lab making chocolate chip cookies. (no offense Kayne or Seth)

And Ohio, it could be worse. At least our accent is subtle. We gave birth to aviation and lots of president ( i think 8 in total). And, we have rock n' roll and football hall of faming it on our turf. Personally, I'd rather be viewed as an illiterate redneck than a self inflated asshole anyday. I love meeting or running in to someone from the midwest around these parts. I can usually tell right away, they just have a softer soul.

Besides. Who care what Jim thinks anyways?

Ohio, just remember, you're the 'heart of it all.' Be proud. Stand tall. and if you come to the east coast bring a book.