Location Location Location
As the saying goes. While there's thousands upon thousands of studies about demographics, urbanism/suburbanism/ruralism, culture influence and the like, I wanted to touch upon perception and portrayal.
As part of my current position, I have the pleasure of traveling around the state of New Jersey to various cities and towns in my work territory. Many of these places I may have previously visited for fun, perhaps only once or twice, and in some cases, I "wouldn't dare" go. And there are ones I had never even heard of! There are towns with one of the highest income per capita in the state, and there are towns with the lowest. There are towns with old buildings, preserved architecture, charming Main Streets, debris on the ground, running exercise machines on the front porch, ghost towns, broken sidewalks, boarded windows, bullet holes in the glass door, religious shrines, manicured lawns, junkies on the stoop, average Cape Cod styled homes, private ponds, dead cats and fancy cars. I'm not kidding when I say I've probably seen it all.
The reason I mixed all of those "features" is because when I say something like "charming Main Streets" you probably have an idea of a town. The same way when I used the words "debris" and "bullet holes." What towns did you think of? When these conjured images entered your brain, you based it on perhaps your own experiences visiting them; conversely, you could have based it off "things you heard," the media portrayal or just simply demographics. I sometimes catch myself falling into the trap, while at the same time, I feel the need to defend a place. "It's not that bad." "Well, if I feel unsafe, I will keep driving." "Sure, there are mansions, but I saw normal houses too." "I had to watch out for bears."
"Actually, those people are down to earth." This is something I say, A LOT. Those people. But I'm humanizing them, right? There's still a stigma to categorize them as the people from the good town and the bad town. The "Other."
This isn't just an issue in New Jersey. It's worldwide. There are travel warnings and travel bans. There are terrorists, thieves, con artists, rapists, bigots- but last time I checked, they're everywhere, even in the safest of communities.
Do people live up to the perceptions? Do they use these same words to describe his/her town? Do they brag, scoff or garner pity? Or do they just complain that the taxes are too high?
This is a topic I do want to continue to explore, and this is just the beginning. At the core of communication studies is the basic element: a message sent between two persons with the blanket of culture (among other factors). Do we choose to communicate without bias, perceptions and assumptions? To be determined...
As part of my current position, I have the pleasure of traveling around the state of New Jersey to various cities and towns in my work territory. Many of these places I may have previously visited for fun, perhaps only once or twice, and in some cases, I "wouldn't dare" go. And there are ones I had never even heard of! There are towns with one of the highest income per capita in the state, and there are towns with the lowest. There are towns with old buildings, preserved architecture, charming Main Streets, debris on the ground, running exercise machines on the front porch, ghost towns, broken sidewalks, boarded windows, bullet holes in the glass door, religious shrines, manicured lawns, junkies on the stoop, average Cape Cod styled homes, private ponds, dead cats and fancy cars. I'm not kidding when I say I've probably seen it all.
The reason I mixed all of those "features" is because when I say something like "charming Main Streets" you probably have an idea of a town. The same way when I used the words "debris" and "bullet holes." What towns did you think of? When these conjured images entered your brain, you based it on perhaps your own experiences visiting them; conversely, you could have based it off "things you heard," the media portrayal or just simply demographics. I sometimes catch myself falling into the trap, while at the same time, I feel the need to defend a place. "It's not that bad." "Well, if I feel unsafe, I will keep driving." "Sure, there are mansions, but I saw normal houses too." "I had to watch out for bears."
"Actually, those people are down to earth." This is something I say, A LOT. Those people. But I'm humanizing them, right? There's still a stigma to categorize them as the people from the good town and the bad town. The "Other."
This isn't just an issue in New Jersey. It's worldwide. There are travel warnings and travel bans. There are terrorists, thieves, con artists, rapists, bigots- but last time I checked, they're everywhere, even in the safest of communities.
Do people live up to the perceptions? Do they use these same words to describe his/her town? Do they brag, scoff or garner pity? Or do they just complain that the taxes are too high?
This is a topic I do want to continue to explore, and this is just the beginning. At the core of communication studies is the basic element: a message sent between two persons with the blanket of culture (among other factors). Do we choose to communicate without bias, perceptions and assumptions? To be determined...
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