Cato Institute and Florida's Take on Upstate

Hijole,

I’m cranking up the old blog máquina again as the fireflies return to my backyard. Orale you are correct – es un simbolo ……

Pues – NYCO and others are talking about how Florida and others over at the Cato are talking about upstate…..here’s my take:

I’ve lived here for 2 decades and been witness to much of the deterioration and depopulation of upstate. My first impression of the place was the horrifically grotesque poverty that afflicted the area and everything that flows from that situation.

IMO the ambience found in the Utica/Syracuse corridor reminds me of people that are depressed. There is little verve, energy or desire to actively engage in life. People don’t want to take risks or act in a positive manner. Homes are not painted – “I ain’t fixin’ my house – they’ll raise my taxes” was and is a very common refrain throughout Madison County. I still cannot believe the contrast between Vermont and Upstate NY or even Massachusetts and Upstate NY. The majority of homes you find in VT and MA are actually painted whereas the majority of homes in rural Upstate NY have a dilapidated look.

The other odd dimension was how locals openly practiced an ethnocentric/racist discursive style. It reminded me of South Texas and the Deep South. For example, I worked in Utica for many years and still cannot believe the amount of racist cant that flowed from people’s mouths. I was pitching an economic development proposal — the locals told me that it would never fly since it meant that Jews would show up buy the property and bring their black servants – ergo forget it. IMO, if you are a person of color, in any professional capacity including a governmental or educational position, the chances of having something weird happen to you is very high. There is an unwritten law about mentioning this or trying to change this godawful situation — hey they’ll fire you is what people are told time after time…so nothing gets fixed. I’m still astonished at how many people drive pickup trucks with Confederate flags. Last but not least, the region is home to many organized hate groups – the KKK, neo-Nazis and Johnny come lately groups like UCE. They are for the most part accepted as being part of a normal sociopolitical discourse. BTW, the xenophobic nature of upstate has not dissipated or even diminished – it remains one of the bedrocks of local life and is a constant in my life. A few months ago, at a town meeting on economic development – a “nice” middle-aged white woman prattled on about the lack of diversity being a major strength of our community. She was mentioning the point because she wanted to keep it that way.

One of the absurdities of Upstate is the conscious attempt by many folks to keep it exactly like it is – a nice cheap place and only a 5.5 to 6.5 hour drive to the City and exoburbs – and last but not least the place is deserted and is mostly white. I heard the latter banter from several new habitués in our village. IMO, sic transit gloria should become the Upstate slogan.