I forgot I wanted to write a post about this article from December. It fills me with an impish joy only the antics of my fellow Ohio residents could supply. There won’t be any disagreement out of me, even if the study is a bit flawed. To do Ohio justice, calling large corporations with several layers of a phone system rarely leads to happiness. Not considering such actions provocation on the part of companies is a bit naïve by the survey team. Also Time Warner, AT&T, and Comcast (so I hear) can go play Frogger on I-80. I’ve just finished my fourth calling session with AT&T in the past 24 hours. Do you really think I’m going to be a cheerful bear after that?
No, I’m not.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear with nine interstates full of out-of-state traffic zipping by me at 80, 85, and 90 MPH?
No, I’m not. It’s hard enough to keep the state’s population policed.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear after hearing the general rage-spit about the 2004 elections, or more recently John Boehner of whom I had no ability to cast a vote against?
No, I’m not.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear when the coastal regions act like we’re some kind of step down to their genteel way of life?
No, I’m not.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear, when the industries we worked so hard to maintain are now shipped to China and Mexico with little left to show for it but dilapidated factories and unemployment?
No, I’m not.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear when my own country deems my area too unimportant to fix health and safety issues on their body of water?
No, I’m not.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear when the four seasons end up to be Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction?
No, I’m not.
Do you think I’m going to be a cheerful bear when the rest of the country thinks this state doesn’t measure up their standards of courtesy?
The fuck I will.
With all that said, yes, Ohioans are fairly edgy overall. I think the economic, environmental, and social stressors are getting to them. It has made people a little crunchy around the edges. There are deep divides in the political, religious, and philosophical canvases of which no one is really interested in closing. What else would you expect from a state that gave you William Tecumseh Sherman and Marilyn Manson? It has led to practice of staunch individualism with mediocre results.
I do get mad about the state of which I’ve lived in for over 30 years. I do make insulting remarks when I see preventable failure withing state lines, but it’s more in the form of wanting improvement out of a developed location. Outsiders simply want to make comments to feel better about their situation and birthplace. That’s why you see a seemingly double-standard when it comes to criticism.
If it weren’t so hacked up and shattered, I think several people would have chosen to stay. People get mad at other people. Other people leave to find better people. People get mad that other people left. It’s a vicious circle, or maybe a little like a downward spiral.
Nine Inch Nails… Cleveland band.
Corvidae in the Fields 
I honestly have no feelings about Ohio, bad or good. I don’t know anything about it, and I’m sure you don’t want me to tell you I watched “The Drew Carey Show” in the 90s. You should do a post to educate us on Ohio. But I do know all the lyrics to all the songs on Pretty Hate Machine, memorized in 1990, and from what I recall, there was some deep-seated hostility there. I’m thinking: “Lay my hands on heaven and the sun and the moon and the stars while the devil wants to…” Oh, dear. That’s right. .
Eh, I liked Drew Carey when it was on Television. I’m not the type to get upset when people conceptualize Ohio because of it. That’s not to say it’s a great representation, but I doubt people who watched Home Improvement really believed it was a good representation of Detroit. I did like Bowling for Soup’s number “Come Back to Texas” though. Family Ties was set in Columbus, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Glee in Lima but none of them capture much about the state.
Best phrase on Pretty Hate Machine: “Hey God, why are you doing this to me? Am I not living up to what I’m supposed to be? Why am I seething with this animosity? Hey God, I think you owe me a great big apology.”
Terrible lie! Bowling for Soup is much more upbeat.
Wow! Run for some office; I’ll vote for you.
Thank you for the kind words.
However, I feel my path does not involve political office. In my mind, it’s more aligned to the gadfly image Socrates likened himself to in the Apology. I’m already considered a thorn to those with money and influence in my town simply for having a strong opinion. To be in politics is to follow the money, and that is a trail in which I’ve refused to do on moral grounds.
I applaud your ethics. When I was in high school, I wrote a regular column called “The Gadfly” for our newspaper. It was amazing that they let me get away with a lot of criticism.