A Provincial Town With Unbounded Promise.
Generally I feel positive about living in Pittsburgh. When I evaluate the conditions of my life, I realize that I am fairly satisfied. This city offers the majority of the amenities that I require in a home environment and there is enough to do if one is willing to put a bit of effort into finding it. It is not so small of a town that one needs to travel elsewhere to find interesting company or entertainment. Conversely, it is not so big a city that one needs to scratch and bite for survival. The pace is moderate, and opportunities are available if you are willing to put in the effort. Living here and working to achieve your goals won't beat you down.
But I will admit to periodic frustration stemming from the provincial nature of Pittsburgh. (I touched on this in an earlier post about the comparative benefits of Philly and the Burgh.) Having grown up on the east coast, I did have to adapt to a wholly different culture. It's likely that if you were born and/or raised in the midwest or the south, then you have no idea what I mean by "provincial". Instead you have direct experience with the concept. The Free Online Dictionary defines the word as such:
pro·vin·cial
(pr-vnshl)
adj.
1. Of or relating to a province.
2. Of or characteristic of people from the provinces; not fashionable or sophisticated: "Well-educated professional women ... made me feel uncomfortably provincial" J.R. Salamanca.
3. Limited in perspective; narrow and self-centered.
Obviously I am using the term according to the second and third definitions. Equally obvious is that the characterization of a place as "provincial" is relative to an understanding and/or familiarity of somewhere else. It should be clear that I am not comparing Western PA to Yemen or Tanzania (or even West Virginia). In that kind of comparison, Pittsburgh looks positively cosmopolitan. But this isn't the case when you consider it alongside an east coast city.
In what ways do I find Pittsburgh provincial? One of the most glaring examples is in race relations. The Burgh is tremendously segregated, and not just in terms of physical locality. Not only do people choose to be in places with those who look like them, but they tend to sequester themselves mentally as well. There is a wide gulf in perception between black and white through most of the United States, but it is particularly noticeable in Pittsburgh. I think a big part of that is the fact that there isn't much of a middle ground here, racially speaking. Unlike in the eastern part of the state, there are very few latinos. It's way too easy to put people into dichotomous categories.
There's also a pervasive working class mentality lingering about town. This is largely a function of the past industrial glory of the city. As most Americans are aware, Pittsburgh used to be the center of the steel industry. Of course that time has past. The population has steadily declined since the steel mills moved abroad. But many natives cling to their memories of that time. It often seems to me that the locals are stuck in some non-existent imaginary past. And as a consequence, the remaining population is slow to embrace change and progressive ideas. Of course outsiders and tourists may find that quality "quaint", but it gets pretty irritating if you are commited to living here in the present.
Pittsburgh is a town that has its FM radio dial permanently tuned to classic rock. It's a place where they put cole slaw and fries on your sandwich, and that's considered fine dining. It's also a town where they are still trying hard to come to grips with the work of Andy Warhol... twenty years after he died in the very center of contemporary culture. Like the great artist, many who grow up here flee to more sophisticated cities. Pittsburgh strikes them as moving too glacially into the modern era. But there is hope, as outsiders flow into town to take advantage of the many benefits and the almost infinite potential of this place. The slow process of development means that even people in the middle class can have an impact on the evolution of Pittsburgh. It's the American city of bridges, and one day it will inevitably complete another that spans this chasm of stagnation and lost dreams, and leads its inhabitants into the future.
But I will admit to periodic frustration stemming from the provincial nature of Pittsburgh. (I touched on this in an earlier post about the comparative benefits of Philly and the Burgh.) Having grown up on the east coast, I did have to adapt to a wholly different culture. It's likely that if you were born and/or raised in the midwest or the south, then you have no idea what I mean by "provincial". Instead you have direct experience with the concept. The Free Online Dictionary defines the word as such:
pro·vin·cial
(pr-vnshl)
adj.
1. Of or relating to a province.
2. Of or characteristic of people from the provinces; not fashionable or sophisticated: "Well-educated professional women ... made me feel uncomfortably provincial" J.R. Salamanca.
3. Limited in perspective; narrow and self-centered.
Obviously I am using the term according to the second and third definitions. Equally obvious is that the characterization of a place as "provincial" is relative to an understanding and/or familiarity of somewhere else. It should be clear that I am not comparing Western PA to Yemen or Tanzania (or even West Virginia). In that kind of comparison, Pittsburgh looks positively cosmopolitan. But this isn't the case when you consider it alongside an east coast city.
In what ways do I find Pittsburgh provincial? One of the most glaring examples is in race relations. The Burgh is tremendously segregated, and not just in terms of physical locality. Not only do people choose to be in places with those who look like them, but they tend to sequester themselves mentally as well. There is a wide gulf in perception between black and white through most of the United States, but it is particularly noticeable in Pittsburgh. I think a big part of that is the fact that there isn't much of a middle ground here, racially speaking. Unlike in the eastern part of the state, there are very few latinos. It's way too easy to put people into dichotomous categories.
There's also a pervasive working class mentality lingering about town. This is largely a function of the past industrial glory of the city. As most Americans are aware, Pittsburgh used to be the center of the steel industry. Of course that time has past. The population has steadily declined since the steel mills moved abroad. But many natives cling to their memories of that time. It often seems to me that the locals are stuck in some non-existent imaginary past. And as a consequence, the remaining population is slow to embrace change and progressive ideas. Of course outsiders and tourists may find that quality "quaint", but it gets pretty irritating if you are commited to living here in the present.
Pittsburgh is a town that has its FM radio dial permanently tuned to classic rock. It's a place where they put cole slaw and fries on your sandwich, and that's considered fine dining. It's also a town where they are still trying hard to come to grips with the work of Andy Warhol... twenty years after he died in the very center of contemporary culture. Like the great artist, many who grow up here flee to more sophisticated cities. Pittsburgh strikes them as moving too glacially into the modern era. But there is hope, as outsiders flow into town to take advantage of the many benefits and the almost infinite potential of this place. The slow process of development means that even people in the middle class can have an impact on the evolution of Pittsburgh. It's the American city of bridges, and one day it will inevitably complete another that spans this chasm of stagnation and lost dreams, and leads its inhabitants into the future.
posted by Merge Divide at 5:16 PM
2 Comments:
Pittsburgh is a great neighborhood with an easy airport. JM
That's a pretty apt summation.
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