The Armpit of America? – Anthony Xerri
In My Image
West Virginia University 12/2/06: Mostly sober, red shirts discretely hidden under our hoodies, I felt this was the perfect disguise in the frigid night air; still we found ourselves surrounded by chants of “Fuck New Jersey!” Moments later, as we don our noble garbs in the befitting manner, these chants and profane remarks condemning the state of my birth and residency were aimed directly at us. What do these gas-pumping hicks know anyway? Tough loss that night, but if Townsend didn’t drop that pass in the Fourth, we may not have escaped Morgantown with our lives.
University of Connecticut 11/3/07: Red shirts worn proudly, in a certain altered state that makes being on the receiving end of yelling and insults even less enjoyable, yet still they fly: “Jersey Sucks!”
“Well,” I thought to myself, “I guess I don’t really have a frame of reference, but it seems alright to me.” Not in the mood to fight back, my companion and I find our way to our seats in the Rutgers section, which would soon be infiltrated by some Connecticut fans with acid tongues. Don’t remember much about the game besides the colors, but judging from the energy emitted by the differently intoxicated members of my party it didn’t look good for old Rutgers.
With the exception of Syracuse, (whose fans were very polite and friendly) anytime I’ve ventured to a Rutgers football game in an enemy stadium, I’ve found myself subject to verbal berating not only for the school I came to support, but for the state in which I lived. In fact, it seems that whenever I meet someone from out of state they have a less than favorable attitude towards New Jersey. I was at first puzzled by this widespread hatred. After all, I’ve lived in New Jersey my entire life and have never had a problem with it; in fact, like everything else I was born into (religion, gender, nationality) I had some innate sense of pride about it. However, I’ve been able to find a few key reasons (based mostly on the jokes and insults I’ve heard) for why the Jersey reputation follows me wherever I go.
The Smell: To paraphrase the comedy team Otto and George, when you fart in Jersey you roll the windows up. This reputation of ours has earned us many unfavorable nicknames, including the Armpit of America. Those of us who live in the more rural areas may find this accusation unfounded. But we must realize that we do not put our best foot forward. Just about anyone from out of state who drives through Jersey will wind up on the New Jersey Turnpike. This isn’t exactly a red carpet of a road. As you get a little north of Johnsonville, even Jersey natives must acknowledge the odor that is one of the many gifts of industrialization. Although this is not representative of the entire state (unless I’ve just grown accustomed to it) it is not hard to understand how we have earned such a reputation.
The Corruption: Although numerous states throughout the country have been riddled with political scandals, New Jersey has long been near the top of the list. I was actually a little surprised that a 2008 New York Times article placed us as low as number 8 in terms of convicted public officials between 1998 and 2007 (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/weekinreview/14marsh.html). Others would probably be equally as surprised to hear this statistic. According to a poll by twiigs.com, an online polling site, New Jersey was rated the third most corrupt state behind Illinois and Louisiana. We have definitely had our share of public scandals, particularly ones that would cause us to take some ridicule from other states. Who could forget the public “coming out” of Governor McGreevy? I’m not sure we’ll ever live that one down.
Our Monopoly on a Certain Demographic: Everyone thinks that if you’re from New Jersey you’re a fist-pumpin’, Jager-lovin’ Guido. It’s not hard to see where this one comes from. If you’re from out of state and you try to hit the popular bars, you will probably find at least one place where every guy is wearing a polo shirt and a blowout hairdo. It took a while for it to dawn on me that this wasn’t a phenomena shared by every state in the Union. I guess being so close to New York makes us a breeding ground for the Brooklyn-Italian wannabees. But not everyone from Jersey fits into this category.
The Cost: This is one that doesn’t get talked about by people outside of Jersey, but I threw it in anyway because it bothers me. The cost of living in New Jersey is very high. According to a 2005 report from the National Low Income Housing Commission (NLIHC), New Jersey is the fourth most expensive state for renters. Of course these statistics are from before the housing crisis, but I doubt that Jersey prices would have changed dramatically relative to other states. Friends of mine from out of state still report much lower renting prices than I have paid in New Jersey. I realize that college towns are not really an accurate sample, but you get the idea. But to be fair, these prices aren’t just arbitrarily decided. There is obviously a high demand to live in New Jersey, which would indicate that the pros outweigh the cons. We have some fine school systems, full service gas stations, and right turns on red unless otherwise posted.
Whether deserved or not, these are what I can see to be some of the main reasons that New Jersey is the brunt of so many jokes. A lot of this, as seems to be indicated, is based on stereotypes made by those who haven’t gotten the full Jersey experience. Not all of Jersey smells, and not everyone’s a Guido. Alright, I’m going to go bench-press before my boys come over for JAGAH-BOMBS!
I found this article to be particularly entertaining. I decided to comment because I, unlike almost everyone I know at Rutgers, am NOT from New Jersey. I had the tremendous advantage of growing up in Massachusetts, which in my biased opinion is the best state, or I should say “commonwealth,” in the union.
I have lived in New Jersey for over 3 years and I can say a few things about my impressions of the state when I first came here and also impressions I have since I have lived here. Firstly, the smell on the turnpike is definitely a major turnoff. Coming to Jerz for the first time in high school, all I knew of the state was that it was called, “the arm pit of America”. Also, I had no knowledge of this so-called “guido” stereotype and honestly have found only a few examples among everyone I have met since I’ve been living here.
I will say that I did quite enjoy my first couple of years here, mostly because of the independence I am sure, but I grew very fond of the people I was meeting and in spite of the fact that NJ people like the Yankees or Mets or Phillys, they are still interesting and dynamic people. It is true that NJ is a very diverse state not only among its population, but also in the geography itself. I have had a decent number of excursions to North and South Jersey and I can say that I do feel bad that the Turnpike and the Parkway are all people traveling through ever really see of NJ. It is true that there is a lot more going on than rampant industrialization and its unfortunate ramifications.
However, as I said before, I had the TREMENDOUS advantage of growing up in MA- a place that still embodies nearly every aspect of the democratic process and not only still has a profound respect for the ideals which originally founded this country, but actively employs them in our political system. I can very much say that my state is still the home of the revolution, and not only our founding revolution, but for many, many others as well. In MA, one will find: universal health care, gay marriage, top school systems (where teachers are also required to have Master’s), actively used alternative energy sources (wind and solar most prevalently) and of course a vibrant culture of national pastimes and the arts. Geographically one will also find lively cities where the history of the state itself is very much present (they’re also small and not crowded), a diverse and dynamic population, sprawling farmland and fields, and mountainous regions.
Now, in an effort to not be overly idealistic about my own state (which I overwhelmingly prefer to any other), I will indulge you New Jersey folk and say this- with which many a Bay-stater will agree: If Jersey is the armpit of America, then Worcester (city in central MA) is certainly the asshole.
I think we’ve all hated on New Jersey just a little bit, and I’m pretty sure everyone I know has spoken of getting out of this wonderful armpit at some point in their life. While I would like to quickly jump to the conclusion that all of the other states are simply sippin’ on haterade/are envious of us cause of all the publicity we get, I then remember all the summers MTV spent at Seaside and the brilliant show The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and what a hand these things have played in portraying what Jersey is like. They encourage the guido myths and make it appear that everyone here really does have big hair and use the term “bubbies” for boobs.
but I love Jersey, the hardest working people I know I live here, and I respect them, unlike everyone that lives in LA (lol). Despite the high cost you’ve spoken about, NJ is one of the forerunners of whole school reform, and one of the first to attempt to equalize the funding disparity between low income and rich communities. It’s never going to be cheap, but thats why we have some above par public schooling (where teachers need to get a Masters, unlike Florida).
At the end of the day, I think its the best state I could have grown up in. Especially with the exposure to other cultures that have permeated the area. Where else but in Central Jersey can you say you live 10-20 minutes away from over 10 Thai/Indian/Vietnamese/Middle Eastern restaurants.
At the very least, we don’t act like our shit don’t stink.
In addition to Sayani’s comments, New Jersey is where Washington actually won the American Revolution. He employed shady tactics, of course (sneaking up on the Hessians in Trenton in their Christmas Eve drunken-stupor), but he did it all in the dirty jerz. Also, don’t forget that Jersey was historically recognized as one of the first Free States of the North during the heyday of the underground railroad.
Also, I’m sick of people complaining about the turnpike. Have you ever been to the North End of Boston? It’s pretty gross too, but no one ever says that the entire city smells like smokey fish butt. I’m pretty sure Jersey made the turnpike so disgusting on purpose–to keep outsiders from wanting to move here and further cluttering the place up. Also, interesting factoid–the turnpike is the only road in America that does not recognize diplomatic immunity, meaning if you get caught speeding, you have to pay the price. Boo-ya. We don’t mess around.
There should be a footnote in Mike’s comment, as he referenced Looking For America on the New Jersey Turnpike by Michael A. Rockland (the guy who created the American Studies Department at Rutgers).
But if anyone is interested in NJ they should definitely read this book, if at the very least for the anecdotes.
@ Matia, I personally hate Boston, MA. I think its the London of the US. Pretentious, bland and overpriced. (Sorry to anyone I’ve offended) But I will take your word on it that other parts are awesome, as I understand we all have grown quite fond of our hometowns. Luckily I am not counting Surabaya, Indonesia, cause it would definitely lose in this race.
Everyone is partial to where they grew up I think. But putting my bias aside, I do not hate New Jersey. In fact I have grown quite fond of it. The differences between your state and mine are evident to me, but I find that its the population, the people, who make or break a place, so to speak. And people in New Jersey are cool. They are proud of their state just as much as people from MA are proud of our commonwealth. The point is that we should all try to find the good aspects of where we live, whether or not it is where we are from because not doing so doesn’t allow one to actually gain something from the experience of living in once place or another. Needless to say, NJ is a very interesting place to live.
As an aside: Sayani- I am sorry that you find Boston to be a pretentious and bland place. Over-priced.. yes that is true. It is one of the most expensive cities to live in, second only to San Francisco I believe. But there is a vibrant culture there, lots of students (because there are nearly 30 universities in the city itself) and I hope that if you are ever in Boston that you take on the role of an observer and try to find aspects that are enjoyable instead of a turnoff.
Oh yea Anthony? What kind of “altered state” was that you experienced on November 3? At least you had the sense to just stay drunk in hickville….aka West Virginia.
And seriously, you can let those bush-wackin inbreds hate on Jersey all they want; at least we have more places to hang out here than the Walmart…
I must say that as horrible as some of those WVU and UCONN fans were, I’ve seen Rutgers fans act just as horribly. I remember one home game where some away fans got int orhe Rutgers section and everybody started throwing shit at them from all over the place. And of course they were the ones that got kicked out. The truth is that a crowd full of drunk people, particularly rivals, is just a recipe for disaster. Maybe they should all try some more peaceful methods of intoxication. In any event, that night at West Virginia birthed some very creative banter on my part. I still maintain that I was the first to say “Brokeback Mountaineers” (a slogan which later landed a university affiliated retailer in some trouble) after spotting a fan with no shirt and a cowboy hat. Additionally, a derogatory parody of the West Virginia theme song “Take Me Home Country Roads” was born on that night (still waiting on full lyrics). So I can’t say that I haven’t made fun of other states, even if merely as a retaliatory measure.
The way I feel, going along with Matia’s comment, is that anywhere you go there are going to be pros and cons. My hope is to be far enough off the grid that the negative political and economic trends wherever I end up don’t affect me too much. Then I can just enjoy the scenery.
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