Today, NPR published a story about the 10 meanes cities in the U.S. I skimmed the list, and while I was surprised to see San Fransisco listed, I could only really think about one thing: finally, a bad list that doesn’t include Memphis.
We’ve been called all kinds of things in Memphis – crime ridden, dangerous (according to the FBI, we’ve got two of the most dangerous streets in America), fat, bad drivers, someplace you’d never want to raise a kid, etc.
Every time one of these lists comes out, there’s a mixed local reaction. Some people totally agree that Memphis is a crime-ridden city full of overweight people that don’t know how to use a turn signal while they’re doing a drive-by. Others with a bit more civic pride dismiss the listmakers as haters. Some are proud in an at-least-we’re-number-one-at-something kind of way.
Still, it’s refreshing to know that sometimes, things aren’t all bad. We may not have an IKEA, but at least we’re nice people.
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Huh. I never would’ve guessed Kalamazoo, Mich., either. Home to Western Michigan University, Bell’s brewery & the ever-popular Kalamazoo Animation Festival International. Perhaps Oberon-guzzling Bronco fans aren’t all that pleasant…
Well, reading the article, I guess what they’re saying is that we’re nice to homeless people. Ain’t that sweet. I do have to say that before I moved to Memphis in 2005, I had heard many horrible things about our city. I especially remember being told that people aren’t that nice and that customer service is shitty. Maybe it’s because I didn’t set the bar high enough, but I am surprised, almost on a daily basis, about just how helpful and friendly Memphians can be. When the lady at the McDonald’s drive-thru consistently calls me, “honey,” and wishes me a good day, I consider that a win against all the haters.
And it’s always a different employee pretty much each and every time.
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