NYT

I have a rant. Here it is:

I found this New York Times article through Gawker in which the author (Stuart Elliott) writes about his surprising discoveries when he traveled outside of New York: On the Road, an Ad Landscape That Is Increasingly Familiar

Call me...whatever you want to call me, but I couldn't stand it. I'm tired of being stereotyped by the New York media. We don't all ride horses or farm in the rest of the country. Goodness! This was the email that I wrote to the editor:

"NYT,

I realize that it's a slim chance this email will be read, and I also realize that it won't matter to many at the New York Times what some random Texan thinks about your articles. I am only writing this to make myself feel a little better; like I've at least tried to right some kind of wrong today.

Stuart Elliott's article, "On the Road, an Ad Landscape That is Increasingly Familiar," has to be the funniest thing I've read today. Is it really true that people in New York don't realize that the rest of the country is living with the same things they are? Yes, we drink overpriced coffee; yes, we pay too much for gas; yes, we actually have the amazing internet--not just in our homes (egads!), but also in our hotels. Motels, even. Is it any surprise that a national chain such as Starbucks or Cingular would make their services available to those of us in the middle of the country? Doesn't "national chain" mean that it will be in places other than New York?

Wait, maybe I should just feel sorry for you guys. Visiting New York, we were hard pressed to find Lone Star or Shiner, two of the best reasons to live in Texas. You don't have HEB or Central Market, great grocery stores with low prices and high quality. You have to have Blue Bell ice cream shipped to you, when we can just walk to the nearest convenience store to find pure ecstasy in gallon form.

I find that we as Americans in general tend to be naive and think we're incredibly special, and some New Yorkers (some, mind you) tend to live in a bubble. While I love Austin, I realize that others might not be able to stand the heat (100 degrees is a norm, guys) or might not find Alamo Drafthouse (voted Best Theater in America by Entertainment Weekly) that exciting. And while in my previous paragraph I listed things you don't have in NY, I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see a presence of any of those items in your stores or streets. Maybe that's because I realize there's a world outside of my city limits."

Is that too....ranty? I don't know. I read over it a few times and edited a lot, and I don't really care if it's published. I just wanted to make sure I did something about the way I was feeling as a result of that article.

Whew!

Rant, cease.