A comment from my last post:

i read that too, but i found it mildly amusing cause just like most stereotypes, it's based on at least some truth. if it wasn't a bit true, then how would the generalization have come about in the first place? also, generalizations always come with exceptions, so you've made a moo point. saying socal drivers are shitty is like saying asians are frugal and have small eyes; it's true in many cases, but not in all. and an example of how it's possible for norcal and socal to have apparent differences: hella.

and about us only living in san diego. this is true, but we've also driven thru l.a. and orange county to get home and back many times. i think that qualifies us to make generalizations about socal drivers based on our experiences. after all, socal mainly consists of the l.a., orange, and sd counties no?

First of all, while it may be true that stereotypes come from some truth, a generalization is not at all required to come from truth. A generalization is just someone making inferences about something they know and applying it to something they do not know. And of course, if they do not know anything about it, then how can that be based on truth?

Secondly, the whole point of my entry was that the whole Norcal vs. Socal thing is a generalization, and that is a bad thing, especially when it pertains to something negative. Saying that Socal drivers are shitty is only somewhat true because most drivers are shitty. Shitty drivers are not just limited to Socal. Plus, stereotypes like these are only propagated further because people only remember what they want to. If you knew nothing about Socal drivers, and someone told you Socal drivers were shitty drivers, then you would obviously expect Socal drivers to be shitty. And therefore, any shitty drivers you see would stick out in your mind, further cementing that stereotype in your mind. Expectations are very hard to overcome.

Also, while it is true that you have driven through L.A., Orange, AND San Diego counties, that is probably pretty much the extent of your experience. And to say that is a little misleading, because in actuality, the only thing you are doing is driving on the Interstate 5 through L.A., Orange, and San Diego counties. That's not saying much. If the extent of your knowledge really is only driving through Socal, then by no means are you qualified to make a generalization. Once again, you would be applying knowledge about something you do know to something that you do not know. You cannot be qualified to do something that you know nothing about, and if you think you can be qualified, then you are never going to get a job.

Keeping Quiet is Hard

Currently Playing: Brand New - Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't

So I just finished my midterm 40 minutes early and my TA kicked me out of the lab room until lab starts at 9:30. I walk over to CLICS to intending relax a little and surf the net. Instead, I find a copy of Tuesday, January 18th's Guardian, UCSD's official student-run newspaper, and proceed to peruse it. I come across an article titled, "Getting a car opens up a brave new world." I found it a mildy interesting title that I could semi-relate to, so I decided to read the whole article. The article is about some girl who got a car for the first time and marvels at all the convenience that comes with being able to drive. Seemingly innocent enough. However, she progresses from that to comparing Norcal drivers to Socal drivers. She says things like:

Traffic Lights
Norcal: Speed through the intersection if the light turns yellow.
Socal: Speed through the intersection if the light turns red.

Residential Streets
Norcal: Never drive over 25 mph, and watch out for children and other obstacles.
Socal: Go at least 60 mph, knowing that no child with any sense of self-preservation will venture within 10 feet of the street.

Driving in the rain
Norcal: Turn on wipers and proceed at a reduced speed. Be thankful it isn't snowing.
Socal: Slow down to 15 mph, frantically try to remember how to operate windshield wipers and swerve madly.

Commuting to work
Norcal: Ride Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to work. It's the socially conscious method of transportation, and the urine smell really perks you up in the morning before you slurp down your latte.
Socal: Spend at least two hours per day commuting to and from work. If your commute doesn't regularly feature gridlocked traffic and induce pounding on your wheel, swearing, and finally crying in frustration, find a route that does. Only then will you become a true Southern Californian.

etc etc...

WTF?

You know what? I'm tired of people arguing about Norcal this, Socal that. It's stupid. Yes, I admit, I was once one of the stupid ones, but I have realized my folly. Honestly, it isn't really about Norcal vs. Socal anything. You cannot generalize your hometown to the whole northern California region. Nor can you say "It's a stupid Socal thing," when you have only lived in San Diego. San Diego is far from representative of Southern California.

Let's examine this Norcal vs. Socal driving in further detail shall we? Now, I realize that the author of the article was using what we call hyperbole to emphasize her point, and to make an attempt to sound humorous, but there have to some grounds to what she is saying (which there aren't). I mean, I'll admit that San Diego drivers aren't the best drivers in the world, but honestly, they aren't that bad. I don't think I've ever seen anyone blatanly run a red light. And I have definitely never seen anyone driving 60 mph on a residential street. I don't care where you are from, there will always be bad drivers. Maybe you just happen to run into a high number of them. Or, even more likely, you are one of those people who think everyone else sucks at driving, when in fact you are the one who sucks at driving. People have delusionally high assesments of their own driving ability.

Also, San Diego drivers do not represent all of Southern California. San Diego drivers are much different from Irvine drivers, and Irvine drivers are a lot different from L.A. drivers, who in turn are a lot different from San Diego drivers. Just like how San Francisco drivers are a lot different from Walnut Creek drivers who are a lot different from say...Davis drivers. And yes, I have driven around that area. Maybe not enough to fully judge the drivers there, but definitely enough to rightly claim that Norcal drivers are not that different from Socal drivers. Last Spring Break I went up to Norcal and drove nearly 500 miles around the Bay Area. I drove on roads local and highway, conditions rainy and dry, speeds slow and fast. When it rained, there was traffic just like there is down here. In fact, most of the time in the rain I'm able to drive 60-65 mph on freeways in San Diego.

So to sum up: don't generalize, don't be stupid, goodbye.

You're Running After Something That You'll Never Kill

Currently Playing: My Chemical Romance - Thank You for the Venom

Happy New Year everybody.

Winter break is over. Classes are starting once again. Everything will soon become routine. But more on that later.

My winter break was supposed to be three weeks long, but I only ended up being home for 5 days. The first week of break I stayed in San Diego to work my last few days at the Bookstore. I got home only to leave for Las Vegas for four days. I got home from the Vegas only to leave again for Vegas for another four days to get back right in time for New Years.

My first trip to Vegas was with my family. We stayed in the Rio, which is known for its all-suite rooms and Voted-Best-in-Vegas Carnival Buffet. I've been there a few times before, and I would without a doubt recommend it. They have so many different types of food there that it is nearly impossible to try out everything they offer. This time did not disappoint. My family and I were there for two and a half hours and I could not move afterwards.

My second trip to Vegas was with John, Grace, Arya, and Robby. John's parents had three villas (equipped with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and widescreen T.V. with a DVD player) at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club and kindly allowed us to stay in one of the rooms. Things of note from the trip were the Ghost Bar at the Palms Hotel and Casino (owned by the Maloof brothers), the sports books (where I lost a grand total of $2), the oven-baked pizzas, playing poker while drunk and sober (losing $90 in the process), and driving through fog and rain so dense that I couldn't see ten feet in front of me on the way back home. Good times.

And I wrote all of this in my first class of the quarter. What a way to start off.

Randomness: "400!!"