Sommer Days
Sommer Mathis, Coeditor-In-Chief of DCist was kind enough to address this blog yesterday on DCist.. She pointed out that I did in fact use laughably poor grammar in my header. On this, she was correct. I consider myself stung. I tip my hat to you, Miss Mathis. My header has been corrected. Thank you.
Miss Mathis, you were also kind enough to respond to my concerns. Before we get into this, I think I should pull up your profile, just so we’ll all have a better understanding of where you, as Coeditor-In-Chief of DCist, were coming from when you explained to me Baltimore’s relationship, not only to Washington, but to our nation at large.
Oh, so you are from Los Angeles? Hmmm. Not a bad town, really. Of course, it’s no Long Beach, but you know me. And yes, I’m pointing this out for the most obvious of reasons. You know nothing of this region. Am I correct? No need to answer. I already know. I’m not really a big fan of people coming to this region and telling me what’s what after they’ve been here for, oh... say, a year or two... maybe three... four? How long has it been? We’ll get to that later.
Before you responded to my concerns in your bulleted list, you said “Yes, a blogger going by the moniker DCist Go Home has decided that we have no business mentioning Baltimore in any way, shape or form.” Actually, I said quite the opposite. I acknowledged that DC does sometimes have reason to mention events and venues that happen to occur in Baltimore. What I said was that when DCist happens to mention an event in Baltimore, it must take special care to ACTUALLY MENTION THAT SAID EVENT IS OCCURRING IN BALTIMORE, rather than implying that the event is occurring in the DC suburbs. It is important that you understand that Baltimore is not DC’s suburb. I know, I know, you disagreed with that; but we’ve already established that you know nothing of the region. You, according to your responses in on your bulleted list, consider Baltimore to be a DC suburb; but agan, we’ll get to that later.
The first bulleted response:
If by “we” you meant DCist contributors and editors, than I’ll just have to take your word for it. I’ve only read your profile. As I was specifically pointing out readership, I’m going to assume you were as well. Now, I’m no expert on DC, but I suspect that the majority of Washingtonians are not actually corporate drones. Maybe only the people who matter in DC are the corporate drones? Which people are those, exactly? And what is the converse of those people? Are they the sort of people who populate Newark, Oakland, East Saint Louis and Baltimore? Which people are those, exactly? Honestly, I have no idea where you are going with that. I'll take the high road and assume you were talking about poor people. I was just saying people in Baltimore don’t like franchises. Baltimore already has a page similar to an Ist. It isn’t exactly the same, but it is very close. As an expert on the region and as a Coeditor-In-Chief of a major regional blog, I’m sure you’re already familiar with it. What is it called again? I can’t remember.
The second bulleted response:
Oh, you enjoy our crime dramas and working class transvestites? That is SOOOOO inclusive of you. I feel so honored. There is a big difference between us enjoying these crime dramas and Waters films. Our enjoyment comes from a sense of empathy, you watch them as an outside observer, just like when you were in Los Angeles.
But wait a second, I said “Other times, Baltimore is treated with contemptible disdain...” to which you responded “I mean, those things exemplify Charm City perfectly, right hon?”
Let’s repeat that paragraph, just for fun!
But wait a second, I said “Other times, Baltimore is treated with contemptible disdain...” to which you responded “I mean, those things exemplify Charm City perfectly, right hon?”
Don’t say “hon,” darlin. There is no way for an outsider to say “hon” without it dripping with “contemptible disdain.” And who says Hon, again? I know I can’t get away with saying it. I’m not from the right neighborhoods. Which neighborhoods are those, exactly? I mean, Baltimore is your suburb. You should know, right?
The third bulleted response:
I’m going to assume you’re being sarcastic, as DC has no food traditions, as of yet no “great stadiums” (not that I care about that) or some tourist venue in the harbor. Actually, I doubt the first is true. I’m sure DC does actually have it’s own food traditions, as well as its own vernacular distinctions. Not that anybody has ever heard of them, as they belong to the majority of Washingtonians that nobody knows anything about, because they don’t seem to matter. Maybe I can read up on that stuff in DCist, but probably not. But I guess that isn’t important, as you can just ship those in, just like you do with your white collar labor force. That is what makes a city great, isn’t it?
And the final bulleted response:
How ironic. I want this blog to die, and you want it to live. Oh, but one of us was being sarcastic and the other wasn’t. But which was which? I’m so confused. In the end, I have a strong feeling we’re both going to get what we actually want.
And Miss Mathis, I think DC is the perfect city for you too.
Miss Mathis, you were also kind enough to respond to my concerns. Before we get into this, I think I should pull up your profile, just so we’ll all have a better understanding of where you, as Coeditor-In-Chief of DCist, were coming from when you explained to me Baltimore’s relationship, not only to Washington, but to our nation at large.
Since fleeing Los Angeles and the shallow world of the television industry to help make high-minded social documentaries in D.C., Sommer finds herself occasionally sneaking an Us Weekly into her shopping cart at the Giant in Shaw. Feel free to shame her the next time you see her. Covert grocery store behavior aside, Sommer thinks D.C. is the perfect city for her, and doesn't miss the West Coast much at all (except for the weather). Before she started blogging and documenting, Sommer was a barista, a valet, a writer and editor, a transcriber of romance novels, a house sitter, and a prop department coordinator. She also enjoys wearing sweaters, drinking bourbon, and falling asleep with the TV on.
Oh, so you are from Los Angeles? Hmmm. Not a bad town, really. Of course, it’s no Long Beach, but you know me. And yes, I’m pointing this out for the most obvious of reasons. You know nothing of this region. Am I correct? No need to answer. I already know. I’m not really a big fan of people coming to this region and telling me what’s what after they’ve been here for, oh... say, a year or two... maybe three... four? How long has it been? We’ll get to that later.
Before you responded to my concerns in your bulleted list, you said “Yes, a blogger going by the moniker DCist Go Home has decided that we have no business mentioning Baltimore in any way, shape or form.” Actually, I said quite the opposite. I acknowledged that DC does sometimes have reason to mention events and venues that happen to occur in Baltimore. What I said was that when DCist happens to mention an event in Baltimore, it must take special care to ACTUALLY MENTION THAT SAID EVENT IS OCCURRING IN BALTIMORE, rather than implying that the event is occurring in the DC suburbs. It is important that you understand that Baltimore is not DC’s suburb. I know, I know, you disagreed with that; but we’ve already established that you know nothing of the region. You, according to your responses in on your bulleted list, consider Baltimore to be a DC suburb; but agan, we’ll get to that later.
The first bulleted response:
If Ist wants a Baltimore presence, than Ist must create a Baltimore presence (not that I think we'd be interested). Well, we are all corporate drones; that much is true. I'd say that if anyone in Baltimore is interested in starting Baltimorist, you should contact Jake Dobkin at jake (at) gothamist.com. I imagine they'll get you guys up and running sometime after Newarkist, Oaklandist, and East Saint Louisist.
If by “we” you meant DCist contributors and editors, than I’ll just have to take your word for it. I’ve only read your profile. As I was specifically pointing out readership, I’m going to assume you were as well. Now, I’m no expert on DC, but I suspect that the majority of Washingtonians are not actually corporate drones. Maybe only the people who matter in DC are the corporate drones? Which people are those, exactly? And what is the converse of those people? Are they the sort of people who populate Newark, Oakland, East Saint Louis and Baltimore? Which people are those, exactly? Honestly, I have no idea where you are going with that. I'll take the high road and assume you were talking about poor people. I was just saying people in Baltimore don’t like franchises. Baltimore already has a page similar to an Ist. It isn’t exactly the same, but it is very close. As an expert on the region and as a Coeditor-In-Chief of a major regional blog, I’m sure you’re already familiar with it. What is it called again? I can’t remember.
The second bulleted response:
There are times when the editors of Washington’s Ist opts to treat Baltimore as DC’s red headed step-suburb. Other times, Baltimore is treated with contemptible disdain. Dude, you clearly have no idea how much time we spend chatting about The Wire, John Waters films and Homicide: Life on the Streets. I mean, those things exemplify Charm City perfectly, right hon?
Oh, you enjoy our crime dramas and working class transvestites? That is SOOOOO inclusive of you. I feel so honored. There is a big difference between us enjoying these crime dramas and Waters films. Our enjoyment comes from a sense of empathy, you watch them as an outside observer, just like when you were in Los Angeles.
But wait a second, I said “Other times, Baltimore is treated with contemptible disdain...” to which you responded “I mean, those things exemplify Charm City perfectly, right hon?”
Let’s repeat that paragraph, just for fun!
But wait a second, I said “Other times, Baltimore is treated with contemptible disdain...” to which you responded “I mean, those things exemplify Charm City perfectly, right hon?”
Don’t say “hon,” darlin. There is no way for an outsider to say “hon” without it dripping with “contemptible disdain.” And who says Hon, again? I know I can’t get away with saying it. I’m not from the right neighborhoods. Which neighborhoods are those, exactly? I mean, Baltimore is your suburb. You should know, right?
The third bulleted response:
When it suits their purpose, they’ll occasionally claim Baltimore culture and institutions as being part of their own. We're not sure we know what you mean. The D.C. Metro area has fantastic local food traditions, great stadiums, and a wonderful aquarium. You know, because Baltimore has them, and Baltimore is, of course, just part of the D.C. Metro area.
I’m going to assume you’re being sarcastic, as DC has no food traditions, as of yet no “great stadiums” (not that I care about that) or some tourist venue in the harbor. Actually, I doubt the first is true. I’m sure DC does actually have it’s own food traditions, as well as its own vernacular distinctions. Not that anybody has ever heard of them, as they belong to the majority of Washingtonians that nobody knows anything about, because they don’t seem to matter. Maybe I can read up on that stuff in DCist, but probably not. But I guess that isn’t important, as you can just ship those in, just like you do with your white collar labor force. That is what makes a city great, isn’t it?
And the final bulleted response:
Hopefully, this troll blog will quickly die, and never have any need to be updated. Noooooo! We hope to keep hearing from you for years to come.
How ironic. I want this blog to die, and you want it to live. Oh, but one of us was being sarcastic and the other wasn’t. But which was which? I’m so confused. In the end, I have a strong feeling we’re both going to get what we actually want.
And Miss Mathis, I think DC is the perfect city for you too.
posted by dcistgohome at 11:29 PM
4 Comments:
I live on Capitol Hill and I can be at Camden Yards in the same amount of time it takes me to get to Potomac Mills. Sounds like a DC suburb to me.
You know. I've met lots of DC folks, and they don't seem to hate Baltimore. In fact, some actually like Baltimore and most just don't care one way or the other.
So I really don't get your incredible hatred of DC or DCist. But this is an attitude I have noticed a lot since moving to Baltimore. People here just have this reflexive hatred of DC. It's kind of funny. I mean, I hear all this "wine and cheese" stuff, and how DCers are all stuck up, but I've never actually seen any of this myself.
And it's not as if Baltimore is all that great. Honestly, the transit here sucks, crime is out of control, most of the food is mediocre, the people are rude, the shopping sucks and your baseball team is, well ... not doing so well.
That's not to say that I haven't found my own little niches. A few good restaurants, some nice stores, and the light rail is better now that they actually built another track for it -- who would have guessed? And the architecture is good, even if most neighborhoods are too scary to visit.
But overall, Baltimore just hasn't impressed me much. It's not a terrible place, but it's not great either. That's why we're moving.
sound like a good move for you. baltimore doesn't seem to have what you're looking for. good luck. I didn't say DC hated Baltimore. I said "Your audience couldn't care less about Baltimore. Baltimore hates DC." Actually, I said that with far worse grammar. And this is true. This isn't some cheerleader blog about Baltimore's awesomeness. If it is anything other than a troll blog, it is a blog that clarifies the relationship between the two cities, but mostly it is just a troll blog. It will live and die in less than 2 weeks time, i suspect. still, it has been loads of fun for the past couple of days.
the V Fest was mentioned previously, which I guess is why they didn't say Baltimore in the most recent post.
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