[HN Gopher] Cupcake Land - Requiem for the Midwest in the Key of...
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Cupcake Land - Requiem for the Midwest in the Key of Vanilla (1987)
[pdf]
Author : robtherobber
Score : 17 points
Date : 2023-01-08 14:00 UTC (9 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (plaza.ufl.edu)
(TXT) w3m dump (plaza.ufl.edu)
| nkurz wrote:
| I thought this was an interesting portrait in time of Kansas City
| (and by extension, other midsize midwestern cities). I'm only
| only passingly familiar with Kansas City, though. I spent some
| holidays there 15-20 years ago with a former girlfriend's
| parents, and at that time I'd say that the provincial effects
| being described were still there, but fading. It's possibly my
| impression was because they had moved there from California, but
| if so, perhaps that's a relevant recent development.
|
| If we assume for sake of argument that the author's description
| is accurate for 35 years ago, I'd wonder how much things have
| changed since. Do current KC residents recognize the city that is
| being described? My guess would be that since then there have
| been a lot of national trends that have homogenized country
| (reducing the distance between the Coastal and Flyover Elite) but
| also a lot of fractures that have divided the previously more
| uniform midwestern metropoli.
|
| Any current residents want to do a point-by-point evaluation?
| jcpst wrote:
| Your take is not far off. One difference I think is an
| increased awareness of those in the caked areas of the prior
| generation. Not all, of course. But the ripple effects of the
| White Flight are hard to ignore.
|
| I came in from the rural surroundings. I was looking for
| schools, and the difference between JoCo school and KC was a
| no-brainer. It wasn't until I was living in the metro that I
| realized I was contributing to the problem in KC by riding the
| coattails of the previous generation's White Flight.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| dforrestwilson wrote:
| Having grown up in Cupcake Land it's still accurate.
|
| A sizable proportion of the kids I went to HS with are living
| exactly this life, dressing exactly this way. I found it to be
| incredibly stifling and yet also, a comfort to be so boring.
|
| I've never heard it described as Cupcake Land, but "JoCo" or
| Johnson County. Inside of which it's residents referred jokingly
| to other adjacent counties as being "North of the Wall".
|
| It is one the starkest contrasts in county and school district
| wealth vs neighboring areas.
|
| I don't think a bust is coming to Cupcake Land this time. Sitting
| on multiple big rail lines, I-35, I-70, and the Missouri while
| reshoring is happening. Tied closely to healthcare, but not the
| tech industry.
|
| Cupcake Land is sounding rather attractive.
| jcpst wrote:
| Life is decent among the 'cakers. I dream of moving somewhere a
| bit more dynamic, but JoCo is quite comfortable. Public
| resources are great, and kept in great condition.
|
| The police are actually nice, which is a new experience for me.
| I like that I never see them in my hood. Still don't trust em
| though.
|
| There is a minority of "weirdos" among them (I am one). I like
| that I have openly trans and gay neighbors. Don't like that
| there are also openly bigoted neighbors too. The cupcakers are
| nice though (of course they are).
| jcpst wrote:
| It's true- Arthur Bryant is bad BBQ.
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