We Iowans will continue to be kind, even as coastal elites' snootiness grates
The Iowa caucuses are just around the corner. As a native Iowan who lives in New York, this means it’s my time to shine. At parties, I can recount my run-in with Bernie Sanders at the Des Moines airport or the speech I heard Elizabeth Warren give at the Iowa State Fair at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.
I can even go back in time and talk about when George W. and Laura Bush autographed campaign signs for my Girl Scout troop in 1999.
But telling these stories to my friends in New York during primary season often elicits responses that go something like, “Oh, you’re from Iowa! This is the one time people actually care about your state.” And then the conversation veers away from Iowa as the indifference settles in.
Many middle Americans (and I imagine some southern and western Americans) have encountered this attitude on the East Coast from the so-called “coastal elite.” To New Yorkers, I say, laugh with us about the famed butter cow if you must, but don’t put us — and our hometowns — down.
And please, when we tell you we’re from Iowa, don’t respond with “I’ve never been anywhere in middle America,” as if every state that doesn’t have a coastline merges into one. (Yes, I’ve heard this more than once.)
No, I didn't grow up on a farm
It wasn’t until José Reyes left his native Puerto Rico for graduate studies at Iowa State University that he learned anything about Iowa. Reyes studied computer science and is now a tenured professor at New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn. He clings to his adoptive heritage with visits to the Manhattan pub that puts Iowa State games on its big screen when the Cyclones play.
“A lot of people don’t know history,” Reyes said. “The actual Atanasoff-Berry computer was invented at Iowa State, so that’s where everything started. They think Iowa is in the middle of nowhere and not relevant, but it’s actually where a lot of very important things got discovered.”
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Other Iowans say they're often asked if they grew up on the farm. Many didn't. Neither did I, for the record. Others don’t even get the state stereotype right. “You’re from Iowa? Potatoes!” No, that’s Idaho. Many of my acquaintances seem to think Iowa and Ohio are interchangeable, too.
Ignorance isn't bliss
I’ve only lived in New York for about a year and a half, but my annoyance at remarks like these has steadily grown. Sometimes I wonder why it bothers me so much. You can’t expect everyone to know everything about all 50 states, but the way some New Yorkers so blatantly proclaim their ignorance — and aren’t sorry about it — is grating.
The cultural differences between the Midwest and the East Coast may explain my feelings. A study published in 2013 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, showed that Iowa is one of the friendliest and most conventional states and New York is one of the most temperamental and uninhibited.
Katie Braden, whom I also found at the Iowa State bar, said people seem shocked at first when they find out she’s from Iowa. But then they say it makes sense.
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“They go, ‘Oh, I knew you weren’t from New York because you’re so nice,’” she said. “I’m like, everyone in Iowa is so nice. Braden grew up in Glidden but has lived in New York for 17 years.
Reyes agreed, and so do I. He said Iowans could be ignorant about Puerto Rico, but he found them in general to be very nice. For the presidential candidates who flock to Iowa every four years, this could be a blessing. When I saw Sanders in the Des Moines airport, he looked characteristically grumpy, like he wasn’t in the mood to chat. He was about to board a plane and his campaign event was already over. Most people at the gate seemed to recognize him, but they all left him in peace, except for one woman who quietly asked for his autograph. She said please, she smiled and she thanked him.
Perhaps New Yorkers could learn a lesson from her.
Colleen Connolly is a journalist based in New York who is originally from Urbandale. This column originally appeared in the Des Moines Register.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Coastal indifference toward Iowa grates, but we have plenty to offer
