# Must I love EVERYTHING about living here? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 24, 2001, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-i-love-everything-about-living-here/77865 "2001-08-24T06:15:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-i-love-everything-about-living-here/77865/41 "2001-08-27T22:07:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hibbins \* > > Some are just defending home, some are actually unhappy where they are stuck and don’t want to hear about greener pastures, and some are just nabobs. I know it’s not reasonable to never mention California again. Basically I intended that you could try to avoid referencing California unless it was absolutely critical to what you are saying. At least in the presence of the worst offenders. True, true, true. And I do try, thought even when I _do_ try, a “land mine” will come up (like the “Phantom of the Opera” incident.) > [@](#): > > If you really want to get _along_ you will unfortunately have to make a conscious effort not to draw comparisons. Yes, “drawing comparisons”, as in “Oh, it’s so much better in California” is not going anywhere. Mentioning my experience on a certain topic sometimes requires some semplance of a “comparison” at times. If people are talking about their high school, for instance, I might talk about mine. Not having to mention _where_ I went to high school. But if it turns out that my high school experience was different on some interesting point, there will be questions about that. There are always differences that I don’t see coming, that I never expected. And people will ask. And sometimes I will ask people something like “Do you have this law here? Do you have this product here?” And if they _don’t_ have the law/product/service (and they perceive that as a _negative_ thing, and/or they see that I am disappointed) then once again there are ruffled feathers. There are differences that disappoint me. I don’t have to “bitch” about them for people to pick up that I am disappointed. And then _that_ ruffles their feathers. > [@](#): > > If you just want to _show them up_, stop now and avoid the embarrassment and frustration. No - I can’t say I’ve _never_ done that (it was irresistable with some of the “worst offenders” who were really being obnoxious) but no. That’s nowhere. You’re right, no one will be convinced. > [@](#): > > You’ll never convince but a few that anything is actually better where you come from. No, it’s pointless. What I _would_ like is for the locals here to stop trying to convince _me_ that things here are better than where I came from. Because that’s equally embarrassing, and frustrating for _them_. And yet some still try to convince me that things are really better here. > [@](#): > > Unless it is something completely unavailable locally. Plenty of that. Plenty of that. (But I try to keep my mouth shut anyway. 🙂 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/must-i-love-everything-about-living-here/77865.md?page=2)