# The "Real People"?!?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [December 16, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349 "2003-12-16T17:42:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/1 "2003-12-16T17:42:31Z")
This is old, but it’s been preying on my mind and irritating me since it happend.
Ok so my co-workers and I ended up in downtown Albany a couple of months ago. We step out of the car, and my one co-worker takes a deep breath and says:
“Finally! This is where the real people live!”
WTF? There’s only three of us there, see? And out of us, only she lives in downtown. So what is she saying, us other two aren’t real people?!? And she is because she lives here?
Let me explain a little about her. She’s 45 years old and I am 28. Everyone in my office is 10 years + older than me. But this girl has this attitude that everyone else was born yesterday. Constantly out of her mouth is “When you’re my age”, or “You wouldn’t remember that. You weren’t even born yet!” said in a disgustingly condescending tone.
Now if it was just me I could see it. After all I am nearly 20 years younger than her. But the thing is, she says this to my other co-workers as well, who are respectively 40, 42, and 50! That’s right, she says this stuff to a woman older than her!
She is also super politically correct. It makes her crazy that the Catholic in our office rips on Catholics all the time, that I rip on people of my own heritage all the time.
Albany. So she thinks all the criminals, drug addicts, floozys, etc who live in Albany are the real people. I lived in Albany for a couple of years and while there are nice people, there is a reason I moved to suburbia. And, if you talk to her about real crime/poverty/etc./ she shies away from it and doesn’t want to talk about it. She thinks criminals - even petty crimes - are disgusting.
I think everybody is a hypocrite at some time, but this one takes the cake.
FYI, this is my first time starting my own thread but I’ve been lurking for a while. Hello to everyone.
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/2 "2003-12-16T17:43:53Z")
Wow I just looked at the “registered date” and apparently I’ve been lurking on and off for two years. My goodness where does the time fly?
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### Author:  [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/3 "2003-12-16T18:02:39Z")
Well, I can’t stand stand snobbery, and that includes that reverse snobbery that knee-jerks into action at the mention of keywords such as “suburbs” or “soccer mom.” Downtowners ain’t no more or less real than suburbanites or country folks. It sounds like your co-worker is still reveling in some adolescent sense of herself as alterna-rebel, different from the sheeple, instead of having a real self-image.
I visited Albany a few weeks ago. Nice little town; I’d love to see more of it, but don’t try to get a cab at night. Your cabdrivers are a bunch of rip-off artists.
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/4 "2003-12-16T18:11:50Z")
Send her down to NYC so I can pull the same routine on her.
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### Author:  [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/5 "2003-12-16T18:17:28Z")
When you get to be my age, it’ll all make sense to you.
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### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/6 "2003-12-16T19:49:05Z")
When she gives you the “You’re too young to…” crap, say, “Gosh, I’m constantly amazed at your ability to recall things at your advanced age!” Then whip out a bottle of Geritol and offer her a swig.
If other people in the office are as sick of this as you are, get together and throw her a surprise Depends shower.
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### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/7 "2003-12-16T20:38:20Z")
Ah. She has discovered that you are an android.
Now you will have to _keeel_ her.
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### Author:  [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/8 "2003-12-16T20:52:41Z")
Hmmmm…I do the same thing at my offices but in reverse. At one point, I was the only person in the office under the age of 30. And I would constantly rub it in.
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### Author:  [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/9 "2003-12-16T20:56:27Z")
If the real people are downtown, it won’t be downtown Albany.
Try that one out on her and see what colour she turns. 😉
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### Author:  [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/10 "2003-12-16T22:05:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by EddyTeddyFreddy \*
> \*\*…throw her a surprise Depends shower. \*\*
Is it just me, or does that sound vaguely dirty?
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### Author:  [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/11 "2003-12-16T22:49:43Z")
Spend as little time with her as possible. As you work with her, it is not a good idea to fuck with her; unless you are drunk and really can’t help it.
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### Author:  [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/12 "2003-12-17T00:36:03Z")
When a woman is 45 years old, referring to them as a girlh is kinda strange, isn’t it?
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### Author:  [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/13 "2003-12-17T01:51:14Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Beelzebubba \*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > **[sub]Originally posted by EddyTeddyFreddy [/sub]**\*
> >
> > …throw her a surprise Depends shower.\*
>
> \*\*Is it just me, or does that sound vaguely dirty? \*\*
It sounds _messy_ at any rate.
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### Author:  [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/14 "2003-12-17T06:59:45Z")
I didn’t even realize Albany _had_ cabs. I’ve never seen one.
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/15 "2003-12-17T18:35:14Z")
racinchikki: We have too many cabs for how many people we have! Cabs everywhere, and they are expensive. I’ve never had a rude one, though, so I guess that’s something.
County: I’d love to, but there are only five people in the office. so it’s hard to get away.
Monstro: Yes you’re right, it is strange, but woman sounds so darn formal and our office is really informal and casual. We have a great dynamic (all four of us), except for her!
Part of my point is that Albany is a “little big town”, in that it’s got some of the attributes of the big city but a lot of people still know each other, etc.
Sugaree: One of these days, forget the cab and come down in the spring or summer. Albany is beautiful for walking, with old historical buildings, lots of plants and trees, the museum, etc., etc.
Great. Now I sound like a tour guide.
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### Author:  [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/16 "2003-12-17T19:27:45Z")
😉 thought this was a rant about Real Player.
'scuse me.
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### Author:  [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/17 "2003-12-17T20:35:03Z")
I lived in Albany in the mid nineties. I still think of it as a year and a half of my life I’ll never get back.
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### Author:  [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/18 "2003-12-17T21:01:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by World Eater \*
> \*\*Send her down to NYC so I can pull the same routine on her. \*\*
As a transplant, I can say that I’ve found New Yorkers _sur_real. Not necessarily good or bad, and not necessarily sophisticated in the way they would like you to believe, but definitely different.
The real people are in California, for those keeping score.
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### Author:  [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/19 "2003-12-17T22:29:21Z")
I think there should be some sort of quick, simple test to determine if someone you are meeting for the first time is, in fact, a real person. Maybe a question I could ask and their answer would either provide credible evidence that they were real or identify them as “that other kind of people.” (Non-real I guess)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-real-people/219349/20 "2003-12-17T22:55:25Z")
Heheheh ‘Real’ people. Ah yes.
I was with some friends once, deep in conversation and one of them, a young girl for whom I had quite some respect, spoke out about the importance of being with ‘real’ people; we nodded sagely.
Only later was it revealed that of the set of people present, I was not counted among those considered ‘real’.
Ho hum. Funny how what was quite a large issue to me at the time now just makes me chuckle.
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