Portland's 15 minutes may be over
This happened a while back, but we've just stumbled upon it: The anointers of cool have turned their attention to... Pittsburgh!
Portland, with its elaborate facial hair and abundance of strip clubs, represents irony. Pittsburgh, with its working-class pragmatism, is the opposite: earnest and straightforward. It’s a place where people drink cheap beer and wave their Terrible Towels without self-consciousness. Hipsters take faux working-class attributes —brusque beards, Pabst Blue Ribbon and occupations such as butchery — and integrate them into their lives with an ironic wink and a superiority complex. In Pittsburgh, you can find all of the above, only without the derision and affectation.
Time to take the trust funds back east, kids. And please, take this comb-over with you.
| Posted at 6:49 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (5)
Y'know, if we only had a stadium that could hold the NHL, MLB and NFL, we'd be right there with Pittsburgh.
In Pittsburgh's defense, weather not withstanding, it's a nice place and not the attitude like here.
Posted by Steve | August 27, 2012 7:26 AM
Yeah, I don't think Pittsburgh would buy Jefferson Smith's act for a second. By the way, I love the way his button is all screwed up in the link. The perfect cinematic touch.
I think the button reads, "I'm on the Bus" so maybe it's time for a new campaign slogan inspired by the legendary comedy troupe, Firesign Theater.
Could you imagine Jeffy wearing a big shiny campaign button that reads, "I think We're all Bozos on this Bus"?
Posted by Bill McDonald | August 27, 2012 7:59 AM
"Pittsburgh, with its working-class pragmatism, is the opposite: earnest and straightforward."
That's about right. Pittsburgh is pretty cool. Unfortunately, nothing stomps out authenticity like an army of young "cool hunters" looking for a working class hang out (see NE Portland).
It also has better museums and cultural attractions left over from its boom days. And the housing is cheap there.
Posted by Snards | August 27, 2012 10:48 AM
Pittsburgh: What Portland used to be like back in the early 1990s. Before Portland got all Los-Angelified and self-centered and concerned about, like, its looks and everything.
Posted by Erik H. | August 27, 2012 12:45 PM
I am a fifth gen Oregonian who lived in Pgh for a couple of years whilst in grad school. Pgh and Pdx have a few things in common: the both start with P; there are many bridges and bars; Pittsburghers love their city, bars and football (real football). Both cities are remarkable places with great futures. Pittsburghers seem to like working more than Portlandia fans, because it is difficult to escape the city and go to the beach (the Deleware shore or the mountains, the Rockies...
Posted by Chuckhiker | August 29, 2012 7:22 AM