I'm Not Angry
June 8, 2006
Every time I go back to my hometown of Philadelphia (actually Willow Grove, but who's counting?) for a visit, I have to readjust to the cultural differences between the east-coast city and my current place of residence, Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the first couple days of my visit, a typical conversation might go like this:
- Diana [to her husband]:
- YO, JACK! IT'S YOUR MOM ON THE PHONE AGAIN!
- Me:
- So, don't you get along with your in-laws?
- Diana:
- YEAH! WHY?
- Me:
- "Yeah," meaning you do get along? Or, "yeah," meaning you don't?
- Diana:
- YEAH, WE GET ALONG GOOD! WHY?
- Me:
- Um, no reason. It just sounded like you were mad about her calling.
- Diana:
- WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
- Me:
- Well, you were yelling at the top of your lungs.
- Diana:
- OH! YOU'RE SO FUNNY.
Soon enough, though, I'm back in the groove, shouting and hollering at my family and friends as if I'd never moved away. Visitors to the city of brotherly love often mistake Philadelphians as rude or belligerent. And when I return to Grand Rapids from my visits, with my vocal volume raised a few decibels, I sometimes wonder if people are thinking the same of me.
That's why I was thrilled when I came across this t-shirt from the Feed Store at Mule Design Studio. It's the perfect way to put others at ease and let them know that I'm really not itching for a fight. In fact, maybe the shirt should be required apparel for anyone traveling from Philly to more genteel cities.
Comments (3)
Karl!! I love this shirt. Me BEING a guy from Philly, that moved to Arizona, everytime i'm just talking people get into a defensive way of speaking. It's like they look at me as some type of bully that enjoys the satisfaction of a verbal bashing.
I tripped to stumble across this blog.
Much Love
Shawn
22 yrs old
( West Oak Lane )
Sep 6, 2007 ; 12:59 PM
This shirt is awesome. I'm from NC but I moved to Philly when I was 8 and every time I go back to NC to visit everyone askes me why I'm so angry. I need to buy like 7 of these shirts for when I'm down there.
Mar 24, 2008 ; 12:39 AM
oh karl, i supppppose this might be true. but i'm married to someone from Buffalo, and let me tell you, Philly does not have the market on high volume conversing.
i do have a memory, distinct for no apparent reason, of someone during high school saying, "hey i saw you driving around [Willow Grove, but who's counting] and you looked angry." i wasn't, i said defensively, but then took to looking at my passive expression in the mirror for a while to check and sure enough, it does have a tinge of the angry about it. still. unfortunately. i blame it on philly. and NO i'm not angry!
Jun 14, 2006 ; 11:10 AM