Bad Attitudes

"Paradise's Paradox... Bad Attitudes Abound" v. johns

South Florida, with its sultry sun and surf, is a place that looks great on the surface... Lots of fun and sun, parties, clubs, tennis, golf, boating and fishing... Lots of beaches, of course, lakes, rivers, creeks, ponds... and pools... So many pretty people, places and things... Depending on where you live and what you do, of course... A place alive and vibrant with many scenic vistas, both natural and urban, but with what can be argued to be some of the rudest, craziest, laziest and most character-challenged people you will ever meet... in your life...

Despite South Florida's image as a mecca for fun and leisure, the price of living in this paved urban paradise, and its many sprawling outlying areas, is that we must often put up with people whose mindsets oppose or conflict with our sunny and scenic surroundings. And nowhere is this paradox of paradise more apparent than in our daily travels to and from...

On one hand, the sunshine entices you to believe that everything is wonderful and fine. The California-derived Mediterranean look and feel of its architectural overlay almost assures you that its is. Most coastal areas here, especially the small towns, exude the cool, laid-back look of a tropical paradise... Driving south on U.S. 1 between Tequesta and North Palm Beach -- or -- on A1A in Delray or Ft. Lauderdale, as you are soothed by the beautiful scenery, you feel a sense of serenity and calm. The sand, surf and salty air beckon...

On the other hand, even the sunniest of days cannot escape an occasional patch of dark clouds. The rude, difficult -- and sometimes dangerous -- people we encounter, on some days, makes South Florida feel more like a no-holds-barred northern metropolis... Even among the rare natives, the friendliness stops at the slam of a car door... Driving on I-95, in rush hour traffic, as you cruise along with no particular rush to be there, you find yourself in a boiling asphalt sea of rude and nasty driving-challenged idiots determined to run you off the road at any cost. And you begin to wonder whether or not this part of the continental United States is anywhere near deserving of being called a paradise...

While South Florida has successfully presented itself to the world as possessing all the glitter and panache of a wildly sophisticated urban dreamscape, the overall civic and social culture of ordinary citizens leaves much to be desired. The rude, uncaring and uncivil behaviors of our residents tends to detract from the inviting look and feel of an area that is often touted as the pinnacle of paradise.

Our region, even in its most glamorous parts, seems to be swamped with an abundance of rude and nasty people. People who actually have nothing better to do than to be rude and nasty. As such, rude and nasty people, quite naturally, do rude and nasty things. Things, mind you, that often make victims of others: driving erratically, insulting others, racism, bad customer service manners, domestic assault, criminal activities, etc. It begs the question of whether or not the sun that shines so brightly, down this way, is really an illusion concocted and funded by the state legislature to make our region appear to be more livable...

Bad attitudes abound. If you go online and type in, say, "Miami vs." any big city, U.S.A., you will find some pretty scathing commentary concerning its people: the perceived lack of brainpower, the bad traffic and its accompanying bad behaviors, the rudeness, the snobbishness, etc. Similar notions apply when you compare all of South Florida to other regions around the nation...

South Florida, though located on the bottom right of a state that consistently ranks at the bottom rung in all national and regional indicators and studies, manages to tarnish its image well enough on its own. This despite the very popular idea that our entire state is composed overwhelmingly of crazed lunatics, perverts and morons. And the notion that many people's negative impressions of our entire state seem to originate from their experiences here doesn't help our region's woes at all. 

While other more stable and sane places around the nation enjoy the distinction of being normal places with normal people, Florida is routinely ridiculed in the media and by word of mouth as being a source of the of all things dumb, silly, weird or bizarre. Its most populous and most popular city, Miami, synonymous with South Florida, is often cited as the bad driver, bad manners and road-rage capital of America. And despite its glamorous presentation and allure, the actual day-to-day atmosphere of the Magic city has, perhaps unfairly, been compared to that of third world nations...

And while it is tempting to blame all of our behavioral problems on education, or lack thereof, I'm just not entirely clear on whether or not all the rudeness and poor education are really that significantly bound to each other. But I'm willing to bet that poor and uneducated feel all this nastiness more acutely than anyone else.

Rude or not, there is no doubt that education and training -- and good quality jobs -- produce better citizens. When will Florida realize this? And I believe that a great deal of the nastiness that is allowed to fester in this region is only made worse when education is not deep seeded and heavily influential. And is made even worse, yet, when residents are resigned to living in a place where outsiders fare better than natives and heavy investment in its most vulnerable people, beyond exploiting them for cheap labor and quick taxes, seems to be lacking...

At some point, you gotta wonder... Just what is it about places like Austin, Seattle and Portland, and even huge, 4-million strong Atlanta, that make these places at least appear so drastically different in its people's basic attitudes and character than any given metro in Southeast Florida? Why are they at least perceived as being tolerant, welcoming, "Achieve the American Dream" type places while we are perceived as merely a playground for the rich, where the poor and middle class need not apply, and where the brains that we do have must surely come from somewhere else?

To recap, yes, Florida is a very strange place. Its part of our lore. And our appeal. I can live with that. Secondly, although I reject the notion that Floridians are generally a bunch of morons and dummies, given its overall anti-intellectual environment, its heavy promotion of hedonism and leisure, and its poor school systems, its very hard to prove otherwise. But, while the first two items are up for grabs, the rudeness, the bad attitudes, the road rage, the overall lack of respect for one's neighbors if they are different, etc. are very real and have almost become signature characteristics of a place that has grown too fast and has lost a great deal of its original character and charm.

As our state struggles to break free of its image of all things lame, its economic engine, South Florida, bares the mark of being a once fairly livable place where, now, any manner of bad behavior goes. The image of a perpetually playful paradise continues to loom heartily over its actual problems, pitfalls and perils, creating an unusual mix of clear skies and uptight citizens in one of the world's most sought after retreats. Indeed, South Florida has managed, quite well, to successfully sell the Sunshine State's most valuable commodity: the illusion of endless happiness and joy...