Daddy's Worst Nightmare: A Manhattanite

Recently at work (restaurant job work) I had a fight with one of the bartenders. He's kind of cheesy and has no real direction in life, but he went to an excellent college. Normally I would semi-respect someone like this- but he reads the Post. Not as a joke. Not as a... let's see what these assholes made up for news today, but actually for his facts. ("I want to find out where people get raped" he said) I've had small arguments about this with him before, but I've learned that in arguments like this the other person at some point asks what paper I read, I tell them I read the Times and I look like either I'm lying or I'm bragging. Neither. I read the Times- it's the only major paper in NYC with that I give any credit too.

So.. I told the waitress who was questioning his Post reading that it was a lost cause and then I said that, as a Long Island girl, I'm embarrased of the fact that when I take the LIRR (the Long Island Rail Road for those of you who don't know the LI vernacular) most newspaper readers on the train, read The Post.. and secondly the Daily News. I said that I was ashamed.... and THEN the bartender called me a racist. I repeated what I said because I figured he MUST of misheard, but after I repeated it he said "Yeah, that makes you a racist...".... because I'm embarrased that Long Islanders mostly read the Post (when may I add, they dont' have to read the Times they could read Newsday, in my opinion one of the best newspapers I've seen AND an easy read).

We argued for awhile, but obviously this guy was spouting just loads of nonesense. My favorite was his argument to the other waitress' "LI ers are not a race" when he said "well if they stayed in the same place for a long period of time they would become one." ( Ironic since I WAS discussing there reading on train off of the island.)

Lately I've had the realization that I am an incredible snob. A really nice, sweet, INCREDIBLE SNOB. I am such a snob and sometimes i hate it.. but then I'm like "How could I not be.. how can people think that eating Chicken Caesar salad at restaurants is international cuisine or OK... how can people shop at H&M and buy the same stupid newsboy cap that every other cheesy club girl is wearing... . how can people celebrate births/anniversaries/general milestones at chain restaurants... how can people send forwards that are titled: 10 reasons guys don't put down the seat on the toilet bowl...how can people READ THE POST!!!!!?!?" Seriously how can they? How can they go to Manhattan and eat at the Olive Garden in Time Square then justify it with "great view... the portobello stuffed raviolis with fontina were tasty."

It makes it really difficult to deal with tourists and people I know from home. I get so easily frustrated. Once it ended with me yelling at a woman on the Q Train "Just go back to Nebraska." It happened the other night out with my mom's real estate cronnies at this Indian restaurant off of Times Square- good place actually. First it started with them questioning the fact that I don't hang out at Blue Fin and the ESPN Zone since I live so close. Then ended in their comments about gay people that I won't repeat. So, I suppose sometimes my snobbiness is for the good of man kind.

On other subjects though, it's just plain snobby. I know I'm quite a nightmare to my father. (I think my mom's kind of cool with it). He's not a Post reader but defiantly not a Times lover. He's respectfully a Newsday reader but for all the wrong reasons. He's a Bush supporter. And when people say that they voted for Bush I immediatly discredit everything about them b/c I deem them unintelligent- unless they can support at least some arguments. My dad actually can, so it's slightly different. I have gotten into fights with several people over their Bush vote, including a friend of my moms that ended with me making fun of her horrific spelling. (God I wish I had a copy of the email conversation. If I ever find I will definitely post it!) But my dad hears things I say and winces- about food... humor...unintelligent people.. wants that I have for my future..... and I can imagine he's questioning how his daughter got to this point. I'm his nightmare. I suppose I can also say that if I've become his nightmare.. he has actually become mine too... but I don't. With him is when I'm most aware and fine with it.

I've been trying to be more tolerant without losing my taste... but I suppose I was just snobby even in that last statement.
I'm trying.

I'll NEVER read the Post though.