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Philadelphia's inferiority complex

10441 Views 105 Replies 32 Participants Last post by  jmancuso
Hi you guys, I was reading this article a few days ago and I came across a few things that really made me wonder. It was talking about the rankings on american cities in style, looks, and something else I cant quite remember. And guess what? Philadelphia ranked last in every one of those categories. I guess my question is, how do they come to an conclusion like this? This also made me come to the conclusion that this is the reason for the inferiority complex. The constant comparing or "put down" for stupid things such as this. Please do tell me if Im looking into this a little too much.....I dont know. :)
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Did you see it in the local newspaper or just some obscure website with no credibility? Either way, I wouldn't worry about it. Those silly rankings don't do anything. All they do is express a view, which everyone has, they don't solve any crises. If it was just a random list not really explaining how the numbers were derived, it's just a load of crap. There's no reason a ranking shouldn't have at least an explanation, especially if you have to ask yourself how they came about. Philly has something going for it; rankings are just another vicious way people like to trash other cities.
I bet the top ranks where lists of southern (I was a Yankee) cities...and pretty much every aspect of the cities are either A- fake or B- northern anyways.

I'm a little buzzed, but to say Philly has no style, or look...compared to what? Mobile Ala-fuckin-bama? lol, whatever.
This is the opinion of people who have never spent any time in Philly. The sad fact is that most of the great unwashed, consider Philly to be little more than a big version of Pittsburgh, or Baltimore, gritty and unsophisticated. (Most of these folks have never been to Pittsburgh or Baltimore either, and have outdated perceptions of those cities as well). Since Philly is not considered one of the "hip" cities, (such as Boston, SF, NY LA or Chicago) and is not one of the booming Sunbelt cities, most consider it to be strictly minor league. Hip sitcoms have used the likes of Seattle and Boston as backdrops. Has any television show been located in Philly? I know Philly loves the "Rocky" image, but other than Ben Franklin, Rocky is indeed the image most Americans have of Philly. Add in the bad behavior of Philly sports fans, and viola, there you have it. I can't think of anything in the public eye that is working to offset this image, can you?
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The only show I know that has located in philly is strong Medicine but I do see where you are coming from and its really unfortunate.
I am not sure how TV and movie sets have to do with the hip' side of the city, but the fact of the matter is Philadelphia is no New York or Chicago....I do think though Philadelphia has a hell of a lot more character than LA having lived in both cities...and in my opinion Boston is a more unlikable city than Philly, the people in Boston, the traffic, the fake colonial crap everywhere, it is a bit much....thinking about US cities with their own character, Philadelphia comes to mind almost immediately after New York City, and that is not a surprise since both cities were among the first settled in the US and major players in the growth of the nation
Philly is awesome. The Real World on MTV just got done with their show in Philly and it really made the city look good.
They just don't know. I'd love to see where they get their o so scientific data from. You know what style Philly's got? Go to South St. I'll take that style over anything they'd call "style" any day.
Rugged is dead on. For some reason, I think Philly should be bigger. I don't know why I feel that way, I just do. Philly should have the skyline of Seattle, or Houston and Dallas combined.

With the rich history and population...

I've always thought this.
Comcast Center - Philadelphia 298 meters
Liberty One - Philadelphia 288 meters
Bank of America Tower - Seattle 284 meters
Bank of America Plaza - Dallas 280 meters
Two Liberty Place - Philadelphia 258 meters
Mellon Bank Center - Philadelphia 242 meters
Two Union Square - Seattle 226 meters
Bank One - Dallas 240 meters
WAMU - Seattle 235 meters
Verizon Tower - Philadelphia 226 meters

TOP 10
Philadelphia 5
Seattle 3
Dallas 2

So Philly does have a big skyline -- you have to remember, what is around Seattle? The closest million plus city is San Francisco, Seattle is THE major player in the Pacific Northwest

Dallas and Houston surged forward in the 80's and 90's when most East Coast buisnesses moved west...there is now a second shift back east ... so Philadelphia does have a skyline that IMHO is right on par...I mean, if you put Seattle 90 miles south of New York City, would it look how it does? Would any city...I think Philly haws done well having to compete with New York, Washington/Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Boston all within a 6 hour drive
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LibertyTwo said:
Comcast Center - Philadelphia 298 meters
Liberty One - Philadelphia 288 meters
Bank of America Tower - Seattle 284 meters
Bank of America Plaza - Dallas 280 meters
Two Liberty Place - Philadelphia 258 meters
Mellon Bank Center - Philadelphia 242 meters
Two Union Square - Seattle 226 meters
Bank One - Dallas 240 meters
WAMU - Seattle 235 meters
Verizon Tower - Philadelphia 226 meters
Whats with all this meters crap :jk:
Its not our fault New York took our glory : realizes the complex: lol
Oh yeah, Philly has a great skyline. But the Seattle skyline rivals Chicago and LA's. Philly's is on par with Boston, Bmore, and Jersey City.

Jersey City is across the water from NY, and they have a nice skyline with a fraction of the population of those other cities. Just look at how many towers are in Seattle. Start with 300 - 800 feet. You could put the Philly skyline in Seattle and Chicago, and it wouldn't look like it added anything to it.

I don't know...maybe I expect too much.
^^ LOL ;-)

Definitely realizes the inferiority complex....just trying to show why one exists not to rationalize it....it is not an inferiority as much so a victim of circumstances....the same way when you say Vegas you thinking gambling and sex and all that fun stuff...
Ummm... Yeah, Molo... I'm not sure you actually know what teh Philly skyline looks like... Our skyline is much taller and bigger than Seattle's. Really, it is.
I live in northern filthadelphia... talk about issues... Philadelphian have a pitty party for themselves all the freaking time... not to mention the "racial" issues... The mayor sucks and is a racist... and the bueracracy... ugh... the city would be amazing if the people gave two shits, the mayor was impeached, and all of the bueracracy (I am amazed at how many city employees i see on a dialy basis just driving around, police, parking authority, philidelphia power and water, etc.) was erradicated... but it seems that the citizenry of Philadelphia are more concerned about raiding the public treasury than making the city competative... Philly has a lot of good characteristics too... i'm just pointing out what i see as the problem.
^^ Why do you live in North Philly? That side of town is rediculously dirty. The people, everything....
*Sweetkisses* said:
^^ Why do you live in North Philly? That side of town is rediculously dirty. The people, everything....
Hey!!! Be careful what you say. Not everybody in North Phiily is dirty. I've seen similar dirt in South Philly (I mean the Italian Market, and the Passyunk areas) and in West Philly around Lancaster Ave. I know you have your opinion, but if North Philly was able to develop the Temple University area, Strawberry Mansion, and Brewerytown, it would be similar to University City in West Philly. Don't say everything because I know a lot of people in Olney and Logan ( considered North Philly ) and they're just as hardworking and caring about their city just like the people of South Philly!
:applause: :speech: :nono:
some of the inferiority complex in Philly must be left over from the days when W.C. Fields made quips about the city.

Truth is, an inferiority complex for Philadelphia is hardly warranted. And if there are those who don't appreciate Philadelphia or put it down, it may be that we live in a more plastic, artiifical times. Philadelphia is a real city, by any definiton, and there are enough people today who do not appreciate real, who think Vegas or Orlando are more what a city should be than Philadelphia. Pity.

an additional note: IMHO no two cities preceive themselves and are preceived by a number of other people as being in the shaddow of NYC: Philadelphia and Boston. That's a shame. These are two major, major cities, and stand on their own, no matter how close they are to Times Square.
I live in North Philly because I attend school here and cannot afford anything else.
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