Why Does Everyone Malign New Jersey?!

On M*A*S*H, Hawkeye was checking on a patient when three South Korean soldiers came in to announce their presence to watch over their POWs. The leader asked Hawkeye where his commanding officer was and Hawkeye answered, "Probably in the mess tent. You can't miss it. It's big, green... smells like New Jersey."

What the HELL!?

I live in this state. I have always lived in this state. I happen to love living here, and not just because it is my home or because I have my family here. How did we end up as a piece of New York or the home of all waste? Do you really thing dumping never happens in other states? Or that Staten Island, home to an inordinate amount of dumping, isn't filled with lovely coastal and woodsy areas not tainted by the smell of decomposing waste? How does anyone say that? Everyone oohs and ahhs about California, New York, Florida (for reasons passing understanding - only a small portion of Florida is ooh-ahh stuff. The rest makes New Jersey look great!), Hawai'i... But people refer to New Jersey as the "armpit of the nation".

Just keep in mind that if you visit me in northern New Jersey, you will see the Parsippany 3,000 year old petroglyph rocks; Tripod Rock; the 300 Stone Steps; Condit House; the Freylinghuysen Arboretum; Lake Parsippany; Packanack Lake; High Point State Park; and a multitude of other gorgeous places. You won't see any dumps, any toxic waste (I've never seen any toxic waste in my life. All 40 years of it), any gruesome parts. Do we have them? Sure, we do. Every state does. But those are not everywhere in New Jersey and not just some select places as in other states.

Really. Let's lobby for New Jersey!

Comments

CrystalChick said…
I'm with you Aislinge, we do get a bad rap and I say like you, there are really great things to do and see here. Last month we went to the Cranberry Festival, we're the 3rd highest producer of those yummy berries. And isn't Hammonton the Blueberry Capitol?? Lots of great farms with everything from Jersey corn, to tomatoes! And the Jersey Devil... and the Jersey shore... and the Wharton State forest... Batsto, the history, the foods, the wine.
OH WAIT...
I just might have to blog about our great state at some point too!!
3 November 2007 at 17:06
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