Whenever I say I’m from Jersey, I always specify…”I’m from North Jersey.” And when that isn’t enough, I also say “I’m 30 minutes outside the city.” Why is it that I always feel compelled to inform people that I’m so close to the city? Why can’t New Jersey just be enough?
It seems like New Jersey always gets the short end of the stick. Not as spunky as New York, not as historical as Pennsylvania, not as clean as Connecticut. And honestly New Jersey doesn’t make it easy for people to like it. There are a few main aspects of NJ that make it especially hard to see any positives in the state.
One horrible aspect of New Jersey is the reality TV depicting people from the state. Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of New Jersey illustrate appalling stereotypes surrounding about New Jersey. Not everyone is as annoying as the cast of either of the shows, but the “characters” are certainly hard to get past. We honestly have the worst figures on reality TV. Snooki, The Situation, Melissa Gorga, Teresa Giudice — they are all awful no matter how fun they are to watch. These shows set unrealistic standards for women and do not portray New Jersey in a good light.
And even if you feel SOME New Jersey pride, it is often for a specific region of New Jersey. “Oh North Jersey is much nicer than south jersey” or “North Jersey is a bunch of stuck up snobs.” It’s not often I come across a person who really loves New Jersey, but if we really want to find some New Jersey pride, the state itself cant be separated. We all need to ban together, whether you are from North Jersey, Central Jersey, or South Jersey and embrace the state we call home.
New Jersey has a weird political situation. We are a blue state, meaning we vote democratic in elections, which is awesome. What’s crazy is that even in this democratic state, we can’t even elect a democratic governor. Instead, we are stuck with Chris Christie and his Donald Trump endorsement. This makes me angry, and certainly does not make me proud of my home state.
So we have horrible reality TV stars surrounding the state, we have a miniature civil war between North and South Jersey, AND we have a Trump endorsing governor. At least we have a wide array of major league sports teams we can cheer for! … Wrong. There is ONE major league sports team from New Jersey and it’s ice hockey. If you want to support a professional New Jersey sports team, your one choice is the Devils. Sorry.
So it really seems like NJ has nothing to root for. And even though the terrible aspects of NJ seem to dominate people’s minds when they think of the state, I will now attempt to point out some of the good things about it.
One cool thing about New Jersey is its history. We were one of the original 13 colonies, and we were the third state to join the Union in 1787. Also, our 28th president Woodrow Wilson was from New Jersey and was governor before he was elected president. Other cool historical people from New Jersey include: Albert Einstein, Buzz Aldrin, and Frank Sinatra.
Another thing to keep in mind about New Jersey is the food. I’m sorry but we do have the best bagels in all the land, I don’t care what New Yorkers say.
My favorite part about New Jersey, and the part that keeps me hanging on when it seems like New Jersey it just the worst, is how accessible and beautiful the beach is. There are multiple beaches all up and down the cost of New Jersey that are so gorgeous and so easy to get to. Summers in New Jersey are amazing, and it almost cancels out all of my anger toward the state.
I’m from New Jersey. It may not have the best governor, the best people representing us on television, the most united front or the best sports teams, but it is beautiful, it is home…and in the end, I’m proud to call myself a Jersey girl.
