My 15 Minutes

Hello everyone!

Well, I've officially made it as a blogger. Sort of.

Apparently, a snippet of my last post was picked up and reprinted in Huckleberries Online, a popular North Idaho blog that apparently has way more readers than I do and is connected with the Spokesman Review, the biggest Spokane, WA and North Idaho newspaper. There was also a link to my post, and as a result, I had new people commenting on my blog!

But the best part was that there were more people commenting on the snippet on Huckleberries Online than all the people who have ever read my blog combined! And it turns out that I have a lot of admirers! Let's take a look at some of the comments:

I have the feeling that Rob was so unlikeable that people in North Idaho just avoided him like the plague.
Posted by Frum Helen Back | 25 Apr 9:51 AM

No, people avoided me because I was in my "I refuse to wear deodorant or brush my teeth" phase. I also rubbed myself habitually.

I fear for the future of these semi-journalist hacks.
Posted by Cabbage Boy | 25 Apr 9:52 AM

Wow. I'm a "semi-journalist hack" and here I wasn't even trying to be a journalist. If I can be half a journalist without even trying, think of what I could do if I tried. Not much, I'm sure.

Why can't I be a "semi-millionaire hack"? I'd settle for $500,000.

Well duh! The guy is from Oregon. I have cousins in Portland who have to explain to their friends that we're not all a bunch of potato farmers who ride horses.
Posted by Digger | 25 Apr 10:06 AM

Amen. Every Oregonian I've ever met is a complete moron! Seriously, I don't know how this state even manages with a bunch of retards like us living here! When I moved here, I totally lost, like, 40 IQ points as soon as I crossed the border. Now shut your mouth, woman! Jerry Springer's on! JERRY! JERRY!

This guy is a real hack.
Posted by poolman | 25 Apr 10:47 AM

A "real hack"? How can one be a "real hack"? That's quite an oxymoron. It's like saying "military intelligence", "cold fever", "a near miss", "genuine imitation", "original copy", "elevated subway", or "good grief". Nope, I'm just a pretend hack.

TONY STEWART
NORM GISSELL
BILL WASSMUTH
BOB HASSERIES

He can take his "most of the locals didn't care" and blow it out his a**.
Posted by Transplanted Texan | 25 Apr 11:11 AM

That's not all I can blow out my a**. Would you like me to prove it?

Of course, everyone knows there are no racists or xenophobes in Eugene. Native Oregonians positively adore Californians and rich tourists.

But he's right that Eugene has North Idaho beat when it comes to racial diversity. According to the wikipedia, Sandpoint's population is 96% white, while Eugene's is 88% white. That means there are several more non-white people in Eugene than there are in Sandpoint!

But as long as we're looking at stats, lets compare Eugene's rainbow of diversity to some other backward, provincial flyover cities:

• Charleston, WV: 80% white
• Omaha: 78% white
• Reno: 77% white
• Garden City, Kansas: 68% white
• Flint, Michigan: 41% white
• Gary, Indiana: 12% white

I've never really able to put a finger on why I disliked living in Eugene so much, but I think this kind of gels it. It's fine to have a superiority complex about something, just make sure it's an actual real thing. Eugene is scenic, has a nice bike infrastructure and a good university. Those are great things to brag about.

But Eugene is not diverse, and isn't any more welcoming to outsiders than anywhere else in the country. And maybe if people there would stop pretending it is, they might start to figure out why so few minorities choose to live there.
Posted by Ken Paulman | 25 Apr 11:36 AM

Of course, Eugene is diverse. In fact, just today I saw someone with dreads and a tie-dye shirt talking with someone with dreads and a different color tie-dye shirt.

Oh, and our bike infrastructure is not that good. Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene's are probably as good if not better.

Anyway, not everyone agreed that I'm a stupid hack with a superiority complex and no friends:

I love that rather than wanting to have a real, introspective discussion about this issue - and I think some of Rob's points are valid - people simply attack him. You know, him and his differing opinion.

Nope, no xenophobia there. ;)
Posted by Sam | 25 Apr 12:07 PM

And:

Eugene has the highest proportion of VW Bus owners in America. True fact.

But you all prove his point better than he could. Too funny.

And TT, typing four names in all caps doesn't exactly refute his point, in fact, it's irrelevant.

Most of the locals didn't and don't care and in fact probably secretly rooted for the neo-nazis as they knew it kept the area having a bad reputation for people of non-white cultures to visit and move to. A reputation, despite the ceaseless bloviating and boostering, it hasn't even begun to shed.

Just say "North Idaho" in any urban setting in the USA.

Task forces don't even penetrate into grocery stores, restaurants, homeschools, bars, job sites, farms, etc.
Posted by Bob | 25 Apr 12:27 PM

I guess I was wrong about there not being differing opinions in North Idaho! Hey, wait a minute. That's not even what I was saying in the first place! I guess straw man arguments are easier to criticize than, you know, what was actually said.

Anyway, I'm sure my 15 minutes of fame is probably just about over by now and I can expect to keep having the same four readers that I've had for a year and a half. You know, the same four people who have known for a long time that I'm a stupid hack with a superiority complex and no friends but still stick with me because, well, I don't know why.

And to those of you who want to criticize me? I just have one thing to say to you:


Rob