A Certain Genetic Look

I am not a supermodel, nor have I ever played one on t.v. And you wouldn't catch me dead on a reality show. Not that I'd ever qualify, according to a certain movie blogger. Up to this point in my life, mothers haven't pulled their children away from me, so I think I'm good. (I've been to many a big city and the same applies, just noting that up front.)

Lots of people live where I live, beautiful Upstate New York, close to so many equally beautiful places like the Catskills, Lake George, Saratoga, the Adirondack Mountains, Thousand Islands, the Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls.

One of the things these places have in common is that they all could be located in Upstate New York. I use 'could' because the exact location of 'Upstate New York' is not an officially agreed upon location except for one thing. It does not include New York City and the surrounding area, including Long Island. There's an explanation here if you're so inclined.

And apparently, most of the people who live in Upstate New York, or as the author of this gem called it, Upper New York State, have a definite disadvantage when it comes to the looks department:

"There's a certain genetic look to the men and women of Upper New York State, and they aren't the kind of people who pose for magazine covers or star in reality shows."

My parents didn't know each other before they met, and in fact came from different areas of the state. It is well documented in a family tree that there is no possibility they were blood relations. So perhaps I shouldn't take personally this blogger's implication that we're all inbred or worse around these here parts. Even so, I wouldn't pass his magazine cover or reality show star test. 

Oh well, such is life I suppose.

But I do take exception to this blogger's comments. 

I understand there are people out there who thrive on shock and insults and saying mean things. I usually feel sorry for them. If they are doing it deliberately to draw attention to themselves then they're pitiable. Getting ahead on the backs of others is sad. If they are truly that miserable that they have to spew nastiness at every opportunity then I feel sorry for them. Life is way too short to spend it spreading misery everywhere you go. There's enough misery out of our control already.  

I don't know why Derek Cianfrance chose to make his movie "Place Beyond the Pines" in Schenectady, New York. He discusses his idea for the movie here, and from what I read it sounds as if the story was developed for the movie as opposed to being based on a book. In any case, the title of the movie roughly equates to the English translation of 'Schenectady', a Mohawk Indian word that refers to a place beyond the pine plains.

It was quite an event to have a movie filmed in our neck of the woods. It's fun to watch the movie when it is out and try to figure out which parts were filmed in places you would recognize. Not that it hasn't happened before. Scenes for Ghost Story were filmed in Saratoga, as were Saratoga, The Way We Were, and many others. Albany has seen its fair share, including Salt and Ironweed. Schenectady was also used for location shoots in The Way We Were. 

I haven't seen the movie yet. I might, I might not. You know how that goes. And there's always Netflix if you miss the theatre release. Regardless, my decision to see it or not will be based on many factors, none of which are movie reviews or the opinions of bloggers. Not everyone has the same taste, so I prefer to judge for myself. 

One thing I certainly wouldn't do, assuming that I didn't like the movie, is decide to bash an entire population of people during a negative review of said movie. This particular blogger  did not seem to like the movie very much. If you've followed the link and read the entire review, you know what I mean. If you haven't, here's the part that is pretty offensive, not only to me but to anyone who lives in 'Upper New York State':

"I also felt that Mendes and Byrne are too hot to live in Schenectady. Beauty almost always migrates to the big cities where the power and the security lie, and in my experience the women who reside in blue-collar hell holes like Schenectady are far less attractive as a rule. There's a certain genetic look to the men and women of Upper New York State, and they aren't the kind of people who pose for magazine covers or star in reality shows."

He is referring to Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne. 

Granted, they are both attractive women. And having lived in the Capital District all of my life, I can say with absolute certainty that there are women (and men too) living here equally as attractive. I doubt that this person will take my word for it though. He bases his assertion on the fact that he's been here:

"...the general malaise that comes from living in the pure hell and suffocation of Schenectady and those Siberian environs...I've been up there and it's awful so don't tell me."

I also haven't see the devil hanging around anywhere, and I have no problems breathing either, unless the allergy season is in full swing. And this has to be the first time I've heard our area referred to as "Siberian". I wonder what he thinks of Canada? 

Having read additional musings by this person, there is probably no point in arguing any facts with him. I doubt that his visits to Schenectady (assuming there were more than one) constituted more than a drive-through. There are many areas of Schenectady besides downtown, some good, some not so good, which is no different than any other area, big or small, including big cities like New York or L.A. As with the inhabitants, some good, some not so good, in any capacity whether it be looks, smarts, money. And I may be wrong. It could be that he has spent some time in Schenectady but it was hard to see through the dark-tinted windows of his limo so he just assumed it was bad because Schenectady is located in 'Upper New York State.' Or maybe he stayed at a Schenectady hotel and had trouble with the wireless connection in his room.

Sorry, I let a little snark slip out.

A local newspaper blogger had something to say about the review. He of course had a rebuttal. I read more of his reviews and other articles by and about him, and I am not all all surprised by his attitude and opinions. And as with any other person who posts deliberately demeaning things he has a flock of defenders who jump on his bandwagon and share in the delight of putting down the residents here. Sadly, some of the folks in this case seem to live in the area. Makes me wonder why they haven't moved yet. But for the most part I roll my eyes and shake my head. This is the Internet folks, and if this blogger feels he is entitled to make sweeping generalizations then so do I. I am sure that 90% of the people who cheer him on are sad little people who spend all day on the Internet taking up the cause of the vitriol-spewers, hiding behind the anonymity of their computer screens.

At the end of his second post re the 'certain genetic look' of we Upper New York Staters, crafted I am sure to make certain we get his message, he writes : "And this is pretty much true -- face it, rurals."

So now I live in a rural area. Does this mean I have to turn in my indoor plumbing and get an outhouse? Or maybe my street should be dug up and reset with dirt? Better yet, how about we tear down the two large shopping malls nearby and replace them with cow pastures. Someone should suggest to Governor Cuomo that we bulldoze the South Mall and use the space to plant corn. It would be nice if we could keep the State Capitol though. It's a lovely building and would certainly complement the corn fields.

I get that this blogger feels he has to suspend belief because he thinks the actors are too good-looking to live in our area. He is certainly entitled to his opinion. And while I do agree that the folks who aspire to be actors or models migrate to the bigger cities to take advantage of the opportunities there, the fact remains that they were still born where they were born. Not only that, but many folks blessed with movie star looks don't have a desire to appear in front of a camera and are perfectly content to spend their lives in their hometown.

What I don't get is why he feels compelled to insult not only the folks who live in Schenectady, but depending on your definition, any New York State residents who do not live Downstate? How does that constitute a valid movie review? And by that methodology, how does this blogger manage to sit through any film that has beautiful people actors but is not set in a big city full of beautiful people? 

Just for the record, I don't live in Schenectady. I do live in the Capital District, and most likely in Upstate New York. I love my hometown and the surrounding communities. And I love New York City.    

Not only that, I am happy to have that certain genetic look. It comes from my ancestors, many of whom were pretty darn attractive. Lucky for me they didn't migrate to the Big City to appear on a magazine cover or star in a reality show. 

I wouldn't have the great life I do then, would I?

Even with my 'certain genetic look'.