Just a thought but perhaps it was that better than thou superior attitude you brought along for your unfortunate incarceration period that repelled the local yokels. Some people can be soooo damn touchy about being put in their place. Sounds like you got out of that hell hole just in time!

Kansas is the perfect place for conservatives who know they're superior to libs.

@CastleBee - I don't want to be presumptuous, but it kind of seems like you might be projecting your own negative personal experience onto some of the opinions expressed here and letting that color your judgment of folks leaving reviews in this category. I left most of the specifics out of my review because it didn't seem necessary, but in the interest of clarity here you go...

I'm not sure how much exposure you've had to this particular state, particularly in the Kansas City metro area I was clearly referring to, since I didn't see a review of your own, but here's who you're going to bat for if you feel like defending the Kansans of Johnson County, the most affluent county in the state.

In my short time living there, I witnessed...
Racism and lots of it. I was astonished by the open use of racial slurs by some folks I met there. They were equally shocked by my astonishment because, frankly, it's pretty much par for the course. Neighborhoods tend to be fairly segregated and most people seemed to like it that way. A couple I was friends with owned a house in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Overland Park. She is Hispanic and her husband is black. They frequently got questioned about the "family" for whom they worked and what rates they charged when going for a stroll in the neighborhood. People assumed that he was a gardener and she a maid for years.

Religious Intolerance One of the closest friends I have there is married to a Jewish man. They're both great with kids and their neighbors, aged 8, 12 and 14 would frequently come over to play with their dog. One day the eldest asked if they wanted to come to their church on Sunday. He responded that they were Jewish and attend synagogue instead. They genuinely didn't know what it meant to be Jewish, and so he explained briefly. Their reaction: "but that means you're going to hell!" They've moved on to attempts to convert my friends and continue that to this day.

Infidelity Seven different women were sleeping their way to the top in my particular division of the company where I worked, and were rather open about that fact. This represented about 15% of my particularly small division. Most had husbands. All of the men in question had wives. All of them also had kids.

50's era Gender Roles in the Workplace The aforementioned technique was surprisingly effective, really...more effective than hard work anyway. My company and the other 4 major employers in the area all were fairly traditional in the sense that you got promoted for time spent more than for contributions that affected the bottom line, but these few women all managed to skip a level or two on their path to greater compensation. Everyone underwent "sexual harassment" training fairly early on which stated that anything goes if it's consensual among both parties. Because of their actions and the loose policy, most of the women on my team (including myself) were treated as though we behaved in a similarly abhorrent manner. As a girl they made me feel ashamed of my gender for the first time in my life.

Conspicuous Consumption Growing up in Massachusetts, this has always been something that existed around me, but the degree to which people aspire to keep up with the proverbial Jones' in Kansas was sort of incredible. Shopping was a more competitive sport than pro football. Designer handbag collections for the women and car collections for the men. It's not terribly surprising, I suppose, since shopping is the one activity that's easy enough to do on weekends there...you run out of museums and galleries pretty quickly, and lectures were usually an hour drive out to Manhattan or Topeka on a weeknight. Fine if that's what makes you happy and it's affordable, but this becomes a bit more problematic if you elect to use your childrens' college funds to purchase these things after the head of household loses his job.

Aside from all that there are problems with the state itself. Although the cost of housing is lower there than many other places in the country, the cost of living is inordinately high once you have children if both parents work. Daycare costs are astronomical, and every single friend I had with more than one child ultimately elected to stay home out of financial necessity, despite high-paying jobs.

The public education system there is also wholly focused on standardized testing. Friends I have there who relocated from other states ended up homeschooling their kids because the math program was so rudimentary. Their son, aged 10, was studying things he had learned 3 years prior in standard classes in Ohio in the gifted class in Kansas. Their other option would have been to send 3 kids to private school to the tune of $15k apiece per year.

The state universities are underfunded and falling apart. Money comes in for the sports programs en masse, but none to fix the crumbling buildings and deteriorating electrical and plumbing systems. When an attempt was made to divert some money from the overfunded road maintenance program towards this problem, people cried foul and voted accordingly.

Finally, there's basically zero hope for historical or environmental preservation. One of the only unique geographical elements Kansas has going for it is the prairie. The Flint Hills were particularly pretty and I visited them frequently. Unfortunately, when I left, KCPL was well on its way to putting windmills atop these, and only a handful of people gave a shit. KCPL positioned this move as one that would enable a few pennies savings on the monthly power bill and people ate it up. Also, forget historic buildings...if there's not adequate corporate financial interest the property gets razed because there's not a historical preservation society to speak of or laws and tax breaks in support thereof.

To me, all this is more than deserving of a one-star rating and a harsh review. Many people faced with the option to move to Kansas from elsewhere will end up in the KC Metro area by virtue of fact that most of the large corporations in the state are headquartered there. I felt deceived by the information I was given shortly after being relocated and would have appreciated an honest opinion from someone who didn't have a vested interest in my choice to move.

Anyhow, I look forward to your reaction to my equally scathing thoughts about my home state, Massachusetts, once I get around to writing that review :)

I am speechless, and that doesn't happen often - I had no idea there were still places which are so universally intolerant of others

Not universal by any stretch, but alarmingly and depressingly prevalent.

It's not quite that bad here in Florida, but I recognize many neighbors in your anecdotes.

:-(

I guess it would take something pretty big to shake them up and start acting like it's 2009 rather than 1909.

Personally I think those who are intolerent should take heed of this Tolstoy quote: "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

Actually that was probably a little harsh for me to say that, I apologise.

No need to apologize...

If the shoe fits...

Well, thanks for the concern. But, I assure you that any negativity expressed in any of my recent posts was purely intentional. No projecting, channeling or exploration of the black holes of my subconscious involved. I was simply on a tear inspired by an impromptu low tolerance for what I considered hateful remarks.

Now to start out on a somewhat less pissy note…I thought the examples you gave were excellent, thorough and very convincing. Not that I have to be convinced because I have never been in denial of behavior like this. Logic, reasoning and experience would never allow that. And if you really want to see the underbelly of the world at work – try surviving the military as a female back when the concept of sexism was a dirty joke and the words “sexual harassment” were thought of as a title for a sporting event. And that group of bigots, Neanderthals, and inbred specimens originated from far and wide so, at least partly for that reason, I do not believe that any one area of the country (or world) has cornered the market on behaving abhorrently. I feel very confidant that when it comes to basic human nature it’s the same old shit the world over - just wrapped up in different packages and scenarios. (Backward thinking might be another story but, hey, it can still be relative and probably exists in surprising little pockets all over the country as well.) Our personal outlook, degree of sheltering, and tolerance for culture shock seems to have a lot to do with how we view it ~ just because you get use to the aroma in your own fox hole doesn’t mean it doesn’t reek to someone else.

Backing up a bit – all that is a little deeper than I was going with my sarcastic remark – though it does kind of explain the reason for it. In reading your original post, even though I thought it was excellent and can appreciate the reasons for wanting to share the information - I was struck by a kind of irony. For instance you said…

“Most people are friendly enough in a cursory way, but prefer to keep company with people who don't differ from themselves in any way.”

To be honest that was just a little frosty sounding – and, it seems to me that it describes an attitude that might apply to more than one side of the fence.

I appreciate the thoughtful response, Castlebee.

Your comment that: "Our personal outlook, degree of sheltering, and tolerance for culture shock seems to have a lot to do with how we view it ~ just because you get use to the aroma in your own fox hole doesn’t mean it doesn’t reek to someone else." rings especially true, and served to remind me how much my preferences relate to my past.

Upon second glance, in an effort to be brief, I did rely heavily upon generalization, which isn't helpful for anyone who hasn't had similar experiences to my own. In particular, the remark in question is likely to be misinterpreted lacking any context. I'll have to contemplate a revision.