I was born and raised in the same city in Indiana that I have lived in the entirety of my young life. Because of this, I was never really acutely aware of what set me apart as a Hoosier from citizens throughout the rest of the United States.
Admittedly, my travel experience within this country is rather limited, but the handful of places that I have been has helped shed a little light on what exactly my heritage means.
While visiting Washington, D.C. and New York City, I realized that I lack the flair for fashion and urban-savvy of many east coast city-dwellers.
On my many trips to Florida, I have discovered that in comparison to the average Floridian, I am perpetually pale and in poor physical condition.
And during a week-long camp in North Carolina that I attended in middle school, I was complimented multiple times on my great “Midwestern accent.”
My travels have shaped just how I believe my Indiana upbringing has made me unconcerned with fashion, of average physique and the proud owner of a seemingly accent-less accent; however, I’ve also picked up my own notions on what it means to be a Hoosier.
To me, it means failing to acknowledge superficialities. When I was growing up, not one of my girlfriends wore makeup until high school, and to this day I don’t think I or most of my friends could name five brands of designer jeans if our lives depended on it.
I think this is something to be proud of. While we Hoosiers may not be as stylish as those on the coasts, or as image-conscious as those in South Beach, I believe that growing up in Indiana has ensured that measure of self-worth and my values have not become as radically misplaced as those of the current average American female.
I’d much rather focus on how to make myself and the world around me a better place than on how to minimize my large nose and create “fake abs” and “toned legs” through the skillful use of bronzer — according to In-Style magazine this is indeed possible and, in fact, common; I kid you not.
In addition to a grounded and down-to-earth approach to the superficial, I think Indiana has instilled in me a basic friendliness that cannot be found in all parts of the country.
From all that I’ve seen and experienced, I can say that I truly believe the average Hoosier is several times more courteous than the average American.
We smile at people we pass on the street and wave and say hi to our neighbors. We say sorry when we accidently bump into people in passing. We hold the door open for the guy behind us and don’t have the completely single-minded tunnel-vision that so many others seem to possess.
I realize that my view of the sincere, kind and mindful Hoosier probably has a lot to do with the wholesome, family-friendly city that I was born and raised in, along with more recent negative experiences living in a college town populated by a large amount of people from a certain metropolitan area that may or may not start with a “Ch” and end with “ago.”
It can by no means be applied to every Hoosier and every part of the state.
But when in the future I find myself in a new town, in a new place, and am questioned about my past life in a state with unreasonable politics, — see: de-funding of Planned Parenthood, constitutional gay marriage ban, S.B. 590, merit-based teacher pay and the death of public schools, etc. — and unbearably bi-polar weather, — see: The Weather Channel at any given time of the year — I will defend my home state as what it was to me.
A simple state where the people are genuine and kind and a great place to have grown up in.
— kabeasle@indiana.edu
