Any Press Is Good Press

A short word on finding a sense of place with backhanded identity construction.

There are many people proud of where they’re from; in fact, it can be a large part of their social identity.

I won’t ever forget that an old co-worker of mine is from Germany but predominantly grew up in Missouri.

He channeled a more modern version of pride by always reminding us how terrible Missouri was, but if we ever started to side with him, he would start adding everything that was good about the state.

He might subscribe to the concept of “any press is good press”: Whether you insult or compliment your home state, you are still telling people that you are from a specific place, and despite all the complaints and troubles, you’re proud of it for being part of you.