It has come to my attention and to the attention of many others that over the past three years, Gallup has been conducting a survey of citizens in 357 major U.S. population centers in order to find the happiest and most unhappy cities in the United States.
While the poll showed that Ocean City, NJ is the least depressed, and Casper, WY is the happiest, the poll also showed that the most unhappiest place in the Unites States in none other than…
Cue the fanfare…
Wait for it…
That’s Right, America!!
Springfield, Ohio!!
The municipality of my musings. The city limits of my solace. My lifelong friend and hometown that I adoringly and affectionately refer to as, Bagwine, Ohio, is Number One!!
Or, as I should say to our burgeoning population of Mexican-Springfielders so they too, can celebrate…
“Bagwine, Ohio is Numero Uno, Mi Amigo…Pass the 40 of King Cobra and Viva Zapata!!”
While being Number One in the area of, “U.S. City that Sucks the Most” may seem like a stigma to some communities, we here in Springfield are awash with tears of joy induced by our new found notoriety.
Being the worst at something isn’t necessarily bad. You know what is bad? Being obscure.
And today, we in the Champion City, just as the Phoenix rose from the ashes, and Edmund Hillary scaled to the top of the Everest, have cheated the cold clench of obscurity and proudly planted our flag of penultimate angst and ill-will atop this naïve and otherwise happy-go-lucky nation.
Our amber waves of grain waft in the wind in the form of the purplish bull-thistle that acts as a waving, weedy headstone atop the razed land where the International Harvester plant used to stand.
The Crowell-Collier Building while mainly empty and no longer publishing 20 Million periodicals a month like it did until 1956, still looks down upon the city as life goes by.
The once thriving population of some 82,000 has dwindled to 60,000 at best, but that means one can get through the lines at the Porta-Potties much more quickly during the Downtown Plaza Parties in the Summer.
Our dumpster diving industry is still going strong, although being the industrious workers that we are in Springfield, we have glutted the aluminum recycling market, and prices are quickly dropping.
Alas, I ask…are we collectively in Springfield, Ohio really all that unhappy? I have no idea, because I have no idea who Gallup contacted during their survey. I know I wasn’t contacted. I don’t know anybody who was.
The answer to my question might be found in something a long time friend of mine, Sherri said in response to my posting of these results on my Facebook page. She said…
“Not to be corny, but happiness is not a place.”
After responding to her by saying that the spot where a chick’s back of the thigh melds into her ass is a very happy place, I figured she was right.
In all seriousness?
I work among the masses here in Springfield, Ohio, and while things aren’t great or anything, I don’t see this place being the unhappiest place in America. I see it as probably how many Americans view their own cities, towns, and burgs.
Just a town full of some people who are doing well, some doing okay, and some doing not-so-well.
I’d venture to say that if my BFF/OSP Schmoop and I were living anywhere else, we’d still be in the group that is “doing okay”, and…we’d still be happy, which gives credence to what Mizz Sherri said.
However…
Another friend of mine, Tiffany, commented on the same Facebook post as Sherri and said the following as to why people in Springfield aren’t very happy…
“Only because they don’t listen to the I’m With Stupid Radio Show.”
Tiffany is a freakin’ genius.
Cheers!!
Matt-Man
email: neshobadude@yahoo.com
twitter: @mattmaniws
While the poll showed that Ocean City, NJ is the least depressed, and Casper, WY is the happiest, the poll also showed that the most unhappiest place in the Unites States in none other than…
Cue the fanfare…
Wait for it…
That’s Right, America!!
Springfield, Ohio!!
The municipality of my musings. The city limits of my solace. My lifelong friend and hometown that I adoringly and affectionately refer to as, Bagwine, Ohio, is Number One!!
Or, as I should say to our burgeoning population of Mexican-Springfielders so they too, can celebrate…
“Bagwine, Ohio is Numero Uno, Mi Amigo…Pass the 40 of King Cobra and Viva Zapata!!”
While being Number One in the area of, “U.S. City that Sucks the Most” may seem like a stigma to some communities, we here in Springfield are awash with tears of joy induced by our new found notoriety.
Being the worst at something isn’t necessarily bad. You know what is bad? Being obscure.
And today, we in the Champion City, just as the Phoenix rose from the ashes, and Edmund Hillary scaled to the top of the Everest, have cheated the cold clench of obscurity and proudly planted our flag of penultimate angst and ill-will atop this naïve and otherwise happy-go-lucky nation.
Our amber waves of grain waft in the wind in the form of the purplish bull-thistle that acts as a waving, weedy headstone atop the razed land where the International Harvester plant used to stand.
The Crowell-Collier Building while mainly empty and no longer publishing 20 Million periodicals a month like it did until 1956, still looks down upon the city as life goes by.
Our dumpster diving industry is still going strong, although being the industrious workers that we are in Springfield, we have glutted the aluminum recycling market, and prices are quickly dropping.
Alas, I ask…are we collectively in Springfield, Ohio really all that unhappy? I have no idea, because I have no idea who Gallup contacted during their survey. I know I wasn’t contacted. I don’t know anybody who was.
The answer to my question might be found in something a long time friend of mine, Sherri said in response to my posting of these results on my Facebook page. She said…
“Not to be corny, but happiness is not a place.”
After responding to her by saying that the spot where a chick’s back of the thigh melds into her ass is a very happy place, I figured she was right.
In all seriousness?
I work among the masses here in Springfield, Ohio, and while things aren’t great or anything, I don’t see this place being the unhappiest place in America. I see it as probably how many Americans view their own cities, towns, and burgs.
Just a town full of some people who are doing well, some doing okay, and some doing not-so-well.I’d venture to say that if my BFF/OSP Schmoop and I were living anywhere else, we’d still be in the group that is “doing okay”, and…we’d still be happy, which gives credence to what Mizz Sherri said.
However…
Another friend of mine, Tiffany, commented on the same Facebook post as Sherri and said the following as to why people in Springfield aren’t very happy…
“Only because they don’t listen to the I’m With Stupid Radio Show.”
Tiffany is a freakin’ genius.
Cheers!!
Matt-Man
email: neshobadude@yahoo.com
twitter: @mattmaniws
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