Ever since we learned about our upcoming move to Knoxville, we have been so excited to finally be able to tell people where we are going and what our plans are. The response for the most part has been reciprocal excitement, maybe some tips or mention of someone somebody knows who once went to Knoxville. Recently I had an encounter that was quite different. I was at the health center and a nurse was helping me get a prescription refill processed. The processing was taking a while, so that meant it was time to chat and apparently fill her in on everything that is going on in my life. I have worked with this nurse in the past, and she’s really quite helpful, but it did seem strange how intensely interested she suddenly was in our upcoming plans. As soon as the internship came up, well, I had to dish all kinds of details about Brady’s degree, what he’ll be doing, what his career goals are, and so on. It really didn’t feel rude, just weird that she wanted to know so much. She was almost grandmotherly about it, except it was weird since she isn’t my grandmother. She’s really very sweet, and I didn’t want to be rude since she has been so helpful to me in the past. Eventually, she asked where we’ll be going. This is a snippet of the conversation at that point.
Me: Knoxville, Tennessee
Nurse: Where’s that? Is that one of the good ones?
Me: [a little surprised at the first question, but not sure what the second question even means, decided to answer the first anyway] Well . . . Knoxville is in the eastern part of the state, which borders North Carolina.
Nurse: Oh, well that’s all right [apparently North Carolina is one of the good ones]. Ya know, when ya get down into some of those others like, oh, Oklahoma or Arizona it’s not as good [really, she said Arizona—in retrospect, I think she meant to say Arkansas].
Me: Oh . . . yeah.
I imagine that my soon-to-be Southern sensibilities kicked in, and all I could think was, “Oh, bless her heart” in that slightly condescending, you-just-don’t-get-it use of the phrase. I think I know what she was getting at, so next time someone asks if Knoxville is “one of the good ones” I’m going to say, “Nah. We’re jus’ gonna go live with a bunch of hillbillies.” Although Tennessee did pass her standard, so maybe that wouldn’t be accurate. I do think they should change the state motto to “Tennessee: One of the Good Ones.” I think that would look nice on a license plate.
P.S. The picture has nothing to do with this post. It is one of the images I found when I typed “one of the good ones” into Google images—seemed fitting enough, though, since I'm not entirely sure what that phrase is really supposed to mean.
I actually think that the question makes a lot of sense, even if it is a bit imprudent and not well-phrased. I jumped to a different conclusion as I read and assumed that she was asking if the internship and the university were "good ones." I received similar questions when I went to graduate school in various cities. The question was always, "Is that a good place to study English?" The truth is, most people don't know which schools are good ones and which aren't. They also don't know if you chose a school based on its football team, its school colors, or its location next to grandma's house. I was working one day with some guys who were discussing a high school friend who was offered two scholarships to play football : one at Boise State University, one at Stanford. We all laughed at the same time. Then one of the guys said, "Standford? Their football program sucks!" Then another friend said, "But that's the one he chose!" Most of the group was confused. They didn't think that Stanford was one of the good ones.
ReplyDeleteSOooooo, here is the question as I think it should have been phrased: Tennessee!?!? Do they have a good football team or something?
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI think if she had been asking that in terms of the University of Tennessee, it might have made more sense like you are saying. Some people who hear about the application process, interviews, ranking system, and such have asked if it is a good internship site. It does make sense in that context. But she didn't seem too familiar or concerned with the educational aspects, more our personal life (she never asked about the university or the training program, but later did ask how much housing costs, etc.). The questions seemed to be more about if the state itself was worthwhile (based on its location I guess?). It was kind of like how sometimes old people still think it's okay to be racist, just a little different type of prejudice that I was somehow supposed to "get" about the South. As for the football team, I'm guessing they are probably pretty good, though I don't follow that much. I do know that the school mascot is "The Volunteers," but I'm not entirely sure what that means yet either.
The Volunteers? How do they do against Vikings, Cougars, Bengals, and the like?
ReplyDeleteYeah, it does kind of seem like having "boy scout" for a mascot. Apparently it has something to do with the volunteer soldiers helping win the war of 1812, but somehow I imagine them all cleaning up after the game, raking any leaves on the field, maybe baking cookies for the opposing team.
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