Cool people from weird, small towns are cooler than cool people from, like, big, cool towns
Summary
A stranger from Mobile, Alabama makes the case that cool people from weird small towns are inherently cooler than cool people from big cities. Her logic? They had to work for it. She tells Kareem that developing taste in music, fashion, and politics in some random Iowa place is way harder than in New York, where culture is so accessible you'd have to actively try to stay uncool. It's like hot people peaking in high school. Kareem, who grew up surrounded by blonde Abercrombie guys in the Midwest, gets it completely. They trade examples of small-town icons who made it out: Bob Dylan from Duluth, Prince from Minnesota. The guest, a hijabi who somehow survived Mobile, argues that when you work for coolness instead of having it handed to you, it's more authentic. Plus it feels better.
Full Transcript
So, what's your take? Cool people from weird small towns are cooler than cool people from like big cool towns. 100% agree. I'm a cool person from a weird small town.
I'm also from a weird small town. Mobile, Alabama. You're from Alabama?
I am. You're from Mobile, Alabama?
I'm from Mobile. Wow. But I know what you're thinking. You think, "Oh, she's from Mobile. That's probably why she has this take." But actually, like, I feel like this is like a foolproof take.
And why do you think that is that cool people from weird small towns are cooler than cool people from somewhere like New York City, for example? They had like all the odds stacked against them. You know, you're from a weird like I don't know random Iowa place and then you somehow have great taste in music, have a personal style, like maybe you are politically aware. That's like harder to do in a city like that.
Yeah, they came out the mud. They truly did. And then if you're from New York, I mean, nothing against New Yorkers. We love New Yorkers. I give them their props, but like you kind of had it made for you. If you have bad taste in music, bad taste in movies, bad taste in clothes, bad taste in general, and you were born in your stupid is stupid though.
Music is stupid though. That's exactly what I'm saying. I feel like there's it's so accessible here. Like I don't see how you could not become cool if you grew up here. You know, in high school when all the hot—the hot high schoolers peak in high school and then they get ugly as time goes on.
100%. That's kind of the same philosophy. It is. As a young lad growing up in the Midwest, your life was filled with challenges. Surrounded by blonde men wearing Abercrombie. It was a hard time for guys like me.
Same. Hijabi in Mobile, Alabama. Like imagine. How did I get here?
Who's the coolest person that ever came from a small town? Ooh. Well, Bob Dylan, where did he come from? Duluth, Minnesota, baby.
Oh. T. Prince also Minnesota. I love Minnesota, actually.
Yeah. I think all of the cool people came from random places. Yeah, we develop cool people. Yeah. I feel like it's like you have to work for it. And when you work for something, it's more authentic and it feels better.
100% agree. Anything else? Free Palestine.
100% agree.