Hating Capital Cities

[lpetrich]

Why Everybody Hates Capital Cities - YouTube by Russian blogger NFKRZ

The reasons:

(1) The capital city is the biggest city, overshadowing the others, and sometimes considered its nation's default city. It gets a big share of resources, and other people consider it expensive and gentrified and dumpy and full of tourists and immigrants and expats, and its inhabitants arrogant and snobbish and kooky and liberal and soy, lots of femboys, and the like. Maybe not all of these, but at least some of these.

For Russia, Moscow, what inspired NFKRZ to make this video. Russia's default city 2 is St. Petersburg. In Poland, Warsaw. In Portugal, Lisbon. In Germany, Berlin. In the Netherlands, Amsterdam. In Czechia, Prague. In Italy, Rome. In the UK, London. In Scotland, Edinburgh. In Ireland, Dublin. In Serbia, Belgrade. In Croatia, Zagreb. In Slovenia, Ljubljana. In Romania, Bucharest. In Bulgaria, Sofia. In Hungary, Budapest. In Sweden, Stockholm, a little bit. In France, Paris. In Latvia, Riga, like City 17 in Half-Life 2 and with too many Russians. In Lithuania, Vilnius, with too many Russians and Belarusians and Ukrainians. In Estonia, Tallinn, with too many Russians and Ukrainians. In Mexico, Mexico City. In Chile, Santiago. In Venezuela, Caracas. In Japan, Tokyo. In Indonesia, Jakarta. In Bangladesh, Dhaka. In India, New Delhi.

Capital-city people sometimes have stereotypes of people elsewhere as backward and uncouth and the like.

(2) The capital city is boring and dull, and is mostly a capital, dominated by its nation's political class. In the US, DC. In Canada, Ottawa. In Brazil, Brasilia. In Turkey, Ankara. In Australia, Canberra.

Switzerland seems to be an exception, without much hate for its capital city.

 

[Politesse]

Does anyone actually hate Washington DC? Belle of a town, if you ask me.

 

[Elixir]

Does anyone actually hate Washington DC? Belle of a town, if you ask me.

It’s a bitch to drive around in if you’re not totally dialed.

 

[Bronzeage]

Seems a rather pointless exercise to differentiate a Capitol city from any other large city.

 

[lpetrich]

Seems a rather pointless exercise to differentiate a Capitol city from any other large city.

Capital cities are seats of government, and that's what makes them different.

Many capital cities are indeed big cities, and some of them are the largest cities in their nations by sizable factors. In Russia, Moscow is twice as populous as the next largest city, St. Petersburg, and eight times as populous as the third largest city, Novosibirsk.

The same variations are present in countries with prominent subnational governments, like the US. Some US states' capitals are the largest cities, like Boston in Massachusetts, and some are much smaller ones, like Albany compared to New York City in New York State.

Looking at Australia, the five largest cities are Melbourne of Victoria, Sydney of New South Wales, Brisbane of Queensland, Perth of Western Australia, and Adelaide of South Australia. All five of them are the capitals of their states, and all five of them are larger than the national capital, Canberra, by a factor of ten for the two largest.

 

[Politesse]

Does anyone actually hate Washington DC? Belle of a town, if you ask me.

It’s a bitch to drive around in if you’re not totally dialed.

True! I never drive at all in DC if I can help it.

 

[Bronzeage]

Seems a rather pointless exercise to differentiate a Capitol city from any other large city.

Capital cities are seats of government, and that's what makes them different.

Many capital cities are indeed big cities, and some of them are the largest cities in their nations by sizable factors. In Russia, Moscow is twice as populous as the next largest city, St. Petersburg, and eight times as populous as the third largest city, Novosibirsk.

The same variations are present in countries with prominent subnational governments, like the US. Some US states' capitals are the largest cities, like Boston in Massachusetts, and some are much smaller ones, like Albany compared to New York City in New York State.

Looking at Australia, the five largest cities are Melbourne of Victoria, Sydney of New South Wales, Brisbane of Queensland, Perth of Western Australia, and Adelaide of South Australia. All five of them are the capitals of their states, and all five of them are larger than the national capital, Canberra, by a factor of ten for the two largest.

This seems to be a distinction without a difference.

 

[Toni]

A lot of people ‘hate’ the capitals of countries and nations because they are the seat of governments. I found that it is true that large cities seem the think the world or at least their corner of the world revolves around them. Not necessarily the capital, itself. Detroit definitely dominated Michigan. Minneapolis dominates St. Paul. Annapolis is overshadowed by Baltimore, just as LA and NYC overshadow their state capitals.

As someone who has lived most of her life not within easy commuting distance to any large city, but who has lived on the outskirts of a few large cities, including DC, I am divided between being extremely irritated and frustrated by urban conceit, bemused by it, and a little grateful to be overlooked—although that is changing in my town which is becoming more artsy ( yay) but is seeing a very small group of people capitalize by converting inexpensive homes to upscale Airbnb’s, making it much harder for lower income people to rent or buy homes.

 

[Swammerdami]

Why Everybody Hates Capital Cities - YouTube by Russian blogger NFKRZ

The reasons:

Should I watch the video? I'd rather assume that lpetrich's summary is useful and accurate.

(1) The capital city is the biggest city,

Notable exceptions are the U.S. -- Washington is not a large city. State capitals are often not largest cities: Sacramento, Albany, Tallahassee, Austin. Even Springfield Illinois or Carson City Nevada. Among U.S. state capitals, NOT being the largest city seems to be almost the rule rather than the exception.

Trivia Puzzle: On a list of 22 or so states from several years ago, Louisiana was shown with an asterisk. What was the list's criterion?

overshadowing the others, and sometimes considered its nation's default city. It gets a big share of resources, and other people consider it expensive and gentrified and dumpy and full of tourists and immigrants and expats, and its inhabitants arrogant and snobbish and kooky and liberal and soy, lots of femboys, and the like. Maybe not all of these, but at least some of these.

Guide-books treat Thailand as a trio of habitats:
Bangkok, Other_Cities, Rural.

I've spoken with rural middle-age Thais who (almost?) conflated "Bangkok" with "foreign."! Their child being in Bangkok or Singapore was about the same to them. Salaries in Bangkok are significantly higher than elsewhere, as is the cost of living. Life in Bangkok is hectic. The contrast in character and life-style with Chiang Mai, the #2 city, is quite tangible.

Guide-books treat Thailand as a trio of habitats:
Bangkok, Other_Cities, Rural.

i"m not sure what the line is between "Other Cities" and "Rural villages." I lived 2 miles from a very small town, and one of three prominent sisters there asked me in all seriousness why I lived "in the country" instead of her "city."

 

[lpetrich]

Why Everybody Hates Capital Cities - YouTube by Russian blogger NFKRZ

The reasons:

Should I watch the video? I'd rather assume that lpetrich's summary is useful and accurate.

NFKRZ goes into a lot of detail in it about several capital cities, so I collected related kinds of objections in each ohe.

(1) The capital city is the biggest city,

Notable exceptions are the U.S. -- Washington is not a large city. State capitals are often not largest cities: Sacramento, Albany, Tallahassee, Austin. Even Springfield Illinois or Carson City Nevada. Among U.S. state capitals, NOT being the largest city seems to be almost the rule rather than the exception.

Making them (2) instead of (1).

State Capitals and Largest Cities US states with their capitals being their largest cities: AR, AZ, CO, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, MA, MI, MS, OH, OK, RI, UT, WV, WY -- 17 out of the 50 states, with not largest being 33 of them.

overshadowing the others, and sometimes considered its nation's default city. It gets a big share of resources, and other people consider it expensive and gentrified and dumpy and full of tourists and immigrants and expats, and its inhabitants arrogant and snobbish and kooky and liberal and soy, lots of femboys, and the like. Maybe not all of these, but at least some of these.

Guide-books treat Thailand as a trio of habitats:
Bangkok, Other_Cities, Rural.

I've spoken with rural middle-age Thais who (almost?) conflated "Bangkok" with "foreign."! Their child being in Bangkok or Singapore was about the same to them. Salaries in Bangkok are significantly higher than elsewhere, as is the cost of living. Life in Bangkok is hectic. The contrast in character and life-style with Chiang Mai, the #2 city, is quite tangible.

Guide-books treat Thailand as a trio of habitats:
Bangkok, Other_Cities, Rural.

i"m not sure what the line is between "Other Cities" and "Rural villages." I lived 2 miles from a very small town, and one of three prominent sisters there asked me in all seriousness why I lived "in the country" instead of her "city."

From your description, Bangkok fits that profile very well, making it Thailand's default city.