Not a fan
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5/25/2017
I was born and raised in Midland and while I'll always have some fond memories of growing up there, those memories will always exist within the agonizing boredom and endless monotony that is Midland. The inertia of the town is unlike anything I've ever seen – there’s no excitement, no innovation, no thinking outside the box – and I feel Midlanders work tirelessly to keep it that way. Midland decided long ago to sacrifice anything that could be remotely associated with “fun” for safety. Any new development is immediately met with skepticism and resistance. When I was 18 I moved to Pittsburgh to attend Art School and never came back – to live anyway.
My husband and I visit my family, who still reside in Midland, several times a year. Whenever I visit my hometown I am completely amazed I survived 18 years there. I’m baffled by the people who defend Midland by saying the city is “full of art and culture.” By what standard they’re measuring this against, I’m not sure. As far as I can see Midland is void of art, culture and diversity – not just diversity of people but diversity of thoughts and ideas which make art (and life) so enjoyable. You can’t have a singular “Center for the Arts” and claim to be some sort of mecca for art and expression.
People sit around and laugh, “boy, Midland sure is boring but it’s a great place to raise children, am I right??” I know that’s what I would want for my children, to raise them in an uninspired, barren wasteland. Sure, Midland is a safe and quiet town and there’s a great public school system. My husband grew up in the substantially less safe, less quiet Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, attended one of the city’s most urban high schools with a not-so-great public education reputation and he’s just as intelligent, well-adjusted and successful as I am. He even went on to, wait for it, ATTEND COLLEGE! Can you imagine?? Someone from a less than stellar public school actually went to college. I don’t mean to offend, but I’m sure I have. The endless cycle is maddening: growing up in Midland, your life is merely preparation to attend U of M or MSU so you can… get your degree and move back to Midland to work for Dow?
It's a real eye opener to live in a city where life doesn't revolve around One Company and getting into one of the Two Colleges.
Kay | Pittsburgh, PA