15 Comments
Aug 14Liked by Noah Kalina

What I like about these answers is that they all feel true.

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“Who gives a fuck.” is certainly the correct answer.

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I truly LOL’d at that. Chef’s kiss ending to a really thoughtful newsletter.

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Yes, "Who gives a fuck." But I thought id share this answer, "No man has ever really entered into the heart of a country until he has adopted or made up myths about its familiar objects" - Mary Hunter Austin

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I feel like this answer is different in LA because so few people are local in any way. It's like a bus stop or a revolving door. I think if I said I was local in LA people would look at me like I'm an idiot.

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In New Orleans, it's five generations or you have someone in your family who fought in the Civil War, which is grannies on porches mean when they say, "the woah."

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In the summer before 3rd grade, my father passed, and my mother moved us from Cleveland to the small Appalachian town where her family was from. I was, for the most part, a local by the time I got to high school, but I never felt like I could completely wash away the stink of the city.

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"Who gives a fuck?" indeed.

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The “local” question is hotly debated and thrown around here in Marquette County- Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As a genuine local (generational) I think they’re being awful. If you’ve chosen this place to make your home then it’s yours as much as mine.

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Great piece. I talk about this in print and on stage, and am passionate about the topic (Robert Putnam is my spirit animal). Because I live in a town right outside of Manhattan with deep roots, I've been here 18 years and I joke that they still call me a tourist—funny because it's true. For sure in towns with rapid gentrification, or a big 2nd home market, the local thing is way harder. I think to be local: Do you socialize in your home and in other's homes with people who are locals and outside your income/education level/political party? Most people do not.

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As someone who has lived in Amsterdam for just shy of ten years, I can confirm this question is incredibly contentious here. In a city like this, you have people who’ve lived here for generations, but a majority were born elsewhere, either in other parts of the Netherlands or abroad. My neighborhood is full of foreigners, including myself. It’s easy for debates on who is local to take on a disturbingly xenophobic cast. Personally, I think you’re local where you live. Period. There shouldn’t be a length of time or a litmus test for when you’re allowed to be a real part of the place you call home.

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Great piece, so interesting to read all those completely different answers. But the last one I love the most haha

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Aug 15·edited Aug 15Liked by Noah Kalina

I'm from Mass and up here there's a difference between a 'local' (someone that's lived wherever for a while) and a 'townie' which is more of a negative connotation for someone that's been there for generations.

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Aug 15Liked by Noah Kalina

lol'd irl

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love your friend's answer LOL

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