Growing up in Buffalo, I'm used to the negativity and apathy that comes with living in this area.
You know the deal: the city is in economic despair, our sports teams are forever coming up too short, and we're a snow-filled tundra for nine months out of the year.
It's hard to not fall into this mindset and start believing these supposed myths to be true. To compensate for our shortcomings, most proud Buffalonians, including myself, sing praises any time we receive a new prestigious ranking or shout-out.
Earlier this month, Newsweek ranked Buffalo as ninth in a list of its "can-do" cities. For a city that is also ranked as No. 8 in Forbe's top 20 most miserable cities, many Buffalonians are quick to put the former rank first in their minds.
But, what makes Buffalo so terrible, yet the best place to live at the same time? What makes this place a frozen tundra in a economic downward spiral, but still one of the best places to settle down and find a job?
Newsweek ranked cities in four different categories: sustainability, livability, transportation and infrastructure, and business development. Out of 200 major cities ranked, Buffalo was able to make the cut with a final score of 60.43, beating out cities like Boston, Mass., Philadelphia, Pa., and San Diego, Calif. This can be considered impressive, to say the least.
Yet, we can't forget that our eighth place in the list of most miserable cities kind of trumps that No. 9 spot. We're described as "the snowbelt city that is still the second largest in New York State, but the population has fallen more than 50 percent in the past half-century as the industrial base has waned."
But, this is no skin off our back as long as we're doing something right and we're the first to defend ourselves when the negative comments start pouring in.
I was just a baby during the Super Bowl glory years, but I still cringe at any mention of "wide-right." No matter how many wins the Bills rack up, it's hard to "billieve" that some day they'll come out on top. I know that I speak for every Buffalonian when I say I can only take so many ups and downs.
Take all the recent press and acknowledgement that UB has been gaining. With two monumental donations announced in one week and the inauguration of the university's 15th president, it's hard to ignore the optimistic vibes swelling across campus, and it's easy to think UB really deserves that No. 54 spot on U.S. News and World Report's list of public universities.
But, the Bulls are 1-3 in the start of the season, students are still facing the backlash of financial aid and HUB changes, and parking continues to be a complete nightmare.
I'm not trying to be pessimistic or diminish any praise given, but is one week of accomplishments going to make the negatives go away?
Can putting all our worth into one or two lists spewing praise make us forget how much it stings when someone makes a derogatory comment about our hometown?
There's so much more to this university and, more importantly, this city, than any single list can rank. Until we can view our praises and shortcomings with a grain of salt, we should actually try to live up or disprove these silly rankings.
Email: rebecca.bratek@ubspectrum.com
