THIS IS what I'm sick of: I met a girl on the bus the other day who said, "Oh you're from D.C.? Me too." Where did you go to school, I asked her. "T.J." I rolled my eyes. This conversation has gotten very old.
The plurality of students at the University are from Northern Virginia. And I have encountered very few who actually live within the borders of the District of Columbia. "No.Va." permanent residents have a horrible habit of claiming that they are from the District. As a first year, this phenomenon confused me to no end. I thought I was meeting dozens of students who shared the same statehood, or lack thereof, as myself. I was wrong. It took experience and repetition to begin to recognize that D.C. had a much broader connotation for most University students.
Northern Virginia is not exactly famous for being an incredibly illustrious or interesting geographical area. Its proximity to the capital is doubtless one of its more fascinating attributes. Keeping that in mind, it is somewhat understandable that No.Va. kids would want to associate themselves with D.C.
|
The other possible line of reasoning for this occurrence is that D.C is a recognizable landmark. Naming D.C. as your hometown lets the listener immediately recognize where you're from.
However, most University students either have lived in Virginia or have become familiar with the state over the course of their time here. Therefore, saying you are from Arlington or Alexandria will have meaning for most students. All No.Va. areas have distinctive qualities. Lumping them all together as "D.C." undermines this fact - you'd think all those No.Va. kids would want some sort of individuality.
This also presents a problem for D.C. residents. When I tell people I am from D.C., the question that invariably follows is "where?" Again, as a naive first year, I would stutter. "Umm... Northwest? 4000 Western Ave.?" "Oh, you're actually from inside D.C.," the questioner would reply in a puzzled voice, as if I had just tricked them. Yes, I'm from D.C. Isn't that what I just said?
So, now I, as well as some of my fellow Washingtonians, have taken to the habit of answering the question, "I am from actual D.C." I dislike that I have to qualify my hometown like that.
Being from Northern Virginia and D.C. mean completely different things, and the distinction is extremely important.
First of all, and most significantly, Washingtonians are out-of-state. This fact seems to escape many students here and is confounded by the Northern Virginian phenomenon. D.C. students do not receive admissions priority, like Virginian students. In the eyes of many out-of-staters, D.C. kids are lumped with Virginians as having an easier time getting in here.
The second misconception is that students from D.C. pay in-state tuition. Yes, as Virginia residents you get the University as your state school. In addition, our public school system is a completely different experience, as well.
Also, being from D.C. means automatically being from an urban area. If everyone within a hundred mile radius of the White House names D.C. as their residency, one can learn nothing about their background without further questioning. D.C. residents have no representation in Congress. We're paying the price of taxation without representation, you are not.
We deserve exclusive recognition as D.C. residents. When you say you are from D.C. you are not recognizing these differences. You are letting the literal and figurative boundaries between the two to become blurred.
Northern Virginians are not the only ones misrepresenting themselves. I've seen the problem extend to Maryland residents, especially those from Bethesda or Silver Spring.
And Washingtonians are not the only ones having their identity stolen. True New York City and Boston residents experience the same problem. But then again, most University students have never heard of Duxbury, Massachusetts or Mamaroneck, New York.
If your home mailing address does not include the abbreviation "D.C." then you are not a Washingtonian. If you went to Thomas Jefferson High School, you are not a Washingtonian. If half of your high school is here, you are not a Washingtonian.
There is a simple solution to the problem. Be more precise in your facts. It's not hard to say, "I'm from outside D.C." or "I live in the metropolitan area." Or better yet, take pride in your Northern Virginian status. Tell people the name of your city/town/suburb. That way I won't have to explain why saying "I'm from D.C." means that I, in fact, live in D.C., and your identity will be more concrete as well.
(Kimberly Liu's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kliu@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | YesterdayInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
SHRAUGER: McIntire’s three-year model limits opportunities for first-year students
By Alex Shrauger | 4 days agoBy pigeonholing students into commerce so early, the University violates its own mission of providing a holistic education that produces students capable of succeeding in a variety of fields.
