Questions and Answers: Local Life Edition
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| Questions and Answers Local Life Edition © 2025. Oya Obinidodo. All rights reserved. These are my exact answers to the following questions. |
Answer: The racism. Past trauma. The nosey people. The bullies. The crime. The negligence. Everything about it turns my stomach.
Question: Is there a local tradition or event that you secretly despise but feel obligated to participate in?
Answer: Absolutely not. I don't feel obligated to participate in anything.
Question: How do you cope with the monotony of living in the same place for too long?
Answer: I just take one day at a time.
Question: What's one thing you wish your local community would change to make it more bearable?
Answer: I wish they would be supportive and not gay, reckless, nasty, and negligent towards me. I hate the way the local people talk too. I hate their accents. They sound very deep southern and very hillbilly when they talk and it is very obvious. I wish that their English dialect was better but it's not. It's embarrassing.
Some people in larger northern cities have told me that I talk like that. I don't wanna sound like that. The people up north can spot my accent from a mile away. It doesn't make me stand out, it just makes me embarrassed because they tease me. They know that I don't sound like them. They can tell that I'm not from their city. That's why I hate traveling, especially up north, just as much as I hate being local. My accent alone makes me unsafe in most places.
Question: Have you ever considered moving away because of something specific you dislike about your locality?
My Answer: I've considered moving away for 20 years. I failed at all of my attempts. I couldn't find anywhere safe to live in America as a black minority.
Question: What's the most annoying thing about local traffic or public transport that drives you crazy?
My Answer: Some people just don't know how to drive. You have to watch your back if you drive because something could happen to you on the road at no fault of your own and you would have to prove your side of the story if you're still alive to tell it.
Question: Are there certain local foods or dishes that you just can't stand?
My Answer: I hate all of the local restaurants. They're just not clean enough for me. Every time I eat out I regret it. I rather cook my own food.
Question: What's the most overrated local attraction or landmark that you avoid at all costs?
My Answer: Well there isn't just one place that I avoid, there's a long list. I try to avoid getting on all of the local yacht's, local malls, avoid all the local universities, avoid all local concerts, and I try to avoid staying in all of the local low budget hotels. I try to avoid the local airport too and the local zoo and more local attractions but it's too many to mention.
Question: How do you deal with the gossip or small-town mentality that often comes with being local?
My Answer: I don't deal with it very well. I hear voices in my head gossiping all day long. It's not good for my mental health at all. I can't associate with locals because they spread too many rumors.
Question: What's one local phrase or saying that irritates you every time you hear it?
My Answer: I hate when the locals say "And?" everytime I say something. It irritates the f*ck out of me. I think that's why they say it. They do it on purpose. Their sarcasm disgust me and they know it does.
Question: Do you ever find yourself longing for the anonymity that comes with living in a larger city?
My Answer: Only if I can actually afford to be there. If I gotta live there poor then I don't long for it.
Question: How do you handle the repetitive nature of conversations with long-time locals?
My Answer: I often avoid conversations with long time locals. The conversation usually isn't longer than a few minutes and then I never see them again because there's nothing to talk about. These local people are fake out here.
Question: What's the worst aspect of local politics or governance that you wish would change?
My Answer: Gay marriage. I'm tired of gays getting married and I'm tired of their gay rights. People think that it shouldn't effect me. It does effect me because I'm not gay and I don't want to be pressured into being with a gay person just because it's legal. It's so many local gay men, that I never run into any straight ones. It's so many local gay women, that people try to put me in a category with them against my will. If the law prevented all of that, then I would be safe and I wouldn't have to go through that.
Question: Is there a local celebrity or figure that you find particularly annoying?
My Answer: Yes. Not just one. All of them.
Question: What's one thing about your local environment that you can't stand but have learned to tolerate?
My Answer: The crime rate and the bullying. I learned that there are bullies everywhere in the country and even the entire world. Not just in my locality. I have no choice but to deal with it.
