Why is New Jersey such a joke? (1 Viewer)

[Joseph DeMartino]

As noted, most locales have an neighboring area that everyone makes fun of. (In some parts of Canada "Newfie" jokes are made at the expense of Newfoundland.) New Jersey comes in for more than its fair share because of its proximity to NY and because so many showbiz types actually come from NJ and like to make fun of it.

Yeah... but Cleveland deserves it!

Actually there is a theory that certain names containing a hard "K" sound (like "Newark", "Cleveland" and "Keokuk") are inherently funny, and therefore become the punchline of more jokes. The number of syllables and the rhythm of the words also plays a part, which is why "Newark" is funny in a punchline, but "New York" - or even "New Ark" (as Newark, Deleware is pronounced) aren't. Similarly some numbers are funny and others aren't. (Reportedly Neil Simon chose Laughter on the 23rd Floor as the title for one of his plays because it sounded funnier than the real floor where he worked as a writer for Sid Caesar.)
Regards,
Joe

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Ok, to correct. It was Camden, not Neward. 3 out of the last 5 mayors were arrested while in office, but not for murder (but all of them have been questioned regarding murder cases). You can imply what you want with that.
Some links.
http://www.gamblingmagazine.com/articles/22/22-152.htm
http://www.njmonthly.com/issues/May01/sa.html

 

[Holadem]

I loathe that state for some reason. Granted I have only been to the north part of it. While CT is boring compared to NYC, NJ seems boring AND dirty. Th whole thing just seems to lack originality. Probably because of its proximity to the Big Apple

--

Holadem

 

[Anthony_J]

Don't forget central NJ, we're middle class and boring all the way. (Except for Trenton, which pretty much sucks).

I've lived here my whole life and love the state. We're within easy driving/train trips from NYC or Philly (less than 1 hour), and have a great mix of areas and activities within the state (beaches, casinos, great golf, skiing, hiking, canoeing, etc.), often all within an hour's drive.

Of course that's our main problem. We have no identity besides being one big suburb of NYC or Philly. We get lost in the middle.

No one is from Jersey anymore, they're simply New Yorkers or Pennsylvanians who happen to live in NJ. That's why our claim to fame is our turnpike/parkway system.

The funny thing is that you generally don't pay a toll to enter the state, but you have to pay when you leave. what does that tell you?

Oh well, it's a lot better than living in Delaware.

 

[CharlesD]

Every state gets insulted by the people of the neighboring states

Iowa: Gateway to Nebraska

 

[Paul_D]

I'm sure that someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I think that Newark is the only city in the US that has had two standing mayors get arrested for murder. Could be three.

I dont know why, but I just find that insanely funny!

 

[Hugh M]

yes, I have been to Utah several times.
I love Zion National Park, canyonlands, and Moab, as well as Bridal Veil Falls and Provo Canyon.
But there's something different about Utah. I won't go into it.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I must say that some of the areas in New Jersey make it one of the more interesting states in the US. Lots of history and stuff, plus the actual towns are interesting. Within a few minutes from my house, we have suburbs, woods, a mall, two or three gas stations, a Minute Mart, a diner, a highway, and a lake. Its actually pretty interesting.

Though it does kinda suck. You have to live here a LONG time to figure that out.

 

[DeathStar1]

>>Being a relative USofA-ignorant-Brit, the subtlety of this very cinema-friendly gag has always been lost on me. Is New Jersey the butt of persistent jokes because Newark has the highest murder rate of the entire United States? Is it because it's such a boring place? Is it because it's proximity to the Big Apple only serves to highlight how lacking it is in excitement and bustle? I don't know if I'm way off here, but never having been to NJ, I haven't the faintest clue? >>
I have to read the other replies in this thread....But as far as My New Jersey Views go....
"Wait, Wait, we can negotiate! We'll give you New Jersey!" "There can be NO, Negotiations!" ...
Actually, it's a pretty decent place to live. As with any state, it has it's problems, however. Most noteably, at least in my part of town, it's the most boring place in the world to be. I'll give you a scenario. I live in a pretty hilly area. The Downtown is pretty bustling, but on my street, you'd be lucky if more than 5 cars passed by it the whole day, and Two people jogged around the block with their dogs.
On the other hand, it's a pretty nice/safe town to live in, so I guess I'd take that rather than excitement any day .
Other than boredomness, we also have stupidity. For instance, reading an article in the news paper the other day, where they where complaining that the Easy Pass system costs more to keep than it does to abolish. Yet their spending millions to keep it around hoping it makes a profit. Same goes for the regular toll lanes. Garden State Parkway Drivers know them with a passion . Gotta love this reasoning..heh.
On the other hand, we also have the Jersey Shore, wich is a bit more interesting. The Crime rate is a tad higher, but not so much to make it unlivable. There are more attractions like a beach front property, an arcade within walking distance, and a large boardwalk filled with juvenile rides and gambling oportunities . "Win a TV For 25 Cents per spin on the big wheel!"
This is a picture of our old Jersey Shore houses before they where demolished in favor of new ones, so you can get an idea of what that area is like. It's about three blocks from the beach. Hardly anything boring about it . Especially considering that if you stay up at 4 AM, you can watch the drunks walking home from the local bar every night, heh.
Link Removed
All in all, I can see why NJ has a bad reputation, but it's definetly a good place to live .

 

[DeathStar1]

>>Go into south NJ - one big dump (you can tell I'm a North New Jersian =Þ) although they do have Atlantic City and Seaside Heights. >>
At least Seaside Heights Gets a bit more credit. Usually over shadowed by other places like Atlantic City. But what about Point Pleasent Beach? I'll be heading there at 12 AM May 24th to wait in line with other WPLJ fans for the Scott and Todd Summer Blast Off . Yes, you have to get there that early, since 60 people are there around 1 AM, and the show starts at 6, heh. Lets just hope I don't miss my exit this time. But on the bright side, I get the whole road to myself!

 

[KeithH]

Like most places, New Jersey has its "undesirable" parts. However, some parts of New Jersey are beautiful. Reference has been made to northwestern Jersey. The Princeton area is also pretty. Ditto for Moorestown and Lambertville (which is near New Hope, PA), and part of Bridgewater.
I used to live in Hillsborough, which is about 13 miles north of Princeton, and a few miles south of Somerville. Hillsborough is in a great location. You are close to shopping and other things to do, but if you head just a bit west, you have rolling hills and farms. It's pretty country out that way (Hunterdon County). In Hillsborough, I could easily get into New York City, get to shopping areas all over the state, or take a drive through the country. It's areas like Hillsborough that make New Jersey great. That said, I moved to Delaware a year ago.
As for the stigma surrounding New Jersey, obviously comedians and the media don't help. Also, when people visit New Jersey for the first time by flying into Newark, the first thing they see are oil tanks. As a result, the stigma sticks. It's unfortunate. New Jersey has its bad parts and is an expensive place to live, but it has a lot of good things to offer as well.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I live in Budd Lake, and one time my (now ex) girlfriend and her friend drove to my house to pick me up, and when we drove by the lake, her cousin said "Wow, what a pretty lake" and we both laughed at her. She obviously didn't know how gross and polluted New Jersey's largest natural lake was. Its so dirty that I know people who are lifeguards during the summer on the beach by the old municipal building and they won't even go in the lake unless they ABSOLUTELY NEED to.

 

[Seth Paxton]

And their NBA team sucks...we kicked their ass.
(okay, there's still a game 5 to be played, but I had 2nd row seats to a 20+ point win tonight and I'm riding high from it )

 

[McPaul]

DUDE!! 2nd row seats??! that's phenomonal!! I'd be riding high from that for weeks afterwards!! How much dinero did those run you? must have been an awesome experience though and worth every penny... besides, this year is probably going to be the last time you'll see the Pacers make the playoffs in a LONG time... kidding buddy... hope ya had a blast..

- SOME parts of Canada? hehe... try ALL of Canada.. hehe.. Newfies are great...

 

[Michael Caicedo]

Grew up in Joisey. Moved away about 10 years ago. Best thing I ever did - don't flame me that's just me. My mom and brother still live there. Funny how I notice their "accent" now - It's coffee not "cawffey"!!!. Gotta love big hair an camaros.

 

[Jay H]

Hey Morgan, isn't Lake Hopatcong the largest lake (contained within NJ, which would exclude Greenwood Lake) or is that a manmade lake?

Just curious, I go mountain biking alot around the Lake Hopatcong area cause Mahlon Dickerson is there, which has some awesome singletrack and really rocky trails.

Jay

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Its manmade. Budd Lake was made by a glacier a LONG time ago, while Hopatcong was manmade.

I try to not have an accent as much as I can, but it slips every once in a while. My bro went to North Carolina for 6 months last year, and while we were there, everyone there said he started talking with an accent. We must've brought back some Joisey memories or something and triggered it.