r/oregon • u/Andromeda321 • 2d ago
Discussion/Opinion What is your controversial Oregon opinion?
Here’s mine: people in this state have an irrational hatred of umbrellas. There’s plenty of rains where they’re appropriate and useful to use (like Tuesday walking home for example, I stayed much more dry than I would have), but people lose their minds and get strangely upset if you use one because “no real Oregonian uses an umbrella!” They’re also not as hard to use or flimsy as people insist to me- I have my €5 umbrella I bought living in the Netherlands a decade ago, and it works fine.
Seriously, for a state that loves to do its own thing, using an umbrella is the ultimate counter-culture move. People get upset about others using them and it’s so weird.
Anyway, what’s yours?
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u/ziggy029 OR - North Coast 2d ago
My thing with umbrellas here on the coast is that when it's raining hard enough to need one, it's usually windy and raining sideways which makes them ineffective most of the time anyway. I don't wear my infrequent umbrella usage as some sort of badge of being a "real Oregonian".
I don't give a damn whether others use them or not, and people need to MYOB about that sort of thing. You do you, let others do themselves as well.
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u/Repuck 1d ago
it's raining hard enough to need one, it's usually windy and raining sideways which makes them ineffective most of the time anyway.
This. It isn't some point of pride thing, umbrellas are just impractical out here a whole lot of the time when they might come in handy. Raingear is more practical.
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u/officiallyBA 1d ago
I go the other way and just wear shorts.
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u/Remarkable_Gain6430 1d ago
When I immigrated to the US from UK thirty years ago I arrived in December, in California. The rain was unlike anything I've ever experienced. I took to wearing sandals as my shoes were permanently soaked, as there's not much drainage in the streets of Los Angeles as 'it never rains' In Oregon I wear hiking boots every day.
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u/wentthererecently 1d ago
On the coast, yes. In the valley, most of the rain is gentle, and umbrellas are fine. I often prefer to use an umbrella, especially when it's over 50 degrees and I don't want to wear a coat.
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u/peacock_blvd 1d ago
Yeah, it's a specific scenario, but in Portland if I have a ten minute walk to the max station daily, or just short walks between places, I love having an umbrella. I can wear whatever I want, but also not have soggy thighs at work. I like long umbrellas with a point; they double as a cane if the rain stops.
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u/Artistic_Rice_9019 1d ago
As a Portlander, I've found that they get in the way when I'm trying to use one around large groups of people. Which one finds in a city, lol. Plus it's an extra thing to carry while my jacket is doing double duty by keeping me warm.
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u/yetibuns 1d ago
Right? And if you take it on transit you have an extra item that’s odd to carry and wet, usually making other seats wet. Rain gear is also wet but less drippy
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u/Nwwoodsymom 1d ago
I was born here and agree with this. But also I want to be able to use coats to shield myself from the rain to keep my hands free. If I need an umbrella 2/3rds of the year that going most of the year with something in at least one hand. Add in some wind and you need two hands anyways.
I’m one of those people who doesn’t really want to carry a purse either so maybe it’s personal preference.
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u/sprtsmac 1d ago
Portland is not as inclusive as it thinks it is.
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u/Hindu_Wardrobe 1d ago
tragically, this is how it often goes with a lot of "blue" cities and states. the "progressivism" can get to one's head and all of a sudden there's this smug lens that they view "the rest of the country" with. don't get me wrong, my husband and I moved to Oregon from Florida because we wanted a better political climate, and the political climate here is much better... but the "lol just mooooooove/we should have let the south secede uwu there's no good people there anyway" attitudes I see from "progressive" areas, Portland absolutely included, give me the ick big time. big big big time.
for the first time in my life, I'm living in a "blue state" now, and yes, it's great. it's hard to describe how it feels to finally live in a place that actually somewhat "represents" me, where I feel safe to be truly myself. but I will never forget where I came from, and I will never view all "red state" folks through the discriminatory lens that so many of my so-called "progressive allies" tend to do. some of the most radical anarchists I know come from rural red state redneck USA.
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u/ichawks1 Corvallis 1d ago
I think a lot of Oregonians need to do a bit of a better job traveling to the rest of the country (including myself) or being more open minded to other Americans across the US. I know so many people from Oregon who rarely ever travel to the Southeastern US or somewhere like Texas, and that then creates a lot of culture clash/animosity from Oregonians towards other parts of the country.
I mean I live in Arizona now and I know Oregonians who look at is as some conservative, suburban, desolate shithole when in fact a lot of people here are interested in building a more sustainable state and protecting the nature that Arizona has. Don't get me wrong Arizona has some gross parts (I could never live in Phoenix, lol) but I feel like Oregonians can do a better job of being more open to folks from other US states that aren't just from Washington or Colorado.
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u/Artistic_Rice_9019 1d ago
I mean, Oregon isn't so blue if you drive ten minutes out of Portland, so it is weird to me to see all the folks assuming red states are a monolith.
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u/Hindu_Wardrobe 1d ago
this goes for basically anywhere in the US, to be fair. I lived in a pretty progressive city in Florida, where there would be socialist gatherings and anarchist bookstores... go ten minutes outside of town, and there's klansfolk. not too unlike driving ten mins outside of e.g. Corvallis and seeing more rural Benton County.
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u/enclavedzn 1d ago
Yep - this needs to be said more.
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u/HYPERBOLE_TRAIN 1d ago
Sadly, it is said all the time but these comments get downvoted to hell when the topic is anything but “What is your controversial opinion.”
When you say it any other time, people assume you’re just a troll/nazi. Truth is, I’m a progressive who lives in a reddish part of the state and I have to (and want to) get along with my neighbors.
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u/aa278666 1d ago
We go to Portland and Eugene often. I've noticed when we're in public people usually won't look me in the face when talking to me and my wife(white), as if they automatically assume that I don't speak English based on my race. I've never had anything like this happen to me in red counties.
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u/Perenium_Falcon 2d ago
The military led to my dislike for umbrellas so I fit right in on that aspect.
My unpopular take: there are other beers than IPAs, explore them.
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u/Rev0lutionDaddy 1d ago
Bruv, where is the dark lager exploration? The red beer, strong ales ESBs! So many styles and yet, every brewery has 6 different IPAs... so lame.
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u/StarWaas 1d ago
Schwarzbier is pretty neat stuff, it's a lager like a pilsner but it's the color of a stout or porter. I see it very rarely though, only when I go to bottle shops.
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u/eekpij 1d ago
I used to hate IPAs and had a large brew palate, and now IPA is all that I will drink. So sad. What's wrong with me?
At least I don't like most Hazys. Pillow, Cloud, Foam garbage. Five Alive for adults.
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u/Wonderful-Ear4849 1d ago
For me it’s all about the triple IPAs anymore. More alcohol usually equals less money spent on beer and more moneys for other.
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u/FishermansPorch 1d ago
I'm in my Dad beer era and I'm happy for it. I pretended IPAs didn't taste bad for way too long. Give me a pilsner.
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u/Anecdotal_Yak 1d ago
I like the traditional style of IPA. Most of them nowadays taste like cough syrup to me.
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u/mrzurch 2d ago
People here are incredibly soft. Most people never encounter resistance to their bad behavior. Eventually someone points out they are acting selfish or rude and they lose their fucking minds.
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u/savax7 1d ago
I was on the streetcar the other day and this person was talking to her friend SO LOUD. Everyone on the train heard their one-sided conversation. They were just TALKING AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS FOR SOME REASON. Me and all the other passengers are exchanging looks like "is this for real?"
Finally someone getting off said "you're way too loud, everyone can hear you" and they lost. their. shit. FUCKYOUMINDYOUROWNFUCKINGBUSINESSBLAHBLAHBLAH.
It was incredibly obvious this person had just never been called out for their poor behavior.
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u/afipunk84 1d ago
Similarly, what is with people having a conversation on speaker??? I dont understand it. No one wants to hear your conversation, your phone probably came with earphones and if not you can get them cheap af. There is absolutely no reason for people to be talking to someone on speaker out in public.
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u/Jroth420 1d ago
Same with FaceTime. Why do you need to FaceTime someone while you're walking around the grocery store and talking about literally nothing?
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u/gorsengarnets 1d ago
My spouse has hearing loss and issues and speakerphone is just easier for them to hear. They usually don’t talk on the phone in public though because they get annoyed when others do it (talk on speakerphone)
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u/Konman72 1d ago
I blame reality TV for that. Younger people grew up watching everyone on TV have conversations on speaker, holding the phone horizontally exactly how most do when they're doing this. They both don't realize you shouldn't do that, and don't really care.
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u/afipunk84 1d ago
Huh, i never even considered this. Yet another reason why reality tv is a scourge. ( i say this while also participating in it xD)
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u/Impressive_Ad_5614 1d ago
In fairness that’s NY and surrounding area, also Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Philly.
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u/SilkyBuzzz 1d ago
As an Ohio boy I feel this to my core. Seems like everyone was coddled out here as a child and never had to be told no in their life.
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u/nifflerriver4 1d ago
I agree. I felt if I were harassed (or worse) on the streets of Portland, no bystander would do a thing to step in. Back east? Oh yeah, anyone who was around would jump in and help.
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u/UntamedAnomaly 1d ago edited 1d ago
Some old dude (definite MAGA guy) was hurling obscenities at me because he wanted my seat and I wouldn't give it to him (I'm also disabled) and I gave him an earfull, meanwhile this girl was trying to sweet talk him out of a bad mood like he was her child throwing a tantrum and he might get his feefees hurt if she actually said something about his behavior, her little sweet talk did nothing except make him complain even more. I swear half these people would not survive the east coast.
I feel like an asshole all the time because I actually stand up for myself and for others when other people don't, but passive people just allow shit to happen and it's totally OK here, that's the vibe here with most people. It's been 14 years almost since I moved to the west coast, I'm actually tired from all the effort it takes to stand up to people because I seem to be the only one around me doing it at the time.
Portland people are notoriously conflict avoidant, if it's their conflict or someone ele's, they dip out so fast or try to apply idealistic happy vibes to a practical situation instead of actually facing the conflict or taking charge. I don't think it's a introvert thing either, I've met several introverts who moved here from out of state and even some of them are in awe of the passive aggressiveness and conflict aversion.
Hell, I had a really close friend one time, and I realized we could no longer be friends because she was so soft, that I really had to watch everything I said or she would have extremely bad panic attacks.....like I couldn't even talk about climate change and how bad it was, I did one time while she was driving and she stopped right in the middle of the road and couldn't stop crying for like 15 minutes straight. We could have all died from that shit. I get anxiety and panic attacks too, but definitely nowhere near that bad to where I put people in immediate danger. If you have panic attacks like that, you shouldn't be behind the wheel at all IMO. People here do not like facing reality, they love escapism here like no other place I've ever lived....why do you think nerd culture prevails here? (not that there is anything wrong with enjoying nerdy things, but people are downright cult like about it here because it provides a means of escaping reality).
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u/thedreadedsprout 1d ago
Maybe this is why Portland drivers tend to freak out when someone honks at them. Are you saying they did something wrong? But they’re a good person! Hey, you know what, actually, fuck YOU!
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u/Background_Use8432 1d ago
As a transplant from the east coast, I learned this quickly out in Hillsboro.
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u/FernWizard 1d ago
Have you been to any other major city? Lmao.
Where in America do people acting selfish or rude respond positively when called out?
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u/RelevantJackWhite 1d ago
not positively, but not negatively either. they just respond by changing their actions. you tell someone to stfu when they're yelling on the train, most of the time they just will. you do it here and you're gonna get an earful about telling them off
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u/Fabulaur 1d ago
OMG, you don't even have to point it out. You can just be having a conversation with another person about life and someone stranger eavesdropping will take offense because 'you don't know what it's like'. Methinks thou protesteth too much, but whatever. Maybe the silver lining to the clusterfuck that is today's reality it that people will start learning to suck it up and cope instead of whining about their 'specialness'.
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u/NoTimeForInfinity 1d ago
Oregon's current day racism is shallow and mostly based on a lack of contact. That makes it much easier to overcome because it's not passed down like religious tradition. The state's racist history is clear. Of course it's bad, but one consequence of a state being so racist it won't let slaves enter is that there isn't a history and culture of racism that goes back 5 generations. It's qualitatively different to come from a family with 3 generations in the KKK or to just never have spent time with someone who's isn't white. It's the difference of overcoming a little social anxiety vs growing up in a cult.
I see fear mongering online about rural Oregon and sundown towns when people ask if it's safe to travel. Many of these small towns and areas are risky not based on race, but outsiders. Hill people will roll you because you don't live there and they have been incredibly bored for 20 years so they started doing meth.
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u/PenchantForNostalgia 2d ago
I'm born and raised here. I love the Northwest and understand why people would want to live here.
Because of that, I don't care if people - even Californians if you can believe that - move here. In fact, I welcome it. Places change and places grow, it's inevitable. I do wish that infrastructure would grow accordingly and quicker but it's not other people's fault that the cities and state can't grow quick enough.
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u/notatallboydeuueaugh 2d ago
I think one of the problems is also when things grow but not in a smart, calculated way. A lot of the "growth" that happens here is just expanding into agricultural land and making more shoddy suburban infrastructure rather than bettering and expanding infrastructure inside the already developed areas to accommodate more people.
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u/PenchantForNostalgia 1d ago
I agree. I've lived in Bend for seven years, and it's a great example of unplanned expansion. We have very few North-South and East-West roads for getting around town. For your point, I think that's mostly due to NIMBYs not wanting dense city living, which is unfortunate because then we just sprawl.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
Another controversial opinion- Bend itself is not that pretty as a whole. The surroundings certainly are, and the central downtown corridor is cute, but most of its new development sprawl is just rather generic and boring.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
I was tempted to touch on this but wasn’t born here so felt weird about it. But… a lot of people seem to think a lot of problems are Oregon specific ones but are actually national problems. Like housing is bad everywhere, and I was in Philadelphia last year and their homelessness is frankly worse than what you see here by miles. I wish it were easier but it’s not.
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u/RideTheTrai1 1d ago
Agreed. The anti-California attitude is so dumb and honestly, some of the people embracing it aren't even native Oregonians. I am a multi-generational Oregonian born and raised, and I roll my eyes at the way people talk about Californians. In reality, Californians are some of the nicest, most laid-back people we'll ever meet. And no, they aren't the ones with the driving problem...... 🤣
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u/Tlr321 1d ago
It's been going on for decades. My great grandparents moved to Oregon from San Diego in the 50s and caught hell for it, even then!
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u/RideTheTrai1 1d ago
So ridiculous. I'm so sorry. Not all Oregonians are clique-ish. 🙃
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u/Tlr321 1d ago
Oh I grew up here. In a small town! It was & still is, super cliquey.
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u/Jroth420 1d ago
Thank you for finally acknowledging the truth! Californians are WAY better drivers than Oregonians or Washingtononians by a longshot. Going 10 under the speed limit does not equate to better driving. Also for the Portlanders, your turn signal goes on BEFORE you're going to turn, not as you're already halfway through your turn. Kind of defeats the purpose.
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u/Dangerous-Fish-1287 1d ago
It's racism disguised. It happens in other states too. Mostly right wingers hate California because of the things they are taught to hate.
People have been moving to California years before COVID from different states. Of course they were bound to get full and migrate. If only we had competent leaders who could prepare for things like this
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u/MizzEmCee 2d ago
This was going to be my comment. I'm so tired of the tribalism. I'm tired of the "stupid Californians" attitude, the assumption that every bad driver on the road MUST be a Californian. Hot tip of the day: The bad drivers are not all from California. I've driven in every big city California has to offer and its not them, it is us.
It is not as if the majority of us are actual natives to this land.
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u/timid_soup 1d ago
As an Oregonian born and raised, I HATE how most Oregon drivers drive. I much prefer Californian & Northeast drivers. We have "Oregon polite" drivers, which isn't actually polite at all. Consistently driving 5-10 mph (or more) under the speed limit, so many left lane hogs that won't get over to let you pass & traffic congestion for no apparent reason, and on surface streets they'll stop and let a driver make a turn onto the street, keep 3 car lengths between the car in front of them at red lights/stop signs.. i could go on and on.
Don't be polite, be predictable people 🤦🏻
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u/PenchantForNostalgia 2d ago
Yep, I lived in Seattle for almost ten years - bad drivers are everywhere, whether their license plate says Washington, Oregon, or California.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
My second controversial opinion is in swing- Oregon drivers are actually not bad! People who think they are clearly don’t leave the state much.
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u/kellenanne 1d ago
I say this as someone who was nearly run off the road this morning — some people have never driven I-35 between Denton and Austin and it shows. Worst stretch of road to drive EVER. I’ll take Oregonian drivers every day over ever having to deal with Texas drivers again.
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u/McGrufftheGrimeDog 1d ago
Im in Atlanta and the mix of people from all over. the florida license plates get the worst association, but really a lotttttt of people cant drive or are straight up assholes. And im originally from Southern California where the traffic is bad but its a slow kind of bad.
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u/theawesomescott 2d ago
People here aren’t very nice to each other and hide it under the guise of “not being fake”. You’re also not building community either.
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u/CalifOregonia 1d ago
As someone who has lived in Oregon for most of my life, but also other places, I've actually found people to be nice on the front end... but it actually is fake. Have also had plenty of experiences of meeting new people and having a great time initially, but actually following up to build a friendship out of that is challenging. Oregonians generally have their people already, so it can be very difficult to break in to that. As a result most of the friends that I have made (as an adult at least) in this state are not from here.
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u/furiosasmother 1d ago
I’ve lived here for most of my life at this point, but can still very much say this is true.
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u/Jroth420 1d ago
Totally. I tell people I know from other places, "People are 'polite, but very few are friendly".
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u/Strangest_Brew 1d ago
Lived in Seattle for decades, and can confirm it’s very similar. That PNW “nice” thing
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u/isaac32767 1d ago
When I moved here in 2011, I saw plenty of niceness, especially compared to Silicon Valley, where I lived before. Not so much these days, but I see that more as the general assholey of the MAGA and COVID eras, not as something uniquely Oregonian.
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u/KaleScared4667 1d ago
I wonder if it’s all the people who moved here - from California- with their umbrellas
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u/SeashellChimes Oregon 1d ago
It's gotten so much worse after covid, too. Trying to engage your neighbors or gathering people without churches is like pulling teeth. They all say they're introverts but really they're just so poorly socialized that they have the resilience of wet paper if they have to be around strangers, especially kids.
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u/Rhianna83 Oregon 1d ago
People don’t know how to use a blinker or merge onto a freeway.
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u/Think_Craft7830 1d ago
Oregonians pick a lane blocks and blocks before they need to and camp out there. Go watch traffic that goes from two lanes to one and you will see. I grew up here. I learned to drive here. I lived in California for six years and now see the silliness in the one lane thing.
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u/Medical_Ad2125b 1d ago
Who cares what other people think of your umbrella?
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u/tpwb 1d ago
Speaking of controversial Oregon opinions. We are overly concerned about what people think of us or how we are perceived.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
Well if you read the comments some people care a great deal!
I just thought it was a fun question that I saw in another sub, and this is what I came up with off the top of my head.
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u/roguesignal42069 1d ago
I never personally use one, but I don't give it a second thought if I see someone else using one
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u/wheres_the_revolt 1d ago
Pickathon is a lower mid level music festival , and doesn’t hold a candle to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.
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u/BillyBalowski 1d ago
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass looks cool but it also looks like a very different experience. Pickathon's appeal to me is very much connected to the camping experience.
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u/firebrandbeads 1d ago
Camping?? On that that hill??? They lost what little flat ground they even had, and I'm waaaay too old to sleep in a random hammock. Proximity to Portland and folks going home at night is what saved that festival.
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u/BillyBalowski 1d ago
Ha! I agree that hill is a beast. That plus it being 108 degrees half the time is enough for me not to go anymore. I did enjoy it for a while, though.
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u/wheres_the_revolt 1d ago
That’s a totally fair assessment! I’m basing my opinion solely on the music because it’s been decades since I camped (I usually just go one day now).
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u/PriorAlternative6558 1d ago
A hatred of Californians? Never understood this one. I’m in rural Oregon.
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u/SameConsideration789 1d ago
Portland weird is a facade embraced by portlanders who never travel.
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u/TKRUEG 1d ago
Counterpoint: the topic of Portland-weird is only something that people that don't live in Portland think about
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u/ichawks1 Corvallis 1d ago
When I would go visit Portland as a kid, I would walk around and be like: "dang, why do people say that this city is weird is seems kinda normal to me"
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u/Perethyst 1d ago
Socks and Berks shouldn't be worn together
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u/jesse1time 1d ago
Some folks have nasty looking feet and are doing society a favor by covering them up
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u/Perethyst 1d ago
Close toed sandals
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u/jesse1time 1d ago
Fair point. But those Berk footbeds
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u/Perethyst 1d ago
And come to think about it, I don't believe the nasty feet people make an effort to cover them. I see enough that I'm pretty sure the nasty feet people just don't care.
I'm pretty sure the socks and sandals people are the weirdos who want to wear sandals but acknowledge that it's a bit too cold. They should just wear shoes.
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u/ADreamingDonkey 2d ago
People here are very weirdly antisocial or just flat out rude. I’m not a super outgoing person so I definitely understand to a degree, but seems like people here don’t have basic manners or won’t even look you in the eye. It’s just weird. I grew up here so I thought it was normal, but then i traveled to other parts of the country and I realized that it’s just a thing here for people to not really acknowledge or say anything to you. I just find it odd.
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u/if_not_us_then_who_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
Thank you for validating this for me. I’ve been at the store many times about to grab an item, and had someone walk right in front of me and stand there, just looking at the same stuff I’m looking at, but straight up blocking me. zero awareness or rude af?? It always has me wondering. I was raised in the south, and I didn’t realize that common courtesy and manners weren’t a thing everywhere. It’s also just so strange to walk on a trail, stop and move out of the way for someone, and they don’t even look you in the eye, or give a ‘thank you’ wave. I feel like there are some really low level things we can do as humans to acknowledge other humans in our direct physical space. I guess that isn’t a thing here though and it makes me sad.
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u/PJSeeds 1d ago
Yeah I'm a northeast transplant and it's bizarre. The other day I was sitting in a restaurant with my wife and someone she knew from work texted her "are you at (insert restaurant here)?"
The girl was literally next to us. She did that rather than leaning over and saying hi. Then she only said hi for all of ten seconds, didn't introduce us to her significant other or friends, and then a few minutes later talked about us to them like we weren't in earshot and sitting literally feet away. I was so close I could've leaned over and taken a bite of her friend's dinner.
We got up to leave later and she was like "it was so nice seeing you we should hang out sometime." I just started laughing.
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u/warm_sweater 1d ago
lol “we should hangout some time” is the death knell phrase for ever actually hanging out.
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u/UnderstandingFit3009 1d ago
We moved here from the Midwest and I would agree with this. We are Midwest friendly and often get a strange look or ignored when we greet someone while out hiking or walking. It is rather odd as you point out. When we return to the Midwest to visit family we notice a huge difference, so it’s not just pandemic effect. We have enjoyed our move to Oregon very much but we wish people were a little more warm.
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u/leo_the_lion6 1d ago
Yea true, though I pretty relentlessly say hi to everyone on trails anyway, and you do get positive reaction and interaction sometimes. I think we're so tuned to ignore crazies that our defences are just up. But be the change you want to see, be warm and put yourself out there, not all Portlanders/Oregonians are antisocial weirdos contrary to the narrative.
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u/Useful-Ad-2409 1d ago
I've never noticed this, in fact just the opposite. I come from a large metro area, the SF Bay Area, where no one acknowledges anybody else in public and had to get used to looking people in the eye again and people greeting me on hikes and walks.
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u/lilcrow70 1d ago
I find just the opposite! I’m a transplant from NY state. Compared to there it is night and day. I’ve found generally that people here are more friendly and considerate. People drive a little slow here, but that’s ok. It suits the overall more mellow vibe.
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u/tangylittleblueberry 1d ago
Married to a Midwesterner who would rather die than talk to any of our neighbors lol
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u/TheMagicalLawnGnome 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oregon has an overinflated view of its own importance/significance/relevance, that comes at the expense of focusing on things that we need to focus on.
Oregon, and the cities along the I-5 corridor make bold declarations, announce sweeping social policies/reforms, and generally grandstand about all types of issues that are of national significance.
But the fact of the matter is...the entire population of Oregon is about 1/3 the size of Los Angeles. The combined population of two New York city boroughs is larger than Oregon's.
Oregon has a relatively small economy, few major industries or businesses, a dismal public education system, and a generally dysfunctional government.
So while Oregon is a beautiful place to live... it's just not a very important place, in the grand scheme of things. No one really cares what happens here. The state doesn't have any sort of compelling reason why anyone outside of it, should care about it.
Which, is fine. That's true of many other states. No one really thinks much about Connecticut, or Rhode Island, etc., either.
But Oregon wants to be at the forefront of things. We want to decriminalize drugs, run carbon-free cities, create novel types of wealth taxes, etc.
But these are expensive distractions in a state that can't afford them. We're not California, or New York, or Massachusetts, etc.
So we launch these bold, well-intentioned, but poorly executed initiatives. But they fail. And that failure drives people away.
Like....employers and wealthy people, don't need to work in Oregon. There's nothing about us that would compel a business to come here. It's not like New York, where you have to have an office if you're in finance. It's not like how tech companies need to be in California or Washington, or how agricultural/commodities companies are in Chicago.
Oregon doesn't have a "center of gravity" like any of those places.
And while Oregon loves to hate on wealthy people, and large corporations, like it or not, those are the things that create a stable tax base.
To put it another way, Portland has the highest combined tax rate for high-income earners in the country, once you hit around $200k, with one exception - which occurs in NYC, and only when you're earning millions of dollars.
But whereas many wealthy people basically have to live in NYC, very few people have to live in Oregon.
Oregon sees the sorts of liberal policies being implemented in larger states, and tries to keep pace, without realizing it can't do the same ambitious things that are done by far wealthier, far larger states.
Oregon is like a little kid watching their older siblings play sports, and trying to emulate them. Their mind is willing, but they're just not big enough to accomplish those things.
So instead of trying to be at the forefront of some sort of national movement, I just wish Oregon would focus on the basics. Let's worry about the test scores in our terrible schools. Let's worry about the horrific state of our roads and infrastructure. Let's worry about zoning reform so that it's easier to build businesses and houses.
I'm not even against progressive ideas. But Oregon needs to read the room. We've just spent a bunch of time passing gun control laws that are highly divisive, likely to be overturned at the federal level, and that solve a problem that doesn't really exist - Oregon's gun violence is pretty tame compared to many places.
Meanwhile, our kids still can't read. We talk about "protecting kids from gun violence," which is fair...but realistically, that affects a very tiny percentage of people.
But a poor education system affects literally everyone. We focus on the shiny, feel-good, virtue-signaling issues, while we ignore the far more massive everyday problems that are causing our state to flounder.
No one cares if Oregon is a leader in progressive policies. We don't even do a good job of implementing them here. So I wish Oregon would stop trying to be in some sort of spotlight, realize the limitations of being a sparsely populated, middle-income state, and just focus on the huge number of "kitchen table issues" that plague our state.
(And not that it should matter, but I say this as someone who is generally in support of Democratic/left wing politics. But supporting a particular political philosophy shouldn't mean blindly overlooking the reality in front of us. Suggesting that focusing on childhood literacy is more important than, say, handing out free hypodermic needles in school zones doesn't make me less of a progressive.)
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u/grumpygenealogist 1d ago
Well said. I'm also a liberal Democrat, but have often had the same thoughts. The issues around education concern me the most. There's a weird acceptance of absenteeism and truancy in Oregon kids. There was a 10-year-old boy across the street who started refusing to go to school and his parents wouldn't make him. They eventually moved, but I later learned that he ended up with a serious drug addiction and has apparently been in and out of jail a lot. Had he just been forced to go to school at 10, I wonder how his life might have turned out differently.
I also remember when the teenager down the street just decided she wasn't going to school anymore, and her folks just shrugged. She did eventually get back on track by attending community college, and the last time I talked to her she was working towards a nursing career, but I wonder how many other dropouts just never go back.
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u/TheMagicalLawnGnome 1d ago
Indeed. The whole situation is weird to me. I grew up in Boston and NYC, but have lived in Oregon my entire adult life, about 2-3 decades at this point.
So while I certainly can fairly call myself an Oregonian, I have a perspective as someone that has seen what life is like in other places.
Oregon really struggles with the basic mechanics of government. The electorate doesn't seem to prioritize these things, it just seems like people assume that good services just...happen... somehow.
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u/Avocado-Baby349 1d ago
It’s because we dress for rain. Lol
I don’t care that it is legal to pump my own gas now, I’m going to let someone else do it for me until there are no attendants at the gas stations anymore. After 30 years, not going back. 😅
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u/ian2121 1d ago
I think the way it is now is great. No line of the full service sign me up. Packed gas station, I’d rather pump myself than wait 2 minutes for an attendant
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u/terra_pericolosa 1d ago edited 1d ago
My opinion is community water fluoridation is good and we should have it. It was one of the 10 major public health achievements of the 20th century. It benefits everyone, but especially children, disabled people, and people living in poverty. It's cheap and easy to do. It's a win-win-win.
I know, everywhere else in the country this is NBD and a public health benefit they've had for years, but not in Oregon! No, in Oregon you get death threats over this opinion. In Oregon it's the John Birch Society and chiropractor quacks together saying something else and apparently they are still winning the day.
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u/Infinite-Hold-7521 1d ago
It is ridiculous that this umbrella trope has been associated with natives of the state. I am a 4th generation Portlander and I have quite literally always carried an umbrella. This fallacy alone has caused many a naive transplant to go without an umbrella in an attempt to “fit in”. It is almost comical.
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u/soil_nerd 1d ago
One of the first things someone told me when I moved to Seattle over a decade ago was to never use an umbrella or I would be banished from PNW society itself. Naturally, I decided to always carry one with me when the weather forecast called for >0.5”. I’m not going to be soaking wet all day so someone passing by on the bus doesn’t think I’m a weeny, that’s insane.
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u/Immediate_Run_9117 1d ago
Oregon is still a better place to live than almost anywhere else in the US. Portland especially.
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u/ToraNoOkami 1d ago
People here aren’t kind.
They’re nice. And talk big game about how everyone has a right to be whatever they want. And they’re riot for what they see as a good cause. But they won’t bring over a pan of cookies to welcome the new neighbor. They don’t offer a jump when they see you outside with the hood of your car up in the morning.
They’re “nice” but not neighborly
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u/Royal-Pen3516 1d ago
100%. I was shocked by that when I moved here. Back in Indy, when I met people and they said, "We should hang out sometime!" they meant it, and they reached out to hang out. I was a transplant there, too, but I made TONS of friends there and noticed that people really showed up for one another. Needed some help in the yard? You could count on everyone showing up. Having a baby shower? Everyone invited showed. I just haven't seen that here, which is fine. I have been here for 13 years and am building a house back in Indy that I may move into when it's done. Kinda feeling like I have one foot out the door these days, anyways.
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u/ToraNoOkami 1d ago
It’s shockingly lonely. Being surrounded by nice people who wouldn’t spare the water to put me out if I was on fire
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u/scfw0x0f 2d ago edited 2d ago
The cap on property taxes went too far went it was passed in the 1990s. Assessed value limits should reset on every transfer, and should only apply to owner-occupied residential properties, not to those owned by any other entity (including trusts, LLCs, and corporations).
Edit: let me rephrase that: the limit on increases should only apply to owner-occupied (blah blah) residential properties. Residential properties not owner-occupied and all commercial and industrial properties should be reassessed as needed (including transfers) and taxed at the full rate (no limit on annual increases).
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u/CalifOregonia 1d ago
The problem with taxes resetting on every transfer is that it further incentivises empty nesters who have lived in the same large family home for 30 to stay where they are. I totally agree that the system is broken, but it has to be fixed in a way that actually supports family homes being occupied by families.
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u/very_mechanical 1d ago
Absolutely agree that the anti-tax measures from the 90s are one of the worst things to happen to Oregon.
What if we just based the tax on percentage of assessed value and skipped all the complicated rules that lead to perverse incentives?
Presumably the overall property tax rate could go down if it was applied equally to all properties.
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u/scfw0x0f 1d ago
The problem is that that prices people out of their homes over time.
I’m also fine with the “get it after I’m dead” tax relief for elderly people living in their own home.
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u/grumpygenealogist 1d ago
I voted against the property tax measures back in the '90s, but as someone who is now on a fixed income, they are saving me. If you have a hard time paying your property tax, the state will do it for you, but they put a lien on your home. I wish there was some other mechanism to lower property taxes for those who need the help.
I know that there are those who complain about greedy old people not wanting to pay their taxes, but I've voted for nearly every bond measure that's come in front of me over the decades. I should also add that because one has a small paid off home doesn't mean that one is rich. Sometimes the equity we have in our homes is about all that we do have.
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u/Hartmt1999forever 2d ago
Oregonian born and bred- I hear you, used to be why an umbrella? Moved back, midlife now embrace an umbrella for whenever I want and no shame using on full sunny days too!
Unpopular perhaps, Oregon grown food or drink staples perhaps …Mo’s is a no for me, never for my kids. Dutch Bro’s is a double hell no.
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u/RoughDirection8875 2d ago
Dutch Bros is so overrated. The people are nice but the coffee is gross and they don't know how to properly steam dairy replacements without burning them ever. Always bitter and burnt tasting
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u/timid_soup 1d ago
I dislike how "nice" the people are. They remind me of the popular kids in high school, preppy and oh god so peppy. I much prefer a mellow barista.
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u/RoughDirection8875 1d ago
It can be a bit overstimulating at times. I don't know if it's regional or an Oregon only thing but we have The Human Bean stands out here too and I much prefer them. The coffee tastes better and I don't get overwhelmed or overstimulated by the baristas.
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u/korinth86 2d ago
Always bitter and burnt tasting
They have to match their coffee. Seriously their espresso is so bitter and burnt it makes sense why all their drinks are super creamy/sugary
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u/StepUp_87 2d ago
What is it with the Dutch Bros obsession? I liked it in high school and I’ve developed some taste in the last 20 years. I can’t stand it now. Plus, the owner is a jerk wad. I’m constantly puzzled by the “Dutch Love”.
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u/NoTimeForInfinity 1d ago
It worked when they started because rural people are more isolated. It was like the strip club for evangelicals, but the people they were sexualizing were often also evangelicals. Can't go to hell for that right?
"A young attractive person wants to talk to me? I don't know why, but I want to make that happen again".
With screen time isolation is nationwide now. Sugar+fat+caffeine+dopamine legal drugs with a healthy profit margin.
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u/annaoceanus 2d ago
Have always not been a fan of Dutch Bros. Sugary coffee drinks aren’t my thing. I grew up in southern Oregon and remember when it started. I will say that as a business I appreciate how they treated my friends when they worked there. They always loved their job
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u/financewiz 1d ago
Oregonians that hate Portland drive their cars there. It’s not built or planned for the convenience of automobiles: It’s built for locals and designed around old public transportation routes. No, I’m not a local and have never lived there. But when I visit, it seems really obvious to me.
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u/Tlr321 1d ago
Portland isn't even a hard city to drive around in. I can't tell you how many times I hear this sentiment coming from people in small towns & rural settings. My mother-in-law refuses to go to Portland because parking there is terrible & she has to parallel park. Meanwhile she works in downtown Eugene & Parallel parks there every day!
I drove around a shitbox for years that had no passenger side mirror & never had an issue parallel parking anywhere around the city. And if you hate parallel parking, there's a billion parking lots around the city to park in. Like, more than most cities.
The very first time I ever rented a uHaul was because I was buying a couch off of craigslist in Portland. I had reserved a 10' one, but due to a mix-up they didn't have any small trucks - only 26' trucks. So, 19-year-old me got caught driving a 26' box truck through downtown. I had zero problems whatsoever.
Anyone who says that it's hard to drive in Portland or that they hate driving in Portland is just being difficult for absolutely zero reason at all. I will take 84 at rush hour over Lancaster in Salem on a warm Friday night any day.
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u/chilicheesefritopie 1d ago
That many Oregonians think weed is acceptable to smoke and drive. The amount of weed smell in Oregon parking lots is wild. I’ve literally seen people park, immediately get out of their car in a cloud of smoke reeking of weed. You are driving impaired, it’s the same as drinking and driving.
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u/shaveyaks 1d ago
Although I lean left of center, one-party rule in Oregon has led to a lack of accountability in our government.
Child protective services and mental health services are woefully failing at their job. Oregon consistently ranks among the worst in the country for mental health outcomes. In Mental Health America’s 2023 report, Oregon came in dead last—50th out of 51—based on high rates of mental illness and low access to care. I think we made it to 47th recently. On the child welfare front, a 2022 audit by the Secretary of State found ongoing issues with case management, staffing shortages, and failure to implement needed reforms, all of which continue to put vulnerable kids at risk. We see horribly neglected children with disabilities whose parents are being paid by the state to care for them and are NOT doing it.
While I doubt a Republican would allocate any resources and would instead cut funding, a more powerful Republican minority would at least hold the state accountable for not providing the services it should. This isn’t about wanting a red state—it’s about needing someone to ask hard questions and stop the supermajority from coasting on ideology instead of outcomes.
Instead, the majority wastes time on cosmetic and ineffective laws like banning plastic bags and straws and persecuting legal gun owners, while letting violent offenders walk. These kinds of laws do little or nothing to improve life in Oregon, but they serve as political theater—virtue signals that sound good in a press release but don’t actually fix anything.
Worse, they alienate a huge chunk of voters. These performative policies don’t change the real landscape in Oregon—but they’ve helped fuel a national surge in fascism by pushing moderate and disaffected voters toward the far right. When people see their concerns ignored and their values mocked, they don’t move left—they get angry and go right. And the farther right people are pushed, the more dangerous the backlash becomes. I’m not saying Republicans would fix these problems either—but right now, no one is being held accountable. A real opposition, even one I disagree with, could force the conversation back toward real solutions, instead of letting the majority spin their wheels in an echo chamber.
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u/The_Gabster10 1d ago
I just wish people would stop voting for their party and look at policy, i think it would make this state way better if we stopped pushing for two.
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u/jarchack 2d ago
When I first moved to Oregon, I thought I was cool not using an umbrella in the rain. Now that I am in my 60s and go on hikes a lot, fuck walking around in the rain when it's 40° with no umbrella.
Maybe not specific to Oregon but I'm from the Midwest and people out here seems to be much more passive-aggressive than they are back east.
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u/WillametteWanderer 2d ago
I have to admit that I am an umbrella “hater”. I have spent so much money on umbrellas over my 70 years. They are the easiest things to lose.
When I worked downtown and rode Max to work I have been struck a multitude of times in the legs by closed umbrellas, and in the face by open umbrellas. The wind will turn a reasonably priced umbrella inside out so fast you can hear your wallet screaming.
To quote Dana Carrey - Not gonna do it!
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u/Careful-Self-457 1d ago
Umbrellas are useless on the coast. The wind blows sideways soaking you, while at the same time turning your umbrella inside out. I watch people walk around the campground with them and five minutes later see them being tossed in the trash because they are inside out and bent.
That being said, they may be more suited for the Portland area, or maybe not. I hate walking down a crowded street and being hit in the face with someone umbrella, or having to duck around it because the carrier of said umbrella has not spatial abilities.
Those are just my feelings on umbrellas.
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u/RBI_Double 1d ago
During the wind last week I saw TWO umbrellas completely invert on their operators while they were walking down the street. The poor umbrellas had no shot, this is an inhospitable climate for umbrellas
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u/Gracieloves 1d ago
The reason we failed at replicating Portugals "success" on drug policy is 100% due to lack of leadership.
There is no reason all oregonians shouldn't be enrolled in OHP with access to therapy.
We had the funding to build or source alternative low income housing on mass scale, it was failure of leadership to make it happen.
The homeless problem is a reflection of decades of failed policies by multiple administrations. If I was a police officer I would be over it. I don't think expecting police officers to fix a mental health issues is wise or good policy.
Harm reduction isn't perfect but neither is jail. Honestly families should be given incentives to take in homeless relatives. Or multi generational tax rebates. The nimby issue will only be solved if the unhoused have access to mental health services and living wage jobs.
I refuse to believe the majority of the homeless want to be homeless. I don't know how to fix it but ignoring it won't improve anything.
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u/atomic_blonde_vegan 1d ago
For a blue state, our education, specially special education, is abysmal. We put money into it but it doesn’t translate like it should and students with extra needs are failed
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u/Obfuscate666 2d ago
Lol! I'm a native Oregonian and use an umbrella. It's funny to me when people say that about Oregonians and umbrellas.
I guess my controversial opinion is that I still call filberts filberts and not hazelnuts.
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u/NotAnotherBlingBlop 1d ago
People only started saying "unhoused" instead of "homeless" to make themselves feel better because they don't want to actually be involved with improving the issue. So they rebranded it and pat themselves on the back.
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u/Alley-IX 1d ago
Its a culture thing where we are proud of the rain and know getting a little wet is okay. With that in mind, umbrellas kind of give me bourgeoisie vibes that wouldnt touch a trailhead with a 10’ pole.
On a personal note, i hate walking past them on sidewalks because of my height, the pokey-ends of the opened umbrellas are right at eye level
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u/Cellesoul 1d ago
Oregon politicians seem to want to force things upon their constituents rather than just being good managers. They have lost site of their primary responsibility and invented a new politically based religion. Just be good stewards of public money and stop thinking you’re responsible for creating a utopian society.
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u/Mythicaloniousness 1d ago
My unpopular opinion is Oregon isn’t a rainy state. Only places west of the Cascade mountain range gets a lot of rain. The rest is a high desert. Only like 1/5 of the state gets a lot of rain but everyone thinks of Oregon as rainy haha
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u/Dweebus82 1d ago
The Eastern Side is as beautiful if not more so than the Western Side. Those greater Idahoans need to just move to Idaho. I moved from a shithole red state to this beautiful blue state.
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u/saabstory14 1d ago
U-Turns.
Why TF are they illegal here?!? It is so annoying to have to pull into a parking lot every time I want to turn around.
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u/bdbr Oregon 1d ago
My unpopular opinions: the craft brew scene in Oregon is unoriginal and overrated. Every new brewer seems to only have the bright idea to come up with yet another IPA. "Oh, but what if I add more hops!"
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u/e_maikai 1d ago
Oregon's beer scene seems unoriginal because it is where Fred Eckhardt, the father of American Homebrewing, then as natural consequence father of American Craft Beers, got famous, lived, and died.
Also the PNW is widely regarded as second only to Bavaria and historical Bohemia for growing hops.
Oregon isn't copying everyone else, Oregon is where America got any beer identity outside of Budweiser / MIller / Coors etc.
All that said, I got into brewing because I didn't like hops and drink mostly ciders and mead if I drink anything these days, so I get ya.
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u/stupidusername 1d ago
enjoying beer was easier 20 years ago when there weren't a million local breweries making the same beer.
You used to be able to walk into pretty much any grocer/gas station and see some interesting beers - Fat Tire Amber, Newcastle Brown, Sierra Nevada Pale, Sam Adams, Blue Moon White, Red Hook ESB, Widmer Hef.
What a wonderful variety
Now the microbrew aisle is all local overhopped IPA monstrosities.
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u/CapeTownMassive 2d ago
People who commit crimes should go to jail.
..And ones who commit violent crimes should stay there.
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u/Led37zep 2d ago
Move back to the Netherlands with that type of logic my friend. Your pro umbrella agenda is not wanted here. We see what you’re doing.
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u/MountScottRumpot Oregon 2d ago
Mine is that initiative petitions are a terrible way of making laws and we should amend the constitution to make them much harder to put before the voters.
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u/eekpij 1d ago
Yeah that's going to be unpopular. I think we get some truly awful petitions that are worded only for the dyslexic community, but just thinking of the crap my State Senator comes up with? No thanks. In fact, all of my state reps are wholly unaccountable. They don't answer their phone lines. Their interns rarely respond to emails. You'd think they were busy!
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u/Chidofu88 1d ago
That nasty gatekeeping “locals” are what’s making Oregon a worse place to live, not people moving here from out of state (from someone born and raised in Oregon).
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u/ToothHorror2801 1d ago
It’s too damned brown in the Bend area. Nothing but brown dirt, rocks and junipers (which are greenish brown, not green). I love how nice people are here, but it’s too damned brown.
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u/Nice-Inevitable3282 1d ago
Because outerwear has been a fashion statement in Oregon for years. Not judging but most Europeans wear typical high fashion under maybe a pea coat or something similar if any. What you tend to wear necessitates using an umbrella what most of us wear doesn’t.
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u/GooseneckRoad 1d ago
In general, Oregonians are rude and have an uncomfortably flat affect. I'm on the spectrum, and it feels like everyone I encounter is, too.
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u/Grand-Battle8009 1d ago
We are longer empathizers, we are straight up enablers to the homeless and drug addiction crisis.
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u/NodePoker 2d ago
We have too many "idea" people and not enough actual "implementation" people. We have no, "monitor it and make sure it's working after" people.