T-shirt explains Philadelphia's blunt speech

An aerial photo of the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, July 2, 2005. REUTERS/Stringer

An aerial photo of the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, July 2, 2005.

Credit: Reuters/Stringer

Related Topics

PHILADELPHIA | Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:28pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - For Mike Monteiro, a transplanted Philadelphian who now lives in California, his T-shirt says it all.

When he moved to San Francisco a decade ago he realized he needed to explain his direct language to Californians who seemed to have a different approach to communication.

After an exchange with an official who accused him of being rude and angry when he was just trying to make a point, he designed a T-shirt, not to get his feelings off his chest, but on it.

"I'm not angry. I'm from Philly," it said.

The T-shirts proved to be popular and are now being snapped up by Philadelphians.

"I am very proud to be from Philadelphia" said Monteiro. "I'm deathly homesick even after 10 years."

The T-shirt's expression of Philadelphia's gritty, blue-collar image also doesn't appear to bother the city.

"I'm glad he's showing a sense of humor," said Cara Schneider, a spokeswoman for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corp. "That more than anything defines Philly."
Oddly Enough
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (12)
wolf91101 wrote:
I’m going to need to get one of those. Living in Arizona and being from Philly, I know his pain!

Aug 26, 2010 1:19pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
Fatesrider wrote:
Given mankind’s ability to learn, one would THINK that after ten years of living in a particular place, they’d learn to adapt to their local community. How can we expect immigrants to accept American culture if we, ourselves, cleave to our regional cultures when we no longer live in those regions?

I’ll give these folks the same advice: If you can’t accept and conform to the culture of your community, it’s better for everyone if you go back to a more comfortable place for you.

Aug 26, 2010 2:07pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
JoeD_in_NC wrote:
Sorry, Philly is a DUMP compared to New England & the Carolinas…..that explains the poor behavior (a lack of self-esteem).

JoeD_in_NC
Charlotte, NC, USA

Aug 26, 2010 3:26pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »