The Myth of Blue Collar Buffalo and the Josh Allen "Fit"

[WickedGame]

Allow me to preface this post with a tip of the hat to all hard-working Western New Yorkers (and Upstate New Yorkers, in general) from all walks of life. I'm proud to have grown up in Upstate NY (born in N.T., grew up in Syracuse), and I'm equally proud (yes, equally) of my blue collar father, stay-at-home mother, and my own "white collar"(ish) career.

 

However, I've grown weary of the lazy stereotyping of Buffalo as a "blue collar town." Yes, WNY and CNY have a history built on hard-working, industrial labor. Manufacturing and farming were once the powerful engines that fueled the growth of our communities. But while those industries and jobs still exist, and still play important roles in our economies and our culture, they're no longer the defining industries of our region.

 

Consider these facts:

 

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the largest employer by industry is healthcare and social services (18.6% of jobs); manufacturing accounts for just 7.4% of jobs. In fact, even if you add the jobs from construction (3.6% of jobs) and transportation/warehousing (4.2% of jobs), the combined jobs from those industries still don't equal the jobs impact of healthcare (Side note: I'm not implying healthcare employees aren't hardworking...simply that the prototype of a lunch-pail-carrying, boots-wearing, calloused-hands worker isn't an accurate representation of most Buffalonians).
   
• Looking again at industries, some of the largest employers are educational services (9.5% of jobs) and professional/scientific/technology services (7% of jobs).
   
• By occupation, the highest number of people in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls region are in office/administrative support roles (16.3 of each 100 jobs); sales jobs are next (10.5% of jobs), followed by food service roles (9.8%) and education/training/library roles (7.5%). Manufacturing production jobs are the 6th most common occupation (6.4%); Farming/agriculture jobs are 21st on the list.

 

I share this just to point out the absurdity of the "Josh Allen is a blue collar guy...a farm boy...he's a perfect fit for Buffalo" arguments. They have little basis in fact...just clinging to outdated preconceptions of what Buffalo once was. If a city's narrowly defined "culture" and its "fit" for a player had any significance, we'd have to let go of half the roster.

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by WickedGame

[Carter]

Buffalo was blue collar when it actually had factory jobs. Now their color is rusted just like the factories.  

 

Buffalo is a no collar town or a any collar you can get town because the economy is terrible and has been for 2 generations. That’s on the locals. Where is your pride of your city? Too much flouride in the water, or just lazy? 

 

 

[Buffalo716]

1 minute ago, Carter said:

Buffalo was blue collar when it actually had factory jobs. Now their color is rusted just like the factories.  

 

Buffalo is a no collar town or a any collar you can get town because the economy is terrible and has been for 2 generations. That’s on the locals. Where is your pride of your city? Too much flouride in the water, or just lazy? 

 

 

 

Now that is horseshit... 

 

there are tons of very very successful people in Buffalo and the city becoming more downtrodden over 50 years is far from their fault

 

how about all of the politicians and scumbags that have stolen from us...

 

yea Buffalo going down hill is totally all the citizens faults. Joke

[BillsFan4]

Good post Wicked.

 

Honestly, I could are less about blue collar or white collar or any of that crap. 

 

Just give me the best QB on the field, who's going to give the Bills the best chance to win every Sunday.

 

Thats the thing - if a QB wins a lot, nobody is going to care about much else.

Everyone loves a winner. 

[Misterbluesky]

Just now, Carter said:

Buffalo was blue collar when it actually had factory jobs. Now their color is rusted just like the factories.  

 

Buffalo is a no collar town or a any collar you can get town because the economy is terrible and has been for 2 generations. That’s on the locals. Where is your pride of your city? Too much flouride in the water, or just lazy? 

 

 

Speaking of factory jobs,the GM Tonawanda Engine Plants just had a massive expansion take place...that's just one example.Get your facts straight...you're 0-2 today.

Just now, Buffalo716 said:

 

Now that is horseshit... 

 

there are tons of very very successful people in Buffalo and the city becoming more downtrodden over 50 years is far from their fault

 

how about all of the politicians and scumbags that have stolen from us...

 

yea Buffalo going down hill is totally all the citizens faults. Joke

The guy is a obvious troll.

[BillsFan4]

Just now, Misterbluesky said:

Speaking of factory jobs,the GM Tonawanda Engine Plants just had a massive expansion take place...that's just one example.Get your facts straight...you're 0-2 today.

This is what I was thinking. 

 

Buffalo's economy is doing much better than it has in quite a long time (since the mid 90's would be my guess). 

It has been continually growing in recent years. 

 

Buffalo is on the rebound! 

Edited April 18, 2018 by BillsFan4

[KDIGGZ]

I'm definitely not blue collar. Anyone that thinks Buffalo is blue collar hasnt visited in the past 5 yrs. It's all yuppies. Houses are expensive in the city. Not many traditional blue collar workers can afford houses near Elmwood

Edited April 18, 2018 by kdiggz

[WickedGame]

7 minutes ago, Carter said:

Buffalo was blue collar when it actually had factory jobs. Now their color is rusted just like the factories.  

 

Buffalo is a no collar town or a any collar you can get town because the economy is terrible and has been for 2 generations. That’s on the locals. Where is your pride of your city? Too much flouride in the water, or just lazy? 

 

 

 

Being proud of where I'm from and pointing out the short-sidedness in how others label us aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, you might say they kinda go together. 

[NewEraBills]

When people talk about blue collar and the Bills I think the phrase has a dual meaning.  Some are talking about the town maybe misguidedly, but I think when it comes to the Bills specifically, they are talking about Sean McDermott and the type of guys that he likes on his team.  So Blue Collar in this sense is a type of mentality.  Allen fits the latter, maybe not the former.

Edited April 18, 2018 by NewEraBills

[BuffaloBillyG]

To me the term "blue collar" means something completely different than it did years ago. 

 

Today while a good amount of people have better paying jobs I believe we still have a 'blue collar mentality". The hard work, the mental toughness it takes to live in an area that you don't see the sun for 8 months a year. Loyalty and dependability. Doesn't matter what your actual job is. It's an attitude. It's seeing a guy you don't know at a tailgate and inviting him to have a beer, grab a plate and relax. It's doing things like donating THOUSANDS of dollars to the charity of a guys charity because he helped our team in some way. It's values. Integrity.

 

[Southern Bills Fan]

Whenever I go back to visit family in Western NY iI'm always surprised at the economic complaints as they relate to politics. All I hear is the complaints about politicians who keep raising taxes and run off businesses and manufacturers, but you keep voting for the same people, who promised to raise taxes and punish businesses and manufacturers. 

[bills_fan]

TBH, todays Buffalo is far more vibrant and exciting than it was 20-30 years ago.  Huge improvements have been made and downtown by the waterfront looks fantastic.  Much credit is due the Pegulas.  I took some time to drive around the city when I was there last August and again in March.  Very impressive from what I remembered.

[4_kidd_4]

Blame NYS for the WNY economy. 

 

Look no further than what could be a potential gem in Niagara Falls. State funnels everyone into their state park, keeps the parking money and angles every other dollar to Delaware North concessions on Goat Island. The City of NF be damned in their eyes. And that’s just one shining example.

 

Don’t blame the locals. Blame Albany.

[Misterbluesky]

5 minutes ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

Blame NYS for the WNY economy. 

 

Look no further than what could be a potential gem in Niagara Falls. State funnels everyone into their state park, keeps the parking money and angles every other dollar to Delaware North concessions on Goat Island. The City of NF be damned in their eyes. And that’s just one shining example.

 

Don’t blame the locals. Blame Albany.

On the flipside,nearly everything in Niagara Falls,outside of the state park,is run by corrupt politians,native americans (casino) and organized crime.I don't see that area ever becoming as plentiful as it could be...at least not in my lifetime.

[kota]

Why does it matter? 

[4_kidd_4]

8 minutes ago, Misterbluesky said:

On the flipside,nearly everything in Niagara Falls,outside of the state park,is run by corrupt politians,native americans (casino) and organized crime.I don't see that area ever becoming as plentiful as it could be...at least not in my lifetime.

 

Oh I can’t disagree here whatsoever, especially the current mayor who is a lapdog for Cuomo. It’s a wide variety of knuckleheads contributing to the hot mess.

 

But as far as the Casino goes, Mayor Elia was essentially told to shut up and take her medicine by Gov Pataki. She was anti-casino and got railroaded by the state to give up the land. Terrible.

 

There’s also Howard Millstein and his sham development group sitting on prime land and properties for decades now. Yanno, the same Howard Millstien that was chairman of the NYS Thruway Authority. 

 

What a shame.

 

I do see a small spark in the Falls though, something to be said for the recent hotel development and the fact that big investors are starting to plant flags there(Paladino/Ellicott, Hamister, Savarino). It’s a start.

[Lurker]

32 minutes ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

Blame NYS for the WNY economy. 

 

Look no further than what could be a potential gem in Niagara Falls. State funnels everyone into their state park, keeps the parking money and angles every other dollar to Delaware North concessions on Goat Island. The City of NF be damned in their eyes. And that’s just one shining example.

 

Don’t blame the locals. Blame Albany.

 

Given the political landscape in NF, I'd say that's a wise strategy.    Niagara Falls leadership has been a corrupt cluster**** for over 50 years and they have nobody to blame but themselves for the state of the city...

[4_kidd_4]

14 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

Given the political landscape in NF, I'd say that's a wise strategy.    Niagara Falls leadership has been a corrupt cluster**** for over 50 years and they have nobody to blame but themselves for the state of the city...

 

Like I already said, plenty of layers to this mess, no one here is letting NF politics itself off the hook.

 

But it’s a chicken/egg type of thing imo. The state is certainly complacent with the infighting, it takes the focus off of them.

 

I’m not saying I have an outright solution. I’m saying you have to start peeling layers one at a time to get to the core of the problem. Removing the NYS “overlord” status would be a good start.

 

For example, why was casino cash going through the state in the first place? Why do they keep 75% of the cut and NF gets 25%? When the Senecas recently said no more cash to the state, but we’ll negotiate with the local municipalities, Dyster essentially turtled and deferred back to the state, while infrastructure that absolutely needs those funds continues to crumble. 

 

Power Authority(state) won’t pay their fair cut to local municipalities  either.

 

It’s a shame. 

[SoTier]

2 hours ago, Carter said:

Buffalo was blue collar when it actually had factory jobs. Now their color is rusted just like the factories.  

 

Buffalo is a no collar town or a any collar you can get town because the economy is terrible and has been for 2 generations. That’s on the locals. Where is your pride of your city? Too much flouride in the water, or just lazy? 

 

 

 

It seems to me that your bitter little rant encompasses the typical blue collar lament wailed by individuals who ...

• haven't lived in Buffalo for a while or live in one of the backward neighborhoods still stuck in a time-warp because the residents refuse to accept change
• have never lived in Buffalo and get all their info about what's going on here from their grandfathers and their retired cronies who all live in Florida
• are under-educated individuals with limited academic credentials and/or no or outdated job skills
• refuse to help themselves by going back to school to make up for their deficient educations or job skills
• want to be able to do mindless assembly line jobs that pay well and then retire with comfy pensions like their fathers and grandfathers did
• are embittered because they think people in administrative, educational, medical, managerial jobs are overpaid and consider only blue collar work to be "real work"
• are embittered because they don't like technological and social change
• are embittered old fogeys who think the "good old days" were so much better because white American males didn't have to compete with or "kowtow" to women, gays, Blacks, Jews, Asians, Hispanics, and numerous other "foreigners" like they do today.

Buffalo has changed tremendously in the last decade.  It's not the same city that it was even in 2005 or 2006.  A lot of new people have moved in who aren't weighed down with the baggage of the past, and they're turning the city around ... and a lot of locals who aren't prepared to board the new fast moving train don't like it much.  I suspect you and yours are among them.

Edited April 18, 2018 by SoTier

[4_kidd_4]

Yeah anyone that questions Buffalonians’ “pride” is certainly trolling.

 

Buffalove is real, and it’s only getting stronger.