No big surprise (I called it, remember?), but Arizona ended up as Gawker’s Worst State, for all the reasons you might have guessed.
What’s most offensive is that the cheap shots aren’t really all that well-written:
Arizona is a hissing snakepit of angry old white people (they are angry because they are literally being cooked to death) yelling at the immigrants and other Others whom they fear and loathe, and it is probably going to explode someday soon into a bright ball of orange fire and we will know that either the end times have come for us all or thank god we are finally rid of Arizona.
That’s one sentence. One terribly constructed, not particularly clever sentence. I expect better, Gawker. I really do.
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2011.
Piss on Gawker.
They are a miscreant run sludge of despotic deviants,with nearly non-existant intellectual capabilities. Were they possessed of any redeeming qualities they would except and try to make the world a better place. Instead they take cheap, blithering shots at a state of American patriots.
Gawker does not understand Arizona because Gawker’s personnel are life forms of the absolute lowest order and incapable of developing a thought independant of what the Progressive Liberal overlords tell it to think.
Who or what is Gawker……………oh yeah I don’t care.
Just a lunatic wannabee ranting and raving.
So much for free speech eh!
Gawker ???? Who the h-e-double hockey sticks is that idiot ?? I live in Tucson and yes it gets hot but come talk to me when the midwest and the east is freezing to death with 40 below zero temperatures and Arizona is basking in 70 degree weather. I challenge him or her or IT to come live here for 1 year and enjoy some of the beauty the area has to offer. Then re-write an apology.
Article sounds like a little spoiled kid having a temper tantrum because they were told milk and cookie time was cancelled.
The very first 3 letter word of Dan Gibson’s post shows just how ignorant he is. “Duh”
I’ve been here about a year and a half and I totally agree with Gawker. (Yes my mistake on moving here but I’m saving my money to move out.)
And good the Hell riddance to those who are leaving, don’t bother coming back. The rest of us are just fine. No tornado alley, no major flood barriers to worry about, and no rain for 200 days a year. I’ll take it any day over living in the flat midwest, the rude northeast, the muggy as f*ck southeast or the meth and vampire addicted, moldy pacific northwest
Having read the responses of the ‘good’ people of Arizona I have come to the conclusion that gawker is correct.
Well, the Pima county Libs really do stink up the state !
Everyone has an opinion, and will often complain about what they don’t understand. What most can not seem to realize is that, what is good for one may not be good for another. That doesn’t make it bad or good. It only depends on what YOU choose for yourself. I rarely read reviews before I try something for myself.
I disagree with gawker in the natural beauty of Arizona. The Sonoran desert is beautiful. I love the dark nights at the great observatories around here like Kit Peak. While he yells and criticises our sweltering summers, he fails to note that our fall, winter and springs are envied by everyone else in the nation. In addition, I love the historical Navajo/Hopi reservations with its relics to petrified forests, dinosaur foot prints and petrogliphs. Monument Valley, Navajo National Monument and Chinle are amazing places. I propose this author doesn’t get around much.
I do agree that the politics of Arizona seems completely awry. It does seem we are becoming a police state in all the things that don’t matter much to me but becoming anarchy in the things that do. I think our politicians aren’t chosing their battles very efficiently. I’m hoping this too will pass and I’m opting to stay in the State a while longer.
Its funny i was born and raised here. I moved to the bay area long ago and lived almost 30 years there. However I have moved back to what I consider my home. It’s one of the only states doing anything about illegal imigration. Crime has dropped significanty sine SB 1070 has been passed. The author is just another liberal that thinks they know whats best for everyone. Get a clue you do not rule the U.S. you just have to suck on this bill. I know it eats you alive inside as you cannot play savior to the world. However if you looked around maybe you could spend more time playing savior to the good people of the US… Just a thought…
I have lived both in the extreme heat and the extreme cold. It is not the everyday public that are as Gawker put it : Arizona is a hissing snakepit of angry old white people (they are angry because they are literally being cooked to death) yelling at the immigrants and other Others whom they fear and loathe, and it is probably going to explode someday soon into a bright ball of orange fire and we will know that either the end times have come for us all or thank god we are finally rid of Arizona. It is the politicians here who are giving the state a bad rap like our horrible governor Jan “BRUJA” Brewer
Thank you Phillip Vail! BJ, Neo-con Tea Baggers think they “know what’s best for everyone” as well. Get real and get over yourself.
As for the Gawker’s assessment of Arizona, I’d say about Phoenix and our insane politics, they are 100% correct. And, I don’t blame them for only liking the parts of AZ that are either iconic or lush and green. When I first saw the Sonoran Desert, I hated it. It either grows on you or it doesn’t. Not everyone can love the desert.
Oh and, in case it was unclear, I love the desert now. It’s a unique beauty, but beauty nonetheless. Just saying I understand how to some (many?) it seems harsh and ugly.
Pretty much nailed brewer and arpaio though, gotta say.
I’m not even from Arizona -I’m a True NY’er – always first – and I love AZ – It’s hot- sure , it’s by the desert – so no shit – the sheriff is an A HOLE and so is the Governor (who looks like a mummy) but Giulliani and Bloomberg are 2 of the biggest tools to ever grace Gracie Mansion – and Pataki, Cuomo are bad news – I bought a beautiful home by the mountains, beautiful yard and perfect pool — try doing something like that in NY – and you can’t shovel sunshine – why would u want to deal with snow, cold, crowded trains, over priced housing. NY is an amazing town – I love where AZ is situated. It’s a few hours from Vegas, LA, Mexico, UTAH, Colorado , New Mexico, That’s having options. I have so much love for NY but AZ has been great to me and my family! The author of this article is entitled to his opinions but get the facts right – c’mon angry old white people – sure we have em’ but AZ is becoming more and more diverse – with an art and music scene that is growing !
HEADLINE; Gawker.com ranked worst website by Tucson weekly!
Gawker.com was recently ranked worst website by Tucson weekly for arbitrarily and erroneously ranking states on a one to fifty, best to worst scale. The extraordinarily dim-witted evaluators at the clueless website failed during the ranking process, to notice that Arizona ranks 2nd in population growth as a result of in-migration from other states in the union. An obvious sign of favorable living conditions and a strong contrast in comparison to Gawker favorites like the state of New York, that rank extraordinarily high in population loss. “We’re not talking about births and deaths here. People are leaving other states like New York, to come to Arizona” according to Frank Munoz, a Tucson businessman and New York refugee. “People vote with their feet, there’s a reason Arizona has grown, while other states have lost population. I just can’t believe the rocket scientists and mathematicians at Gawker can’t figure it out. I feel sorry for them. I always feel sorry for people who can’t grasp the simplest of concepts. Munoz, like other in-migrants to Arizona enjoys a low cost of living to income ratio, a deal made even sweeter by some of the lowest property taxes in the country. “It was hard living in California” says Tina Flores, an engineer. “I make 6 figures but I could never afford a house in the Palo Alto area. I tried renting outside the city but the traffic congestion and tolls for crossing the bridges made the hour and a half commute intolerable” Jeri Anderson, a retired electrician from Chicago says “the people at Gawker must not be aware of the incredible beauty of Arizona. I took my wife for a drive up to Jerome and through Oak Creek Canyon, it’s the most beautiful place on Earth. Why did they say there’s no water? Do those Gawker jack-asses know where the mighty Colorado River flows? Through Arizona” Others believe that Gawkers motivations are steeped more in ignorance and fear of people who dance to the beat of their own drum. Andy Begay, a member of the Navajo Nation, the largest native American reservation in the country, located in the north east part of Arizona say’s he’s never met anyone from Gawker.com. “I make a living out here, making ceremonial drums, I meet artists, historians, poet’s-people from every where, they come to buy my drums and celebrate our proud Native American history. I don’t think anyone from Gawker has ever been here. This is where the Navajo code talkers are from. We’re proud of that. What have those goof balls at Gawker ever done for anyone?”
I’m from Arizona. I’ve got to say this judgment seems to me to be a hair-trigger judgment based on two terrible events in the last year and a half or so (the Jared Loughner massacre/attempted political assassination in my hometown and the passing of the racist law SB1070). However, as a liberal, and a young person (if 28 still counts as young), I would like to say in rebuttal: 1)Tucson. Full of hippies and hipsters (albeit they can also be annoying, but add color and style to the city) and how can you not love them rubbing up against bikers and rednecks on second Saturdays downtown? There’s a great music and arts scene. The university of Arizona is one of the best universities in the country. It has one of the best creative writing programs, one of the best visiting writers series, and amazing science programs, including one of the biggest telescopes in the world and one of the best astronomy programs (Flagstaff has another amazing telescope and astronomy program; the now-demoted planet Pluto was discovered there). Arizona has dark skies policies to keep the stars bright for astronomers. Hey, this may add to crime, but it certainly makes the night sky beautiful. Light pollution is pollution too. Pima community college is the seventh-best community college in the nation. Tucson is affordable by any standards. It has a thriving international community (many of whom come for the university). The residents themselves are mixed, mostly white, Hispanic, and Native American. There are plenty of good people fighting the border fight (No Mas Muertes/No More Deaths is big on both sides of the border). Arizona is ground zero for a lot of our country’s issues, which makes it an interesting state. And, the Sonoran Desert. It’s beautiful. It’s a living desert, an alien landscape home to thousands of bizarre and breathtaking species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Tucson is surrounded by huge mountains; you can ski in the winter. There is a natural underground aquifer supplying the city’s water. If you drive up Mt. Lemmon, you go through so much different terrain you end up in something akin to Montana’s pine country at the top. Old Tucson preserves the cowboy charm of this outpost whose name derives from the Tohono O’odham word “Chukson,” village of the dark springs at the foot of the black mountain (can you think of a more poetic name for a city?). Many famous Westerns have been filmed there. The Sonoran Desert Museum preserves wildlife in the natural desert setting. Sabino Canyon boasts beautiful hikes and waterfalls. And the ocean is a four-hour drive away (in Mexico–bring your passport and your Spanish). And the food is amazing. Seriously. Border food? Authentic Mexican food? How can you go wrong? Not to mention desert treats like prickly pear jelly. 2)Phoenix–a conservative water-wasting shithole and one of the most boring big cities on earth. But ASU has a really good university I’m told (one of the largest in the nation). And I’m sure there are some redeeming factors I’m unaware of. Tucson is not so bad, and I’ve heard tell of a great electronic music scene that plays out in the desert (I have fond memories of desert raves going back to adolescence). 3)Jerome and Bisbee–beautiful historical towns! Jerome is one of the oldest ghost towns, originally a mining town that burned down, was rebuilt, and became a hell’s angels’ center of operations/hippie paradise in the 1970’s. Charming and full of history. Bisbee is home to copper mines and alabaster and marble quarries, full of artisans and history. Oh, and there’s Tubac, another artist’s town. And let’s not forget Tombstone, setting for many famous Westerns and home to the Blood Bucket Cafe, historical reenactments of gunfights, and Boot Hill, which boasts real tombstones from the 1800’s with such tragically hilarious inscriptions as “here lies William Smith, hanged by mistake.” (Probably not funny to Mr. Smith, though). 4). Sedona–need I say more? Alien conspiracies, vortices whose sister power spots exist in Tibet, visits from the Dalai Lama, power crystals, psychic healers, wine tasting, red rocks, rivers, natural beauty and general zaniness 5)Flagstaff, beautiful hippie town 7,000 feet up in the mountains, in pine country, with several great breweries and a nice university 6)the Grand Canyon, the most well-known attraction–I recommend riding the historical steam-engine train from Williams, going down the Havasupai trail to the 1,000-year-old Native American village and the huge blue waterfalls at the bottom, going up to the Hualapai reservation to go on the Skywalk, or going out of AZ to the North Rim to see some real wilderness 7)monument valley, achingly beautiful rock formations 8)canyon du chelly, which technically is in the four corners area, home to the 2,000-year-old Anasazi villages carved into the cliff sides, only accessible by hiking or horseback 9)the white mountains, gorgeous and mysterious, and again known for alien activity and 10)it’s the most ecologically diverse state in the nation, amazing considering it no longer has true wetland, or ocean. But just driving up a mountain you can go through quite a few ecologically distinct types of terrain. And 11)it has the most beautiful sunsets you’ve ever seen. purple, red, orange, spreading over the sky through the cumulus clouds. and lightning storms. lightning chasers go there just to photograph them. and did i mention the monsoons? hot rains drowning the desert so all the flowers come in bloom. what’s not to love in arizona? did i mention the magnificently tall saguaro with the winding arms, graceful as dancers, with the owl-holes and the yellow flowers? did i mention the teddy bear cholla? the coyotes? the javelina? the red-tailed hawks? the quail? the deer? the rabbits? the mountain lions? the barrel cactus you can drink from? the prickly pear you can eat, either as nopales–salad greens made from the paddles–or as tunas, the sweet purple fruit picked from the top? did i mention the red-blooming ocotillo? the tall slender nightblooming cereus, its body swaying towards the sky, huge white blooms opening through the summer only late at night? tell me, really, what’s not to like?
In regard to Phoenix, I meant “there are probably some redeeming factors I am unaware of; Tempe is not so bad,” not Tucson. Sorry for the mistake. 🙂
From living in many places through out my life (including war torn areas volunteering), I would have to say out of all of the places i have been, AZ ranks number one worst place to be. The State tries to take other identity’s and make it their own, Navajo code talkers…..HAHAHA hate to break it to you but the Southwestern united states is far larger then Arizona. and they originated in NEW MEXICO, NOT ARIZONA, after their land was stolen they were forced to migrate elsewhere many DIED because they were forced to walk without adequate or no water and food and put with enemy tribes plus the disease was no help either(small pox etc) but I guess that’s nicer to leave out. (Apache are the descendants of the Navajo).With not much else to brag about besides the grand canyon and the dangerous RARELY seen wildlife and non dangerous wild life 3 years here, not one humming bird or road runner not even a lizard in sight but PLENTY of pigeons, stray cats and pest bugs, I enjoyed before moving here a great outdoor life, yes there may be snow to shovel, but at least they don’t warn you the majority of the year to stay indoors like they do in AZ……whats 300+ days of sun when majority of the time you can’t go out to enjoy it…unless you drive (i so lmao when the news said you would have to not be the brightest their way of saying stupid to go , hiking,bicycling,running, trail ,walking or rock climbing during the summer months) its the truth. majority of the year its hot (110 F or above) sometimes the whole year….its a dessert. the animals come out at night and stay close to their habitat, sometimes they crash into human homes because the outside weather is hard to survive in ( family of javalinas were found in someones storage shed and they are fugly they look like a boar and a rat bred together) You rarely see anyone outside unless they are waking from their car to go inside their destination (grocery,eating out, movies) the pools, they are only open for 2 months at most often crowded, Arizona is big on conserving water….being a rare resource in the state there have been times where they shut off the tap only allowing 30 minutes to shower during harsh drought water being sold higher then the rarest wine (one person reported doling out 200 for one bottle of water) so i end with this, its good place to visit for a short period of time to see the grand canyon anything else you can do anywhere else and have far more enjoyment doing so(might i add at a fair price) I will never forger when i first got here and was told about the halloween fair…..15 dollars admission including infants, 3 rides (blow up slide, an unfinished pallet wood shed that was deemed the fun house….walk in, the light turns off, walk out that was it, and these padded barrels where you knock an opponent off with a padded rod) and two games, which were both rigged (shoot water in a horses mouth to get your horse to the other side and knock the milk jugs down) food was all Americanized Mexican food….. a small soft taco with lettuce and hot sauce at 6 dollars a piece (NO meat) and a mexican “lollipop” (chili powder formed into a ball with water then stuck on a stick at 3.60 a piece) water bottles at 5 dollars a piece….there were 5 corner stores i could have bought far cheaper food at and enjoyed .outsiders built the devils hell (ass)hole up, many are leaving or forced to stay unable to sell their cheaply built stucco house, your little “gem” state will be nothing when people catch on to how messed up it is here. Arizona should be turned into a prison state, with sheriff Joe Arpiao as the sheriff and other tough on crime Sheriffs and officers the USA will have the lowest crime rate ever recorded in the world maybe crime would be non existent? Ah but i must end. Cant wait to leave the over hyped armpit of the USA. AZ twists facts to make the state look good copys everything from any where else but fails. pathetic.
@Az dried out my heart and soul: I agree with some of your sentiments. Az is almost void of sophisticated cultural activities and when there is a show or exhibit that rolls into town, it is hardly impressive. In a place where most people spend time indoors bec. of the heat, there really isn’t very much to do. The museums have very little to offer and if not for the relatively new Musical Instrument Museum, we have run out of options. We recently had houseguests and after showing them the city and grabbing lunch at the popular Pizzeria Bianco, there really wasn’t much else to show them. Food is mediocre at best and an international district or chinatown does not even exist (COFCO center is not chinatown; it’s a strip mall with chinese businesses and restaurants, and an asian supermarket). Not very diverse really. Maybe Phoenix is not the worst place to be but it isn’t very interesting and has very little to offer.
Fuck all of Arizona in its little self absorbed ass. I have watched people in this state be the rudest and meanest dumb pieces of shit on Earth. Come down here and try to drive with these mongrels and asswipes…btw to you losers who go on about how much you love this state you probably do not live in the bigger cities, you probably have nice homes away from shit you would not survive interacting with. Yuppies meth heads and assholes are all you offer. I have been trapped here for 22 years and this place is shit. You who live here for the most part are also shit. Think about how “nice” you all are and then kindly fuck yourselves.
Although I don’t agree with every thing he said, I love a person who pulls no punches and speaks his mind.
Having lived in DeToilet (murder rate 2x Chicago) and lived in parts of Milwaukee where it is over 50% Afro-American and the murder rate is same as Chicago (Chicongo), considering that the murder rate in Phoenix is only 10, which is 1/4th DeToilet, yeah, you might want to rethink how bad life in AZ really is. Also, Flagstaff was noted, but the White Mountains, from Payson to Alpine, over 100 miles, is far better, including a ski resort with nearly 2,000 feet verticals. The authors ignorance is obvious, unless he likes murder and rape and all the other glorious activities common in SHITHOLES like DETROIT (and HAITI, etc.).
I got here by searching “why is Arizona such a shithole?” — 8 years and I guess not much has changed, lol.