N.J. man puts rednecks, hippies and misguided tourists on the map

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_man_puts_rednecks_hippies_a.html

N.J. man puts rednecks, hippies and misguided tourists on the map

Published: Thursday, December 08, 2011, 11:44 AM
If you live in the northwestern corner of New Jersey, you're a resident of the "Vast Wilderness Of Rednecks And Retired Hippies." Hail from Atlantic City? Welcome to the land of "Sad Black People And Misguided Tourists."
Think you know where you live? Hah.
Forget about what exit you are off the Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike. You also can toss out the new redistricting map politicians took months to put together.
In a mere two hours, Joe Steinfeld redrew the map of New Jersey, using many of the state’s stereotypes in his color-coded opus. The map, which the Rutgers graduate posted online Monday, went viral within 24 hours, gathering 800,000 hits as it circulated through blogs, Facebook and Twitter.
Steinfeld’s approach was light-hearted, but with regions like "Pineys ... Pineys Everywhere," "Ghetto In The Woods" and "Sad Black People And Corruption," not everyone looking at the map has been able to locate their funny bone.
"I meant it as a joke. It’s tongue-in-cheek. It’s meant to be silly, meant to be fun," Steinfeld said Wednesday. He filled the map with stereotypes he said he encountered growing up in and traveling New Jersey, labeling a swath of Bergen County "Well-To-Do Conservatives ‘Christie Country’ " and parts of Salem and Cumberland counties "Pretty Much Alabama."
"I didn’t want it to become this," Steinfeld said of all the internet attention the map has garnered.
He first posted the map on the social media page Reddit.com Monday night under a fake name. By Tuesday afternoon he saw friends on Facebook talking about it and acknowledged ownership. Since then, he’s been bombarded with e-mails and phone calls.
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Originally from Westfield, aka "Middle-Class Raritan Valley Line Commuters," Steinfeld’s inspiration was similar online dissections he saw for Vancouver and Pittsburgh. A part-time Rutgers environmental science research assistant, he said he saw a lot of New Jersey gathering research as a student.
"I’ve driven to every corner of the state," Steinfeld said. "Stopped at a lot of towns. Stopped at a lot of Wawas and QuickCheks."
Most of the designations are based on ethnicity, socio-economic standings and cultural stereotypes. Then there are some random categories like "Where They Filmed Clerks" (Leonardo, in Monmouth County) and "Swamps And Toxic Waste" (part of Salem and Cumberland counties).
But while Steinfeld said the map is a joke, not everyone who saw it laughed.
"I’d ask whoever designed the map to actually travel to these areas to see how vibrant some of the neighborhoods are," said Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage. The city sits on the border of "Poor Minorities" and "Russians, Polacks And Toxic Fumes" on Steinfeld’s map.
2 ga1208themap HINDASHSaed Hindash/The Star-LedgerJoe Steinfeld, 22, of Westfield, shows off a map of New Jersey on his smartphone that he created.

"It’s unfortunate that somebody has enough spare time to do something that is just going to inflame some people and point to the worst possible side of things," Bollwage said. "I don’t find humor in it."
In Morris County, or, the land of "Executives Living In Mansions Driving Mercedes-Benzes," the sentiment was a bit different.
"You know, a part of being a lifelong Jerseyite is developing an ability to laugh at yourself, and as long as everyone is laughing together that’s okay by me," Chester Township Mayor William Cogger said from his parked Ford pickup truck. He also said he hopes to swap the truck for a Mercedes as soon as possible.
Maplewood, which highlights its diversity, is perfectly suited for inclusion in "The Melting Pot" region, township Mayor Victor DeLuca said.
"We have a nice mix of races and ethnicities" DeLuca said of the town, where, according to the Census’ American Community Survey, the population is 61 percent white and 30 percent black. He also cited a mix of incomes and of gay and straight residents.
"We are what I think one would think of the United States — a community that welcomes everyone," DeLuca said.
As for Steinfeld, who separated New Jersey’s "Hipsters" from "The Hill People" and "Friendly White Families" from "McMansions!!" well, he thinks the map has enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame.
"I'm pretty sure it's starting to die out now," he said, taking a break from his job in the area of "Drunk Rutgers Students."
By Julia Terruso and Tom Haydon/The Star-Ledger
© 2011 NJ.com. All rights reserved.

All I Want for Christmas Is...Jews (comedy)

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS... 

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is...
Jews

I wont ask for much this Christmas
I dont even wish for snow
Just want a Jew who runs show business
Speilberg, Stiller Ari Gold
I will make a list and send it
Of my choices for St. Nick
Seinfeld, Zach Braff and Jon Stewart
Are the boys with a big schtick.
Cause I just want them here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
Ill take Zac Efron too
all I want for Christmas is... 

Jews.

Menorah lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the big box office
Makes Jews millionaires
They may have killed our savior
Thats not the best behavior
Thats ok he rose again three days later 
and now Im an active J-dater

Oh I dont want a lot for Christmas
Gentile boys are such a bore
Goldman, Weissman, Cohen, Levy
These are names that I adore
Oh I just want a chosen one
Hebrew boys are so much fun
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is...
Jews

1953 Motorcycle Trip

THE SUMMER OF 1953 MOTORCYCLE TRIP 

In the Summer of 1953 my father Geoffrey Gander and his friends set off on their annual Motor Cycling holiday around Europe. It was probably quite an adventurous trip to take at the time. They would ride through France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. We think of old bikes as being unreliable, but my father and his friends were keen riders and engineers and completed the trip without much more than a puncture. Enjoy some of the pictures from the trip.