My previous hometown, Cleveland, is the poorest big city in the country according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but it still seems to have a scrappy sense of pride.
Then I read an Associated Press article today about how Cleveland-based American Greetings test-marketed a card there based on those “Greetings From” tourist postcards. It showed a man in a black-and-white photo walking past an urban landscape and the message was “Season’s Greetings from Cleveland ... America’s Poorest City!” Inside, it read “Happy Holidays.” An American Greetings spokesperson explained:
Obviously, our intent is not to make light of the issue. It’s just a satirical form of humor that plays well with a certain segment of the population. We realize it’s not for everyone.
Ha ha! I guess. Although I’m unsure what segment of the population would find this funny. If you’re well off, you’re spending your money on tastefully expensive cards with a nice heavy paper stock and bland statements of cheer. And I don’t know if the poor are frittering away their money on Christmas cards but if they are, I’d think they’d want to concentrate on the positive aspects of the holidays instead of making light of their economic situation.