[dude]

If you live in New York City, you're probably familiar with the sense of profound disappointment you experience when you return to it. Generally, this sets in at some point between deplaning and actually arriving at your home, and it can be triggered by a number of things: an unnecessarily brusque baggage handler; a homicidal airport shuttle driver; a yawning pothole; or a group of people loitering on your stoop. While some people think New Yorkers are arrogant, the truth is it's simply a defense mechanism that protects us from our secret knowledge that we're stupid to live here. If anything, arrogance is a symptom of knowing deep down that you really lack the qualities you claim to possess--and in the case of New Yorkers those qualities are savvy and sophistication. Considering yourself savvy and sophisticated for living in New York is like considering yourself clever for getting a great deal on a stuffed elephant. Sure, you're pulling something off, but it's something that no logical person would want to do in the first place.