So I used the phrase "flyover country" today and someone said it was political.
"Flyover country and flyover states are American phrases describing the parts of the contiguous United States between the East and the West Coasts. The origins of the phrases and the attitudes of their supposed users are a source of debate in American culture; the terms are often regarded as pejoratives, but are sometimes "reclaimed" and used defensively.[1] The terms refer to the interior regions of the country passed over during transcontinental flights"
I'm saying it's a phrase that has roots in the 1800s but took a slightly different flavor after commercial airfare from New York to Los Angeles became common
- 1932 – First scheduled cross-country through passenger flights (no change of plane).
- 1933 – Transcontinental passenger flights in as little as 20 hours on the Boeing 247.
- 1934 – First three-stop airline flights (TWA DC-2s).
Businessmen could fly across the country instead of driving, leaving anything between NY and CA airports as "flyover". No big deal, just the same as how "route 66" waned after faster travel became a thing.
To me this term is barely less neutral than the phrase "Continental US" or "Midwest" and I've heard it since I was a child growing up in TN. I've seen it in mass media, on the internet, never thought much about it other than we are the land between the coasts.
Am I being gaslighted here or do you think "flyover country" is a lightning rod worthy of derailing a thread?
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