The Law of Sally Field:  If Buffalo is mentioned in an even remotely positive light in some non-local media outlet – however obscure – the piece will be held up as confirmation that we’re not all daft for living here.

Steve’s Corollary:  If Buffalo is added to some sort of Forbes list, it will be held up as confirmation that we’re not all daft for living here, or as proof that the world is against us and doesn’t get it, as the case may be.

Nussbaumer’s Extension: If there is something even tangentially negative in the piece about Buffalo, it must be ridiculed and discredited, regardless of its truth or falsity.

Which is more dull and predictable – outsiders alluding to our snowy reputation, or locals bitching about outsiders alluding to our snowy reputation?  For me, it’s the latter.  It’s high time Buffalo and her people got over the whole snow stigma, because it isn’t one.  Lots of places have nasty weather, and we use it as a crutch and an excuse for our failures.

And so it is that USA Today did a story about Buffalo’s architectural treasures, and how some (Darwin Martin) seem to find tens of millions of dollars for restoration, while others (Central Terminal) are merely shored up, awaiting better times and a lottery win.

While the article joked about our snow and rightfully pointed out our status as a declining rust belt area, the piece was quite informative about our architectural wealth and there really isn’t much to criticize about it.  Unless you really try.

You know what?  It snows here. A lot.  Not as much as Syracuse or Watertown, but plenty nonetheless.  It hardly makes sense to bitch when others poke fun at us about it.  Embrace it.  We should be capitalizing on that reputation rather than countering with dopey statistics about how many sunny days we have.

And you know what else?  This is a declining rust belt area that has an epic laundry list of problems that need fixing.  This, too, is something we should be addressing head-on, and frankly WNY is not unique in its need for solutions to deep and long-standing problems.

The USA Today piece was pretty damn good, as far as I’m concerned.