Small Town Boredom: Difference between revisions

Compare and contrast with [[Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here]] and [[Hated Hometown]]. Related to [[Grass Is Greener]], which is about someone in bad conditions dreaming of going to a better place. See also [[Farm Boy]], [[Ordinary High School Student]]. Often seen in stories set in [[Dying Town|Dying Towns]], perhaps ones with [[Small Town Rivalry]].

 

 

When this happens in a musical, expect a [["Somewhere" Song]] or a [[Wanderlust Song]].

* Naota says "[[Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here]]" in the first episode of ''[[FLCL]]''. [[Tempting Fate|Naturally]], he's quickly proven wrong...

* Many children (and some adults) in the [[Pokémon]] universe.

 

 

* The Swedish movie ''[[Show Me Love|Fucking Åmål]]'' is a teenage [[Coming Out Story]] set in the titular Åmål, which Elin thinks is the most boring place in the world.

* ''[[Popular Music From Vittula]]'' takes place in the northern Swedish town of Pajala in the 60's. A lot of the youngsters talk about moving away the moment they turn 18. In the end, Niila is the only one to actually do anything, as he hitchhikes out and becomes a rock star.

* The titular character in ''Big Fish''.

* In ''[[The Silence of the Lambs]]'', while Clarice Starling is interviewing a girl in Belvedere, Ohio, the girl asks her:

* In the novel ''[[Dandelion Wine]]'', one of the characters is complaining about just this when the Lonely One returns.

* The main reason Zoe in ''[[Saving Zoe]]'' decides to try to become a model. {{spoiler|It leads to her death.}}

 

 

== Live Action Television ==

* This is a good portion of JJ's backstory on ''[[Criminal Minds]]''.

 

* "Black and White Town" by Doves.

* [[Taylor Swift]], particularly in "White Horse".

{{quote| Aw man, there's nothing to do in this stupid town. Rope swing's busted, stinkin' cops always kicking me out of the park, manager of the 7-11 always saying 'Get off my curb, you good-for-nothings!'. All the girls already know I'm a bad kisser so they won't come anywhere near me. I dunno how many times I've been to T.G.I.F; a kid can eat an Onion Bloom only so many times. Bowling's boring, the skating rink's been taken over by twelve-year-olds. There ain't no good movies out. Blockbuster never has any good games in. I don't want to play [[Star Wars|Bombad Racing!]] I mean, what the heck is that? I'm sick of all my records but any time I go to the record store, I forget what I want to get! And there ain't nothing on TV! Not a stupid thing! There ain't nothing to do but take naps, and wait patiently for death!"}}

* Sara Evans' "Bible Song;" after the narrator's cousin [[Driven to Suicide|commits suicide to escape]], she gets out before she goes the same way ("so no one would sing some Bible song over me").

 

== Theater ==

* Natalie from the musical ''[[All Shook Up]]''.

 

== Western Animation ==

* Touched on sometimes in ''[[King of the Hill]]'', specifically the episode where Hank worries about losing Bobby to a more exciting place... like Wichita Falls, home of the Dallas Cowboys training camp. Hank tries to campaign to have the training camp moved to Arlen, with disastrous results, but in the end Bobby says that he would never move to Wichita Falls--because to be a prop comic you need to go to New York or Los Angeles.

* The title character from ''Katy Caterpillar'' begins her adventure because she considers the safe cherry tree where she and her sisters live to be "ever so boring."

 

** Some states, such as [[Flyover Country|Indiana]], have problems keeping up job rates because college grads and other people of age immediately flee to larger cities such as Chicago or LA to seek gainful employment.

*** As a Chicago native, it does not surprise me anymore to meet people at city events, bars and find out that they are NOT from the city proper, or even the suburbs but from other midwestern cities like St. Louis, Detroit Metro or South Bend (Indiana)

 

{{reflist}}