Ignatius's Exaggerations.

"This city is famous for it's gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, anarchists, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, judes, litterbugs and lesbians..." (Toole, 3)

I feel like when Ignatius is describing new Orleans like this, it's only for dramatics. (Throughout the novel he proves this over and over, just talking truly for the sake of talking.) I'm from outside of Boston and in Massachusetts, this isn't really the image of New Orleans that comes to mind. Sure people ask a lot about Mardi Gras and if it's been crazy lately, but partying by no means is their main interest. As a matter of fact, while I was home I was most often ask about the weather or if I had tried any interesting new southern food. In my opinion what Ignatius proves best here is not that New Orleans is so much more eccentric than anywhere else, but that everyone is critical of where they come from. It's true. I bet more often than not if you asked someone what they like and dislike about where they live, the dislikes will far outweigh the likes. If anything, this kind of stereotype is promoted by New Orleanians more than tourists themselves.

That's not to say, however, that these things don't exist. I'm sure there are plenty of place in NOLA where you can go and find alcoholics or frauds or drug addicts, but then again, you can do that anywhere. In a way, that's what makes New Orleans special. It has many of the some "less fortunate" characteristic of many place, but it has a knack for selling them differently and almost drawing a more positive attention them than elsewhere. New Orleans is unique for many reason, but not for the reasons that Ignatius claims.