Has Austin become homogenized?

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

I like Atlanta and go there often because my mom grew up there and I have a lot of Aunts, Uncles, cousins, etc. there.

Austin is different than Atlanta in the many of the surrounding areas of Atlanta were established by white flight. Austin's surrounding areas were formed by economic flight, and natural growth.

Austin also lacks the rich cultural diversity and ethnic underpinnings of Atlanta. We really have somwhat of a mono-culture here, unless we want to consider the Burbs vs. Central differences. But I really see those as complimentary to one another.

FYI - Austin is large than Atlanta, Boston and many other larger cities in terms of square miles of actual city limits. The metro area of Atlanta is of course bigger than Austin, but in terms of city governance, we have many more miles of roads, sewer lines, electrical services, etc. to maintain than does the "city" of Atlanta.

Steve

Gwinnett county(Yes, named after that "Button" guy that signed the Dec of Ind.) is pretty much all white flight housing, running away from the NW city area)......amazing how racial re-segregation is still alive and well, is it not?

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by senor_jt

7 months in "relo" here, reporting guilty as charged! Thanks for the Google search terms, neighbor. I still don't know what CFS stands for -- a couple entries on the first page of results could fit my evolving picture of Austin...

Ask someone local what a CFS stands for....not everything can be found using google (& the best route to travel is rarely found via gps).

Now, how many of those old, quirky, think-for-themselves Austin types will be checking out the Austin Asian Film Festival this weekend? Or does that count as a frou-frou import and serve as an example of a homogenizing event?

I asked my 10 y/o Korean son if he would have preferred going to an Asian Film Festival...or if he's glad that he played in a Dallas tennis tournament this weekend.... ate BBQ from a quality "joint" in Belton, listened to HIS selection of our CDs which included Steve Earle, Ryan Bingham & Stevie Ray for the road trip & play tennis ball soccer with various competitors (blacks, hispanics, caucasions, 10 different types of asians etc) during down time....he indicated that the film festival isn't frou-frou, but it would have been lame.

I'm still learning the flavors of this town.

ps... wait. Chicken fried stake?! This place is hell on those of us with already high blood pressure!

Stake?

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by twange

*Yawn*.

These threads always bring out the typical responses: blaming newcomers, over-unique-ing Austin, romanticizing the past, doom and gloom. Sometimes I can't believe how judgmental some people are - summing up people by the cars they drive, the neighborhoods they live in, where they were born etc...

That's some ugly-*ss behavior. Shameful.

There are still so many good things happening here. If you can't find them, that's your problem. Go sit on your couch, watch TV and be miserable.

Agreed that there's lots of good things going on (unfortunately i had to miss the Doug Sahm benefit show at Antones Friday). I just hate to get stuck in traffic behind the Coldplay listening hipsters in their Saab on their way to a hockey game or Chili's when i'm hungry for an OT Special at Dirty's.

Calling homogenous hipsters homogenous hipsters isn't ugly *ss, or shameful...it's stating an opinion. If one is a hipster, be proud of it...embrace it. Don't act like a victim & call our behavior "ugly *ss".

Show us neanderthals why we should toss our Jerry Jeff CDs in the garbage. Show us why we should prefer the Hollywood Bowl to Gruene Hall. Show me why i should trade in my 7 y/o paid off GMC truck for a BMW SUV (& it's $500 pmt). Show us why we should be hip.

[twange]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Agreed that there's lots of good things going on (unfortunately i had to miss the Doug Sahm benefit show at Antones Friday). I just hate to get stuck in traffic behind the Coldplay listening hipsters in their Saab on their way to a hockey game or Chili's when i'm hungry for an OT Special at Dirty's.

Calling homogenous hipsters homogenous hipsters isn't ugly *ss, or shameful...it's stating an opinion. If one is a hipster, be proud of it...embrace it. Don't act like a victim & call our behavior "ugly *ss".

Show us neanderthals why we should toss our Jerry Jeff CDs in the garbage. Show us why we should prefer the Hollywood Bowl to Gruene Hall. Show me why i should trade in my 7 y/o paid off GMC truck for a BMW SUV (& it's $500 pmt). Show us why we should be hip.

Hip is in the eye of the beholder, so I'm not sure what you mean.

Why does it matter who you get stuck behind? Traffic sucks period. Sounds like you're just looking to randomly blame people you don't like for things that p*ss you off.

Victim? Dude where did you get the idea that I felt like a victim? Nothing you mentioned even remotely describes me as a person so why would I be offended? I'm probably one of the least homogenous people I've ever met...I'm certainly not a hipster (I don't think, anyway) and wasn't really referring to your hipster rant. But I do see a lot of unwarranted judgmental comments on this board that I believe to be shallow - they usually involve statements about cars, music, clothes, neighborhoods, place of origin etc... Just surface stuff really. I was making a moral statement (though surly) about judging others and I think that's a legitimate concern in these days that we live in. I don't claim to be above this - I can be judgmental as well - but I think it's ugly behavior to sum up people based on what kind of car they drive.

And I certainly didn't ask you to throw out CDs, Gruene Hall, or your GMC truck. I could care less about that stuff. You got the wrong impression buddy. Stop trying to make connections that don't exist.

[senor_jt]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Agreed that there's lots of good things going on (unfortunately i had to miss the Doug Sahm benefit show at Antones Friday). I just hate to get stuck in traffic behind the Coldplay listening hipsters in their Saab on their way to a hockey game or Chili's when i'm hungry for an OT Special at Dirty's.

Calling homogenous hipsters homogenous hipsters isn't ugly *ss, or shameful...it's stating an opinion. If one is a hipster, be proud of it...embrace it. Don't act like a victim & call our behavior "ugly *ss".

Show us neanderthals why we should toss our Jerry Jeff CDs in the garbage. Show us why we should prefer the Hollywood Bowl to Gruene Hall. Show me why i should trade in my 7 y/o paid off GMC truck for a BMW SUV (& it's $500 pmt). Show us why we should be hip.

Wait a second here. You're chiming in on a thread about creeping homogeneous behavior and you have a 10 yr old Korean son being driven around in a GMC truck and listening to what music? Wait, am I the only one laughing here? It's a *little* funny, right? From perhaps your future adult son's perspective?

You tell your son the AAAFF was decidedly not lame. There were some interesting films to choose from and a variety of stories that don't get a lot of mainstream airing were told. Indeed, some might even have some resonance with him.

Thanks for another local treasure tip(Gruene Hall)!