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OK, point taken. Arrogant is way over the top as a description for Austin and its people. I thought nit picking jobs had all been outsourced to low-cost developing nations...?
Well, that explains why I cannot find anyone to pay me here for my nit-picking.
I don't know if the word "cool" is still commonly used (I'm over 40 & out of it I guess), but that's the first word that comes to my mind. Austin is intensely cool, in all the best meanings of that word. It has lots of neat, offbeat people and neat, offbeat shops and a wider variety of activities than most places. It's beautiful geographically and it's warm. I cannot wait to move back this summer, and I left in 1984. I can't believe it took me so long.
I've read through various posts here, and I always see people referencing the culture of Austin. There are quite a few people that have said that it can be hard to adjust to the culture of Austin. I'd like to know what you mean when you are talking about the culture?
Thank you in advance.
Dawn
i personally have not witnessed a "vibe" or cultural identity that is unique to austin. however, austin seperates itself from many cities in several states, for better or for worse. i believe austin is in a transitional period, where at one time the city was easily identified as being culturally unique. today however, austin has substituted much of it's charm with a moreso dull and unascribable presence.
austin's cultural heritage can be experienced primarily in south austin, and east of i35. where south austin has failed in it's ability to sustain austin's culture, east austin seems to be prospecting to the future while bearing aspects of what once made austin special. if you've lived in a moderately sized college town, you've lived in central austin.
i certainly wouldn't consider austin's culture hard to adjust to, unless of course you're an intolerable right wing bigot. I don't believe the city is notably "laid back" or "polite", when compared to cities of similar size and demograhic. that's not to say people are generally "up tight" or "rude", but i just havn't noticed an general attitude warranting such an assumption.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopSecretAdam
Totally Disagree... I think eepstein doesnt want anyone moving into Paradise. But I don't blame him!!! I don't either.
while subjective, austin is certainly not paradise. to each his own, but i believe this attitude is in part a cause of the currently excessive population in austin. what may be paradise to you, could potentially be a disaster to others. post's like this are what aid the nieve, who refuse independent research, in deciding what city they should flock to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deelightful
Ok. I have to admit that I'm a little confused. I don't know enough about California to understand the comparison to Austin's culture.
When I think about California's culture, I think about fake, superficial people. I've never been to Ausin, but what comes to mind to me is active, fun and friendly people. I come to this conclusion, because I think of Austin as being a place where you can have a lot of different experiences. I believe you have great malls for shopping, a variety of different restaurants to enjoy and a lot of outdoor activities to enjoy. Am I wrong in my thinking?
california is GIGANTIC, how could you possibly generalize the entire state regarding any specific demeanor? from my experience, the san francisco population and a large portion of northern cali has been more than welcoming. like any city though, this depends on who you've met and who you know. while there are many parts of cali that i would agree with you on, it's silly to make such an observation. if you've never been to austin, where are you getting these facts?!
i just don't understand what appealing quality austin has to those who've yet to visit. this is where the notion of "hype" comes to fruition. "great malls for shopping"...seriously? is this what austin is known for in the culturally neglected areas of california? there are great shopping locations in austin, yet not one inside of a mall. you're not incorrect in your thinking, but i would recommend broadening your assumptions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve
The culture of Austin is one of fun sociability and expressive freedom.
People in Austin like to have fun, interact with others, express ourselves, and do things.
This is just as true for me as baby-boomer suburban dad as it was when I was a single 23 year old in 1985. Thus the universal and age-neutral appeal of Austin to all stages of life, whether it's college kids who graduate UT and never leave to the retired empty-nesters who want to live in a youthful, vibrant city and have fun.
Steve
while this observation is charming in it's subtlety, it is entirely vague. thousands of people in hundreds of cities LIKE and prefer to "have fun, interact with others, express themselves, and do things"? i mean who doesn't like to "do things"? this is not a mindset unique to austin. while it's true that many austin residents enjoy this same sensibility, i couldn't agree that austin can be summed up as such. this isn't depictive of austin's "culture" as previously questioned by the op. if only austin's ideals were as youthful as it's population.
austin is what it is, of which some may love and some may loathe. austin is ever-changing, as it's cultural scene is currently far too ambiguous to properly define.
Last edited by absolutely; 02-03-2010 at 03:03 AM..
while subjective, austin is certainly not paradise. to each his own, but i believe this attitude is in part a cause of the currently excessive population in austin. what may be paradise to you, could potentially be a disaster to others. post's like this are what aid the nieve, who refuse independent research, in deciding what city they should flock to.
You are right; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure baby, so one man’s paradise must be your hell...
How about Austin's exploded growth is because it's a great city, not just because some college kids partied here once and wrote a blog about it. It excels in jobs, catering to families, not to mention the schools are amazing, regardless of your lack of pride tells you about your own home it has an extreme sense of community, which if you have never been anywhere else which I am guessing you have not based on your weak ass response, you would know how hard that is to find elsewhere. It has very solid financial footing which most of Texas does and the rest of the U.S. doesn’t, it is both liberal and conservative which appeals to a broader range of folks. It has mostly great weather, offers outdoor activities that most cities only wish they could have, there are other big cities nearby, it has a fabulous music scene, it has a nightlife everyone can find a niche in.
You say you can find that anywhere...then huh, hey f*** it then. I will just throw a dart at the map since everywhere else is like Austin right? Do you think people are stupid enough to pack a suitcase and just go to Austin because you see they have a good football team and you heard about on MTV some years back? You’re an idiot if you think people don’t research it. The research tells you Austin is where the dart needs to land because it offers many things many cities in the U.S. lack. And a lot of those are intangibles. Like PRIDE!
So then what's your opinion of the culture in Austin? You seem to want to pick apart what everyone else is saying and slice up the thread with your one sided rebuttals, of course were ALL wrong, yet you offer no opinion yourself. That’s really not very constructive. You must have your own comprehensive idea then, right? Let’s hear it Yoda.
Last edited by TopSecretAdam; 02-03-2010 at 02:59 AM..
You are right; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure baby, so one man’s paradise must be your hell...
How about Austin's exploded growth is because it's a great city, not just because some college kids partied here once and wrote a blog about it. It excels in jobs, catering to families, not to mention the schools are amazing, regardless of your lack of pride tells you about your own home it has an extreme sense of community, which if you have never been anywhere else which I am guessing you have not based on your weak ass response, you would know how hard that is to find elsewhere. It has very solid financial footing which most of Texas does and the rest of the U.S. doesn’t, it is both liberal and conservative which appeals to a broader range of folks. It has mostly great weather, offers outdoor activities that most cities only wish they could have, there are other big cities nearby, it has a fabulous music scene, it has a nightlife everyone can find a niche in.
You say you can find that anywhere...then huh, hey f*** it then. I will just throw a dart at the map since everywhere else is like Austin right? Do you think people are stupid enough to pack a suitcase and just go to Austin because you see they have a good football team and you heard about on MTV some years back? You’re an idiot if you think people don’t research it. The research tells you Austin is where the dart needs to land because it offers many things many cities in the U.S. lack. And a lot of those are intangibles. Like PRIDE!
So then what's your opinion of the culture in Austin? You seem to want to pick apart what everyone else is saying and slice up the thread with your one sided rebuttals, of course were ALL wrong, yet you offer no opinion yourself. That’s really not very constructive. You must have your own comprehensive idea then, right? Let’s hear it Yoda.
oh my, so my initial assessment prior to moving to this state is seemingly quite accurate. pride + testosterone = texas. for someone so versed in wanderlust, you seem to have a very naive perception of the city you live in. the problem with irrational pride, is that when someone challenges your hypothesis, you absolutely lose your mind.
firstly, let's get some key elements of this debate out of the way. i believe segmenting my opinions in an organized fashion in my earlier thread was an organized and effective strategy. while a balanced discussion is always two-sided, a rebuttal is inherently one-sided, as it is 'my' opinion rebutting 'yours'.
to be quite honest, your arrogant and presumptuous attitude really just makes me want to slap you, not civilly altercate. i was hoping to avoid people like you on this forum, but it seems you can't run fast enough from ignorance.
so let us break it down like gentlemen.
psychotic rambling - "It excels in jobs, catering to families, not to mention the schools are amazing, regardless of your lack of pride tells you about your own home it has an extreme sense of community, which if you have never been anywhere else which I am guessing you have not based on your weak ass response, you would know how hard that is to find elsewhere."
rational response - austin's current job market is prospering, when set next to comparable cities. austin schools are great, and i never said otherwise. austin residents tend to have an understanding of community, if only found in small liberal pockets of the city (now if only city of austin officials contained the same discerning demeanor).
to elaborate on subjective and polite comments made in my previous post that you seemed to overlook, i believe that these cultural amenities will gradualy subside with an increase of excessive population. when a city the size of austin begins to outgrow itself, what made the city great is eventually replaced with exploitation. i've lived in several cities, and am more than qualified to form opinions. like many would agree, being proud of where you live is not nearly as pertinent as being proud of who you are, and what you are doing in life.
psychotic rambling - "It has very solid financial footing which most of Texas does and the rest of the U.S. doesn’t, it is both liberal and conservative which appeals to a broader range of folks. It has mostly great weather, offers outdoor activities that most cities only wish they could have, there are other big cities nearby, it has a fabulous music scene, it has a nightlife everyone can find a niche in."
rational response - i never stated anything about texas' economic state, as this was a discussion about austin, which i personally prefer to forget is actually in texas. austin's liberal majority is what kept austin what it 'was'. the presence of balanced political demographics only demonstrates that austin is leaning towards the wayside of conservatism, as unprogessiveness is a disease that loves to infest the most liberal bastions.
'southern weather' is great, this is not unique to austin. what are these outdoor activities that other cities are drooling over? as a modest multi-instrumentalist that listens to a considerable array of musical genres, i must admit that austin greatly lacks the musical diversity to state that it is 'fabulous'. unless of course you like tired, worn out and unfocused rock and roll. where exactly is the electronic, the hip hop, the post rock, the experimental, the hardcore? it's out there if you look hard enough, unfortunately it is generally over shadowed by a passive population who is more comfortable with just getting drunk and rockin' out, regardless of what is coming from the speakers. that, to me, is simply mindless and uninteresting.
psychotic rambling - "You say you can find that anywhere...then huh, hey f*** it then. I will just throw a dart at the map since everywhere else is like Austin right? Do you think people are stupid enough to pack a suitcase and just go to Austin because you see they have a good football team and you heard about on MTV some years back? You’re an idiot if you think people don’t research it. The research tells you Austin is where the dart needs to land because it offers many things many cities in the U.S. lack. And a lot of those are intangibles. Like PRIDE!"
rational response - specifically: "Do you think people are stupid enough to pack a suitcase and just go to Austin because you see they have a good football team and you heard about on MTV some years back?" that is such a wacky thing to say. i'm sincerely unsure how exactly to form a response. i would surely hope that no one has ever picked a city based on the performance of a football team. but...considering the absolutely insane football fans i've talked to and witnessed in austin, i would venture to assume that it's one hell of a possibility. i haven't watched mtv for years, but if the station is as contrived as it was, then it's possible a number of people took their silly little opinions into consideration. and i get it, you're proud, oooookay.
psychotic rambling - "So then what's your opinion of the culture in Austin? You seem to want to pick apart what everyone else is saying and slice up the thread with your one sided rebuttals, of course were ALL wrong, yet you offer no opinion yourself. That’s really not very constructive. You must have your own comprehensive idea then, right? Let’s hear it Yoda."
rational response - if you had even glanced at what i was really saying in my reply to the op, you would have noticed that my contention was that i didn't view austin as having an abundant cultural identity. the constructive nature of my original post was to state that i simply didn't believe the city be could be so easily and generally defined while currently in a state of flux.
Last edited by absolutely; 02-03-2010 at 06:14 AM..
Austin is intensely cool as opposed to what and where??? A wider variety of activities than most places?? Please remind me of one of these "activities" than cannot be done in any other similar sized city. Warm? Not this winter my dear. Coldest winter I can ever remember during my 7 year sentence in Austin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by meredithT
I don't know if the word "cool" is still commonly used (I'm over 40 & out of it I guess), but that's the first word that comes to my mind. Austin is intensely cool, in all the best meanings of that word. It has lots of neat, offbeat people and neat, offbeat shops and a wider variety of activities than most places. It's beautiful geographically and it's warm. I cannot wait to move back this summer, and I left in 1984. I can't believe it took me so long.
oh my, so my initial assessment prior to moving to this state is seemingly quite accurate. pride + testosterone = texas. for someone so versed in wanderlust, you seem to have a very naive perception of the city you live in. the problem with irrational pride, is that when someone challenges your hypothesis, you absolutely lose your mind.
firstly, let's get some key elements of this debate out of the way. i believe segmenting my opinions in an organized fashion in my earlier thread was an organized and effective strategy. while a balanced discussion is always two-sided, a rebuttal is inherently one-sided, as it is 'my' opinion rebutting 'yours'.
to be quite honest, your arrogant and presumptuous attitude really just makes me want to slap you, not civilly altercate. i was hoping to avoid people like you on this forum, but it seems you can't run fast enough from ignorance.
so let us break it down like gentlemen.
psychotic rambling - "It excels in jobs, catering to families, not to mention the schools are amazing, regardless of your lack of pride tells you about your own home it has an extreme sense of community, which if you have never been anywhere else which I am guessing you have not based on your weak ass response, you would know how hard that is to find elsewhere."
rational response - austin's current job market is prospering, when set next to comparable cities. austin schools are great, and i never said otherwise. austin residents tend to have an understanding of community, if only found in small liberal pockets of the city (now if only city of austin officials contained the same discerning demeanor).
to elaborate on subjective and polite comments made in my previous post that you seemed to overlook, i believe that these cultural amenities will gradualy subside with an increase of excessive population. when a city the size of austin begins to outgrow itself, what made the city great is eventually replaced with exploitation. i've lived in several cities, and am more than qualified to form opinions. like many would agree, being proud of where you live is not nearly as pertinent as being proud of who you are, and what you are doing in life.
psychotic rambling - "It has very solid financial footing which most of Texas does and the rest of the U.S. doesn’t, it is both liberal and conservative which appeals to a broader range of folks. It has mostly great weather, offers outdoor activities that most cities only wish they could have, there are other big cities nearby, it has a fabulous music scene, it has a nightlife everyone can find a niche in."
rational response - i never stated anything about texas' economic state, as this was a discussion about austin, which i personally prefer to forget is actually in texas. austin's liberal majority is what kept austin what it 'was'. the presence of balanced political demographics only demonstrates that austin is leaning towards the wayside of conservatism, as unprogessiveness is a disease that loves to infest the most liberal bastions.
'southern weather' is great, this is not unique to austin. what are these outdoor activities that other cities are drooling over? as a modest multi-instrumentalist that listens to a considerable array of musical genres, i must admit that austin greatly lacks the musical diversity to state that it is 'fabulous'. unless of course you like tired, worn out and unfocused rock and roll. where exactly is the electronic, the hip hop, the post rock, the experimental, the hardcore? it's out there if you look hard enough, unfortunately it is generally over shadowed by a passive population who is more comfortable with just getting drunk and rockin' out, regardless of what is coming from the speakers. that, to me, is simply mindless and uninteresting.
psychotic rambling - "You say you can find that anywhere...then huh, hey f*** it then. I will just throw a dart at the map since everywhere else is like Austin right? Do you think people are stupid enough to pack a suitcase and just go to Austin because you see they have a good football team and you heard about on MTV some years back? You’re an idiot if you think people don’t research it. The research tells you Austin is where the dart needs to land because it offers many things many cities in the U.S. lack. And a lot of those are intangibles. Like PRIDE!"
rational response - specifically: "Do you think people are stupid enough to pack a suitcase and just go to Austin because you see they have a good football team and you heard about on MTV some years back?" that is such a wacky thing to say. i'm sincerely unsure how exactly to form a response. i would surely hope that no one has ever picked a city based on the performance of a football team. but...considering the absolutely insane football fans i've talked to and witnessed in austin, i would venture to assume that it's one hell of a possibility. i haven't watched mtv for years, but if the station is as contrived as it was, then it's possible a number of people took their silly little opinions into consideration. and i get it, you're proud, oooookay.
psychotic rambling - "So then what's your opinion of the culture in Austin? You seem to want to pick apart what everyone else is saying and slice up the thread with your one sided rebuttals, of course were ALL wrong, yet you offer no opinion yourself. That’s really not very constructive. You must have your own comprehensive idea then, right? Let’s hear it Yoda."
rational response - if you had even glanced at what i was really saying in my reply to the op, you would have noticed that my contention was that i didn't view austin as having an abundant cultural identity. the constructive nature of my original post was to state that i simply didn't believe the city be could be so easily and generally defined while currently in a state of flux.
Rational Response - Go F*** yourself
First off, if you wanted to "Slap" me, you'd get your frilly little ass handed to you in a handbasket. Gentlemen slap huh? Well then f*** it I aint gonna be a gentleman about s***. I would just straight knock your prius driving, obama loving, gay pride having, woman ass out. How's that for testosterone filled pride? You might be wearing a dress to your next dinner but I guarntee I wear the f***in pants in this conversation. Tell me you want to slap me would invoke some serious pain if you ever said that to my face. at 6'2 and 234 lbs 14% BF, I bet I bench twice your weight, so I dont' think you would say that to my face! So take refuge knowing you can get away with it here.
How is that for psychotic rambling? was it good for you? It was good for me.
So to rewind... now that the gloves are off. You are right you never said much of those things, but you implied much of it in the statement about what does Austin have to offer, and you dont understand the population increase, so I pointed it out to your retarded ass, since you can make a million observations, but you failed to understand the simple reasons people would move here. Plus you implied poor little people arent smart enough to do research themselves. Well your wrong, and we do, and it all point to Austin.
Something is telling me you havent ever even made it out of downtown. I highly doubt you have ever lived anywhere else if you even made any of those remarks.
So since you hate it here, it's lost it's culture, and it aint what you thought it was, and it's getting to be too conservitive. Then go to where ever it is that you think is better. Save the pain its causing you to live in such a testosterone filled place, that has lost it's culture, and leave.
Im done being polite to you! "Oh my..." That was serioulsy a weak ass thing to start with... grow some balls man, or ma'am. Not really sure you are gendered.
Did that come off rude? Seriously... cause if it did. I am kinda sorry...
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I can see I haven't become Texocentric enough yet! 
