What's with people in Austin?

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by TalkingMonkey

I totally disagree.

I have lived in Austin for 5 years, but prior to relocating because of my work, lived in Dallas for 20 years. Universally, everyone I ever encountered in Dallas would say that they "Love Austin".

The only negatives from those in Dallas voiced would be limited to the significant political differences between between the residents of Dallas and Austin, in reference to the state officials who office in Austin, or due to college rivalries.

What I have observed living here is that the people of Austin love their city, rightfully so. However, to a fault, want everyone else to also love it and wants everyone to be envious of those that live there. Their ego's are easily bruised if they don't get that love.

Comparing the areas, Austin wins for its natural beauty, for the abundant outdoor activities available, lower crime rate, abundance of live music. Whereas, the Dallas area, which is 4 times larger, wins for its stronger business climate, better road systems, better airport options, and it's more numerous entertainment options (restaurants, pro-sports, big venue music concerts).

I love Austin, but also love Dallas. Houston and San Antonio, on the other hand....(just kidding).

I agree most people I know like Austin, but you better expect a ****whirlwind if anyone says different. Like I said, that goes for every city though. For some people, the media (ie Texas Monthly) is The Bible, whereas people in most other cities have figured that stories get made even when there really isn't one. I doubt Texas Monthly has polled every single resident of Dallas and Houston and that is where the fault of such an argument lies.

[LOVES YORKIES]

We love it here! We live in Georgetown and we retired and moved here from up north. We love to go in to Austin to eat and shop as well as shop in Georgetown. We love the climate here and can't wait until it warms up. Just can't say enough about this great area.

[tongpa-nyi]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

If you can remember and let me know where that story was, I'll let them know that they're spreading misinformation.

If they care.

OK, I'll see if I can get to the bottom of this... First, I think that I'm partly responsible for misunderstanding what I've heard about the origins. If you look at Keep Austin Weird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia then you can see where one could casually read the background and focus on the aspect of local business support. The question of who started it doesn't seem at all important to me so I may have heard about that and ignored it.

The promotion of the concept, as Wiki indicates, was spurred by small businesses and especially popularized by Waterloo and BookPeople giving away the stickers as part of this campaign: "In April 2003, Borders bookstore withdrew plans to build a store near local bookstore BookPeople and local music shop Waterloo Records."

Your emotional attachment to the details about how the slogan came into being seems to indicate that you have a vested interest, perhaps because Red is a friend of yours...? Using it to promote the support of local business seems like a worthy use of a simple trio of words, so what causes you to feel so strongly about this?

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by tongpa-nyi

OK, I'll see if I can get to the bottom of this... First, I think that I'm partly responsible for misunderstanding what I've heard about the origins. If you look at Keep Austin Weird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia then you can see where one could casually read the background and focus on the aspect of local business support. The question of who started it doesn't seem at all important to me so I may have heard about that and ignored it.

The promotion of the concept, as Wiki indicates, was spurred by small businesses and especially popularized by Waterloo and BookPeople giving away the stickers as part of this campaign: "In April 2003, Borders bookstore withdrew plans to build a store near local bookstore BookPeople and local music shop Waterloo Records."

Your emotional attachment to the details about how the slogan came into being seems to indicate that you have a vested interest, perhaps because Red is a friend of yours...? Using it to promote the support of local business seems like a worthy use of a simple trio of words, so what causes you to feel so strongly about this?

First, anybody can put whatever they want in Wikipedia. I did know Red when he came up with the concept, but it was more along the lines of a friend of a friend (fellow librarians, one of which was a friend). HAven't seen him in over 15 years (and it was before that that he came up with the phrase and the bumper stickers, obviously). It was WAY before 2003 that he came up with it to protest the commercialization of Austin that was going on, and the commercialization of the phrase is a direct contradiction of that. THAT is what my emotional attachment is to (well, that and I don't like seeing things flat stolen and mangled for someone else's ends - and giving credit where credit is due, as well).

But for someone to say that it was NOT originally about keeping the unique and sometimes bizarre aspects of Austin but rather for promoting local business? THAT I'm going to speak up about, because it's a lie.

Did you go to the website I linked to?

[atxcio]

I think the worst abuse of the slogan is when Will Wynn and some others set up a PAC to protect the subsidies the city had promised to tenants of the Domains (many, if not all of which, were NOT local businesses). They used a variation of the slogan, "Keep Austin's Word", to promote the PAC. So not only did it have nothing to do with the original meaning, but was directly contradictory the "second" meaning (support local businesses).

Anyway, all the variations used here (and in other cities) just show how catchy that original slogan was. Too bad he didn't trademark it.

[TexasHorseLady]

Well, he explains that on his website. He did not WANT to copyright or trademark it because that, in and of itself, was in direct contradiction to the meaning of it. So the twerps trademarked it out from under him, in order to make a buck. (May the fleas of a thousand camels infest their armpits.) He wanted it to remain free to be used by anyone on anything at any time.

[tongpa-nyi]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

First, anybody can put whatever they want in Wikipedia...

But for someone to say that it was NOT originally about keeping the unique and sometimes bizarre aspects of Austin but rather for promoting local business? THAT I'm going to speak up about, because it's a lie.

Did you go to the website I linked to?

Yes, the website you linked to is also linked from Wikipedia. I guess it's just not an important issue to me. I concede your point regarding the trademarking of it by anyone other than Red himself. Seems like he'd be able to stop that or get some cash out of it or something...