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This is my opinion as an outsider looking in so take it with a grain of salt.
The "Keep _____ weird" thing either started in Austin or that's the city I always think of first. From what I see, Austin seems to pride itself on being "different" than Texas. Not that it's not a proud part of Texas but that it's not the stereotype of Texas. A proud blue bubble in a sea of Red.
This is my opinion as an outsider looking in so take it with a grain of salt.
The "Keep _____ weird" thing either started in Austin or that's the city I always think of first. From what I see, Austin seems to pride itself on being "different" than Texas. Not that it's not a proud part of Texas but that it's not the stereotype of Texas. A proud blue bubble in a sea of Red.
I think the "Keep _____ Weird" thing started in Portland, OR? Or at least that's what I always thought. On that topic, Portland seems obsessed with the image of it being ~weird~ or ~indie~ or ~quirky~
This is my opinion as an outsider looking in so take it with a grain of salt.
The "Keep _____ weird" thing either started in Austin or that's the city I always think of first. From what I see, Austin seems to pride itself on being "different" than Texas. Not that it's not a proud part of Texas but that it's not the stereotype of Texas. A proud blue bubble in a sea of Red.
For such a transplant-heavy city, Austin is incredibly provincial and myopic in their views of other places. For a city so highly praised and hyped up, you would think it would be a little more humble. Not a chance! The residents, the local media, etc. are drunk off of the hype. To me, that's a sign of a very insecure city. Cities that are confident and secure within themselves don't feel the need to try so hard to distinguish themselves from other cities. (e.g. "This is what people in Austin do. People in Houston do that"). The Austin of the early 90's seemed to be way more "live and let live."
Having lived in Texas since 2012, I can tell you that the TX cities are becoming more similar. It's not unusual for a bar/restaurant owner in Dallas to also own an establishment in Austin. It's common to stumble upon a stereotypical "Austin" neighborhood or establishment in Houston or a stereotypical "Dallas" establishment or strip in Austin. The main difference tends to come down to ego -- Austin will remind you to death that you're in Austin and this is how it's supposed to be. That to me is the opposite of "live and let live."
I think the "Keep _____ Weird" thing started in Portland, OR? Or at least that's what I always thought. On that topic, Portland seems obsessed with the image of it being ~weird~ or ~indie~ or ~quirky~
It actually started in Austin and wasn't meant to be the city's official slogan. The main point of it was to encourage people to support local businesses. But like usual, it was corporatized and used as a way to self promote and draw in new residents and businesses. Authentically quirky became kitsch. Austin of 2018 epitomizes the word "kitsch" and tries to pass it off as genuinely weird. You're either weird or you're not. SXSW and "Live Music Capital of the World" were also corrupted to bring in new residents. I'll have to give Austin credit though -- it has quite the sophisticated Chamber of Commerce. Most of the people I run into there sound like COC types.
I think the "Keep _____ Weird" thing started in Portland, OR? Or at least that's what I always thought. On that topic, Portland seems obsessed with the image of it being ~weird~ or ~indie~ or ~quirky~
I think it started in Austin but Portland seems weirder for sure. I think the original intent was to support your local businesses.
This is my opinion as an outsider looking in so take it with a grain of salt.
The "Keep _____ weird" thing either started in Austin or that's the city I always think of first. From what I see, Austin seems to pride itself on being "different" than Texas. Not that it's not a proud part of Texas but that it's not the stereotype of Texas. A proud blue bubble in a sea of Red.
It's the blueberry in your tomato soup. Hilary stomped Donald 65-27. Also the only city where the white vote went to Hilary as well, in Texas.
For such a transplant-heavy city, Austin is incredibly provincial and myopic in their views of other places. For a city so highly praised and hyped up, you would think it would be a little more humble. Not a chance! The residents, the local media, etc. are drunk off of the hype. To me, that's a sign of a very insecure city. Cities that are confident and secure within themselves don't feel the need to try so hard to distinguish themselves from other cities. (e.g. "This is what people in Austin do. People in Houston do that"). The Austin of the early 90's seemed to be way more "live and let live."
Having lived in Texas since 2012, I can tell you that the TX cities are becoming more similar. It's not unusual for a bar/restaurant owner in Dallas to also own an establishment in Austin. It's common to stumble upon a stereotypical "Austin" neighborhood or establishment in Houston or a stereotypical "Dallas" establishment or strip in Austin. The main difference tends to come down to ego -- Austin will remind you to death that you're in Austin and this is how it's supposed to be. That to me is the opposite of "live and let live."
This is the exact attitude I got in Portland, as well.
I'm originally from Oregon and now living in LA, I get people all the time saying how beautiful Portland is. It's undoubtedly a pretty city, but the people were a total turn off to me.
Philly, maybe in the "hey, we're every bit as relevant as the other east coast cities." Dallas likes to pretend they're a haven for transplants fro mthe northeast and west, when in actuality, most of their residents are from the south, surrounding states or Texas.
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