Bloomington Illinois might as well be the Deep South (Chicago: apartment, crime)

[steve_holt]

I don't think this topic is particularly useful. The OP really should be going to another bar before arriving at his conclusions. i don't doubt that there is one country bar in town with a karaoke night, but I guarantee that few others are.

Having lived in B/N for sometime, and not being a hick (nor white), I can say Bloomington has its share of country people, but is far from the hillbillyville as being portrayed, and has grown into a very progressive and diverse community, certainly when compared to most of Central Illinois.

[Granny Sue]

I think it all boils down to the fact that the OP was in a C/W bar...got shot down and now is trying to insult the entire BN area by saying things about Southerners, Rednecks and all those that like C/W music. Like those are bad things.

I wonder if what he'd be saying if this happened in a hip/hop bar.....hmmmmm makes me think.

[cap1717]

Originally Posted by Kali's Grandma

I think it all boils down to the fact that the OP was in a C/W bar...got shot down and now is trying to insult the entire BN area by saying things about Southerners, Rednecks and all those that like C/W music. Like those are bad things.

I wonder if what he'd be saying if this happened in a hip/hop bar.....hmmmmm makes me think.

I suspect you are right, K.G.. . . . fact is Bloomington / Normal has a lot to recommend it, not the least of which is a fairly vibrant, downstate employment base. I would definatly consider moving back to that community, under certain conditions.

[NCN]

One definitely gets the idea you don't like the South. Best place in the world so maybe it is not bad to add just a little Southern culture in the town. Too bad they have to take the horrible weather, but friendly country type people can help out just a little to make the place acceptable. Good to know there are wonderful people in other parts of the United States. Never heard of the group you were talking about.

[cubssoxfan]

I hate to start on this generalizing trip again, but do you think karaoke bars attract lower class people? It is a shame because I like karaoke when done right. What I don't like is when people sing "Jackson" and "When He Cheats" literally every time I go to the bar. Mix it up! And when I sing U2, they're like "What the heck is that?". Totally resistant to anything different.

I find it amusing that on City Data people accuse people like me of not being open to diversity, just because I do not want to be surrounded wholly by lower-middle class conservative whites (rednecks).

I think country music reflects the attitude of rednecks: resistant to change, and celebrating mediocrity.

Well how about answering the questions about having tried a variety of bars before labeling Bloomington as being red-neck because of your experiences in 1, count it, 1 bar. If you came back and said, "Wow, ALL the bars in Bloomington play nothing but country and have intolerant patrons who frown on anything else." Maybe then we'd give you some empathy and find your post legitimate. This could happen in Chicago if you frequented only 1 bar and based opinions on ONLY 1 bar. If you hit a country bar in Chicago, you'd be saying Chicago is redneck?! Well, that seems to be your argument and logic here.

[j33]

I can't imagine what his impression of Chicago would have been had he shown up at honky tonk bingo night at the late Pontiac Cafe. Imagine, an entire city of redneck hipsters

[Paxtonian]

Originally Posted by kuvopolis

I hate to start on this generalizing trip again, but do you think karaoke bars attract lower class people?

I don't know- do they? I noticed YOU seemed to be attracted to karaoke bars.

[anr_black]

What irks me is when people post just to whine about a place where they weren't liked. It's not jr. high, friend. If you don't "fit in" there, then leave. No one asked what your thoughts on Bloomington were anyway.

As for the music, I'm a city girl who listens to country music because I indentify with the values sung about in those songs. I don't have to be from Tupelo to like farm music. They have tractors everywhere, including on the IL farm I grew up on.

Since you've repeatedly referrenced your love for U2, I have to ask, are you from Ireland? Against the IRA? No? Then stop singing their music in Karaoke bars. If you haven't lived there, you can't claim it. :-)

[TTTenor]

One reason country music is popular in Karaoke bars is that it is generally easier to sing than other types of music. The melodies are usually simple and the vocal range required is not great.

So the "train wreck" remark may have referred to the perceived difficulty of a non-country song, and the expectation that it would be harder to sing it well.

[Central Illinois 1]

Originally Posted by Probender

I spent more than half my life in the Bloomington area. I worked in Bloomington/Normal for years and know a lot of people who live there.
I also lived in the deep south for many years.
Anyone who says Bloomington is anything like the deep south hasn't been off the block enough. There is absolutely no comparson.
Liking country music does not make one a southern red neck. It might mean the person just has good tastes.
I live in Jacksonville now. It's a great place. But rednecks are abundant down here. I fit right in.
Go to the malls in Bloominton and count the number of pickups with bales of straw or dog boxes in the bed driven by guys wearing carharts and boots. You will only see an occasional truck like this.
Come down to Jacksonville. The parking lots abound with them.

I agree. Jacksonville is alot more rural than the B/N area. There also seems to be decidedly more of a southern dialect in Jacksonville, as there is in most other areas of Illinois south of about a Quincy-Champaign line. The southern dialect seems particularly pronounced in the smaller towns, rural areas, and among the blue-collar folks. Don't misinterpret what I am saying here. There is nothing wrong with the southern dialect or with living in the country or a smaller town or working a blue collar job. But it just might be surprising to alot of people that the southern dialect is as strong and prevalent as it is in the middle of Illinois which, by nearly all accounts, is considered a decidedly northern state.