What Happened to Knoxville Yankee?

[SmokyMtnGal]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

No I meant, has he been blocked from this forum...it just seemed some comments were a little...you know, he might be hurt if he read them.

I remembered reading his website and enjoying it. I think he's probably a "strict" New Yorker (if I recall correctly) and letting go of NYC ways can be tough. I always pictured him with a city accent, like the guys from Goodfellas or something...

But I did enjoy his site. I remembered wishing I could've gone to the get together they had last year.

Oh, my bad. No, he is not blocked from this site so far as I can tell. I doubt that he would be hurt by comments here as he dished out far stronger on his website.

[gemkeeper]

I am so interested now in the Knoxville Yankee that I WISH he would come back!

I hate to miss out on all of the fun. But, don't you think that we all find things to whine about sometimes? It is easy to blame our new surroundings and the people we have to deal with who don't understand us. Ahhhhh.

For me, a little whine here and there is fine, especially when you see all the posters who try to show the whiner a different perspective and get things straightened out. But, then it's time to quit and move onto something productive.

It's difficult for anyone to move out of their comfort zone even if that zone is no longer very comfy. We, at least, are familiar with it. Coming to the south from anyplace takes an adjustment period, and for some this may be a couple of years. For others, within 2 weeks, they are fittin' in with the natives - like Pam and Bill!

Our first move to the south was SC and I was miserable. It took me almost a year that it wasn't anything about the area, the people, the food, or the schools that I didn't like. I simply missed my family and the things I was accustomed to. Once you can make the adjustment, life is what you make of it.

GBH, just keep your flip-flops on and stick around. What would we do with you at the beach!!

[leavingFlorida]

IMHO, I don't understand why anyone wants to live in a place that they feel they have to pick on. I'm serious. And I guess in my own way I have done that here in FL because we have never fit in here. I have not done this for awhile, though. But I used to say things about it being so hot here and flat land. Finally it dawned on me, FL didn't ask for me (or my opinion!) so I shut up and began to appreciate what I could about what is here. But being a southerner I have heard my fill of people here saying this or that was so much better "up north". (And my parents were northerners but siblings and I were all born and raised in GA.)

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by leavingFlorida

IMHO, I don't understand why anyone wants to live in a place that they feel they have to pick on. I'm serious. And I guess in my own way I have done that here in FL because we have never fit in here. I have not done this for awhile, though. But I used to say things about it being so hot here and flat land. Finally it dawned on me, FL didn't ask for me (or my opinion!) so I shut up and began to appreciate what I could about what is here. But being a southerner I have heard my fill of people here saying this or that was so much better "up north". (And my parents were northerners but siblings and I were all born and raised in GA.)

Well, some people whine about everything. If it wasn't where they were living, they'd be whining about their co-workers, their wife's cooking, getting a ticket for going 7 MPH over the speed limit, etc., and comparing each to former co-workers at a different job, their first wife's cooking skills and the cops in the town they grew up in 50 years ago, respectively. We may only be hearing/reading about their current town but who knows, at home they could be whining about everything under the sun. These are chronic whiners.

Then there are the whiners who can't admit they did lousy research before they moved and picked a place to live that was totally wrong for them so they blame the town. These are the "it's never my fault" people who think the universe revolves around them. Instead of adapting to their new town they think the whole town should adapt to them. When it doesn't, the town people are "stupid" or "small minded" or "hate (fill in the blank)" because it's easier than admitting they're not as smart as their momma told them they were.

[knoxvilleyankee]

This was an interesting thread to come across.

First off, no, the comments about me being a whiner don't hurt my feelings. Anyone who read my blog knows I'm far too self-righteous to care.

They do however annoy me.

My feelings were my feelings. Despite the dissent of the vocal minority on this thread, many people identified strongly with what my family and I were going through, and took bittersweet comfort in it. For every after-the-fact complaint I'm reading here regarding my tone, wit, or lack thereof, I have 10 emails confirming much the opposite. For any of you who read my 'About Me' page, you would have realized that we are profoundly different. My viewpoints reflect who I am, not who you are. All the...whining... on this thead is in my not-so-humble-opinion very reflective of that disconnect.

Ironically however, half the reason I took the site down was because I was whining too much for even my own taste, and it wasn't trending in a good direction. So I agree with many of you huffy mudslingers.

The other reason I took the site down was because it became a career liability. You know the cliche about the south where they smile to your face and stab you in the back? It's a cliche for a reason - it's true. I got a couple of groundless but painful daggers in my back in quick succession and it was putting my family at tangible risk. I've found that southern hospitality and strong Christian values are not without a sizable measure of hypocrisy.

Once that became apparent to me, nothing good was going to come out of KnoxvilleYankee. I'm not going to spend any more energy on self-deception, coping, or rationalization. Instead I'm going to focus on doing what's best for my family, which means saving money, and getting us out of here before my son is old enough to be tainted by this place or our bitterness over our poor decision to move here.