Anyone considering a move to Memphis should read. (Knoxville, Cleveland: renting, unemployed)

[strumpeace]

Deck --

I agree with every point in your post. I was fortunate to get a higher-paying job elsewhere a couple of months ago, allowing me to move away from Memphis.

[London79]

Originally Posted by Bowyer

Deck--tell us how you really feel I definitely agree with you on a lot of those points, but all large cities have similar problems.

Okay, that argument is getting old. That's not a good excuse. You can't justify this by saying other cities are the same way.

To Deck, this city is only concerned with upholding an image. They only care about tourist dollars. The people that run the city could not care less about all the other blighted areas.

[anchorage2004]

You are really angry. Have you friends in Memphis? Do you like your job?
There are areas in KC, Mo, St. Louis, MO & St. Petersburg FL. that make Memphis look like church..I wish you luck & success in finding a safe place to relocate to.

[Deck]

If you live here and aren't angry, you're not paying attention.

And I've lived in KC, been to St. Louis numerous times. There are no places that make Memphis look like a "church", unless you're talking about the number of churches here.

For me, it's not just the safety issue, really at all. That is just one facet. It's much more than that.

[strumpeace]

Originally Posted by anchorage2004

You are really angry. Have you friends in Memphis? Do you like your job?
There are areas in KC, Mo, St. Louis, MO & St. Petersburg FL. that make Memphis look like church..I wish you luck & success in finding a safe place to relocate to.

Aah, it's the old if you're not happy in Memphis, then there must be something wrong with you routine.

Whether Deck has friends in Memphis is irrelevant. One can look at crime, education, and economic statistics alone and see clearly that there is something terribly wrong in Memphis. Instead of working to fix the problems, Memphians are content with the problems and accuse those who are willing to speak up of being angry or of having any number of personal issues, such as lack of friends in town.

Memphians who won't admit that there's something terribly wrong are one of the biggest stumbling blocks to making things better.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by anchorage2004

You are really angry. Have you friends in Memphis? Do you like your job?
There are areas in KC, Mo, St. Louis, MO & St. Petersburg FL. that make Memphis look like church..I wish you luck & success in finding a safe place to relocate to.

One would have to either not care about Memphis or not understand the situation in order to not be angry about what has happened/is happening to Memphis.

[Pearlbob]

Tigergal - I'm very disappointed. You used to have a very opptimstic outlook and say some pretty good things about the city. Now it seems like you've taken a 180. What gives?

There is a difference between having some negative views on a city, and being outwardly angry about it. Life is too short to spew such hatred all the time (not talking about you, just in general).

Originally Posted by tigergal

One would have to either not care about Memphis or not understand the situation in order to not be angry about what has happened/is happening to Memphis.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

Tigergal - I'm very disappointed. You used to have a very opptimstic outlook and say some pretty good things about the city. Now it seems like you've taken a 180. What gives?

There is a difference between having some negative views on a city, and being outwardly angry about it. Life is too short to spew such hatred all the time (not talking about you, just in general).

I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I haven't been optimistic about this city for about 20 years. Granted, I grew up loving this city - that's why the downturn has hit me hard. We've been actively looking to leave the area for a while - but of course, one must sell the house here to do so.

Being angry, however, is not being the same as being pessimistic. If one sees things for what they are, that is not pessimism. That's reality. For instance, if my child did something really stupid and detrimental to her welfare, I'd be angry as all get out. I think viewing anger and hatred as synonymous is errant. I am angry at what has happened to my home of the past 40 years. I am angry that for my child to be raised in what I consider to be a safe environment - one in which 12 year old children don't brazenly steal handguns from a gun shop in broad daylight - that I have to leave my home and my family behind. I'm angry that I live in a nice neighborhood, but have to worry when my husband works all night because of home invasions in our neighborhood and because of the drug house down the street that's had arrests twice in the past month.

I know there are people who love the things that Memphis has to offer in terms of nightlife etc. But for a teetotaller who has no desire to hang out in bars and spend too much on dinners, there's not really a lot here. Sure, we can hang out in the zoo where they're destroying the old-growth forest to build an exhibit or visit the libraries which have been handed over to unqualified cronies of the mayor or perhaps visit Shelby Farms before they completely destroy it. But I'd give up "all that" for a place where I could let my dogs out at 4 a.m. and not worry about who's out in my yard when I do it. (And that's not paranoia, we've had evidence of people in our backyard at night and relieving us of things they thought we no longer required.) Not to mention I'd like a place where the schools were of a quality that I didn't pay a tuition higher than my mortgage payment.

You've mentioned it before - that if you had kids to worry about, it wouldn't be an optimal place to live. Well, the thing is - I do have a wonderful little person living in my house who deserves to live a life where she's not afraid. See, we have been crime victims - on more than one occasion and not just property - so I just can't see all as moonlight and roses as one would like me to.

As for your disappointment - I really don't get that. I wasn't aware this was supposed to be the Memphis cheerleading board. As someone who is looking to relocate, trust me, I'd want to know the bad more than the good. I can find the good on the Chamber of Commerce site for any town in the country, but they tend to be a bit shy about the truth when it comes to the reality of living in a city.

[Pearlbob]

Never said that; it was an observation that within the last couple days, your posts have been pretty negative. I have not noticed it to that extent before.

This isn't a Memphis cheerleading board, but it shouldn't be a Memphis bashing board either. It's annoying, and this forum is almost useless now.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

Never said that; it was an observation that within the last couple days, your posts have been pretty negative. I have not noticed it to that extent before.

This isn't a Memphis cheerleading board, but it shouldn't be a Memphis bashing board either. It's annoying, and this forum is almost useless now.

How is it bashing to be honest? If it's not bashing for you to say it is not a good place to raise a kid or to talk about the abysmal city schools, why is it bashing for anyone else to discuss the problems Memphis has?