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I'm just listing larger conservative cities to give an idea of the range of these places. In either case with Dallas or OKC I'd have to drive to bar hop outside of downtown.
Of course I'm qualified. I'm using the same sources for Dallas as I have for other cities to measure their liberalism and urbanism. Don't blame me for Dallas' conservative urban policies which has resulted in an ugly, uncool (sub)urban setting. Here's an interesting cool spot I'd go to if someone paid me to be in Dallas, but you'll notice it's surrounded by conservative nonsense (inanimate material objects/cars trump human beings) which is seen in the majority of the physical setting surrounding it. Dallas can't compete with cities even a fraction of its size in the cool department simply because it doesn't offer as many compelling urban neighborhoods for "cool" to flourish to its potential. Where in Dallas there are some cool neighborhood spots they are sitting largely amid large empty lots, strip malls, and gas stations where more cool stuff could exist but doesn't. In other much smaller cities there are several neighborhoods where this isn't an issue and instead of a lot of nothing these ool destinations are with blocks and blocks more of great stuff.
I have no problem getting into specifics: [url=http://www.walkscore.com/TX/Dallas]Dallas offers only 5 neighborhoods ranking "very walkable" or higher on Walkscore with a total of just over 50,000 that lives in these neighborhoods, whereas one of the poster child's of cool cities, Portland offers 38 "very walkable" neighborhoods and a whole bunch more than 50,000 residents live in these neighborhoods combined.:way more than Dallas which is almost twice its size. These pro-urban, dense cities have maintained the foundation needed for them to become cool and built off of that. Dallas could have caught up by now, but he's just not as cool as the other kids.
Dude, when you're that hung up on measuring liberalism and urbanism, inanimate material objects and cars vs. people, walkscores, and sitting behind a computer digging up statistics about cities that you perhaps haven't been to just to help pass the time, it's time to chill out or take a walk. Oh wait. It's probably more comfortable to take a walk in Dallas today than it is in Minneapolis. See, Dallas IS good for something. Chill.
I agree with those who are saying that just because a city is labeled as walkable, or fashionable or hip or green or whatever doesn't make it liberal or cool or even progressive in my mind. To me how it treats its citizens is what determines coolness or liberalness. And those are just words to begin with. If "coolness" is achieved at the expense of a city's poorest inhabitations, to me, that is neither cool nor progressive.
As a city moves forward, it should move forward for all people living in it regarding something as mundane as taxes. Apparently though, according to the article in this week’s Portland Tribune, it has not and those very people who were pushed out to make Portland cool, are the ones who are having to pay the price. Hopefully, this will be taken care of in the future but it has been going on for a long time.
Any city can be guilty of this oversight. But my city seems to be in the forefront of an example of the what is cool and progressive argument so I thought I would reference it as a city that has not yet fully earned its reputation for being as cool and progressive a city as it is being touted. And it is further proof as many are saying here that before someone goes ahead and argues or defends a subject, they really should know all the facts about first hand rather than just quoting what they have read or seen elsewhere.
Yes they can. Why does a place have to be liberal in order for it to be "cool"???
I don't understand the people's obsession on here with big cities and being walkable, diverse, "sustabinable", and "vibrant" (whatever that means) etc while bashing conservatives.
Location: Baghdad by the Bay (San Francisco, California)
3,530 posts, read 5,132,725 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CountryFisher
Yes they can. Why does a place have to be liberal in order for it to be "cool"???
I don't understand the people's obsession on here with big cities and being walkable, diverse, "sustabinable", and "vibrant" (whatever that means) etc while bashing conservatives.
You could have simply posted "Location: Florida" and said the same thing.
I will say this though- going out with liberal, intellectual types in liberal cities can be insufferable, as they only want to discuss really abstract heady topics while sipping on some incredibly hoppy local ale or imported liquor that I've never heard of at a sketchy underground bar with an experimental ska/dubstep/bluegrass band. And if you can't keep up then you might as well go home.
Sometimes I'd rather just go to a normal bar, get drunk off of budweiser or coors, dance to top 40 hits and have a normal conversation with my friends, you know, one where we're not all subconsciously trying to one-up each other with knowledge bombs. And I feel like that's more of a typical night in a more conservative city.
Last edited by workaholics; 01-13-2013 at 03:24 AM..
By the way, for those who are interested- there are a lot of rules to ordering a beer with your liberal/hipster friends
Ideal: Order one that's locally brewed, preferably from a brewery that you've absolutely never heard of before. Extra points if it's super hoppy or infused with bizarre flavors like taro root or kale.
Next best option: Go to the other end of the spectrum. Order a Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR for cool kids) or Miller High Life tall boy. It's so blue collar that it's ironic, which makes it acceptable. Note: This will probably stop being cool very soon as the trend has caught on
Bad Option: Don't order marginally fancy imported beers like Heineken, Stella or Modelo. You think you're being worldly and sophisticated, but since these beers are already very well known, your purchase will come off as a desperate attempt to be hip. And for god's sake don't order Guinness unless you want to be informed by everyone that it tastes so much better in Ireland.
Worst option: The domestic mainstays (as I call them) are off limits. This includes Budweiser, Coors, Michelob, Sam Adams and maybe Yuengling in some circles. If you see them on commercials during Monday Night Football, then it's just gauche. Also it reminds them of their parents who recently cut them off.
^Pretty broad strokes for all liberals. You're basically just describing obnoxious hipsters (and you're dead on). A group looked down on by just about everyone.
You could make a similar case for some of the more obnoxious and stereotypical "country" conservatives. You know, the type that not only listen to country music 24/7, but have to tell you how much they love country music? You'll often see the "I'm a country boy/girl" following a facebook status with a photo of a backyard fire, lake at dusk, or someone with a Coors Light or Bud Light in their hand.
If you go out to drink somewhere with these people, you have to make sure you try extra hard to find someplace "simple." Any place with non-country music won't do. If there's a crowd, then it's no good. You need to have a place where you can sit down and talk with country music playing faintly in the background. It doesn't matter how many different beers are on tap so long as they have Bud/Miller/Coors Light. If you order something slightly higher end like Blue Moon or Sam Adams, you're showing off and nobody likes that.
If you order food, it better be SIMPLE. I'm not talking like organic simple where there are only a few ingredients, but simple like buffalo wings, potato skins and if you're feeling a bit ethnic, nachos or a quesadilla is OK. If you order something a little more complex like mussels, you're a fancy boy and nobody likes that.
Of course, you have to mention at least once every hour that there are too many people in the bar (even if there aren't) and that there's no place better than sitting around a fire in the back yard drinking cheap beer and listening to country music with friends. That's sure to get you a lot of positive responses. Also, it's a good idea to research the next time a big country musician is coming to town so you can ask everyone if they're going to the concert (they are). Jason Aldean is apparently pretty popular. Get to know some of his songs and lyrics (they shouldn't be too complex). For the love of god, don't mention that you like any celebrity that's either black or gay. That's negative 100 country points and game over.
Don't forget that at least one article of clothing must be camouflaged. It could be anything...your hat, shirt...heck it could even be the croakies on your sunglasses. But you need camo somewhere. If you have no camo, the only acceptable substitute is a Confederate Flag.
By the way, for those who are interested- there are a lot of rules to ordering a beer with your liberal/hipster friends
Ideal: Order one that's locally brewed, preferably from a brewery that you've absolutely never heard of before. Extra points if it's super hoppy or infused with bizarre flavors like taro root or kale.
Next best option: Go to the other end of the spectrum. Order a Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR for cool kids) or Miller High Life tall boy. It's so blue collar that it's ironic, which makes it acceptable. Note: This will probably stop being cool very soon as the trend has caught on
Bad Option: Don't order marginally fancy imported beers like Heineken, Stella or Modelo. You think you're being worldly and sophisticated, but since these beers are already very well known, your purchase will come off as a desperate attempt to be hip. And for god's sake don't order Guinness unless you want to be informed by everyone that it tastes so much better in Ireland.
Worst option: The domestic mainstays (as I call them) are off limits. This includes Budweiser, Coors, Michelob, Sam Adams and maybe Yuengling in some circles. If you see them on commercials during Monday Night Football, then it's just gauche. Also it reminds them of their parents who recently cut them off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lrfox
^Pretty broad strokes for all liberals. You're basically just describing obnoxious hipsters (and you're dead on). A group looked down on by just about everyone.
You could make a similar case for some of the more obnoxious and stereotypical "country" conservatives. You know, the type that not only listen to country music 24/7, but have to tell you how much they love country music? You'll often see the "I'm a country boy/girl" following a facebook status with a photo of a backyard fire, lake at dusk, or someone with a Coors Light or Bud Light in their hand.
If you go out to drink somewhere with these people, you have to make sure you try extra hard to find someplace "simple." Any place with non-country music won't do. If there's a crowd, then it's no good. You need to have a place where you can sit down and talk with country music playing faintly in the background. It doesn't matter how many different beers are on tap so long as they have Bud/Miller/Coors Light. If you order something slightly higher end like Blue Moon or Sam Adams, you're showing off and nobody likes that.
If you order food, it better be SIMPLE. I'm not talking like organic simple where there are only a few ingredients, but simple like buffalo wings, potato skins and if you're feeling a bit ethnic, nachos or a quesadilla is OK. If you order something a little more complex like mussels, you're a fancy boy and nobody likes that.
Of course, you have to mention at least once every hour that there are too many people in the bar (even if there aren't) and that there's no place better than sitting around a fire in the back yard drinking cheap beer and listening to country music with friends. That's sure to get you a lot of positive responses. Also, it's a good idea to research the next time a big country musician is coming to town so you can ask everyone if they're going to the concert (they are). Jason Aldean is apparently pretty popular. Get to know some of his songs and lyrics (they shouldn't be too complex). For the love of god, don't mention that you like any celebrity that's either black or gay. That's negative 100 country points and game over.
See? ANYONE can generalize.
Try to keep an open mind. There's always a best of a certain group and there's always a worst of a certain group.
Don't forget that at least one article of clothing must be camouflaged. It could be anything...your hat, shirt...heck it could even be the croakies on your sunglasses. But you need camo somewhere. If you have no camo, the only acceptable substitute is a Confederate Flag.
Haha true. I forgot appropriate attire.
Also, the drinking establishment should have something dead mounted to the wall.
Generalizing is fun.
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Chill.
Why does a place have to be liberal in order for it to be "cool"???
