Austin-- Gone But Not Forgotten... (transplants, vs, to move)

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by Ole Texan

... Austin no longer has any culture of community. People of our “ilk” changed very little of the basic good qualities of Austin. Cannot say the same about what followed.

Actually I would disagree. It may be argued that Austin no longer has a single culture of community, instead it has been replaced with more communities. There is still the students and govt folks of course, and the musical landscape certainly still exists (though not in the same form as before), but now the tech community plays a larger role in shaping the city, both UT and tech has brought along an ever increasing Indian community, etc.

I think the issue that many folks have is this notion of "basic good qualities" and the notion that definition is an absolute. Are many of the qualities that long time Austinites cherished changed over the years, without a doubt. Is the Austin of today "worse" than the Austin of yesterday, well, it depends on who you ask and there are a great many folks who love the Austin of today. It's the "holier than thou" stance that seems misplaced. No one has an issue with folks who don't like where Austin is today, it's the "my view of utopia is THE view of utopia" that tends to elicit strong objections from those who don't share that view.

[OrganicSmallHome]

Originally Posted by AlterEgo42

Whatever. So it should just be what it was for you and you only to hold onto? You don't think you and your ilk changed it for the people before you?
Who exactly do you think raised all the people that you now deride? (hint... it's you)
How many people do you think knew about Richard Linklater before Sean Daniel helped to produce his film?
How many people ran into Matthew McConaughey running around campus before that film?

Just because it's different, doesn't make it worse.

It's my hometown: born and raised there. And yeah, the Austin of today is a completely different city, with an attitude problem that never existed before, not to mention the crowding and traffic--neither of which existed before, and few people would argue that over-development of resources is a good thing. It's a small town that has turned into a big city, more or less. The folks who love the Austin of today have very little historical context of how the city has changed. If you haven't had the experience of the Austin of yesterday, it's difficult to understand that.

[OrganicSmallHome]

Originally Posted by AlterEgo42

The "don't build it and they won't come" people are usually the same as the "it's all THEIR fault" people. That's who's the obstacle. Talking about a culture of community? Puhleeeze, these are the very people that rip that fabric every day with their isolationism, NIMBY attitudes and lack of foresight.

This has nothing to do with "isolationism" or "NIMBY attitudes." And the "lack of foresight" on the part of subsequent Austinites is what has led to a city over-built and running on fumes. You need to read a little Wendell Berry about the importance of keeping things small, which is simply a requirement of sustainability.

[Trainwreck20]

I have been in Austin approaching 40 years now, and there are a lot of things that 'sucked' back then, they just tend to get forgotten. Also, it is forgotten that this isn't anyone's city - a city is made up of the people that live here and doesn't belong to any one of them.

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by OrganicSmallHome

This has nothing to do with "isolationism" or "NIMBY attitudes." And the "lack of foresight" on the part of subsequent Austinites is what has led to a city over-built and running on fumes. You need to read a little Wendell Berry about the importance of keeping things small, which is simply a requirement of sustainability.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I find your point without any merit at all.

[Longhorn Al]

Originally Posted by Ole Texan

Massive traffic with poor planning. Massive growth with poor planning.

Which was perpetrated by the powers in the 70s and 80s. Those are the times everyone is reminiscing about, so I guess it's their fault.

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by OrganicSmallHome

It's my hometown: born and raised there. And yeah, the Austin of today is a completely different city, with an attitude problem that never existed before ....

You do realize that your statement, assuming you represent the Austin of yesteryear, seems to point to the notion that it wasn't a case of Austin not having an attitude problem, but simply it didn't have a reason to exhibit said attitude problem (as some would say that folks like you are exhibiting now) out in the open or that you didn't notice since you were inline with said attitude.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by OrganicSmallHome

Austin is my hometown, also went to college at UT (many decades ago). It simply isn't the same town now. Let's see: Barton Springs always empty; no traffic to speak of; Eeyore's b-day party was a new thing; Esther's Follies was a new thing; County Line bbq used to require a trip into the country (it hasn't moved); Austin City Limits was a new thing; Friday nights at Antone's to see Paul Ray and the Cobras (lead guitarist: Stevie Ray Vaughn; cover charge: $1.00--bring your own weed); Springsteen ($3.00 tickets at Armadillo World Headquarters); Hyde Park house rental: $300/month; Whole Foods (only one that existed); best music scene in the country; incredibly good, but unpretentious restaurants; Springsteen having an argument with his girlfriend in the hallway of your apartment complex, Lyle Lovett saying "hey" when you walk into your friend's apartment and he spent the night there on the sofa (none of these folks were widely "famous" back then--just reflective of how small and intimate Austin was at the time, especially the music scene); etc.--I could go on and on. But best of all: no attitude, nobody thought they were "cool" for living in Austin. It was just organically what it was: the capital of Texas, yes--but really, just a small Texas university town, filled to the brim with character and creativity--most of which was home-grown. Now a sprawling mess of attitude, transience, and limitless growth.

This right here is very evocative of what has been lost - the essence of what originally made everyone want to move to Austin in the first place. Greed has killed the goose that laid the golden egg and turned it into Any City, USA, with a superiority complex.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Al

Which was perpetrated by the powers in the 70s and 80s. Those are the times everyone is reminiscing about, so I guess it's their fault.

Yep.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by OrganicSmallHome

It's my hometown: born and raised there. And yeah, the Austin of today is a completely different city, with an attitude problem that never existed before, not to mention the crowding and traffic--neither of which existed before, and few people would argue that over-development of resources is a good thing. It's a small town that has turned into a big city, more or less. The folks who love the Austin of today have very little historical context of how the city has changed. If you haven't had the experience of the Austin of yesterday, it's difficult to understand that.

The people who loved it when you loved it had no historical context of how the city changed to when you loved it.

There was an article written at the time the driskill was being planned lamenting that the buildings being torn down would mean old austin was gone forever.