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It is getting ready to storm here, so I must post quickly and sign off til the lightning quits . . . but I would just like to say . . . that I think there is a disconnect with the word, "culture," as I often hear it bandied around.
I think that people may use the word "culture" when they are really meaning "entertainment." We Southerners do have a distinct "culture" . . . but as Barndog said . . . Southern culture is less and less visible w/in the city limits of Charlotte. In fact, it is becoming less visible in the surrounding areas.
Another word that should be added here would be "traditions." Some things are Southern traditions . . . and are may be particular to a specific region . . . or only found in the South (within the geographical area of several states).
Some of our "culture and traditions" can be traced to our ancestry, wh/ was predominately Irish and Scot . . . for example - blue grass music . . .wh/ evolved from celtic/gaelic roots . . . In some areas, wh/ were predominately settled by Germans, influences in food, commerce and even agricultural practice can still be seen today . . .
Well, the storm is going to spare you all from one of my epistles, Hee Hee. So hope I explained what I am thinking re: culture vs. entertainment and culture and tradition.
barndog, thanks for chiming in and asking these thought provoking questions. I'll try to address your questions one at a time as highlighted below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by barndog
carolinaguy - as a native north carolinian, i want to ask you a question. do you think charlotte, as it stands today, really represents a strong southern culture? if you really think that, what parts of charlotte do you think show charlotte as a strong southern city?
Yes, we are certainly evolving with the masses of transplants, but I still think we maintain our local culture. Within Charlotte, I think of Myers Park, Queens, Dilworth, Providence Road, Southpark, Sharon Road and all areas encompassed among these roads. These areas reflect an "old Charlotte", and more specifically the term that I'm sure you've heard before, "old money." Now I'm not dismissing the fact that some or many of these homes have been bought by transplants of late, but the trees, landscaping, and homes all remind me of the Charlotte I have always known. In my opinion, this "old Charlotte" is the gem of Charlotte.
I also had the privilege to work at Quail Hollow Club (Wachovia Championship) for over a year and got to experience up close and personal the old Charlotte, old money, and old people () and really gained an appreciation for "Charlotte." I got an inside look of the elite people that have done so much to put this city together (Johnny Harris, Cameron Harris, John Belk, Felix Sebates, Robert Pittenger, Skipper Beck, etc. etc. So I've had the opportunity to see Charlotte at its roots and I don't think many have had that opportunity. So yes, this part of "old Charlotte" is certainly here and it's here to stay.
the reason why i ask those questions is b/c i don't think charlotte has a strong southern "feel" anymore and i definitely can't find a strong southern culture here.
the best example i can give you of that is this: i lost my southern accent here. (and i had a thick one.) now when people speak to me, they ask if i'm from the mid-west.
i didn't lose my accent on purpose, and i would actually have preferred not to have lost ALL of it, but...when you're surrounded by people who are from other parts of the country, you start to sound like them, i guess.
Shame on you! Really though, I'm still as southern as ever and I don't think my accent will ever go away. You should hear my wife too, Georgia peach. She's even more red than myself.
other examples would be: i look for certain styles of architecture and food and i want to refer to certain times in history, and i can't do that in charlotte. for the most part, i can't find the architecture and the food, and the people who are in charlotte now didn't have family who lived in the south during those periods of time in history.
Can't you do that in all of our revitalized neighborhoods? NoDa, Southend, Dilworth, Plaza Midwood, Wesley Heights (in process)? Don't these neighborhoods offer the 1920 style bungalow and art deco flavor of 20th century Charlotte? Bringing these homes back from the black holes they've experienced over the decades gives us an opportunity to appreciate the architectural history. Now food may be a challenge, but I still get my occasional fish fry or pig roast.
i'm not saying that you're wrong about charlotte not having a southern culture, i'm just saying in all the years i lived here full-time (11) and part-time (1 and 1/2), i haven't been able to find it. i've had to go to other parts of nc to find the south. charlotte is like a version of southern-lite.
I can certainly understand where you're coming from here, and even the couple of examples I gave may seem superficial, but they are what Charlotte culture means to me. Having said that, I don't think you have to drive too far outside the city to experience southern culture. There are multitudes of smalltowns around the area that have their festivals with food and music to give one the opportunity to engage in our culture. It may not necessarily be a resemblance of Charlotte, but certainly for our region. The events in this thread //www.city-data.com/forum/charl...ctivities.html gives a snippet of what one can find regarding local happenings.
One other thing to think about is that, we live in this local culture and may sometimes be blind to our own, just because we're used to it. I think it still surrounds us everyday, but maybe sometimes we become numb to our own heritage. Culture does not have to be black, yellow, red, European, or African. It can be a small town, white, laid back, redneck, and not have anything going on except what's being discussed at the barber shop or shoe store, the strawberry festival, Mcadenville Christmas, seed spittin' contest, car rally, VFW barbeque, or a number of typical things you might find in our small bedroom communities, but the fact remains, these characteristics are indeed cultural, and they are unique to our region.
that's just my 2 cents. (and for the record, that's actually why i like charlotte. i can leave the south without leaving the south.)
Anyway, these are just my takes on this whole matter. Newcomers can either embrace the local culture, bring their own culture with them, do both or neither. But what I don't want to hear are the ignorant comments about Charlotte and its surrounding towns not having any culture at all.
Last edited by carolina_guy; 07-22-2008 at 06:29 PM..
It is getting ready to storm here, so I must post quickly and sign off til the lightning quits . . . but I would just like to say . . . that I think there is a disconnect with the word, "culture," as I often hear it bandied around.
I think that people may use the word "culture" when they are really meaning "entertainment." We Southerners do have a distinct "culture" . . . but as Barndog said . . . Southern culture is less and less visible w/in the city limits of Charlotte. In fact, it is becoming less visible in the surrounding areas.
Another word that should be added here would be "traditions." Some things are Southern traditions . . . and are may be particular to a specific region . . . or only found in the South (within the geographical area of several states).
Some of our "culture and traditions" can be traced to our ancestry, wh/ was predominately Irish and Scot . . . for example - blue grass music . . .wh/ evolved from celtic/gaelic roots . . . In some areas, wh/ were predominately settled by Germans, influences in food, commerce and even agricultural practice can still be seen today . . .
Well, the storm is going to spare you all from one of my epistles, Hee Hee. So hope I explained what I am thinking re: culture vs. entertainment and culture and tradition.
Great, ani, and the traditions thing is also something I thought about in addition to our blue-grass and dixieland musical traditions. We are still the Bible belt here, even though one is less likely to be bombarded with church questions than from a decade ago. But the truth is, our values stem from our deep religious roots and this is part of our culture that should be tolerated, if not embraced.
Btw, we just got a WICKED storm--thought there was a tornader out there!
I think Charlotte lacks a true identity. While it is a good place to live, it really doesn't have what you could call a true Charlotte culture. Granted, there are great places with a definitive local culture in North Carolina like Asheville, Wilmington, and even Winston-Salem to a lesser extent that has a local culture that make them unique. Charlotte is essentially a city made up of people from other places. If you were to ask a person in Charlotte what are three things you would use to define Charlotte, what would you say?
I think Charlotte lacks a true identity. While it is a good place to live, it really doesn't have what you could call a true Charlotte culture. Granted, there are great places with a definitive local culture in North Carolina like Asheville, Wilmington, and even Winston-Salem to a lesser extent that has a local culture that make them unique. Charlotte is essentially a city made up of people from other places. If you were to ask a person in Charlotte what are three things you would use to define Charlotte, what would you say?
Family oriented, faith based, and friendly
We have been known over time as the city of churches and city of trees (though we lost so many during Hugo I don't know if that title would still hold true), also the home of NASCAR racing, with Scots-Irish ancestors. We DO have an identity and culture - none of us here are having any problem with an identity crisis
I don't think NASCAR has a big impact on Charlotte culture in general. In the Triad people still really talk about Junior Johnson and the other good ole' boys. While I have heard other people complain, the religion issue really has never affected me. Billy is pretty popular though. My point was if you say Asheville, that brings the mountains and an eccentric, trendy, pedestrian friendly downtown. While I am not dissing Charlotte, a loss of character is one of the things it has had to deal with in the name of prosperity. Charlotte is mostly chains and big box stores. I much, much prefer Charlotte over Winston-Salem, but Winston still has a distinctive personality and local culture whereas Charlotte does not.
We have been known over time as the city of churches and city of trees (though we lost so many during Hugo I don't know if that title would still hold true), also the home of NASCAR racing, with Scots-Irish ancestors. We DO have an identity and culture - none of us here are having any problem with an identity crisis
Ditto to that. So many people indeed move here because of we are family oriented and friendly, thus, they move here for our culture.
About the trees--you can still drive down any road in the Queens area and still be awestruck by the beauty. Those trees have been through Hugo, ice storms, etc and still thrive, even though many have been lost.
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Something about relaxing with a drink relaxes my speech.
Really though, I'm still as southern as ever and I don't think my accent will ever go away. You should hear my wife too, Georgia peach. She's even more red than myself. 
