Dirty Driving - HBO Documentary - Anderson Indiana (Indianapolis, Muncie: college, live)

[ozzie679]

I'm not a racing fan at all. But the other night I watched Dirty Driving...a documentary about the race track in Anderson, Indiana. The footage made Anderson look like a slum filled with crude rednecks. Most of the people had "summer teeth" and mullets. Quite the rough crowd...

Is it the norm for Anderson? Or did HBO edit to make Anderson look bad?

HBO: Dirty Driving: Thundercars of Indiana

[KGire22]

I just watched the show myself, and got the same impression, by the looks of the way HBO filmed it, the whole town is shutting down. I highly doubt it with it being so close to Indianapolis and a high dollar horse track there as well???

[domergurl]

Anderson is a dying town. I haven't watched the documentary and HBO is probably making it look worse than it truly is, but Anderson has been going down the tubes for a few years now.

[Toxic Toast]

One of my co-wrokers lives in Anderson. She commutes 35 miles from Anderson to Indy because the only work she can find in Anderson is an $8/hour call center job.

Anderson does have a rad giant bunny by the freeway though!

[grmasterb]

Anderson is dying, but leave it to HBO to find the redneckiest people they could find to represent the town. And, honestly, I don't think it was that good of a documentary. They did a poor job of connecting the city's problems to the individuals in the documentary and how that relates to their efforts on the race track. It was nothing more than satirizing blue-collar, working class people.

[BamaJack]

Yeh, that was a hack job by HBO. "Rednecks" are everywhere, but the media and entertainment will only push the stereotype of their existence in this country's midwest and south (and West Virginia).

But, yeh again, Anderson "is" a shell of its former self. My first job out of college was in banking in Anderson (circa 1984), and I was there for about three years. The city was at the time holding on to its downtown and its jobs, but even my 23 year-old self could see trouble ahead. Old money ruled, but that can't keep a city afloat.

It's sister city Muncie seems to be doing much better. (I say "seems" since I don't have any data to prove either way.) My folks still live there, and I trekked up for Thanksgiving weekend. Like many towns of its ilk, downtown in Muncie is dead, but north/northwest parts seem to be bustling with people and with commerce (not just shopping).

I'm thinking that the difference between the two cities' fortunes post-rust is Ball State -- both for the steady hand its contributes in any economy and the level of people and jobs it attracts and retains.

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by BamaJack

Yeh, that was a hack job by HBO. "Rednecks" are everywhere, but the media and entertainment will only push the stereotype of their existence in this country's midwest and south (and West Virginia).

But, yeh again, Anderson "is" a shell of its former self. My first job out of college was in banking in Anderson (circa 1984), and I was there for about three years. The city was at the time holding on to its downtown and its jobs, but even my 23 year-old self could see trouble ahead. Old money ruled, but that can't keep a city afloat.

It's sister city Muncie seems to be doing much better. (I say "seems" since I don't have any data to prove either way.) My folks still live there, and I trekked up for Thanksgiving weekend. Like many towns of its ilk, downtown in Muncie is dead, but north/northwest parts seem to be bustling with people and with commerce (not just shopping).

I'm thinking that the difference between the two cities' fortunes post-rust is Ball State -- both for the steady hand its contributes in any economy and the level of people and jobs it attracts and retains.

A good sized college can keep more of their retail and restaurants in business during hard times.

I had the feeling the documentary was harsh on Anderson. Are there any new retail/housing developments in Anderson.

[MzSnapCup]

I just moved from that area. They are pretty much right on the mark about Anderson. Since GM has pulled out most everything else has too.

[Toxic Toast]

For those interested; JMV of WNDE is going to be on Zaban's FSR morning show tommorow morning at 8:15 to discuss the documentary.

[M. Buckley]

I watched the HBO episode about Thunder cars,the speedway and the people that participate in same. There seems to be some very non-selective inbreeding happening in Anderson. I must ensure that I do not stop for any reason in Anderson. Can you imagine all those folks as greeters at Wal-Mart? I looked up the Speedway on the internet and did not find a number of the competitors in the documentary listed in the point standings. Perhaps HBO was making a redneck satire.