So long letter
I noticed recently that I had fallen out of love with my home town, and I’m not sure we can patch things up.
It’s not the same town I started the relationship with some 28 years ago when I was born here. Back then it was a pretty little historic northern city that supported culture and creativity – it had been at the heart of the industrial revolution and the remnants stood to remind everyone of our ingenuity and work ethic.
Then it let itself go a little… put on a bit of weight, most places do as they grow, but this is not the healthy muscle of homes and communities, it’s the cellulite of massive supermarkets
This in turn has left the smaller, independent stores with little passing trade leaving the town centre a hollow shell. I think it’s a form of consumption.
Realising this, the place decided it would need constant work and face-lifts – it could appear like a young and vibrant place – but these were nothing more than cosmetic alterations, some of which went quite wrong, scarring its once delicate features.
But none of this is why we should break up, I’m not really in it for looks. The reason why it looks as if we are going to have to part ways is purely an ideological one.
Over the last few years I have found my home fighting against everything we once both stood for. It seems to be intentionally throttling its own community. First went the public swimming baths, then the culturally-based music venues and art galleries. At some point the local newspapers stopped admiring intelligent people and the university, branding them as ‘boffins’ with quite a malicious tone.
It doesn’t want musicians, artists or intellectuals, it wants consumers and immediate capital… and that’s just not me.
Recently we have had a chance to regenerate a section in the centre of town. Perhaps we could jump-start its grey, still heart. Maybe we could build a public space, like the ones we’ve lost.
Nope. It’s going to be a shopping complex.
On a lighter note, I’ve just made a little video for Fresh Creation, a website that was kind enough to show some of my previous animations. The Music is by Josh Woodward… he creates a lot of fine music under the creative commons licence.
justine on 
Ooooh! Awesome video.
About the town: that’s part of the reason I had to get out of Blacksburg… the same thing was happening. They were building Wal-Marts and tearing out historic parks… the empty school that had been used as a community centre, hosting dances and farmers markets, was being converted into a mall (of which there was already one a few miles up the road). I just had to go.
Thanks.
It’s just a sad state really, and I can’t work out whether it is due to incompetence or corruption – I suppose the truth is a bit of both.
My main problem is that if any of the people responsible had ever played something as rudimentary as Sim City they would know that a town built entirely on commerce is going to struggle.
We have a couple of private galleries, mostly attached to other venues such as pubs, but we currently have no public provisions.
But it really breaks my heart, thinking about leaving. I’m as much a part of this town as it is me… that, and whilst the town is crumbling, it is still full of most of the people I care about, my friends and family… fortunately they can see it too.
Wal-Mart, the name just gives me the creeps… I get the ‘mart’ bit, but ‘wal’?
by the magic of wikipedia – Wal comes from the name of the creator, Sam Walton.
Now we get to the important facts of US history.
Shoot I coulda told ya that. Also “Sam’s Club” and the soda’s are “Sam’s Choice.” Neat!
unnecessary apostrophe!
Ahh, I see now.
They’re a relatively new addition over here, where they still try to hide behind the brand name ‘ASDA’.
I’m going to keep an eye out for Sam.
YOU CAN’T ESCAPE THE PLAGUE OF COMMERCE! IT WILL RAVAGE TOWN AFTER TOWN UNTIL NO PLACE IN THIS WORLD WILL BE SAFE FROM IT!
On an unrelated note: You know what’s a fun side effect of economic collapse? Less money means less disposable income which means less money wasted on unnecessary crap which means less tourism which is the main industry of Central Florida so while the economy is in a slump I get to watch my entire region collapse.
Just your whole description of your town’s descent reminded me of Orlando and how there’s not really any actual culture here, just a bunch of overblown tourist traps and shopping centers.
I imagine that Florida is not much fun without its tourism, sort of like a air without the oxygen.
The main problem I have is that there is culture here, but it is very much being threatened… and there seems to be little way of stopping that.
Maybe they should twin my city with Orlando – they’d be great together.
I saw you elsewhere on the net and I said to myself, I said “OH, LOOK! THERE GOES A BIVINS!”
And I was proud.
*Makes note to avoid Orlando*.
Cool video.
So you have been in your home town for 28 years?
I watched Sex in the City (movie) last night.
This comic made me think of that. All I took from the movie was that there were alot of ppl whose entire lives revolved around buying expensive shoes and dresses and nothing else.
This is the civillian end of the problem that your town is having.
Culture doesn’t matter if you have something flashy to replace it with.
I’ve been here for about 26 years… I’ve spent a couple of years away, but I always seem to end up back here. It’s an easy place to live I suppose – my friends are here, the rent is cheap and I know my way around.
“Culture doesn’t matter if you have something flashy to replace it with.”
You should get that made into a high-carrat, diamond encrusted neck-logo with matching rings.
Sex in the city? really?
I couldn’t imagine spending that amount of time in one place.
Gold and diamonds don’t really suit me.
Platinum does tho.
Yeah, I know, it was embarrassing.
I get to travel frequently, spending the odd night here and there…
I have moved around the town quite a bit though. Everywhere from the suburbs to the main high street. All the fun of moving without any of the fun of moving.
Orlando is crushing. Going from Evanston, Illinois to Orlando…. God…. I used to sit with my windows open listening to people playing guitar on the grass… you could walk places…
If you tried to walk somewhere in Orlando…. well, we forced it a little, it was just a quick (jay-)walk across a major (50mph) 4 lane road to get to a cookie cutter chinese food trap.
Here in Tennessee… well, I still can’t really walk anywhere (except into the woods) but at least they have free concerts in the park on Sundays.
Ms Em said that was one of the most disturbing things about that area… that you couldn’t really walk places, that driving was almost mandatory.
As a millitant pedestrian that scares me. At least in the UK, those of us that prefer shank’s pony have right of way… the idea that you can get arrested for crossing a road, when there is no other reasonable way of getting somewhere sounds a little too like captivity.
And live music on the grass can’t be beaten. As I moaned about my town on Sunday, a good friend of mine was performing in our park – http://www.williamsonpark.com/Pages/Features.html – it has a massive folly.
Just goes to show you, we are trying to keep things going here. The musicians especially. But then I’ve heard that they are a little like cockroaches and that they’ll be here long after the nuclear winter too.
This thread reminds me of an old Ray Bradbury story, “The Pedestrian.”
http://englischlehrer.de/texts/pedestrian.php
I like the subtle wordplay in the title.
Oh yeah, almost too subtle for me… had to think about it… that’s not like me… puns and wordplay should be easy… oh dear god I’m broken…
Taken from that article I’m going to start appending the following text to things I write:
Assignments:
1. Describe the atmosphere in the city which Leonard is walking through.
2. Why do you think is Leonard different from most of the other citizens?
3. Why was ‘crime ebbing’?
4. What is life like in the city desribed and what circumstances might have led to such a situation?
when the love is gone,
you have to go find it.
that’s true for everything.
I don’t live there, but I know Bristol is a happening place. Lots of free music nights and stuff.
I only ever hear good things about Bristol.
I went to Bristol once… Bristol, Tennessee.