East Nashville Isn't Just for Left-Wing Bohemian Nutjobs
(Thanks for the photo, stltoday.com.)
Despite preconceptions to the contrary, East Nashville—sometimes known as Hipster Central, Little Williamsburg, The Hood, East Nasty and various other epithets—is not inhabited solely by left-wing bohemian nutjobs. You can rest soundly at night knowing that the East Bank has its share of right-wing gun-toting nutjobs too, as the vibrant East Nashville Listserv proves. Before you flame me to smithereens on the Interweb for calling you nutjobs, my fellow Cumberland-hopping listserv regulars, know that I count myself among you and use the term "nutjob" with the greatest affection. (I was recently taken to task for suggesting that comparing Obama to cartoon monkey Curious George just might have racist overtones.) Highlights follow.
From a post about everyone's favorite cultural flashpoint, Sarah Palin, after her convention appearance, with 153 comments:
Knocks it out of the park. A star is born. In spite of all the liberal media being in the tank for Obama, he's toast. I've been wrong a lot more than once, but I think I'm bettin' on the winner this time! Put enough BBQ sauce on Olberman and maybe Michael Moore will eat him. —King JackShe makes me want to puke. The whole Republican Convention, with its war-mongering, hip-hip-hooray, go-gettum attitude makes me sick to my stomach. It reminded me of a Nazi rally. Look at the people in the audience - no diversity at all. Pretty sad.... —pez winter
...I also saw someone with a tough resolve, not content with vague promises of change and hope, willing to call bullshit where she saw it. People with an inherent "America is the problem" bias will be put off by the positive upbeat attitude of the RNC. Fortunately they are a shrinking minority, bitterly clinging to organic cucumbers and failed liberalism. —Bill
And my personal favorite, in response to Bill's comment, "Teddy Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns":
Oh Lord.. the Teddy Kennedy car thing.. Bill you sound like my dad.. my whole life... the Ted Kennedy thing.. and my dad's a democrat... so you know that was bad... —Robin
After the jump, highlights from the "What Makes People Vote Republican" thread, which links to this story:
...In a nutshell, the author, Jonathan Haidt, asserts that "conservatism is a partially heritable personality trait that predisposes some people to be cognitively inflexible, fond of hierarchy, and inordinately afraid of uncertainty, change, and death."... —NashvilleKateWhat makes people vote democrat:
1. Mental Retardation
2. laziness
3. you're a minority
4. you want something for nothing
5. you need someone to blame for you problems
6. you've convinced yourself the socialism really does work
7. you're afraid of personal responsibility or simply not willing to except any
8. you love being overcompensated at the expense of the company a.k.a. you work for a union
9. you despise people who work hard for their money, live their own lives, and don't rely on the government for help cradle to grave
10. you believe the more money we throw at public education the better off the kids will be............dead fucking wrong!
11. White Guilt
12. You're gay
13. You've had 5 kids from 3 different men and you need the welfare check
14. You despise America
15. Your parents were hippies
—Ranger9913Hmm....apparently the gloves are off. Sounds like you basically just proved Kate's point though Ranger....But, since you brought up "mental retardation", I'm wondering how many times YOU voted for the mental retard currently inhabiting in the White House?... —tradershort
It's hard to tell who's in the majority here, but according to reports, everyone puts down their swords and gets along just fine at the weekly listserv lunches. One thing's for sure: The East Nashville Listserv provides a free ringside seat for some pretty amusing verbal jousts (even when I'm the brunt of the joke). Put some popcorn in the microwave and pull up a seat...
Comments
You are sooooooo comment-baiting with this post. And, I suspect you'll be successful. ;)
Posted 09/18/2008 at 01:22:27 PMLaura, it's a journalistic form of penance. Some people wear hair shirts, I comment-bait.
Posted 09/18/2008 at 01:33:17 PM"Despite preconceptions to the contrary, East Nashville—sometimes known as Hipster Central, Little Williamsburg, The Hood, East Nasty and various other epithets—is not inhabited solely by left-wing bohemian nutjobs"
No - it's also inhabited by murderers who kill people sitting on their front porch merely to steal their credit cards.
Posted 09/18/2008 at 01:35:07 PMGilbert you beat me to that comment, I was right behind you!
Just got the hell out of that hood, BTW. My pit bull died and the neighbors were getting brave again.
Posted 09/18/2008 at 01:40:04 PMThose of us who love East Nashville count on the Gilberts of the world to continue to believe it's as dangerous as he thinks it is.
Posted 09/18/2008 at 04:34:12 PMJust like teenagers, East Nashville has been going to the dogs since the beginning.
Posted 09/18/2008 at 04:40:58 PMOooh, I'm scared to walk the mean streets of Green Hills. I hear someone was killed there!
Posted 09/18/2008 at 06:02:00 PM"Those of us who love East Nashville count on the Gilberts of the world to continue to believe it's as dangerous as he thinks it is."
I expect the crime statastics would show that there is a higher rate of crime over there than in other parts of Nashville.
But I have no desire to live there - or in any other part of Nashville either - regardless of the crime rate. I haven't lived in Davidson county for about 20 years and I'm not hankering to move back. I prefer more wide open spaces and cheaper property taxes.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 07:31:03 AMThe East Side is a great place and I will continue to frequent it. But I couldn't live there anymore. I've been there off and on since 03 and the crime really is getting worse again. You can't put 6 hundred thousand dollar homes within shouting distance of folks who have been poor for generations and expect everybody to get along. It is a dangerous place and you can ignore that point at your own risk.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 09:43:22 AMGilbert and Burrito:
First off, "East Nashville" is much bigger and more varied than you would suggest. For instance, the Vandy prof slayings occurred in an area that has a much higher crime rate than the area around 14th and Fatherland.
Are the crime rates significantly higher there than in other neighborhoods? Sure. But statistically speaking, your chances of being victimized are infinitesimal.
I've lived on New York City's Lower East Side and Providence's Smith Hill neighborhood. In NYC I was mugged, but only because I was out late doing something I shouldn't have been doing.
I'm willing to take my chances and live in the neighborhood of my choosing without fear. East Nashville is a terrific place. I have great white, black and hispanic neighbors on the blocks around me. Are there troublemakers? Yes. But they're the great minority, and I'm not going to run in fear with my tail between my legs.
But, for your pleasure, I will share one of my favorite jokes, even if it's at my expense:
What's the definition of a liberal? A conservative who hasn't been mugged yet.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 10:18:48 AMGood joke! I don't disagree that its a terrific place. 3 Crow on football day is church as far as I'm concerned. And though the chances of getting victimized are indeed slim, they seem to be increasing. Too many of my friends are getting guns put in their faces lately, and I chased planty of folks off my property. But I agree that some areas are worse than others.
Don't run in fear with your tail between your legs, walk proudly with a handgun strapped to your hip and don't be afraid to blast somebody if you have to. Our Vandy friend might still be around if he had been strapped.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 10:37:09 AM"I'm willing to take my chances and live in the neighborhood of my choosing without fear."
Fine and dandy.
Everybody has their own personal preferences.
As I already stated, I'd have no desire even if there was no crime. I prefer a more rural setting - and lower property taxes.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 11:25:28 AMno desire to live there is what I meant to say.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 11:27:55 AMGilbert, glad to see you still have desire. Life is empty without it.
Posted 09/19/2008 at 12:34:30 PM