Comment about H'burg from DePaul fan... - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jan 29, 2005

Comment about H'burg from DePaul fan...

Date: Jan 30, 2005

I don't think anyone would argue with the proposition that Hattiesburg is a dumpy, depressed, poverty-ridden town. So few Mississippians travel out-of-state that they don't really know what a proserous place looks like. Most college towns are nice places to live. H'bug isn't one of them

Date: Jan 30, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: jklp;
"So few Mississippians travel out-of-state that they don't really know what a proserous place looks like. Most college towns are nice places to live. H'bug isn't one of them"

I've not only traveled extensively, but I've lived in many states in various parts of the country. H'burg is a great town in which to live. But the university on Hardy Street is a terrible place to work.

Date: Jan 30, 2005

Allegedly coming from a DePaul fan, this is hilarious. Although I admit things may have changed in the past few years, Chicago is historically the one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States. Segregated enough that the Serbs & Croats aren't put in the same softball leagues. Segregated enough that Italians stay out of Polish neighborhoods. Aside from Hyde Park, almost all Chicago neighborhoods are single race/ethnicity zones. And it is VERY dangerous to be in a neighborhood where one does not belong.

Of course, any DePaul fan with enough money to travel to H'burg to a game probably doesn't live in Chicago...

Date: Jan 30, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"Allegedly coming from a DePaul fan, this is hilarious. Although I admit things may have changed in the past few years, Chicago is historically the one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States. Segregated enough that the Serbs & Croats aren't put in the same softball leagues. Segregated enough that Italians stay out of Polish neighborhoods. Aside from Hyde Park, almost all Chicago neighborhoods are single race/ethnicity zones. And it is VERY dangerous to be in a neighborhood where one does not belong. Of course, any DePaul fan with enough money to travel to H'burg to a game probably doesn't live in Chicago... "

Yep, Invictus, I've lived there too. Your words are so true. I'll bet that DePaul fan lives in one of those fancy schmancy suburbs.

Date: Jan 30, 2005

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution's review of Stuart Dybeck's latest book 'I Sailed with Magellan' contains two statements relevant to this thread.

The first statement from the review helps support the notion that when many well traveled Mississippians (who could live anywhere they choose to live) compare their home state to other places, they ultimately return to Mississippi. Willie Morris' book 'North Toward Home," coupled with his subsequent writings before and after he moved to Oxford, also supports this notion. Eudora Welty and Willie Morris both recognized Mississippi's problems, but Mississippi was, nonetheless, their ultimate choice of residency.

"Some writers find themselves physically bound to a particular place: Eudora Welty traveled widely but always returned to Jackson, Miss."

The second statement from the Journal-Constitution book review helps confirm Invictus' comments about the ethic/racial zones that have existed in Chicago for many years.

" 'I Sailed With Magellan' revolves around the life of Perry Katzek, a first-generation Polish-American boy coming of age in the 1950s and '60s in the Little Village neighborhood. Much like the part of Chicago where Dybek grew up, known now as El Barrio, the neighborhood is shifting from a largely eastern European mix to almost entirely Hispanic."

Date: Jan 30, 2005

Literary figures are not the only ones to return to Mississippi. You can bet your bottom dollar that Brett Favre won't remain in Green Bay when he tosses that football one last time. Take a look at what he is building just outside of Hattiesburg down HWY 98 West.

Date: Jan 30, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: jklp;
"I don't think anyone would argue with the proposition that Hattiesburg is a dumpy, depressed, poverty-ridden town. So few Mississippians travel out-of-state that they don't really know what a proserous place looks like. Most college towns are nice places to live. H'bug isn't one of them"

I've lived in seven different U.S. states and visited 48, traveled and lived in Europe, Canada and Mexico. Hattiesburg is strangely appealing, weather and Hubness being at the top of the list. I won't deny that the town is somewhat oddly proportioned between East/West Hardy divisions from downtown to Cane Break. And the road between the burg and Petal is..well, so industrially rusty in its authenticity. I love the Coast yet am always glad to return, nice or not, to a university town. I have enjoyed visiting Natchez, Vicksburg, and New Orleans over and over again, the Beaurivage and the parks in Pass Christian. Pensacola beaches (pre-hurricane) are a wonder. There are so many places I don't want to live in again. H'burg is all right with me.

Date: Jan 31, 2005

As a current tenured prof at DePaul, I can tell you that many of the students here believe that Chicago is the center of the Universe, rather than the tundral outpost that it is.

Other than Oak Park, this place is more segregated than anywhere I've ever seen. For example, the Czechs and Slovaks are segregated. To me, that's like segregating Alabama and Mississippi. Plzen is now a Mexican neighborhood.

Give me the 'burg any day of the week, although as it is moving west, the core of the city's culture is becoming more homogenized by the hour. More chain restaurants, yea!

Date: Jan 31, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Miles Long
"As a current tenured prof at DePaul, I can tell you that many of the students here believe that Chicago is the center of the Universe.."

New Yorkers feel the same way. Very provincial.

Date: Jan 31, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Heliocentric
"New Yorkers feel the same way. Very provincial. "

Provincial:

Synonyms:

bucolic, bumpkinly, corn-fed, hick, insular, jerkwater, one-horse, parochial, peasant, pokey, poky, rustic, stay-at-home(a), unsophisticated

Date: Jan 31, 2005

Whether or not the individual used "provincial" knowing its connotation (as opposed to being ignorant of it), I will never really know. However, there are many who feel that their little part of the world is the best, and that's OK. What irks me is that many of those who espouse that view then denigrate other regions/states/cities for their "provinciality." Having 1,000,000 coffee shops, bagel shops, etc., does not make the people of New York any more intelligent, thoughtful, or valuable than those who live in Purvis. New Yorkers (City folk) are different than Mississippians, Californians, or even those New Yorkers who live in a place like Syracuse.

I have noticed a biting elitism among many academics that is reflected in statements like some made here on this thread. Instead of just chalking differences of opinion up to human nature, we feel the need to tear down the other side, whether it's a political difference (think Dems v. Repubs here), a social difference (socioeconomics), or an educational difference, or whether its simply a matter of preference. This is one of the reasons that some states are considering legislation to limit political classroom speech (see other thread) -- we cannot seem to discuss or argue a point without reverting to browbeating and shouting down those with different views. We seem to be a little quick to write people with differing opinions off as stupid, ignorant, or uneducated, while, in fact, the other person may just have a different heuristic.

Date: Jan 31, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: More of the Same
"...We seem to be a little quick to write people with differing opinions off as stupid, ignorant, or uneducated, while, in fact, the other person may just have a different heuristic."

Amen MotS. But it sure beats having to think out arguments based on facts. If we can demonize the other side, then we no longer have to think about whatever they say. Saves a lot of time and we can stay comfortable with our worldview. It seems to work well here in Mississippi. Ooops, there I go again.

Date: Jan 31, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: More of the Same
"However, there are many who feel that their little part of the world is the best, and that's OK. What irks me is that many of those who espouse that view then denigrate other regions/states/cities for their "provinciality."...
We seem to be a little quick to write people with differing opinions off as stupid, ignorant, or uneducated, while, in fact, the other person may just have a different heuristic."

Well, I've lived in many cities and towns, and Chicago, more than any city I've ever lived in, is segregated to its teeth. Observation. Also, like most large cities, they tend to think that people from anyplace but a large city is a hayseed.

I don't write Chicagoans off as stupid or ignorant, except when the weather doesn' t crack 10 degrees for a week. At that point, they have to either be one or the other. ;^)

While I realize that Chicago may be perfect for some, I personally prefer Hattiesburg...and I prefer NOLA to any city in North America.

One thing I've learned is that what works for one does not necessarily work for all. It's easy to denigrate anyplace in the South, hell, we're accustomed to it. When Southerners denigrate other places, we are often perceived as ignorant. Me, I think that we're just less tolerant of things that annoy us...

Like this damned weather.

Now let me go burn something to stay warm.

Date: Jan 31, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by: Miles Long

"While I realize that Chicago may be perfect for some, I personally prefer Hattiesburg..."

What you say about the Windy City is true, M.L. - especially the weather and the attitude. The quality of life is much better in Hattiesburg. It's unfortunate that USM seems to do its darndest to drive some of its most loyal and competent away from the Hub City. I sometimes think that maybe some of those at the top are threatened by competence and experience.