Epic Failure in a national magazine about West Asheville

Mens Journal a fairly respected magazine printed a little article about West Asheville, you can read this here.

The problem with this is yes its in fact a pipe dream, a very misleading dream.  The article talks of how quaint and remarkable, with of course mentions the gut wrenching "Progressive" title.

Ok here are a few facts . . . . 

Haywood road is a decent area, decent, not this orgasmic land of bliss and perfect harmony that its painted by some.  It has its charms most of which are run of the mill restaurants and trendy eateries.  But beyond this Colony there is an evil side, a very dark and sinister side.  28806 is considered by most to be West Asheville, well in this area code there are no less then 3 section 8 projects that are notorious for crime activity.  The types of crime are, prostitution, drugs, robberies, assaults, and various other minor crimes.  Yes this does spill out into the other streets and neighborhoods in the 28806 area code so no, the Colony doesn't represent this area fairly, nor accurately.  There is a reason why the "locals" call this area "Worst Asheville", and by locals I mean the folks that have lived here all their life and call this place home, not "Paris of the South".

This area also has a business that is notorious for violating alcohol laws as well as drug laws, plus to boot someone was shot in the face on the premises.  This area also claims a good bit of the river where bodies are found, and found often.  Places in this area that we have not mentioned you do not go into at night, or during the day.

Jumping the Shark

Ok not like that but you know where the term comes from right?  No, then watch this was definition of  a TV program going down hill, same can be applied to local bloggers.

The reason for this; is that several local bloggers think of themselves as celebrities and the authority of news or opinion.  The biggest issue is they take themselves entirely too serious in the fact they are just a blogger, like your humble writer typing this.  Sometimes a blogger will get a chance to write for a local rag and first start of doing ok because their writing style is just ok, no offense, not everyone can be everyones failure's hero, Hunter S Thompson (yeah I said it, its called free speech get used to it).  So they write for this rag, and suddenly it becomes musings of their children . . . . yeah no one cares about your kids, your favorite beers, the stress of growing old, and how artsy you claim to be with your average B/W photography.

Others have a blog that has entirely jumped said shark in other ways and thats loosing focus of your original message:  Asheville the good and the bad to; Asheville the land of milk and honey where nothing bad happens.  Sad to say lots of bad things happen here and Im just not talking about crime I am talking about the whole city at large and in her wrinkles, the caked on makeup, and some people taking advantage of the still grand old Lady, Lady Asheville.  I live here too and blowing smoke up my ass doesn't help your case or cloud my viewing, and I lived here longer then the lot of them trying to tell me something I missed.   

I know for a fact parts of town are dangerous not just at night but during the day as well, some people don't get this about any town.  All they see is that horrible moniker "Paris of the South" not Asheville the city, or Asheville the largest city in between Knoxville TN and Greensboro NC.  They are blind to the town around them and roll right along unknowing that this cities economy is living off life support, that the infrastructure is on borrowed time and that those in this city with an agenda care nothing for the city is at stake.  

The only care that is given is to the loud crowd and a overrated arts community that wants every nickel and dime of tax money but does nothing for the city, yet they have a District.  A district of ratty buildings in a crappy part of town, thats not a district at all its a couple of blocks that claims to be its own entity just like the colony of Haywood road.  The Colony is one strip of road that looks like its own town that is now being propped up as hip area.  Step outside that area in multiple directions and you will a much different story.

Im not painting a negative picture, but trying to shine a light on the problems, because ignoring problems does not make them go away.  City Hall needs 3 million in repairs and the city is more occupied with building yet ANOTHER park in an area of town that makes no sense to build a new park.  Downtown associations give money freely to a group that gives nothing back to the community then a feel good feeling, a drum circle.  Its about as original and thoughtful as a street musicians spread throughout the world, but some people think they help.  Yeah someone might buy a beer or soda and watch the noise pollution for an hour.  Big whoop, what about the the rest of the community at large here and you think what this brings in is that staggering amount of cash to the downtown area.  They bill this ritual as "Family Fare" but all thats downtown is Bars, clubs, and coffee shops, with a trinket store here and there, wow down town has family written all over it.

Asheville is NOT weird . . . Another insult to my fair lady Asheville

So the Asheville Downtown Association (ADA) is giving the the Drum users of Pritchard Park in downtown some more toys.

Now I know this is a non-profit orginization but these people boast the Drum Circle is a local favorite and tourist attraction?? Among who? Who in their right mind comes to Asheville for a Drum Circle??  But alas they are sure that this is a good idea so they are going to supply these people with more reasons to not go down town on a Friday night.

This is part of the Cancer that is killing Asheville at the moment, crap like this.  The same group could of given the money to help fix and keep up the Thomas Wolfe House located, in guess where down town Asheville.  What's wrong with it you might ask?  Take a look right here -

So if we care oh, so much about down town why don't they paint the house in a proper fashion to where it doesn't peel?  If this was a rust art or a group of unwashed hippy's looking for a hand out then they would go bankrupt giving them money.  Not only would they pour endless amounts of precious tax dollars down the drain, they would throw a fund raiser to support them.

If Thomas Wolfe could see Asheville now he would spit, and wonder what the hell happened.  They blew up Beaucatcher mountain for the open cut for starters, A tunnel was out of the question apparently.  Letting the streets and roads go for the sake of rustoleum and fads, let the just about EVERY nice victorian in house in Asheville become a bed and breakfast, every piece of downtown get turned into a Coffee Shop, bar or some other worthless place.  He would have problems recognizing his boy hood home as well due to the unkempt mess that it is in.  

He would see a city that has sold its soul for trendiness and fads, he would see the local rich art pushed to the wayside for water colors and rusty art.  He would see the locals get trampled on a almost regular basis, he would see the lock step politics that rule this town now.

I, like allot of Asheville citizens are completely ashamed of this town and what it has become now a days.  Its sad when the locals of a town do not even step foot in their own downtown unless its for Court, Jury duty or to pay taxes.

Asheville sold us out, but we are not for sale, the COAL is a burning, the fire is stoked and some plan to help rescue Asheville's rich history.

A day in the life of Hypocrisy . . Err I mean Asheville . . No wait it was Hypocrisy . .

Its seems that this weekend its upon us once again, no not the wretched drum circle, or Bele Chere, no its the new waste of effort and misleading 36 hours of "A day in the life of Asheville".  Its where one over-rated photographer rallies the other over-rated photographers to go out and capture Asheville on Film or disks in their camera's.  Then the 1st over-rated photographer makes a book or website or something,  but I do know this.  Now I AM NOT saying that all the photographers in this town are over-rated, but any tom, dick or mary with a camera is considered a talented photographer, and if I said it once I have said it a MILLION times, taking a picture and making it black and white does not add meaning, get over yourself.

This is not going to show the true Asheville, these photographers are never going to step foot out of downtown Asheville other than to take pictures in the Colony of Haywood Street, maybe the River Arts Building (The call it a district but its 4 buildings grouped together, painted bright and in disrepair, not really a district), North Asheville, and maybe Montford.  Asheville is a large city, the largest city in between Knoxville TN, and Greensboro NC, its really not a small mountain hamlet of diversity that it claims to be.

The places that the Asheville lover's won't take pictures will be, Oakley, Oteen, Sondley, Haw Creek, Arden (Yes Arden is in the city limits), Skyland, Tunnel Road, Kennilworth, Riverside area and Beaucatcher area.  You know why?, They are not located down town.  All the pictures will be are portraits on not locals but transients, the trustafarians, the non-locals.  This does not portay Asheville in its true form, it portrays Asheville faux-culture of hippies, rusty art and fads its collected from previous times. 

No I am not impressed with this, if this was a city wide activity then maybe it would be a good idea, but right now its just down town, and I will tell you as a tax paying citizen of Asheville NC of 33 years our downtown is NOTHING to brag about.  Street musicians, panhandlers, drum circles, and mobs of transients loitering on the sidewalk is going to portray the land of apples, the land of the sky in a positive light?  No its just going to attract more weirdo's and people that do not care about the locals to live up the Faux "Paris of the South" moniker.  Our downtown is full of Bars, a couple of clubs and coffee shops where is the diversity???  Its not existent when you look at proof, if you listen to a downtown worshipper they would claim it was the most diverse place on earth.  Now before you think I'm a local hick, your wrong, I am very diverse in many ways with a very open mind, I like several people in the area is tired being treated like crap because we don't like what our town has become.

Asheville is NOT Paris, Asheville is NOT this orgasmic hippy commune where you can do as you please.  We have laws, structure and we have locals that are treaded on a regular basis.  Take the ever so lovely Pigdemic article from our local mountain rag that promotes openness, and kindness, with a progressive stance, so they can make fun of the locals, open minded huh?

This really exposes what most of the non-locals think of the locals, and you know what I say, to hell with them.  

The culture here is more rich, and wonderful and more open an caring then ANY of his trustafarian garbage that is pushed down our throat on a regular basis.   All of our "Local" craftsmen are are pushed out and forced to struggle for water colored rorshack looking inkblots, B/W photography of crap that wasn't interesting before the b/w effect,  Twisted rusty art littering the down town area, drum circles and so forth.  

People this is NOT the real Asheville . . . . 

How much spending is wasteful spending, on the local level that is?

According to a local weekly rag, the tax money that was spent on this years inaugural HATCH  Festival came to $30,000 . . .   $30k that the city of Asheville is not getting back in the time of a recession so that about 20-30 people can throw their own little party at the tax payer expense.  It was held in bars and clubs, it wasn't real festival and no one even new about it.  But thats what this town does spend public money on a few of the "loud crowd".

Same with everything else in this town from the dreaded rust art to the drum circle that pollutes pritchard park in the summer months.  This town DOES NOT care about its local citizens, it only caters to the freaky bunch that add nothing to the Asheville society.  Wastes $30,000 on 20 or so people so they can feel good for a weekend.  Thirty Thousand Dollars can buy a lot of groceries for a struggling family.  Clean up down town, 1 year teacher salary, almost enough to pay for another police officer or firemen, but no they will furlough area teachers and let these folks party for a weekend on tax payer dime.  Thanks Asheville City council, your just great.

You read that right, this so called festival was aimed toward; artists, entertainers and other self proclaimed individuals.  Now the festival organizers say this tax dump was in the works for 2 years but not a single piece of advertising appeared until 2 weeks before hand.  Hell the when monster truck rally's come to the area we see ads for those things for MONTHS ahead of time.  So it came and some even called in to question how professional the so called professionals of their field actually were.  Well in a town that you can call yourself something it automatically makes it so, because no one will check to make sure you are what you say you are.  When doctors have a convention they have DOCTORS giving lectures they just don't invite anyone to speak that says they are a doctor without check first.  They just don't think, none of them beforehand, it sounds like a good idea so lets do it, especially with tax payer money.

Well to put it bluntly, every idiot in the Asheville area claims to be an "Artist" of some sort, and no they fail miserably at this act.  Every unoriginal moron thinks they can open an art gallery or art museum, and even the artist itself will flood the area with their crap drowning out the real talent.  Even the graffiti artists get encouraged by these morons into their craft and mantra "An blank space on a building is just a blank canvass".  Not all that glitters is gold in Asheville and you see these folks flock together patting each other on the back and pouring piss into each others boot is the problem.

Friends yes, but these people go beyond that encouraging someone to produce their "Art" even though well just because it,s different doesn't make it art.  This goes for photographers too, if I see the same picture taken from town mountain road, from the same spot one more time, Im going to scream.  And no leaving the shutter on for the trails effect isn't cool anymore its over played.  And taking a picture of rust art turning it black and white is not original or edgy, is pathetic and played out.

Get a clue, your not artists your just a bunch of spoiled individuals made to believe that you are special by someone along the way when your just as special as anyone else, your not.  Your also not artists but call yourself such so you don't have to go by another title transient, and unemployed.  You painted a picture, took a photo, welded some metal together, or played with your own feces, good for you what do you want?  Recognition?  Only from your small minded friends and buddy's that want something. . . . Think about it.

The Return of Of Rusty Crap and more Asheville Shenanigans

Abomination # 1 Returns to Asheville streets,  The most overrated Energy Loop, yes my friends and readers the pile of crap.

  

Yes at Bele Chere in 1982 this costly, overrated pile of junk was set in front of the city county plaza, yes people i'm talking in front of the court house and possibly the 2nd most beautiful building in Asheville, City Hall.  I remember being a small lad of people laughing and sighing and yes out rage over the this piece of so, called art.  This was just one of the many, many rust art pieces to puncture the heart of Asheville.  From this point on at night you could see the homeless sleeping on it, urinating on it, and other nefarious nasty things all for the sake of art.  Well it makes its return to public display once again as a donation to the city that city resources will be used to take care of it.  In a recession and we got shoddy art work on the brain, got to love the Asheville Brain Trust . . . . 

Abomination # 2, Today marks the return of the Flat Iron Sculpture in front of guess what the Flat Iron Building up town.

Imagine this its a Iron Sculpture of guess what an IRON.  This building was a popular frame 8 story building from the 20's and 30's, New York has one.   It just doesn't make sense to have on the street paid for with tax dollars.  I'll admit its a bit better then other other Rust Art that litters our down town streets but its the principle.  Other buildings don't have Iron boxes in front of them to signify that its a box shape but the Flat Iron building needs an Iron.  What this is, is expensive back drops for people to take their picture in front with.  Another thing that is NOT part of Asheville History, Rust Art is not what so ever part of the Asheville heritage.

And the local book exchange teeters in the balance because people are just taking books not exchanging like they should.  Didn't know that their was that many copies of Hunter S Thompson Novels in the Asheville area that needed to be read.  The point is people are taking without leaving books in their place, for EXCHANGE but its their own fault.  Its also the Asheville Mindset that you have to bee SEEN doing something, from being seen downtown, to being seen as something as personal as READING.  Heaven forbid you did anything in this town without being seen; drinking coffee, to to surfing the bloody internet.  I have all of this at home Coffee, Internet, books and a comfy place to enjoy these things WHY would I want to go someone just to be seen reading, or drinking coffee or even on the internet?

Its an image and Asheville is full of symbolism over substance, either it be a pretend scene that it clearly does NOT have, or an Art movement where anyone with a Blowtorch, paintbrush, camera or anything is considered an artist, or if your hobby is reading you have to be seen doing the task in Asheville.  I know a little town in the mountains of Western North Carolina that needs an enema and to get over itself.

People being comfortable in ones own skin is something that some in Asheville need to work on, with out looking to be seen doing anything.  Something that Asheville portrays is trying to be freaky, well its not if everyone is doing it, its not being different its called Status Quo.

Lame Excuses

Something funny came up on a local blog, in defense of a local "Liberal" Weekly Column writer they said it was hard to write a 700 word essay every week.  I love the local blogs and weekly's you know the ones that try to be hard hitting journalism but fails epically on every level.  Its just a local rag that takes itself way to serious, if they loosened up had a little fun instead of trying to be political on local and national level.

If this is the case then why are they doing it?  Oh, its because they are a local faux celebrity where a they own a separate blog and everyone is to caught up being buddy, buddy.  See that is one of the problems of this town, is the buddy-buddy system, that if you don't worship at the writers altar of self indulgence then you are wrong.  Even if you express a different opinion then what is supported the progressive oh so tolerant mindset of this town erupts in name calling, and to a lesser extent poo throwing at this highest form.  Yes lots of people have a blog and their is a lot of back patting involved.  For a town that claims to be diverse and tolerant a lot of the blogs in town say the same thing, what is so diverse about that?  Its not, not all, this is what makes this town a town of Hypocrisy.  

If you would like to be so Progressive and so outside the box, then stop copying pasting what everyone else is saying in your sad little world?  Oh, if you do you will be kicked out of the cool kids club, oh darn if thats what it takes then leave me out of that world.  Even an idea that matches their opinion but stands outside status quo will be blasted.  How very tolerant, guess it would kill these people to turn off NPR, put down that Hunter S Thompson Novel, and set down that PBR to think for themselves.

Because to be progressive in this town is to actually be as close minded as you possibly can be, and if you speak out against it then you are retorted with lovable terms of endearment of Repug, Repig, right-winger, fascist, and you get the point.  So much for the claim of being progressive and open minded, the definition of free thinker in this town really means party lines and status quo and if you speak the slightest bit for yourself or what you believe in you are immediately labeled and attacked, this is coming from a group that talks about how tolerant we are and should be to other people.

Well it doesn't work that way and you know what unfortunately its not just a "Asheville" thing, its a nationwide.  Look at the runner up for the Miss America Pageant feminists are even attacking her for her response to that cursed question not that fact this contest parades women around in their underwear in front of millions of people.  But no, having the same opinion of the current POTUS is a bad thing, but everyone else is missing that point.  The runner up shares the SAME opinion of the people that voted DOWN prop 8, and most of America, and even the President of the United states, but no one say anything to him.  But a silly blow hard pseudo celebrity on the internet is attacking her along with MSM and feminists.

Where was the Feminists when the MSM attacked Sarah Palin?  She was representing them, a strong, Mother, Governor, and college graduate was running for vice president of the US, and these so called bastions of Women's cause let her get attacked and ran through the mud, because of she's a republican or someone they never heard of her.  And now we have the Wife of the POTUS that bought some $540 pair of shoes and Palin was ridiculed because the GOP DONATED some expensive clothes to her that she had to GIVE BACK.  But the wife of the POTUS gets a pass because the current POTUS is popular.

This has to stop or we are all royally screwed in the end, the hypocrisy has to come to an end and I know it won't but we are in for a really, really bumpy ride.  The bitter party battles must stop the holier then thou attitude has to, Guess what has to STOP.  Not just one side but both sides, the immediate chastising of one side is a little, well one sided.

Back to Asheville, where the loud crowd calls out who ever it sees not following in lock step with popular opinions, or the ever so popular status quo.  In a town that claims to be diverse and open minded its pretty damn closed.  It should be Asheville where you are accepted if you walk alike, think alike and talk alike. 

770 words as of the last paragraph, it wasn't hard, wrote that in the middle of fixing dinner and cleaning up in one evening.  Its not that hard to write a musing get over your grade school crush of a blogger and think for yourself once in a while.