Posted On: Friday - November 10th 2023 3:58PM MST
In Topics: Music Economics Americans The Future
... little pink Frosty's™, for you and me ...
A group of us employees were getting a ride to a hotel out of town. I'd been there before, but possibly not everyone had. The very nice lady driving us for 15 minutes spent much of the ride telling us what we could expect in the "neighborhood" of this hotel. It wasn't in a residential neighborhood (though I've seen more and more of that lately), it wasn't by the Interstate exit (just as well), but it also wasn't downtown.
The problem with downtown nowadays is that being downtown isn't what it used to be*. The most recent changes in work life, greatly accelerated by the Kung Flu PanicFest are part of the demise of the inner cities. The race problems that go back over half a century are another thing. It's not always safe, but there are more interesting things around.
Were we staying downtown our host could have noted that there is the aquarium over here, a museum over there, or this great bar that stays open late and has great chili, stuff like that. In the strip-mall America of today, though, what is there to say? She was just trying to be helpful, but her suggestions for something "to do" were pretty much nothing but fast food places (many more and with newer chains than the ones in the image above - that was my best "file photo".)
The number of national fast food chains seems to have grown longer overnight. "Jimmy Johns is right over there, and if then there's a Zaxby's, and Panda Express right across, and ..." for 5 minutes or more ... "and there's a brand new [Something]!"
Again, this is not personal, as this woman is always helpful with everything and knows some of us fairly well. It's just, well, what has become of this country, when all people can talk about is the newly remodeled Taco Bell? Oh, but there was a Mexican "roach coach" (we used to call them) with apparently some pretty good stuff.
We'll have to put the John Cougar song in, now, of course. I think Pink Houses was from when he still used that stage name before the transition - via John Cougar Mellencamp - to his real name, John Mellencamp. As much as the song dissed this country to some degree**, I sure was still very proud of America then. This song was one of my favorites and from back when they made good videos too.
America was a LOT closer to "the home of the free" 40 years ago.
PS: On a cross-country road trip about a decade after this song, I deviated 50 to 100 miles off the straight route to visit that "small town"***, Seymour, Indiana, home of Johnny Cougar and his melon camp. I didn't consider it small at all, it having 15,000 people then. It was big enough to have a Wendy's - speaking of "little pink Frosty's" - and the other fast food joints. A guy at some root beer stand pointed me the way to Mr. Mellencamp's house, but he had moved away by then and his Mom lived there.
* Part 2.
** Per the wiki page, it was sarcastic and cynical "about race, class and survival". Read the "Use in politics" section for the sad story of how his politics got a whole lot worse. Ain't THAT America!
*** That song, and more so the video, was definitely more positive about America, unless some wiki editor has something to say about it.
Comments:
The Alarmist
Saturday - November 11th 2023 11:21AM MST
PS
I used to travel to Florida through Georgia, and I’d get off the interstate around Macon (originally to overnight in the BOQ at Robins AFB) and take the back roads through the “Big Five” (places like Alma, pop 3k and Eastman, pop 5k), all of which were truly small town America. Every one had a Hardees that seemed to be the place to be. I have no idea what these places are like now, but downtown at that time was already dying, but not ghettofying.
I used to travel to Florida through Georgia, and I’d get off the interstate around Macon (originally to overnight in the BOQ at Robins AFB) and take the back roads through the “Big Five” (places like Alma, pop 3k and Eastman, pop 5k), all of which were truly small town America. Every one had a Hardees that seemed to be the place to be. I have no idea what these places are like now, but downtown at that time was already dying, but not ghettofying.
And don't forget Alma, Jesup, Waycross, Albany, Tifton, Valdosta - OK, not all on the same routes.