Arkansas: Redneck Wasteland

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by JMancuso

all over upstate new york. you can see this within a 10 minute drive pretty much outside any major upstate city. it's just not as widespread as in the south. the per capita of pregnant women in bare-feet chasing their cheatin' boyfriend in a beer stained wife-beater through a trailer park with a hunting knife is a lot smaller up there

My ex-boss went to a conference in Vermont one year, and said that the minute he crossed the state line into New York, he started seeing much more of this stuff. I haven't seen that state line myself, but if he's correct, I would find it interesting that there would be such a change right at the state line.

By the way, I think this is a very valuable thread. What shows up in these photos is very real and no state is exempt from it. Many people have no idea how some people live in this country. And many who do know, don't care, which is sad.

[KevinFromTexas]

I've seen some pretty raggedly areas in Texas, but this is even worse. Not even in our most redneck areas would you see something like that. I feel better now. Thanks!

There were a lot of boarded up windows, probably from projected beer battles (I mean bottles).

"Meat" Other stores have signs like that of course, but I just noticed how funny that looks. When the zombies come, you know that's one of the first places they'll go.

Originally Posted by photolitherland

Oh come on, Ron Paul isn't that bad. lol I pulled up behind a car a few nights ago on my bicycle, and the guy in front of me had a Ron Paul bumper sticker on one side, and a peace sign sticker on the other.

Originally Posted by photolitherland

[urbanactivist]

Originally Posted by Shantytown Architect

I think this has to do a lot with Black leadership, political and religious. There's no NAACP, Urban League, Negro Fund, or SCLC for us poor whites. Instead, the most destitute of us turn to racialized misanthropy, anti-women violence, child abuse, chronic drug use, alcoholism, and apathy. In fact, the only real separation between the most destitute of whites and the most destitute of blacks is the color line--but otherwise, the economic situation and the cultural values and practices of both run parallel.

For me the church was the central figure of organiztion, finance and acoountability within my home community. Of course there were people in and out of jail, on drugs, etc. But the church is typically the glue that holds my community together. All of the organizations you mentioned spawned from the black church, and for good reason.

Again, I hate to generalize, but white churches... whether big or small... are far more isolated and insulated than the black church. There is a larger divide among white denominations on things like social issues, worship style and even political affiliation (especially in Arkansas). Poor white communities don't gain the same benefit of organization through the church as poor black communities. Obviously the whole system is changing in the 21st century as we continue to diversify and move towards a less-religious society, but for many communities these ideas still hold firm.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Doyle:
• Video Link

Slingblade was filmed in my hometown

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

You just described southwest MO, although Springfield isnt tiny. My grandmother is the daughter of German immigrants to the St. Francois Mountains, I could talk about the "hills" all day.

That sounds about right. My brother and his buddies went rock climbing in Northern Arkansas. The area was a dry county, so they had to go into Missouri one day for beer. My brother said they saw some old guy sitting on his front porch whittling a piece of wood.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

Northwest Arkansas is completely different from the rest of the state. Its the only part of the state that is really experiencing any growth.

NW Arkansas is growingly rapidly due to having the HQ of the world's largest company (Wal-Mart), two Fortune 500 companies (Tyson and JB Hunt) and their associated businesses as well as a large state university and nearby mountains, forests, and lakes. I think your experience would be completely different in Fayetteville, where the University of Arkansas is located. Fayetteville is your typical small college town with urban, walkable areas and is more left-leaning than the rest of Arkansas and has the best nightlife in the state outside of the River Market in Little Rock.

I live about 2 hours to the west in Tulsa and many people here have ties to NW Arkansas either with business, family, or they went to UA and now work/live in Tulsa but still go back for football/basketball games. Many people here also enjoy hiking in the Boston Mountains just south and east of Fayetteville or kayaking/rafting on the Buffalo or Mulberry rivers. NW Arkansas, and the mountains just to the north and south of Russellville, have some really scenic areas but since it is mostly rural you deal with "rural" people as well. Very similar to the types that live in the southern Appalachians.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Dan Denson

Surprisingly, you can see this same kind of stuff just east of Austin's airport on 71 east toward Bastrop. It's not what people think of when they think of Austin. Ironically, this is what visitors to the Hyatt Resort see after they depart the airport. The Hyatt Resort is located in beautiful, forested hills, but to get there you see stuff just about as bad as what you've shown in the photos.

The demographic is probably similar. I would imagine the racial makeup is different though. The area east of Austin is mostly Hispanic. And no, the area doesn't typically look as bad as this stuff in Arkansas does. I wouldn't want to live there, and would say it's probably the most blighted in the metro. The real ugliness you must be mentioning are those few residents along 71 near FM 969 just east of the airport. Up 969 though, you jump back into Austin's city limits into East Austin, and while it is poorer than other areas, it's still not even that bad.

[Okiefrombama]

Thanks for the pics. I've been to Russellville. That area always makes me very uncomfortable. The people are very rude and stare at anyone who comes into town off of I-40 with a different state cartag.

A couple of those communities in the Ozarks and parts of eastern Oklahoma are some of the scariest places to be, in my opinion.

I think a lot of young people in Arkansas flee to Fayetteville and Conway and never come back to these towns.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by urbanactivistTX

Yeah, I unfortunately have to take your word on that. Full disclosure... I think being African- American in Arkansas is just a different experience than being white... in many, many ways. The people in my community are very strong and proud. They would never associate themselves with the types of people in these photos.

I know Eastern Arkansas (Delta region) fairly well, and many towns are majority black in this part of the state. The black sides of town often look as bad or even worse than the redneck sides of town.

To be fair, though, I have never lived there, and appearances can be deceiving. The towns I remember were generally very racially segregated and bad on either side (though there was always a nicer, heavily white exurban side of town, with new homes and a Christian school so the families with money wouldn't have to go to the piss-poor schools).

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The demographic is probably similar. I would imagine the racial makeup is different though. The area east of Austin is mostly Hispanic. And no, the area doesn't typically look as bad as this stuff in Arkansas does. I wouldn't want to live there, and would say it's probably the most blighted in the metro. The real ugliness you must be mentioning are those few residents along 71 near FM 969 just east of the airport. Up 969 though, you jump back into Austin's city limits into East Austin, and while it is poorer than other areas, it's still not even that bad.

Yes, the area east of the airport along 71.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by BG918

Fayetteville is your typical small college town with urban, walkable areas and is more left-leaning than the rest of Arkansas and has the best nightlife in the state outside of the River Market in Little Rock.

Wait a sec, I totally disagree with this. Fayetteville is NOTHING like Cambridge, New Haven, Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Ithaca, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, etc.

Fayetteville was a very, very small town until recently, and has almost no urban fabric. Moreover, the University of Arkanasas isn't really a major national university.

And the area is overwhelmingly Conservative and votes solid Republican.

The thing is that NW Arkanasas has experienced almost all its growth in the last 20 years, and almost 100% of the this growth is of the exurban, strip mall and tract house sort.

If you want urban or progressive and live in Arkanasas, Little Rock or West Memphis would be the best choices.

[Shantytown Architect]

Outside the urban core, Northwest Arkansas (which includes MacDonald county in MO), is just as poor as rural people in the rest of the state. A lot of the differences between rural NWA and the rest of the state is the influence of Midwestern cultural values and the high-percentage of African American out-migration during the Great Depression.

And Fayetteville is progressive, albeit not as progressive as Ann Arbor or Ithaca. There is large and diverse nightlife scene, density around the university and downtown, a union activist as mayor, and a sizable public gay community. The town is the most-leaning in all national and regional elections, and there is a small-g green on the city council. And the mayor of the small town of Greenland that immediately borders Fayetteville to the south is a member of the Green party.

[Qubert]

Pennsylvania has some of this going on as well.

Honestly, while I support the OPs right to say what he thinks, it comes off as extremely eliteist and ill compassionate. As for the "PC" angle, If it was Black people in Detroit we were talking about, I doubt most here would have the balls to be so snarky.

[Strange Meat]

I'd take either of these red trucks, though, I'd paint them black.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Wait a sec, I totally disagree with this. Fayetteville is NOTHING like Cambridge, New Haven, Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Ithaca, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, etc.

Fayetteville was a very, very small town until recently, and has almost no urban fabric. Moreover, the University of Arkanasas isn't really a major national university.

It may not be like those college towns but as far as midwestern/southern college towns it is one of the better ones, IMO. Highly under-rated for sure.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Wait a sec, I totally disagree with this. Fayetteville is NOTHING like Cambridge, New Haven, Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Ithaca, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, etc.

You're right, Fayetteville is nothing like those cities. He just said that Fayetteville was a typical, small college town. None of the cities you listed can really be considered small college towns. You happened to list some of the ultimate "college towns" in the nation... they are far from typical.

[mike474]

Originally Posted by pj3000

You're right, Fayetteville is nothing like those cities. He just said that Fayetteville was a typical, small college town. None of the cities you listed can really be considered small college towns. You happened to list some of the penultimate "college towns" in the nation... they are far from typical.

If those are the penultimate college towns which are the ultimate?

[rockyi]

There's a pocket or two around here like that (rural trailers surrounded by trash) It always looks worse this time of year with no foliage to cover it up.

[KevinFromTexas]

This is a funny pic though. A 4x4 truck with mud on the tires and a taxidermy shop in the background, but then there's a fitness and tanning center on the corner. So while you're waiting for that deer you shot or maybe ran over with your truck, you can get a tan and get a nice workout.

Originally Posted by photoliterland

[LMJCobalt]

My ex-boss went to a conference in Vermont one year, and said that the minute he crossed the state line into New York, he started seeing much more of this stuff. I haven't seen that state line myself, but if he's correct, I would find it interesting that there would be such a change right at the state line.

I'm from Upstate New York and that definitely true. When you cross over into New England be it Vermont, Mass or Connecticut it definitely gets noticeably nicer.

As far as commenting on the thread, the pictures are great and well done. But I tend to agree more with LMich. Hyperbolizing weakens your argument and makes you sound close minded, judgmental and incapable of taking a nuanced view of an issue. Its easy and fun to cast dispersions upon poor rednecks who live in trailers, due meth and throw there garbage out on their lawn. I know I look down on them too. However, when people are too poor to even afford trash pick-up that is a serious issue. Poverty is a major problem in this country and something we fail to address as a nation. No matter what you think about the people, their habits, social graces or political convictions I think we can agree on that. Anyway this is a great thread, I've shown the pictured to many people, and I keep tuning in to see what people have to say.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by mike474

If those are the penultimate college towns which are the ultimate?

Sorry... should just be "ultimate".