Arkansas: Redneck Wasteland

[Thundertubs]

There are scenes like this in the Adirondacks, New Hampshire, and even Vermont. It's not as visible up there as down south, but it's there, especially in northern NY state.

An interesting photographic look at a part of America most of us don't see on a regular basis, but unfortunately marred by the distracting commentary.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Thundertubs

There are scenes like this in the Adirondacks, New Hampshire, and even Vermont.

[JCON]

Holy crap dude.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by urbanactivistTX

I think you mean to say "Dallas south of I-30"

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

Nice. Theres a Drive By Truckers song in my head right now. By the way, I don't think you are exaggeratring anything photolitherland! Not too far removed from southwest Missouri and many of the population centers of the Ozarks. Fortunately, there are more isolated areas in Missouri (as there are in Arkansas) that have been so depopulated that you can somewhat avoid those people when visiting, and you also have more hermit type people. Theres also newcomers here and there in these areas, the last float trip I was on, the lodge was owned by Chicagoans.

My ex tells me that a lot of eastern Kentucky and parts of West Virginia are like this. But like I said earlier, you can find these scenes in many states.

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

I cant really just transfer at this point. I am getting a degree in geology and here you dont have to have calculus to graduate. In almost every other college with geology you have to have all the way up to Cal 3 and Id be in college for an extra two years when Im about to graduate now. Just read through the comments, others are agreeing that it really is like this once you get out of the cities, at least in this part of Arkansas and most other parts of Arkansas I have seen it is similar. Albeit, it is also like this in many other states too.

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.

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by DallasTexan

Looks like Houston.

Come on now...stop the generalizing. There are parts of Houston that look like that, as is the case with Dallas (your city?). But don't characterize an entire city that way.

[ue]

Originally Posted by Thundertubs

There are scenes like this in the Adirondacks, New Hampshire, and even Vermont. It's not as visible up there as down south, but it's there, especially in northern NY state.

An interesting photographic look at a part of America most of us don't see on a regular basis, but unfortunately marred by the distracting commentary.

I don't get how the 'commentary' is that bad. It's just a paragraph at the beginning, it's not like it's even throughout. Besides, it's photo's thread, not yours, and he/she just wanted to give his/her opinion of where he/she lives.

[Echoes]

My first thought when I saw the title of this thread was "Boy, am I gonna enjoy this!" ........Boy, did I ever!

[mike474]

Because it makes Sask look refined and cultured by comparison?

[photoLith]

A lot of you guys need to stop being so politically correct, do you live in Arkansas, no, I do, and yet again, it is really like this around here. For the last time, Im not pulling a fox news and being biased with how it is, it really is like this. If any of you guys want to come down here and live here for a while, I invite you to come witness it first hand.

[mike474]

If that was targeted at my comment that wasn't me being a politically correct social entrepreneur. I actually wanted Country's opinion seeing as how we both live in a smaller province that many of our countrymates haven't visited and make uneducated judgments about. I agree you're taking too much flak over this, but I think the overcompensation on this forum is at times a necessary evil to prevent it from degrading into a a news story comments section. Unfortunately sometimes we take it too far in the opposite direction.

[johnnygosox]

Again, my issue is with how seemingly stunned you are at the existence of a community like that. Are you disillusioned because it's not an urban environment or that they're all white? I don't understand where you're coming from. What bubble were you born and raised in?

[photoLith]

Dude Im not stunned, wtf. I just wanted to show other people on this forum who mostly live in cities and not in the country what I live through everyday. I grew up near downtown Chicago by the way. Not like that really matters. You just dont see any forums showing the grit of what a lot of the souths countryside looks like. Do you want me to change the title to something more pleasing, how about Arkansas:Redneck Wonderland, is that better, sheesh.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

A lot of you guys need to stop being so politically correct, do you live in Arkansas, no, I do, and yet again, it is really like this around here. For the last time, Im not pulling a fox news and being biased with how it is, it really is like this. If any of you guys want to come down here and live here for a while, I invite you to come witness it first hand.

It has nothing to do with being PC or not; it's that you're so incredibly judgemental and over dramatic in everything you speak about when it comes to this area of the country, and I say that as someone that's been told I can come across as judgemental online and as one of the most liberal minded people you'll ever meet. You could have let your photos speak for themselves, instead you (oh-so-prediticably) post some hyperbolic indictment and commentary before you even post the pics. At the very least, it's completely distracting and detracts from the excellent quality of your pictures. At the most, your exaggerated judgements, stereotyping, and generalizations say a helluva lot more about you (none of it good) than the people you bash.

And this whole "unless you live in Arkansas, you can't speak on it" is just silly. I've probably spent more time visting the state than you've lived there in your two years, but that is beside the point. You don't have to live there to know that Arkansas is not Mississippi, and nor is its rural culture uniquely unattractive and backwards. Yet, reading your commentary, you'd think it was ground zero for this undesirable culture. It's not; it just isn't.

I don't see how you can type the things you do, and then be totally shocked about the responses you get. Are you that imperceptive? You seemed genuinely stunned that folks could take issue with your online persona and rhetoric. You do this all the time, you take a thread you've started with great pictures or good points and then you sabotage yourself with unnecessary over-the-top opinions and commentary in between.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by LMich

And this whole "unless you live in Arkansas, you can't speak on it" is just silly. I've probably spent more time visting the state than you've lived there in your two years, but that is beside the point. You don't have to live there to know that Arkansas is not Mississippi, and nor is its rural culture uniquely unattractive and backwards. Yet, reading your commentary, you'd think it was ground zero for this undesirable culture. It's not; it just isn't.

What are you saying about Mississippi? It sounds to me like you are generalizing that whole state and saying its worse than what I have depicted here? You cant just generalize a whole state you know

[urbanactivist]

The good ole 1982 birth certificate, 16 years of cris-crossing the state, and receiving the lion's share of my education there, I do feel qualified to comment to an extent. But I am of course far more familiar with Central Arkansas than other areas.

Even in my hometown of Benton, I could easily go and find a decent collection of trailer park meth-labs, and fields of pot. But for every dumb-ass redneck that lives contrary to American progress, there are 3 Arkansans that live nothing like them. That's the point... it's not cool to try and shade a full impression of an area based on a minority... no matter how vocal they may be. OMFG... I still have trouble considering myself to be a Texan. I'd much rather be a Houstonian.

[photoLith]

Im not trying to portray an entire region, like Ive said before, when you are in the towns, rednecks are definately a minority, but in the country, they are def the majority.

[Scottolini]

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.

Wow, I must have missed all that, and I've driven 71 out that way countless times. There are some junk yards, and whatnot, but I've never seen confederate flags, trash strewn everywhere, or anything remotely resembling this...

[Rizzo]

It looks incredibly foreign. Up here, the poorest of poor can at least hole up inside a vacant building that is 50 times better than what is shown here. I really hate to talk down on places, but what a mess. I can't imagine living in a place like that. Awful to believe Wal-Mart is probably the single most popular place to go there.

I like some of those vintage trucks though.

Originally Posted by LMich

It has nothing to do with being PC or not; it's that you're so incredibly judgemental and over dramatic in everything you speak about when it comes to this area of the country, and I say that as someone that's been told I can come across as judgemental online and as one of the most liberal minded people you'll ever meet. You could have let your photos speak for themselves, instead you (oh-so-prediticably) post some hyperbolic indictment and commentary before you even post the pics. At the very least, it's completely distracting and detracts from the excellent quality of your pictures. At the most, your exaggerated judgements, stereotyping, and generalizations say a helluva lot more about you (none of it good) than the people you bash.

And this whole "unless you live in Arkansas, you can't speak on it" is just silly. I've probably spent more time visting the state than you've lived there in your two years, but that is beside the point. You don't have to live there to know that Arkansas is not Mississippi, and nor is its rural culture uniquely unattractive and backwards. Yet, reading your commentary, you'd think it was ground zero for this undesirable culture. It's not; it just isn't.

I don't see how you can type the things you do, and then be totally shocked about the responses you get. Are you that imperceptive? You seemed genuinely stunned that folks could take issue with your online persona and rhetoric. You do this all the time, you take a thread you've started with great pictures or good points and then you sabotage yourself with unnecessary over-the-top opinions and commentary in between.

C'mon man, it's his thread, let him speak his mind. Someone can be discontent with where they live and be free to say it.