Recently I got a semi-literate entry on my Alphistia website’s guestbook from someone who lives in the town where I was born and lived in until I was 18. In between his rotten spelling and tenuous grasp of English grammar, I could see he felt I was unfair to Newport (and also to Indianapolis) when I wrote about my visit out there in June, 1998. His manner of telling me he disagreed with me was at the level of the Jerry Springer show though. His style of “debate” is merely taunts and insults, like a schoolyard bully who hasn’t done his homework. Of course I had to respond to some of his sillier (and untrue) comments even though I realize that bad education and misplaced arrogrance are the reasons his response to my opinions are so badly articulated. But I can never resist sparring with morons. First I’ve copied and pasted his text below, followed by my reaction.
Text of his rant:
Tony: Re: Indainoplace & your hometown How sad - you say you love diverisity - but when you travel to a place different from New York - You can do nothing but put it down. You find the homeless in Indiana and you run away to a Cab. WOW! the big time New Yorker is scared of a Homeless Hoosier! A true citizen of the World finds the uniqueness whereever they are! Though I do admit Indy is not the cultural center of the Universe. So to sample Indy - you have a meal at a Steak and Shake! You couldn't do better than a fast food chain. Well, that's to be expected I hear New Yorkers got excited when Krispy Kreme opened in Manhattan. But, I'm not here to defend Indy. It's Newport I care about. I'n sorry you didn't find your hometown matched up to your new worldly "New York" expectations. Get Real, Tony. Newport is a small town in Kentucky of only 18,000 people. What did you expect - to find? Yes, many of the people hear are Urban Appalachians - and they tend to mistrust outsiders. (From your opinion of them, I think I can understand why.) But, White Trash. Strange how you would never use a derogatory term like that to discribe the poor of any race but your own. When the great democratic thinker comes to town what does he think - White Trash. I guess its OK for a liberal minded person to degrade poor whites. I live here in a wonderful neighborhood thats 1/3 Yuppie, 1/3 Gay and 1/3 Urban Appalachians. You want diversity - how about a rainbow flag next to the stars and bars. What's really great as neighbors they get along and talk about such earth shattering topics as gardening, local politice and ideas in restoring 100 year old victorian houses. Dispite their differences these truly diverse poeple have found a common ground - they care about their community. Sure there are problems - Tony you should no Newport was as low as a city could fall with open gambling, prostitution and drugs. But, here a city that said enough. It taking the long road back and slowly rebuilding itself. It may surprise you but just this January your beloved New York Times wrote an article about how Newport was rebuilding itself and doing true urban renewal. One house, one neighborhood at a time. I'm sorry Tony, I look at your site I don't see a visionary. I see a middle-aged man who can't understand why other people can't think the same as him.
My reply:
Mr. Y.
Why you make assumptions that I'm a "New Yorker" just because I live in that city is as incorrect as your conclusions from looking at various parts of my website. Since you weren't there with me in Indianapolis, you can't decide that a man who was threatening was a harmless "Homeless Hoosier". He was aggressive and the situation was not a safe one, it was sensible to take a cab. I see homeless people in New York everyday...it's a big AMERICAN problem, but I've rarely encountered someone who I feel was on the verge of mugging me. My opinions of Indianapolis aren't based on it being different from New York, they're based on it being dull and conformist. If you read what I wrote carefully, you'd see that I found Cincinnati is much more interesting and has character that Indianapolis and quite a few other American cities lack. As far as Steak-N-Shake, that wasn't the only restaurant I ate at while I was there and I didn't even say it was a bad place to eat (I think I mentioned it because it was the only place open late at night...your own prejudice against NY shines through with your Krispy Kreme nonsense, so how are you a fairer or nicer guy than I am with my personal impressions?
As far as Newport goes, and its residents...being white is not an issue, being willfully ignorant is. I'm white, but I also have Appalachian roots from both sides of my family. I have no shame about that. There were problems with the dominant behavioral norms socially with that background and upbringing, which certainly made an impression on me. It was luck that teachers and the local librarians showed me there was a world outside of Newport and helped me strive for college. My criticisms are of a culture which celebrates and encourages people to denigrate education, live their lives asocially, and who look down on anybody and everybody who is different than they are. Being "white trash" is a choice, whereas being gay or Jewish or black isn't, so it's valid to criticize such behavior. Also, my travel diary merely refers to the fact that Appalachians of a certain kind are often referred to as "poor white trash". Anyway,a person doesn't HAVE to be a redneck, it's nothing to celebrate and it's not snobbery or elitism to point out that people can improve themselves intellectually. My father was a smart man who should've known better, but he was a gun-toting drunkard who insulted the local store-owners on Monmouth Street who were Jewish or Greek or Italian, not to mention the black people who came into his store. Perhaps people like him are fewer in Newport these days, but they do exist. It can't be denied. They aren't a credit to the Appalachian heritage.
I think it's great Newport is making a comeback and I wish it great success. Because it's my hometown it affected me in many ways...and it's not at all uncommon for someone who left home to be critical of their hometown and to see it far differently than people who choose to stay. You seem to imply that because I live in New York I give up my right to observe what I see in the town where I grew up. You might not agree with me, but your response is far more denigrating of me personally than my criticisms of who and what I saw in Newport.
If you live a happy life amongst your gay, yuppie (some would take exception to that word...) and Appalachian neighbors, good for you. When I grew up in the Greater Cincinnati area, the police regularly arrested gay people for trying to meet each other since there was no open gay life. The area is still well known for having an actively homophobic constituency, large and loud. After all, Gary Bauer grew up three blocks from me, and there are plenty of people like him in Newport and all over the area. But your mentioning of the Stars and Bars next to a gay flag gives me pause though that certainly puts into persepective your own blinders. I'm not alone in thinking the Confederate flag a symbol of racism. To think that that sort of juxtaposition is appropriate is beyond offensive. It's not an example of diversity, it's an example of what's wrong.
Your consistent insulting tone with phrases like "your beloved" New York Times (how would you know whether I like that paper or not?), or that I'm a "liberal" (wrong again, I think American liberals have an outlook just a bit less conservative than the dominant right-wing ideology in this country. I vote for the Greens and my politics are social democratic--that's not "liberal".) And where do I claim to be a "visionary"? And where do I write that people can't disagree with me? And what about your ageism...describing me as some sort of "middle-aged man" deserving pity?
Your tirade is FULL of misspelled words and bad grammar, so that gives me some idea of the level you're operating at...but to take the time to put an insulting entry on my guestbook indicates you're just a plain ole jerk, and they live in every locality. You could just as easily minded your own business. I can't really believe that nice website about Newport's history and current rehabbing you included as a link is actually your own work and effort (it's John Paquette's name on the site), and your snotty aside that you stopped thinking about imaginary countries when you gave up "d and d" (you're referring to drugs and drinking of course) is certainly revealing. Referring to my experiences and life as "sad" is disingenuous to say the least--you couldn't care less about compassion which using a word like "sad" implies, you just wanted to insult me personally. You're what "reality" is, so it's no wonder people take refuge in fantasy. Your response to my website seems to be a good example of why someone would leave Newport behind. If Newport is improving, I can't see how you'd be much help to the process.
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