Speaking in code
July 29, 2008 at 8:19 am by Andisheh Nouraee in NewsSouthern English is chock-full-o-enjoyable euphemisms designed to protect delicate ears from abrasive truths.
Package store = liquor store
Nice to see you = I wanted to say nice to meet you, but we may have already met
That’s interesting = I hate it
Bless his heart = What a loser
With the help of a Castleberry Hill resident, the AJC invented a great new Southernism last weekend:
But down the block, Erica Pines sits in her condo and stews. She frets that her neighborhood, known for its hip lofts and trendy art galleries, is turning into Party Central.
“We’re becoming the new Buckhead,” she said. “It’s awful. It’s just awful.”
Pines, 36, president of the Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association, runs through a litany of problems: Noise blares at all hours of the night; cruisers have taken over the streets; crime is up; discarded fliers and other debris litter the sidewalks.
The new Buckhead = Well to do, predominantly white neighborhood whose residents are upset because young black people hang out there at night.
Send to a friend:
July 29th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Could it be that the same undeniably negative effects that were present in Buckhead are now damging the quality of life in Castlebrry Hill? Nah, the only reasonable explanation is bigotry.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:52 am
No, the new buckhead = a place where partygo-ers, who do not live in the neighborhood, come and trash your neighborhood and act like idiots until all hours of the night. (That is not “hanging out”) Also, Castleberry Hill is not predominately white.
Why is everyone so sensitive and ready to play the race card? Go down there on a Friday night and see for yourself, isn’t that what reporters do? Or better yet, go down there on a Saturday morning and help the residents pick up trash, flyers, and broken beer bottles (left by the party go-ers). You won’t see the bar owners helping. Ask the residents of the neighborhood why they are so upset when they cannot get into their parking garage because a party go-er rudely blocked the gate, or why they are upset because the drunks are urinating on their home. Ask the residents why they have to hire extra police at these times because the bars can’t police themselves. It is definitely out of control.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Just to clarify, I’m not downplaying Castleberry Hill residents’ concerns at all.
If you’re the same Charles I think you are, then we’ve talked on the phone twice about many of the issues you address — both in Castleberry Hill and in other neighborhoods.
I’ve spent a lot of time in C. Hill and seen how it’s gone from a virtually abandoned industrial district, to trendy loft-n-gallery district, to black college-y nightspot.
I preferred it in loft-n-gallery mode.
On Saturday night, in fact, I turned down dinner in Castleberry Hill precisely because the party atmosphere is off-putting to me.
With this post, I was commenting on the fact that “the new Buckhead” is now semi-official shorthand for a conflict that has happened several times before in Atlanta and that, whether you like it or not, does have racial and class overtones.
It’s not “playing the race card” to acknowledge that people see this issue through the prism of race.
Nor is it playing the race card point out how indirect people are when they talk about racially-charged issues.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:55 am
icebox = refrigerator
July 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am
good one.
and it reminds me of one of my favorites:
Coke = all carbonated soft drinks
July 29th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Yes, I am the same Charles. Hello Andy.
Well, I have to disagree. When you accuse white people of being upset that black people “hang out”, then it does downplay legitimate concerns. You yourself admit to being offput by that atmosphere. It is out of control.
And, like it or not, there are parallels to be drawn between this one and the former Buckhead situation: the cruising (traffic), the noise, the litter, and yes, increases in crime. Perhaps there is a racial correlation, but to imply that that is the main motivation is mistaken.
I think that this article provides more context on the buckhead metaphor:
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/07/21/story7.html?b=1216612800%5E1670404
Also, before anyone says something to the effect of “Well, don’t buy a condo there if you can’t handle living next a bar”, remember that the bars and nightlife are a recent addition. Three years ago, the only bar was a pizza restaurant.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Sometimes there are only racial and classist “overtones” or “racially charged issues” because we create them. In Atlanta, just like my hometown of Birmingham, it seems that nearly everything is viewed through the prizm of race.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
BTW, I looked at Deere, GE and Mueller before deciding not to buy in Castleberry Hill because I didn’t think the friendly and artsy vibe lasting would last very long.
At the Loft Tour two years ago, I regretted that decision, but I don’t today.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Wow DaleC, your insight is Delphi-like. Tell me, should I buy Oracle?
August 2nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I read the article in the AJC, and at first I thought this is another case of how Buckhead used to be. I decided to hang out in Castleberry last night. My mouth dropped at the type of riff raff that was present. I saw a motorcycle caravan, cars going through the neighborhood playing loud music, the Atlanta Police Department having a relax attitude, long lines outside of establishment, litter, and a lack of respect for the residents who “actually” live in Castleberry. In my opinion, it looked really bad and I can’t really think of a solution to the problem. Good luck.