*sigh* Corpus Christi is a lost cause I am afraid

[alarimer]

This article talks about Mary Helen Berlanga walking out of the Board of Ed discussions (and rightfully so I might add).

http://www.caller.com/news/2010/mar/12/area-official-walks-out-board-ed-debate/

But it isn't just the actions of the Board that bother me; it is the fact that residents here are a bunch of known-nothings. What's more they are PROUD of it. Every single progressive or liberal op-ed is denigrated (in the comments) by a majority of the commenters.
Now, probably that is not a scientific sampling but it is the sense I get around here. Most people here are happy to remain ignorant.

And just to solidify my desire to leave Corpus as soon as humanly possible, comes an op-ed from the Caller-Times movie critic about why Corpus never gets the indie films that people talk about, even Oscar winners. I can't seem to find the article right now, but it basically said that a movie has to open in more than 800 theaters before they will send it here. It also mentioned cities like Newport, OR (about 1/30 the the population of Corpus Christi) getting a much better class of films because people will go see them. And it struck me that Corpus Christi is all about mainstream pablum when it comes to things like movies, TV or restaurant. You are hard-pressed to find a decent non-chain place to eat here. But that's fine for the know-nothings that live here I suppose. They do not care about improving the place at all. People are all excited about getting a PF Chang's, for pete's sake. I so want to move to a blue state, or at least a blue city.

[northoftheborder]

1. Come to Austin, blue city!

[sonias]

2. Well the Democratic State convention is going to Corpus this summer

Maybe the whole group can complain to the city liaisons about the lack of good restaurants and movie showings. There is nothing like tourists griping to get the local community trying to do something about it.

Don't worry about the crazy types griping on your news site. It happens in the bluest of cities. You should read the nut cases on the Austin American Statesman's site. Same kind of tripe you read on yours. Trust me. The problem is the toady tea types don't have too many places to go. They don't have a lot of gathering places on the net so they flock to news sites where they can spew their vile and get attention. Which they do.

You are of course welcome to Austin, I'm just trying to level your expectations. We got plenty of right wing nasty craziness here too. It's a sign of the times.

I agree with you that Mary Berlanga did the right thing walking out of that pointless meeting. The McLeroy faction has their heads stuck so far up their asses, they can travel back in time. To a time when things were so much "whiter" to suit their revisionist tastes.

:hug:

[CoolOnion]

8. I though this post would be about the convention!

I clicked to see if we could all pitch in and help a fellow Democrat get to the State Convention.

[sonias]

9. Good Samaritan!

Nope it's a Corpus Christi resident heartbroken about the state of their city.

I'll have to admit that I thought CC was lovely, but mainly as a visitor. Obviously as a resident, alarimer has more inside knowledge.

:hi:

[hobbit709]

3. "First God made idiots. That was for practice

Then He made school boards" Mark Twain.

[alarimer]

5. Wow. He was psychic or something.

Or maybe school boards have always sucked.

[WolverineDG]

4. They USED to get the indie films

before the huge stadium theaters were built. Oh well. CC is still light-years ahead of Laredo.

dg

[alarimer]

6. Is that the town that recently lost its only bookstore?

I feel for you in that case. We do have a couple here
I went to Brownsville for a job interview once and couldn't even find a Barnes and Noble to hang out it while I waited for the interview time. I asked someone and they said there wasn't a bookstore there. That may not be true anymore, I have no idea.

[WolverineDG]

7. Yes, but a used book store is opening this week

Yikes, Brownsville...there was probably a book store in the mall. But don't feel bad. The folks in Harlingen don't know where the airport is. (And it used to home to the Confederate Air Force).

dg

[derby378]

10. When ChickMagic and I come down there in June...

...maybe you should try to meet us at the convention. You'll find a bunch of wonderful Texas DUers in Corpus in a few months.

[Jack_DeLeon]

11. I'm not impressed by a PF Chang's, I like Hunan Express...

but yeah we have our share of ignorant and/or ghetto folks here.

I definately know what Joe Hillard was saying about the movies. I had to drive to San Antonio to go see "The Road."

[BrightKnight]

12. Gene Siskel Film Center - Perhaps someone like Cuban could partner w/ a university

and do a scaled down version of something like The Gene Siskel Film Center. The Film Center is actually part of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Film Department. It has alway been very popular with the public in Chicago. For years films were screened in the same auditorium used for film history lectures and classes. It has its own dedicated multi theatre building now but it is still part of the film department. There is no reason why this could not be done elsewhere.

http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/

--

Also, it does not take much to screen films. The McKinney Avenue Contemporary ( http://www.the-mac.org/ ) in Dallas shows films all of the time in a small auditorium with high end home theatre type system. The next "French Film Night" is 4/28. Lots of small art spaces do the same kind of thing.

Living in the civilized world has it's advantages, but there is no good reason for any place to be a complete provincial waste land.

[alarimer]

13. UPDATE: Corpus Christi named the fattest city in American by Men's Health

This link is to a KRIS-TV article citing the article.
http://www.kristv.com/news/corpus-christi-fattest-city-in-america/

I think this dovetails with the lack of good, local restaurants using fresh, healthy ingredients. All fast food, all chains. Hence, more overweight people. PLUS, this is a city that is not in the least welcoming for outdoor exercising: no dedicated hike/bike trails (except for limited ones right on busy streets. The city movers and shakers are not interested in green spaces at all but only interested in what makes money.