Many took issue with a recent article arguing that Birmingham is not a destination city, leading Weld to ask readers: what does that reaction say about Birmingham? Photo by Mannal Mekdad.
Last week many media readers took offense to a statement made in another newspaper indicating that “Birmingham is not a destination city.”
The online responses to the opening line, and perhaps to the upshot of Chuck Dean’s opinion column — that basically Birmingham is only a destination city for people who are seriously ill and in need of the highly regarded UAB Hospital — were decidedly strident:
“I read this again and I must agree UAB should be known more as a medical school then a football school but the rest of this article is totally a LOSERS mentality!!” said a reader masking his identity behind the handle MA2AL.
From the reader self-identifying as bd2: “Birmingham is no longer the city that the previous generation built. You people abandoned her when your years of sins caught up with you and my generation is rebuilding it into a truly magic place. You don’t have to love her like he we do, but don’t you dare put her down. Birmingham doesn’t have to be a tourist attraction to be successful. It has, however become a wonderful place to spend afternoons. It doesn’t have to bring national attention. I’d rather it be my little secret. If I want to visit a tourist attraction town then I’ll drive to Atlanta or Nashville and spend hours in 9 lane interstate traffic. I’d rather not drive in that B.S. daily.”
A commenter using the name BNASM took several swipes at Dean, saying, among other things, “You are exceptionally good at trash journalism. But publishing this article, brings you even below the level of trash journalism. You have really stooped to the lowest of the low here….
“Only sick minds would like Charles Dean’s writing. And one more comment Dean, if you live in the Birmingham area, LEAVE and NEVER return. If you do not live in the Birmingham area then shut up… You are a disgrace to journalism. You should be ashamed of yourself for writing such trash as this. Sounds to me like you are trying to stir up trouble. People like you love to fan the fires of discontent. You are SICK.”
Weld decided collectively to ask our own social media followers and connections these questions about the reactions to Dean’s column:
Were people only reacting normally to a perceived slight of their community? Or is something deeper going on? Are people today just hyper-prone to take offense at opinions or perspectives they don’t share? Or are Birminghamians just particularly thin-skinned?
Some of the responses we got were also decidedly strident, bearing some resemblance to the tone of commenters on AL.com.
“I don’t tend to be too PC or thin-skinned. He just came across as a negative [expletive],” wrote Barry Hair.
Some took offense at the form of the question. “Let me track this — you are doing an article on the way that people responded to an opinion piece they didn’t agree with, framing them as too sensitive,” wrote Jacob Piggot who was responding to the question through the I Believe In Birmingham Facebook page. “You might view the questions you asked above as balanced, but look at the phrasing.”
Also commenting in the I Believe In Birmingham space, Brian Garrity decided to answer the question with a screed against “the inexplicable fatalism of our city’s media… It just seems to be an automatic reflex of our local press to have such a stupid and self-loathing mindset.”
There were those who simply chose to answer the basic question of whether Birminghamians are hyper sensitive, or who made that topic a major part of their reply.
“With all of the mostly positive economic news of the past few years it is normal to react angrily to negative comments,” said Jerry Desmond.
“I think it’s that people are too easily offended by opinions that don’t echo their own,” wrote James Carter from Birmingham. “It’s definitely not limited to Birmingham area residents. Even the most backwoods towns have their pride, and I believe that any time outsiders perceive the place as ‘lower’ than the residents feel it is, an outcry or argument is sure to follow.”
Tina Tidmore of Alabama Media Professionals points to something of a siege mentality, which developed because of how others view Birmingham. “Birmingham area residents have chips on their shoulders and are always coming from a defensive position in relation to their home town,” she said. “This is because outsiders commonly have a negative perception while those who live here know of her assets. The problem is identity and branding. Until Birmingham leaders do a marketing campaign to the rest of the world that focuses on a new positive identity, we Birminghamians will have to continue to defend her to those who haven’t experienced her goodness.”
Some suggest that the level of anger generated by the AL.com column may be, above all else, a reflection of how social media gives readers the immediate opportunity to voice their opinions.
“Part of the ‘new’ problem seems to be the immediacy of response we now can have to any comment or article, whether perceived as praise or a slight,” wrote Scott Hanley, the station manager at WBHM, Birmingham’s National Public Radio affiliate. “People now ‘like’ Facebook posts that they never read, share Tweets with links that they never follow. This emotional, sometimes passionate response can pile on to what ‘we’ in the media think is a major trend. Sadly, the public lacks the time or interest to read. every. single. post.”
Whether or not they all read Dean’s column, here’s some of what the people who replied to Weld’s inquiry had to say, with most of their punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviation left as it appears in their Facebook posts. Quite a few chose to keep going on the discussion about whether the Magic City is also a destination.
Prickly?
Reader opinion varied on whether Birminghamians are just too quick to take offense.“I’m not sure this illustrates hypersensitivity,” wrote Dave Barnhart. “There is a certainly a vested economic interest in keeping morale high, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of things to critique about Birmingham — segregation, economic inequality, etc. — but the description ‘not a destination city’ is purely subjective and simply offends boosters. What’s the rhetorical goal there? It’s like shouting ‘War Eagle’ at an Alabama alumni gathering and then complaining that they are just hypersensitive.
“Any claim worth making is worth arguing, and argument is not a sign of hypersensitivity. Hypersensitivity is not being able to tolerate argument. When I think of hypersensitivity, I think of college professors having to put trigger warnings on their syllabus for reading The Bluest Eye or Huck Finn or Persepolis.”
Like Barnhart, Joe Hudson believes that Dean’s column was aimed at stirring the pot. “I took that story as written to provoke a reaction,” Hudson wrote. “That other site has become known for that sort of thing.”
Whether Dean meant to or not, the pot got stirred. “If you read the entire article, you would be as put off as I am!!” wrote Angie Ethridge Taylor, exclamation points hers. “Yes, call me thin-skinned!! I have lived here my whole life and the time is now for us!! We are growing by leaps and bounds, and negative people be damned, the ball is rolling so get out of her way!!!”
Vince Rosenthal thinks Taylor’s response is typical. “I haven’t read the article,” he admits, “but I do think folks around here are thin-skinned. Specifically, they crave validation and fully expect assimilation.
“Move down here and you are immediately asked about your church (there are only two right answers) and your favorite football team (again, only two right answers). Pity the person that, as politely as possible, offers up a third choice, or worse, declines to play along. That kind of rejection of the Southern norms will get you ostracized promptly. Which is why I’m no longer discreet about drinking a beer on a Wednesday night watching hockey.”
Rosenthal’s comment provoked assent from Cole Taratoot, who said that the only trait Rosenthal failed to mention is “the inability to handle a person who is direct. The preferred method is to be indirect until you figure out what is really up on your own.”
Austin Phillips, communications and marketing specialist-Development at Auburn University College of Engineering and faculty adviser of The Auburn Plainsman, believes Dean’s column “was spot on. Birmingham is definitely becoming a better city in almost every facet. But it still has a long way to go. This article was just being realistic. The ‘new/young’ Birmingham folks act like the city has ditched its sordid history with civil rights, corruption and crime overnight, and they get personally offended when anyone suggests otherwise.”
Another Auburn resident, Jordan Hays, believes history “has a lot to do with what makes a city attractive. For example, Memphis is known for music. It has Beale Street, the birthplace of the blues and where B.B. King made his career, and Graceland, home to the king of rock and roll. I think the column was beating around the bush a bit, but a town with a history of racial violence such as Birmingham is not exactly appealing to outsiders.”
Long-time Birmingham resident Scotty Colson believes the sensitivity aroused by Dean’s commentary comes from the same place as the Free UAB movement. “I think Bham may have hit a critical mass of crap dumped on us by others and ourselves and in the immortal words of Dee Snider, ‘We’re not gonna take it anymore.’ That is the greatest thing about the fight for UAB football… For the first time in our history a progressive citizen movement beat and turned back the mean old good old boy ruling cabal of this state without the help of federal intervention.”
For some people, Birmingham doesn’t need to be a “destination city.” Larry Caine wrote, “Birmingham is not a destination. But, that’s ok. I was in Atlanta recently. It is a destination and I don’t want any part of it.”
Jeremiah McMinn said he had “moved to Memphis last year (a real destination city) and Birmingham doesn’t even come close to the same type of city. Which is in no way a bad thing…. but you can tell the difference.”
In a similar vein, Chris Huffman wrote, “How many people do you hear say ‘Hey, let’s go to Birmingham for our vacation?’ No one. That’s who. But, maybe that’s a good thing?”
On the other hand, Bill Taylor can’t quite see what the fuss is about. “Why do people have to validate the city/area in which they reside? If you’re happy, no need to explain or defend why,” he said.
But then he added, “I don’t think that BHM is a destination city.”
For some folks, those are fighting words.
Pro-destination, or just pride?
Most people who responded to our inquiry seemed less interested in asserting that Birmingham is a destination city than they were in establishing their viewpoint that people, including journalists, should say nice things about the city.
“I was someone who took great offense to the Dean article, but not because he said we aren’t a ‘destination city’ (even though I am, for the record, a fervent supporter of UAB Football),” wrote Jamie Seitz. “I’m under no illusion that people think, ‘Where should we go for a weekend getaway?’ and their answer is ‘Birmingham, of course!’ That may be the case someday (in the near future, even), but I don’t kid myself to think that is the way it is today. There may be an event here and there that draws people to our lovely town, but it’s not currently the definition of ‘a destination city,’ and that’s OK — we’re on our way to becoming that soon. At least I think we are.”
Seitz noted that near the time Dean’s column appeared, Birmingham hosted “an international heavyweight boxing championship, three sold-out concerts by a country music legend, and a number of other sold-out events…
“Birmingham may not yet be a ‘destination city,’ but it seems to be more than on its way, and frankly, it’s not something to snub your nose at, which is exactly what Mr. Dean did,” he wrote.
Still, he took issue with other aspects of Dean’s column, including the notion that Birmingham is always to be stained with the legacy of Bull Connor, “and the horrific acts of the local government during the Civil Rights Era. Yes, that is an important part of our past, but we are/should be known just as much for those peaceful protestors who fought and overcame those (such as Connor) who were in power and in the wrong. I’m pretty sure that’s why the Civil Rights Museum exists.”
The desire for the city to be less identified by the worst aspects of its history came through in a number of responses. “I get offended when people label our city or state as ‘gun toters’ or Bible thumpers,” wrote Helen Todd. “We have worked hard to overcome so many stereotypes. But, not being a destination city doesn’t bother me as much. We are getting there.”
For some readers, the AL.com column simply didn’t take the right viewpoint about the city.
“I am not originally from here and came to Bham in 1983,” Hair wrote. “As an ‘outsider’ I have seen this town change for the better especially in the last ten years. I have family that lives in Las Vegas (originally Southerners) but have been many places in this country and abroad. They are fans of Birmingham and what it has to offer. I have family from Seattle (who moved from NYC) as well and they have been very complimentary of this town. Look forward. Don’t wallow in the past. Chuck Dean came across as some kind of grumpy old dude.”
I Believe In Birmingham founder Joseph Casper Baker III said he took offense at the column, “because it had a strong defeatist attitude. Yes, we have challenges and shortcomings. EVERYWHERE DOES. The task before us is to carry the momentum forward and become a better Birmingham. It’s not a simple task nor will it happen overnight. But the first and most important thing needed is people who believe we can and should be better. Taking command of the narrative of Birmingham is priority one.”
What should that “narrative” be? Blogger Andre Natta touched on that in “Changing the South means Changing the Attitude,” which he wrote after Dean’s column.
“Starting down the slippery slope of whether or not we’re a destination city isn’t necessarily where the conversation needs to currently live,” Natta wrote. “Perhaps it’s about whether or not we’re worthy as a city to continue to dream and push forward so we have the attitude that accompanies being the destination actually shared by more than a few select people. Talking about our place in history should be accompanied with what we’ve done to build on it (and what still needs to be accomplished as we truly start to move forward).”
Others agreed with the notion that a view of negative aspects of the city’s history should not dominate discussions of the community today. “The fundamental issue I have with Chuck Dean’s column is that he begins by insisting that Birmingham’s present and future is pre-determined based on event[s] of the past,” Andrew Wheeler-Berliner wrote. “UAB medicine is great, that’s obvious, but it’s only one part of Birmingham, and Birmingham is more than UAB. People come to Birmingham for all kinds of reasons. If Chuck Dean doesn’t care to notice that, then he’s missing out on some amazing parts of Birmingham life.”
Daring to detract
Although there is a chorus of voices calling for a positive view of where the city, Birmingham also has outright detractors among those who live here now, and those who have left. Taratoot is one of them.
“Birmingham is not a destination for vacation or life,” he said. “I can truly say my time in Alabama was the worst in my 40 years. People never wanted to come visit (many just afraid of the intolerance). Now I am going to Miami. Think people want to visit now?”
Attorney Mitch Damsky already moved away. “Birmingham is a sad city! I left because I couldn’t make a living doing what I do,” he said. “It’s the city that wants to, but can’t! When I say Birmingham, I mean Jefferson County. The culture of greed and corruption put the county where it is without functioning effective government. When I say Jefferson County, I mean Alabama where narrow minded pandering politicians make Alabama the laughing stock of the nation! Some things will never change!”
There are also residents who tend to view the glass as being half empty. “I have mixed views on this,” wrote Janina J. Larsen. “I love the fact that Birmingham is becoming a foodie city. I still don’t believe it’s a destination place. This town needs a lot of cleaning up to do. I don’t feel safe at all here, the violence is too much,” she said, pointing to crime, drug users and what she considers a downward slide in the community, including in the suburbs. “It’s looking like the slums and not safe. To be honest I would really like to move away.”
Loving the ‘Ham
Still, judging by the responses Weld received there is a subset of people who see in Birmingham, the opposite of the old saw, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”
For example, current Seattle resident Tess Roy said she’d come home to stay under the right circumstances. “I was born and raised in Birmingham and would move back in a minute if life would let me. Maybe it’s that it doesn’t have a picture-perfect postcard as a selling point. Take away the Space Needle and Mt. Rainier from that ubiquitous postcard and you are left with the drugs, hatred, graft, racism and skyrocketing housing prices that plague most cities.”
Another former local, Roman Schauer, said, “I’ll tell people Birmingham is a great place to live but not to visit.”
Billie Dupree has a similar view. “If I was an out-of-towner, I don’t think I could say ‘Hey let’s go to Birmingham for vacation.’ Nothing really big ticket in The Ham. However, I could say, ‘Hey let’s look at relocating to Birmingham on a permanent basis.’ Lots of little tickets to spice up everyday life.”
Photographer Gary Clark listed several reasons why people could choose to come to Birmingham despite the fact that it is not a vacation destination: world class healthcare, James Beard Foundation winning chefs, Civil Rights history, the oldest continually used baseball park in America, among them.
“Birmingham is a great city, [in my opinion] one of the best kept secrets in its size and what it has to offer,” wrote Tabor Hollingsworth. “It’s capable of surprising people more than disappointing people, which is what most cities end up doing.”
Balancing act
Despite the polarized views some readers took of Dean’s column, it appears to be possible to have a civil discussion of Birmingham’s strengths and weaknesses. And it appears that Birmingham is not the only place where conflicted views of the community rise to the surface.
“As a media type with just three years into the Magic City — and 17 years in a city with steel to the north that has had amazingly similar self-image and governance issues (Pittsburgh), I suggest a deep breath is in order,” Hanley wrote. “I took the Chuck Dean column as largely praising one of the major driving forces in Birmingham that helped reshape this community. The influx and development of the talent and diversity (on many levels) of UAB medicine and research has been astounding. Mr. Dean may not have been as artful as I would have liked. It is ONE column.
“The transformation of Birmingham into a vision for the Birmingham to be is one that takes collective aspiration and cooperation,” Hanley wrote. “Money and focus can be poured on thickly by civic and business leaders, but eventually, this or any community will evolve and grow (or not) from the steps and missteps along the way. There will always be mistakes, disagreements, failures, competitive clashes and hurt feelings along with the successes and celebrations. How our leaders and our citizens face those challenges — and each other — is the mark of character and legacy that we will leave for the next generation.”