Board 8 > Has your town ever NOT honored someone they should?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Alternate title: who has your town honored before?

Let's talk about the politics of who our homes prop up. Here's what's been on my mind today.


I got to thinking about my tiny hometown. They just put up a new sign honoring their boys' high school basketball team which got second place in the state championship, which includes the name of their star player who just got a college scholarship somewhere. There's also been signs for a long time honoring a soldier I went to school with and died overseas. Alongside them, I think we still have a sign honoring a national politician we had from like the early 1900s. These are three nice honors and I don't want to talk badly on any of them.

I also think of the Liberal Redneck Trae Crowder. He's from there too, as is his family, and he's done huge things the past fourteen months. He's become a viral sensation, written a book, launched a national comedy tour, created a popular podcast, and begun filming a TV network series this summer. He was also well-liked growing up too: raised dirt-poor by a single dad, became class vice-president, voted Most Likely To Succeed, played football, and he even wears his high school practice t-shirts as he gets his picture taken for Forbes (sleeveless!). Those are big deals and a continued recognition of where he came from...

...and yet, no sign. I get it: he's ripping into the values much of this town holds dear, like the Bible (even though the town's churches told him his gay uncle would go to hell) or respecting your family (even though his mother was on drugs and was not often there for him). Still, I asked a local about the idea of a sign recently and they compared Trae to Charles Manson. Like, that's crazy to me -- and this local even agrees politically and was friends with his dad. That's just how attacked the town's conservative side feels: they supported Donald more than anywhere else in the state's primary, and then Trae got famous like a month later. One of their own got famous by being a thorn in their side...so is that worth honoring?

I dunno man, politics cuts deep but I wish our hometown would give him a sign someday.


I thought maybe some of ya'll would have something to share on this subject too. Any local politics or controversies on honoring your local people?
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Up.
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Sorry to hear that about your friend, that pretty much blows.

Although, the idea of the place where I live honoring / not honoring someone is not an idea I'm very familiar with. The place where I live doesn't really do things like that. It's not really a community, though. Just a place with other places in it. We're not a close-knit town. A certain recent ex-vice president came from our county and we still don't really care. It's a lot more...impersonal, I would say.
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i cannot believe they would do such a thing to your very good friend trae crowder, the liberal redneck
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It ain't like he's asked for it that I know of, so I guess I should clarify they haven't really done anything TO him...but, like, I don't think even the local newspapers covered him since he went viral.

And yeah yeah, I talk about him sometimes here. It's fascinating and I'm happy for him.
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You posting a link here was the first time I ever saw the guy's videos! Always liked his stuff.
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I've never heard of him, but I don't think a town 'should' honor anybody. They have no obligation to. That said, I'm kind of surprised they haven't if he has gotten any kind of notoriety, as that seems to be the thing to do in that situation--attach yourself to the so-called famous person and leech off their spotlght, basically.

I remember when this little shitburg had someone from here as a contestant on one of the early seasons of Big Brother. The news would talk about it every chance they got, no matter how boring it always was.
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Fair point about a town having no obligation. I will say the town needs some sort of tourist attention though -- a problem the town has talked about for a long time -- and Trae has done his fair share to put it in the spotlight. He's highlighted the town on Dateline and talked about the pride our people have on the View. It's the town taking offense to his views on the Bible and conservative politics that keeps the town from recognizing the attention he's brought their way or offering any back. It's weird to see.

Is there such a thing as impersonal small towns? I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Like, I get it that NYC doesn't honor every single celebrity they get, but I never considered small towns being the same way if they had a big name from there.
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Also, I appreciate the term "shitburg."
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I don't really think being a semi-popular personality deserves to be honored alongside a fallen soldier or famous policeman. The basketball team getting second place doesn't really fit either (especially because they didn't even win), but people are crazy about sports so it makes sense.

Regardless I don't think any place would honor someone who completely opposed to their views. Like if you flipped it and it was a outspoken conservative from like California or something they probably wouldn't honor him either
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I don't think your friend is very funny and this was on painfully awkward display when he went on Bill Mahr's show (not insulting either of you, it's just personal preference), but it's silly for your town not to give him some recognition over a difference in politics. By not doing it they're basically silently announcing they're shamed of him, and things like that should be reserved for criminals and such.

I guess the logic is he doesn't deserve a spot alongside "real heroes" or whatever, but he should get a blurb in the local paper or something for his family to frame. Pretending he doesn't exist is wrong.
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