Perception of Charlotte Nationwide

[ah59396]

I'd "guffah", but at this point I'm just not surprised....

 

 

http://gawker.com/north-carolina-legislators-just-approved-a-gun-bill-tha-890787181

 

 

NC is on a roll.

[vassago]

I'd "guffah", but at this point I'm just not surprised....

 

 

http://gawker.com/north-carolina-legislators-just-approved-a-gun-bill-tha-890787181

 

 

NC is on a roll.

 

Yep, why would anyone think that combining alcohol and guns might cause problems?  Silly liberals. 

[MilZ]

I'd "guffah", but at this point I'm just not surprised....

 

 

http://gawker.com/north-carolina-legislators-just-approved-a-gun-bill-tha-890787181

 

 

NC is on a roll.

Relax Guy

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/23/4185145/judge-issues-injunction-stopping.html

[nonillogical]

Relax Guy

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/23/4185145/judge-issues-injunction-stopping.html

I hate the Observer comments even more now that they switched to Facebook commenting...now its people who actually aren't embarrassed to attach their name and photo to what they're saying, and I can't keep assuming that it 80% all one person with troll accounts like I used to. 

[ah59396]

Relax Guy

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/23/4185145/judge-issues-injunction-stopping.html

 

 

Win one for the sane people!

[nowensone]

 

 

What about swords and spears and other melee weapons, eh? Some how I know that if I decided to walk around with a battle axe in NC I would get arrested. Clearly discrimination against melee weapon enthusiasts

Hilarious.  But valid, can I now carry my Anduril around in public instead of just leaving it hanging from my wall?

[Miesian Corners]

 http://www.charlotte...jSP8nI.facebook

 

In their never-ending quest to destroy the last vestiges of progressive politics, the NC Legislature takes another step in making us all the laughingstock of the nation.

 

Good God, what has happened to my home state?  

[nowensone]

All joking aside, this is really a dangerous mix of things, and I wonder just how many people there are like me who will go out far less if I know that drinking patrons may have a gun.  If there are any, they are hitting their bottom line with fewer sales tax dollars, adding to this yet another level of stupid.

Edited July 24, 2013 by nowensone

[cha]

I don't understand the whole mixing argument.  It clearly states in the article those carrying will not be allowed to consume alcohol.  

[nowensone]

^ Bartenders also aren't supposed to serve customers who have had too much, or allow them to drive home (more or less).

 

Concealment of the weapon would be the issue, and that argument presupposes responsibility on the part of a gun owner, which I wouldn't bank on, if for no other reason than why come to a bar if you don't plan to drink?  Whats actually going to happen is the gun will be concealed, and drinking will occur, and we watch the news until the first bar shooting occurs.

[ah59396]

^ Bartenders also aren't supposed to serve customers who have had too much, or allow them to drive home (more or less).

 

Concealment of the weapon would be the issue, and that argument presupposes responsibility on the part of a gun owner, which I wouldn't bank on, if for no other reason than why come to a bar if you don't plan to drink?  Whats actually going to happen is the gun will be concealed, and drinking will occur, and we watch the news until the first bar shooting occurs.

 

 

Plus think of all the confusion the first time someone "orders a shot".

 

 

 

(Puts head down...shuffles feet...walks into traffic over bad joke)

[cltbwimob]

This is all great news for me...I had always wanted to open a saloon; now I can have the authentic Wild West feel.

[Guest]

My grandpa walked around his law firm on McDowell and 3rd strapped every day of his life. His office is still there, but he is not, and neither are the guns. I'd like to think he'd be proud of the new legislation. I however am not... Everyday my desire to move back to NC wanes just a little bit more. 

[ah59396]

Yay, this article mentions us!

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/26/opinion/freemark-high-speed-trains/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

 

Yaayyy.....this article mentions us.......

 

"Hopping on a train to travel between Chicago and St. Louis, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, or New York and Washington in two hours or less would aid economic development by easing business trips."

 

(Emphasis mine)

 

 

I have a hard time believing people would read that article and think "Atlanta to Charlotte" and not know what that meant or where Charlotte was ("hmmm, Atlanta, Georgia to Charlotte, Kentucky?  No...that can't be right").  But who knows.  Reading the comments makes you lose hope in humanity.

[Miesian Corners]

Question:  how much lasting damage do y'all think the General Assembly's actions have done to Charlotte's reputation.  Most people I know from outside our little slice of heaven can't seem to separate the State from the City.  

[nonillogical]

Question:  how much lasting damage do y'all think the General Assembly's actions have done to Charlotte's reputation.  Most people I know from outside our little slice of heaven can't seem to separate the State from the City.  

Most people I know from outside the south realize that some states have ridiculous legislatures and don't really hold it against their cities. Texas and Florida come to mind.

 

As for the state as a whole, I think that for now at least, people are still aware of NC's historically progressive reputation rather than thinking our government has always been this way. That's the main reason why so many of the more outlandish bills have been such big national news stories.

[Miesian Corners]

I agree with you (to a point), but for a lot of folks, Charlotte doesn't equate to the likes of Dallas. Houston, Austin, Miami, or Atlanta. To most outsiders (in my exceedingly humble opinion; I don't know this to be a universal truth, and yes, this is completely anecdotal), those cities stand on their own reputations outside of the states they're in.  I'm not so sure Charlotte and Raleigh have reached that level.  I still get introduced by work colleagues as "This is Jon, he's here with us from North Carolina". I can count on one hand the times "Charlotte" was used instead. 

 

Edited for poor syntax and grammar.  And it's still probably a mess (apologies to my English teacher mom).

Edited July 28, 2013 by Miesian Corners

[nonillogical]

I agree with you (to a point), but for a lot of folks, Charlotte doesn't equate to the likes of Dallas. Houston, Austin, Miami, or Atlanta. To most outsiders (in my exceedingly humble opinion; I don't know this to be a universal truth, and yes, this is completely anecdotal), those cities stand on their own reputations outside of the states they're in.  I'm not so sure Charlotte and Raleigh have reached that level.  I still get introduced by work colleagues as "This is Jon, he's here with us from North Carolina". I can count on one hand the times "Charlotte" was used instead. 

 

Edited for poor syntax and grammar.  And it's still probably a mess (apologies to my English teacher mom).

I didn't so much mean that in specificity to particular cities, just that people are able to separate cities from their states in terms of culture and politics in a general way. Almost everyone realizes that cities are the centers for more progressive thought with very few exceptions in the country. People from out of state might not know enough about Charlotte to attach any reputation or ideas of culture to it, but they know that its a city in a pretty large state, and thats enough to not jump to conclusions based on what's going on in the GA. 

 

On a related note, we made it on the Colbert Report. Starts at 4:05. There's a pretty deep dig at Charlotte in there, but I urge everyone to not get too offended. Its a joke that has probably gotten made about every city ever at some point or other. 

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/428164/july-29-2013/tip-wag---steve-stockman--david-cameron---north-carolina-legislature

[ah59396]

Ha-ha, oh man.  Colbert is the best.  At least we are big enough to be ridiculed. 

[Urbanity]

Actually the joke about Charlotte is great when you consider his persona as the faux conservative - thus Charlotte being called the toilet on Colbert is him doing a wink wink that we are a liberal city and the toilet from the conservative point of view.   And if people don't get it?  oh well - we got mentioned on the Colbert Report!  

 

The NC segment btw was spot on!

[kermit]

perhaps the most irritating 'feature' of our new legislature is dramatically rising unemployment rates:

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2013/07/30/charlotte-area-unemployment-rises.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

It does not look like they are creating much business confidence:

 

 

Mecklenburg County’s unemployment rate also inched upward in June, rising to 9.4 percent from 8.9 percent in May.

...

 

Unemployment rates increased last month in 81 of North Carolina’s 100 counties and all 14 of the state’s metro areas, the Commerce Department says.

[cltbwimob]

^^^Who has time to worry about rising unemployment rates when there are much more pressing needs such as eliminating municipal architectural design standards and ensuring that guns are allowed in bars?

We are the TEA party heaven.

Edited July 30, 2013 by cltbwimob

[vassago]

So the LA Times posted an article about the fast food strikes which interstingly mentioned Charlotte alongside of NYC, Chicago and LA.

 

The protesters plan to spread out to other stores throughout New York during the day. Protests are also expected in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and other cities.

 

I have to wonder why we were mentioned when this strike is supposedly happening in ~50 cities across the country.

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-fast-food-protests-20130829,0,5191267.story

[AuLukey]

Might I add that I just returned from a week in Miami and the Keys.  Not one person questioned where Charlotte was.  Had to be at least a couple dozen people.  One person gave me an odd glance when I said "Charlotte," so I followed it up with "North Carolina," to which they responded "I know."  Charlotte's growing up.

 

On a side note, might I add that this strike is utterly ridiculous in Charlotte.  I can see the point in major metropolitan areas where cost of living is ungodly, but Charlotte has no need for a $15 minimum wage.  Helloooo inflation!

[abttown]

North Carolina is becoming much more well-known as of late.  Silver lining?

 

$15/hr may be a little high to some, but it's not as ridiculous as $7.25.  God forbid you have a child or any sort of health issue with that "income".  Maybe workers are aiming a little high to at least get some sort of compromise.