So, Friday was apparently #615Day…June 15th….6/15…get it? It wasn’t really something I knew about. But, whatever. Every day is a holiday these days. It’s like social media will be turned on its head if a day goes by without a trendy hashtag in front of some obscure holiday. But, I’ll quit yelling at kids to get off my lawn now. It’s no secret that Nashville growth has been exponential over the last few years. And while many celebrate what our city has become, there are still quite a few who wish things would go back to the way they were before (I’m somewhere in the middle, FYI).
Work was kind of slow on Friday afternoon, so I had a chance to scroll through the trending page, and some of the responses to #615Day were cracking me up. Let’s hit the highlights:
Happy 615 Day! I am an ORIGINAL born in Franklin TN! Can’t afford to live there now! Thanks to the infiltration of Yuppie As*holes slowly but surely destroying and ruining my beloved home and mid-state! #615day
— Josh (@realjoshbelcher) June 15, 2018
This one’s just a catch-all. Shots at the housing market. Shots at the yuppie assholes.
Sidenote: I had to look up what a ‘yuppie’ actually is: “a young person with a well-paid job and a fashionable lifestyle.” I’ve worked downtown since 2013, and the idea that Nashville is infiltrated with young people who have well-paid jobs is hilarious.
Now, if you only come down on pay days, well, then yeah – you might think all of us damned millennials are rich. But, that’s not the case – Nashville is still kind of behind the times, at least in the tech industry.
But, look, I get it – it’s a trendy spot full of trendy people. There are places in town where I feel intimidated if I walk in in shorts and flip flops. But, for the most part, if you actually meet and talk to people, you’ll find that most people are here because of a deep love and appreciation of our city’s culture and vibe. They’re actually good people – shocking.
Vandy sucks #615Day
— MoonChildChuck (@CharlesWRyan) June 15, 2018
WHOA! How the hell did Vandy get roped into this? And, what are we talking about here? The baseball team? Nah. The football team? Yes. The hospital? Fuck no! The university! Hell no! Vanderbilt is a Nashville institution – literally. It’s probably the last thing I would say sucks about Nashville.
The traffic.
— John M Webb (@therealjohnwebb) June 15, 2018
Simple and sarcastic. Love it. In two words, this guy just conveyed the lifeless soul of every native who sits in traffic every day thinking about the days when it wasn’t an issue.
What it used to be before all of this gentrification and insurgence of entitled millinenials. Everything that was family oriented and historic is being pushed out or taken over by modernization and tourism!
— Karen Munn Johnson (@ladykpm) June 15, 2018
Yeah, Karen! I want the old days to come back when you went downtown to get your hookers and drugs and you might get caught up in a knife fight on your trip!
In fairness, my parents and relatives have always shared stories about Old Old Nashville – we’re talking like the 50s-70s. And, it really does sound wonderful. I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s when my dad wouldn’t even let me walk outside of his paint and body shop in East Nashville without supervision.
To Karen’s point, maybe she is talking about Old Old Nashville.
Who got shot yesterday? That’s the new Nashville.
— Donna B Cole (@DonnaBCole3) June 15, 2018
Whew. Donna. That’s….yikes….that’s rough. But, I can’t really argue with it.
the insane cost of housing!
— Who Cares Right (@MEMTigGriz1) June 15, 2018
Another nice, sarcastic posts…but it would’ve been better without ‘insane.’ You leave ‘insane’ in the joke, and it tips your hand. Not a very good troll job, but I appreciate the effort and sentiment.
All the bachelorette parties. Lol. Just kidding. They’re making Nashville unbearable.
— grey (@greystgirl) June 15, 2018
Annoying, yes. But, the bachelorette parties are pretty easy to avoid. I mean, I don’t know too many fellow natives who still actually go out on Broadway and 2nd Avenue. It’s a very rare occurrence for me, and usually only when we have friends or family in town visiting. Everyone has to go honky tonkin’ and see the Broadway lights at least once in their lifetime.
But, for the most part, I’m out in any number of the outlying pockets around town.
And, overall – I get it. This sort of town isn’t for everyone – some people have fond memories of downtown Nashville that they don’t get to experience anymore because of the prices, the traffic, or the crowds. Complaining on Twitter, as entertaining as it may be, isn’t going to change a thing.
This city has the damn rocket pack strapped to the back. It’s only going to keep going.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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