You know, I will have to admit that before I ASKED my company to send me to Memphis, I did not do my homework about the place. At the time I moved here, Memphis was the murder capital of the nation. It has, apparently, dropped into second place. Yay! But on the heels of that news comes Forbes announcement of the ten most miserable cities in America. And Memphis is number three on the list. Sigh.
The article says that they looked at weather, economic indicators and crime when they were ranking cities. Shelby County has a 21% unemployment rate. As mentioned above, Memphis is 2nd in the nation for murders. The weather is nice, though! Well, not all of the snow we've had. And okay, there are those pesky tornados. One took out the Kohl's near my house last year.
The First 48, a murder solving reality show on A&E, is often shot (if you'll pardon the pun) in Memphis. I am new enough to Memphis that I didn't even realize this, even though I watched numerous episodes. I actually had to be told this by one of my co-workers. Now that I know it, I notice when an episode includes a Memphis murder. It is scary.
Quite frankly, I don't get out much. It's not that I don't want to go out. I just work a lot of hours. So by the time I get home, I want to do absolutely nothing. But I do think about it when I am walking from the grocery store to the car. I think about it when I am leaving the campus late at night and going out to the car. I think about it when I am walking from the mall to the car. And I think about it when I am home and I hear a BUMP in the other room. (But that would scare me no matter where I lived!)
If there is anything about Memphis that makes me miserable, it would be things like conservative thinking, religion being used as a weapon of fear, segregation and an over-emphasis on race. It does sometimes feel like I have moved backwards in time. Having lived in places like northern New Jersey, Phoenix and Atlanta, I find Memphis to be somewhat contained at times, with only a very few people pushing up against the heavy walls. But, since I don't get out much, I am basing that on only a few experiences. So maybe all of that is wrong too!
I am content to be here for now. Are you content to be where you are?
I'm very content. Of course, I've lived in Oklahoma all of my life, so I don't really have anything to compare it to.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty content, but I'd rather be in England. Do they have bad weather?
ReplyDeleteim nt sure how exactly u send a message! bt just wanted to say thanxx for the comment...ii was beginning to think that my profile or blog was nevr going to be noticed!! thanxx again for the reassurance :)
ReplyDeleteMama Zen, I sometimes envy people who have that one place that they belong. I've never had that, other than that summer community I mentioned. But I'm also grateful for every experience I have had!
ReplyDeleteEngland? I've never been! Why would you rather be there? :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, cornykid21! I'm just as grateful for your visit to my blog. I love visiting other blogs and reading other people's thoughts. I find people endlessly interesting!
ReplyDeleteI want a cool British accent. It's better than what I have now. I sound like a New Yorker even though I'm from Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteI once considered a job in Portland, OR, but found out it had a very high murder rate and a lot of thefts, etc. You wouldn't have known to look at it, but everyone at the company I interviewed with had a burglary story to tell. I went to Chicago.
ReplyDeleteHello, Just bloghopping. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteBe Well :)
Aw what the hell does Forbes know about Memphis....Memphis has its problems like any other big city. We have corrupt politicians, drug problems, crime, pollution. But look at LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas.
ReplyDeleteIt just means we have joined the big time.
Now if we can just get some smart people in office to utilize our location and get some appreciation of what culture we do have we will flourish. If it ain't about basketball in Mtown, it ain't happening.
If Memphis is in a slump, I think we are in a slump because of the long tenure of the former non mayor Willie. Now hes trying to get Steve Cohen's job. He, as usual is playing his race card which OUR corrupt politicians love to play.
Now Memphis could learn alot from Nashville. But these are just my observations and who the hell am I?
Im happy as a clam in my Raleigh Bartlett meadows house in good ol' Memphis Tennersee
shybutoutspoken, you can have a cool British accent without going to Englad. Start practising now! Find a books-on-tape version of a novel that is read by a British reader. Listen and mimic, listen and mimic, listen and mimic. Before you know it, you can practise in public. People will ask you where you are from and you can smile mysteriously. Hee hee!
ReplyDeleteAre you content in Chicago, Bill? Or have you moved elsewhere since then? I really enjoyed Chicago the couple of times I visited.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteAs always, dragyonfly, I can count on you to speak your mind! I treasure that about you! There are aspects of Memphis that I am really enjoying! But I will admit that I miss Atlanta and/or Phoenix.