33 thoughts on “SADDLE UP”

  • Holy fuck. UGA hired you?! Or, more accurately, you're so desperate for work you agreed to work for them? Condolences or congratulations, whichever fits your mood better.

  • I didn't realize that one of the largest public universities in the country fell into the desperation pile. But thanks.

  • Awesome! That's only about 90 miles from me. When you get ready to do some fieldwork, look me up. I'll drive you around in my little pickup truck (we'll blend in with the natives) and I can translate for you.

  • From whence are you going? I've only ever lived in New England; I've visited other places long enough to know that I'd probably not do terribly well anywhere else. My brother-in-law, a native New Englander, transplanted to Huntsville Alabama about 20 years ago; he STILL doesn't feel like it's home…

  • Fulcanelli says:

    Indeed, God has a sense of humor, but you may want to keep yours under wraps outside the confines of your new vocational endeavor at the college, in certain 'safe' zones in town, or here on your blog.

    You'll need to vent your frustration with the less sophisticated locals though, so I anticipate your posts becoming even more outrageous and funnier than ever.

    Bon Chance.

  • At least you will be at UGA, Ed. I've been at NGCSU (Republican training camp) for the last two years and can't leave soon enough. Athens is supposed to be pretty cool though, wish I had been stationed there. You should have plenty to FJM and Rant about after you move here. Congrats on the job! Be a proud Yankee-transplant, it drives the rednecks crazy, lol.

  • Most important thing to do to fit in is modify your vehicle. I suggest an orange paint job, weld the doors in place, paint a huge US flag on the roof, name it after a Civil War hero (I suggest "Gen. Sherman",) and have the horn play "Yankee Doodle". The locals will just love it. And you.

  • We of leftist political persuasion make fun of the South a lot, and the way redneckus americanus votes to fuck over his/ her ( and our) class interests perplexes us, but just relax and take a big patience pill and hang out with the locals. People down there aren't raving maniacs ready to devour a liberal at the drop of a hat. You will meet some interesting characters.
    The racism is irritating, but you will find that in most rural communities throughout the U.S.A.
    There are pockets of liberalism throughout the South. Athens is one. Ashville, NC is another. I lived there for 5 years and loved it.
    Congrats, and good luck!

  • Racism isn't a rural thing, though people who fled cities once they weren't white enough certainly hoped so. Racists and all sorts of bigots live everywhere: cities, suburbs, exurbs, and in rural areas. But so do decent-minded people who can see beyond the skin colors and sex habits and whatnot of their neighbors.

    Being an ignorant ass is something that can be accomplished in the most diverse cities with good educational systems and even with tolerant upbringing. But that's just because some people are better than their surroundings, while others are much worse.

  • It's Georgia. The climate sucks, the school may be large but I wasn't aware that size is synonymous with quality education, the public school system feeding into that institution is one of the worst in the country, and there seems to be some weird religious cult centered in Athens that's based on bulldog worship.

    Not to mention that you just got done thoroughly bashing Paula Deen and now you're voluntarily putting yourself into the same state as her.

    On the other hand, Saxby Chambliss, Sonny Perdue, et al are going to offer up a lot of entertainment for you when it comes to politics.

    The "desperation" was actually intended a tad tongue-in-cheek; I know from seeing comments from your students that you're good at what you do so I'm happy you found a decent position at a large public institution when the academic job market is looking pretty anemic overall. Several years of watching Chambliss and Perdue in action has just kind of soured me on Georgia in general.

    As for the average inhabitants of Georgia, all the people I've met since moving here have been nice, polite, helpful, friendly, more the stereotypical Southerner pushing glasses of sweet tea at visitors than any sort of bigoted yahoo. I did have people ask me why I supported Obama when they noticed the bumper sticker on my vehicle, but none ever got nasty or did anything other than raise ideological issues (e.g., the dreaded socialist agenda). I haven't noticed any racism or nastiness that wasn't found just as much in Nebraska, Michigan, or any place else I've lived, both rural and urban. It might be out there, but I haven't seen it. I see comments in the AJC once in awhile that make it clear there are some ignorant bigots around, but there are bigots everywhere. If you go looking, you'll find some, but why bother?

  • Erik Moore says:

    All you need to do is look at the election results from 2008 – per county in GA.

    http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapPGA

    Fulton County (ATL) was 67% Obama – 32% McCain.
    Clarke County (Athens) was 65% Obama – 34% McCain.
    Obama won 56% of the vote for ages 30-44 in the state.
    Other "safe havens" include – Savannah, Augusta, Columbus & Macon. The state is ripe to be turned BLUE just like VA & N.C. – it's gonna take some work but as the demographics change in the state so will the voting habbits.

    I have lived here for 2 1/2 years (in Atlanta) and I see more Obama stickers everyday than W or McCain stickers.
    The weather is great, the food is delightful, the girls are pretty & everything is cheaper down here!
    Enjoy Athens & I hope you like college football, do not fight it, just roll with it

  • Congrats! I'm also a Midwesterner (Urbana, IL) that transplanted to a Southern liberal urban area (between Durham and Chapel Hill, NC) and I find that I like it more than I ever imagined. Lots of cultural stuff to do and there is a lot more to do outside (you'll be living in a state with both mountains AND ocean, what a concept). One of my favorite things is that the winters are a lot shorter and usually avoid the kind of cold that is painfully bone-chilling. I really don't know if I could go back to enduring that kind of thing.

  • Erik must not have allergies. The Atlanta air is killing me. Athens won't be as bad, though. It won't have the pollution problems on top of the pollen that Atlanta suffers from.

  • Rob_in_Hawaii says:

    You must be hot spit to get hired by a pretty decent school in this awful academic market. Congratulations!

  • I agree with Rob_in_Hawaii, way to go, Ed. Georgia has a way to go but it's getting there. I used to live in N. FLA and we used to jokingly call it S. GA. You are in the heart of NASCAR Country, but as a few friends from UF say, they live on an island of blue in a sea of red. I think Athens is like that.

  • Ah, good to see you down around the area, Ed. Welcome to the land of incredibly muggy heat, solid yellow cars in the spring, terrible public education, and incompetent city governance!

    Athens is probably better than Atlanta, though. You should be fine there, as it's reasonably upscale and educated compared with the rest of the state. It's pretty amazing how rural it gets just a few miles outside of major centers, though.

  • Damn, this is going to make for some GREAT anecdotes. (All my cousins go to UGA, too, so I may even get reverse anecdotes.)

    Welcome to the South, Ed, and congrats.

  • Deep congratulations. However the job/relocation turns out, it will likely not be your final destination, but you now have your foot in the door, and life is about to get a whole lot better, trust me.

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