Jump to content

What is the Alamo?


Michael Knight

Recommended Posts

Quote

As noted by the Houston Chronicle‘s Jennifer Chang, the story is part of the paper’s controversial tradition of re-reporting stories that have been told elsewhere as if they were first discovered by the Times‘s writers. In addition to that, though, there was one part of the story that no one from Texas would have written. In describing the San Antonio region, the story claimed that “San Antonio is the economic heart of a swath of south-central Texas called the Alamo, where thousands have lost their jobs, particularly in restaurants and the oil and gas industry.” To which we—like many on Twitter and elsewhere—respond with a confused, “uhhhh, what?”

Quote

Still, in the absence of any evidence that anyone in Texas has ever verbally referred to the San Antonio region, stretching as far east as Port Lavaca and as far west as the Texas Hill Country, as “the Alamo,” we can only assume that the Times opted to include this line because they googled “San Antonio region” and stumbled upon this page from the comptroller’s office. That’s more funny than it is tragic—”where was this article published, New York City??“—but it does speak to why, when seeking to better understand the unique challenges faced by those who rely upon the services of the San Antonio Food Bank during the current crisis, we’ll look first to the folks at the San Antonio Express-News.

 

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/what-exactly-does-the-new-york-times-think-the-alamo-is/

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is kind of funny, though.

"Eastern elite" types often travel to Dallas, Austin, or Houston and rarely travel much beyond the near suburbs and think they know all about Texas.

Whereas, equivalently educated, professional Texans travel to NYC and dont begin to assume they know anything about boroughs they haven't visited or the rest of the state. 

Californians probably aren't as bad because they don't have the same kind of Washington-Philly-New York-Boston multistate, but pretty monolithic area where all the boarding schools and Ivies and near-Ivies are.   Those that haven't ventured beyond the Silicon Valley-Seattle "corridor" can be nearly as bad with their myopia. 

I was talking to a 30-something exec at a well-funded software/semiconductor startup that was utterly clueless about the tech industry in Texas.  Thought everything started and was centered in Austin.  She was a mix, a West Pointer that grew up in Westchester, then after the Army went to Tree for an MBA and was silicon valley centered.  It was kind of cool that she was acutely aware of UT, but had entirely the wrong idea about the state.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

The Alamo can't be a region. Because then where would you keep the bicycle?

in the basement of the region, where else could you even consider putting it?

hell, son, I'm a goddamned yankee and I know that!

Edited by Wally Fairway
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Lobo

If I had a drink for every time I heard Henry Cisneros comment that San Antonio was one of the four truly original American cities according to Mark Twain (the other 3 being Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco)...I'd be dead.  I lived there during three separate spurts for a total of about 1.5 years.  A fine town.  A fine Alamo.  I'd like to take the kids to the Zoo there one day.  How the fuck do people from outside Texas call that whole part of our state "The Alamo"?  

I'd like to get Times Square one day.  Isn't that they call the part of the country that stretches from Delaware to Maine?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Dr. Beeper said:

Wanna know how he got 1800 troops there?

He had a couple of pickup trucks. 

Hey now....If we are going to go there, ....

What did Crockett say to Travis when he woke up and saw 2000 Mexicans surrounding the Alamo?..... "Hey William, are we pouring concrete today?"

Edited by BillyGoatHill
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a mission, fort, church, sacred site, market, barracks, cattle pen, tourist attraction, museum, gift shop, rallying cry, battle ground, custody battle, landmark, next to a hotel, and across from a ditch with a lot of bars.

Edited by TexasEd
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Alamo has a basement and it’s tremendous.  A lot of people are saying that the basement was more of a bunker that was used for security purposes for the local leadership. I mean I’m just saying what a lot of other people are saying right now about tremendous leadership from the Alamo basement in the face of tremendous odds. And if peewee Herman were to go down and inspect that basement, well then he would be the bravest son of a bitch that I have ever known.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Lobo said:

The Alamo has a basement and it’s tremendous.  A lot of people are saying that the basement was more of a bunker that was used for security purposes for the local leadership. I mean I’m just saying what a lot of other people are saying right now about tremendous leadership from the Alamo basement in the face of tremendous odds. And if peewee Herman were to go down and inspect that basement, well then he would be the bravest son of a bitch that I have ever known.  

Nice !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/5/2020 at 9:06 AM, Viper said:

I'll do them one better: Why is the Alamo?"

Even back then Texans liked ice cream with their pecan pie.

oh shit! 
Stella!

Beat me to it.

Edited by Armybrat
Forgot to read the whole thread first
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...