Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Why Keep Fort Worth Funky?

Yesterday Keeping Fort Worth Funky showed up on my radar screen, via Facebook. Some sort of sponsored link thing linking to a Fort Worth Funky Facebook page.

I had heard this Fort Worth Funky verbiage previously and not thought much of it beyond thinking it odd, and somehow derivative, wondering if Fort Worth was once again copying something from another town. Austin? Portland?

I really did not spend too much time wondering.

Til this Keep FW Funky thing showed up before me, advertising a Funky Member Card, and, I assume, a coffee mug.

I vaguely wondered what this Fort Worth Funky thing meant. Being funky somehow did not seem, to me, to be something a town, or a person would want to be aspiring to.

So, I Googled "Funky" and found the Merriam Webster definition of Funky....

Definition of Funky
1: having an offensive odor: foul
2: having an earthy unsophisticated style and feeling; especially :having the style and feeling of older black American music (such as blues or gospel) or of funk a funky beat
3a: odd or quaint in appearance or feeling
b: lacking style or taste
c: unconventionally stylish

Well now, that definition of Funky hits bingo multiple times on Fort Worth.

The town used to be known for its offensive foul odor, emanating from the Fort Worth Stockyards, back when cattle were slaughtered and processed at that location. The town is currently known for the polluted river which runs through it, which the town encourages its citizens to have beer parties in when the e.coli level is low enough.

Fort Worth definitely has an unsophisticated style and feeling. The town's only newspaper constantly reflects that reality with it rube-like insipid propaganda boosterism.

Fort Worth is no doubt an odd town. I do not know if it is quaint in appearance or feeling. It is most certainly rundown in appearance. Shoddy. Little attention paid to things like landscaping along city streets, such as one sees in modern cities in the world. Or sidewalks. Very few Fort Worth streets have sidewalks.

Lacking style or taste? Well. Have you seen the downtown? A downtown with style would not have a boarded up eyesore celebrating the town's heritage right at the heart of the town's downtown.

Unconventionally stylish? Well, if Fort Worth were anyone's idea of stylish, it would most certainly be unconventional.

So, what is the deal with this Fort Worth Funky thing?

It really makes no sense to promote a town like Fort Worth in this way. Why not Fort Worth Junky? That is equally accurate. Or Fort Worth Clunky...

No comments: