Speaking of Plano …
A testy FBvian sends this acerbic note in response my post from yesterday about Plano’s Collin Creek Mall:
You write that Collin Creek is “the mall of my youth.”
Think of it: You didn’t grow up in a town, or a city, or out in the country….the three legitimate environments as anyone would admit.
You grew up in a suburb, the netherworld that is none of those other things.
It’s funny. Someone who admits that Collin Creek was the mall of their youth would be sadly dismissed in my world. I suppose I should give you props for honestly admitting such a background.
I don’t know how I live with myself. (Go Wildcats!)
26 Comments to “Speaking of Plano …”
Leave a Reply
All material copyright © 2008 D Magazine. All rights reserved.
If that person lives in a world where exclaiming that a particular mall “was the mall of my youth” gets you banished, then I feel very sorry for that person and the pretentious, shallow, and hollow world they live in. Sounds like a Parkie wife to me.
Probably she/he grew up out in the “country”–with no electricity or running water. Those who grew up with nothing tend to be the most pretentious when they finally have something.
My sister and I spent many, many happy and fun hours at our favorite malls in Iowa and Dallas. We still fondly remember Prestonwood Mall, and talk about how great Valley View mall was–when it was newer, and SAFE.
You hold your head up high, you hip, mall-shopping girl you!!
I would like to thank the correspondent for making it so easy for me to dismiss (sadly)him/her from my world.
I think it was Marty Courtland who wrote that. You ROCK Stacey, pathetic suburban existence and all. I’ll see you at Frulatti…3ish?
I’m on a couple of posting boards where people query about ‘moving to Dallas’. Several times recently, Plano has been dismissed as being ‘too old’.
I never thought I would live to see the day.
The price of sprawl can be very high…
How dare you, Stacy, grow up in a suburb! Obviously you should have abandoned your family as a child and moved to a town, city or out in the country where you could have a respectable childhood. I can’t believe you didn’t think of it.
*Stacey. No offense to the “e” in your name. I love you, “e!”
Who pissed in that person’s cheerios? Sounds like someone needs a nap.
I just have to weigh in again. I’ve been thinking about this all morning (THANKS, I can’t get any work done) and I’m incensed that someone would be of such low class that they would actually take the time to sit down and purposely write to you with such an insult.
Where I grew up (in a suburb, natch) one was taught not to insult other people’s upbringing, but to see them for who they are now, what their accomplishments are, and what kind of manners they have. In this, I find your correspondent sadly lacking.
By the way…my sis and I, despite our mall-shopping tendencies as teens, are now educated adults who each owns her own successful business (not retail).
Stacey, I enjoy your posts. Keep up the great work!
I grew up in a small town…a suburb…waaay out in the country….and now I live in the heart of downtown. And though I now choose an urban lifestyle, I do not look down on those in the suburbs. I managed to survive it and made it out pretty OK. And anyway, since when does a kid have a choice of where they grow up? You just make the best of what you’ve got, and when you get old enough, you make your own choices. And then impose those on your hapless children.
Impressive, most impressive. I believe this individual has managed to alienate 75% of the demographic with their contemptuous rant. As one born in, according to the author’s logic, a real “city” in the Northeast (we’ll call it “NYC” to protect the innocent), I thank my parents for relocating to Plano in my youth so I could have an excellent education and comfortable upbringing. There is a reason suburbs developed, and only recently have “cities” realized why and done something to stem the flow.
By the way, perhaps my Plano education was poor, but with an autonomous government, Plano is by definition a city. Oh, omniscient one, please illuminate me.
Anyone catch the December 3, 2007 edition of the NY Post featuring Don Imus new African American co-host who says that Plano has “the ethnic diversity of a Klan rally.”
I always like how the NY Post takes jabs at people in their URL
The one above being “Imus-gal-a-black-texas-ny-Jew”
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12.....128392.htm
The Dallas Morning News takes similar un-PC liberties with their URL’s too, usually in Bush bashing articles. ******.
Oh, good for you, Courtney. The “heart of downtown?” Wow, you’ve really come up in this world.
You “managed to survive it?” No condescencion there at all.
Like you, I happily reside in an urban setting. Unlike you, however, I do not think that it makes me any better than the surburbanites. I pray you do not impose your closemindedness on your “hapless children.”
Wow! This person would really look down on me. The mall of my youth is the dearly departed Sher-Den Mall in (gasp!) Sherman, Texas. I really wonder where this person grew up. Never forget your roots, honey.
I recall the A&P of my youth.
I’m so glad I’m in good company outside of this person’s world! I grew up in the “City” of McKinney in the 70s and 80s, so we had to go to Plano to see a movie, go shopping, or have any fun as a teen. I didn’t think it was that bad, but obviously I should rethink my entire childhood.
one thing this East Coast inner-city bred Yankee carpetbagger will never understand is the passive aggression that permeates the suburbs
i can’t talk that, don’t understand how yous can do it, and hate it
say what you want about the violence of the inner city, but at least you know where people stand
if i don’t like you, i’ll let you know. i won’t go out of my way, but if the opportunity arises i have no qualms about letting you know
folks from the ‘burbs tend to view this as overly rude and crude
anyway, as of the 2000 Census Plano was 73% white, 10% Asian, 10% Hispanic and 5% black
so when is the next rally exactly????
I’ll slam on the suburbs with the best of them, but this asshat is beyond the pale. What, oh what is a “legitimate environment”? And how do I go about being born into one?
Six-to-one odds this clown grew up in Richardson.
good point, dude, his post has teenage suburban angst written all over it
he even gives “props” which is right outta a jamie kennedy movie or ali g skit
respect
Anyway as of the 2000 Census the US was 80% white, 12% black, 4% Asian, and 14% were Latino. (66% white non-Latino)
It seems to me that Plano is fairly representative of the US as a whole, eh?
At least the mall of your youth was not the (since renamed) Richland Fashion Mall.
true, mike, plano’s demographics are similar to the nation as a whole and sad-but-true: the Klan is alive and well all across the country…the jena 6 is just one example
i was just saying this girl’s summation of the plano she knew growing was real to her and kinda funny for many folks like me that didn’t grow up in plano/the burbs
Daniel, why are you picking on Richardson? We are boxed in…out clowns are much more sophisticated, fyi…
Hey, does anyone remember the Beals Mall right outside of Allen on the way to McKinney. It sat empty for years, always thought they should turn it into a skating rink. As someone who grew up in Allen in the 80’s and early 90’s and all we had then was the bowling alley or cow tipping ‘The Mall’ was our 2nd home.
Amanda,
No beef with Richardson. It’s actually my favorite suburb. Point is, Stacy’s uber-urbanite correspondent is probably about 22 and still has “Pleasant Valley Sunday” emanating from his pores.
I’d place money on it.
I hear you, my brother, and oh, you were so very on the mark on Marty…never been happier NOT to relate…
Don’t mess with 75080/75081!