I’ve been reading Tressie’s colorful comments lately, and I would say that they help make clear why Tacoma is the way that it is/was.

Tacoma has always produced or attracted all kinds of characters. A large majority of them eventually move to the burbs of Spanaway, Graham or across the Narrows Bridge (not all emigration to the outer reaches of counties is bad).

Tacoma is a city that is big enough for one to be anonymous and it is a city small enough for one to have no secrets.

Tacoma may have that element of cool that Tressie says, but the carefree attitude part I don’t agree with. This is a tough town that does not suffer fools gladly.

Sassy, right now in the Buckley-Enumclaw area someone is building a condo just for you.

And for me, I’m sure there’s a run-down cottage waiting for me right near the Carbon River Entrance of Mt. Rainier.

Awww ! I’m so feeling the LOVE ! I must love something here ….been here for 25+ yrs.
Mofo…..I’m trying to understand the Fools comment from you…….honey, it must do some suffering of the Fool Parade…..I’m still standing!
Do you mean —- the calling out of the Urban Living Myth, when the Mr. and I can’t find any semi-budget place to eat but fastfood/Starvester after 9 pm most weeknites? (one of my fave rants)
(and as far as real estate…..can I park my trailer behind your quaint-nestled-cottage????)

And don’t get me started on how the city fought tooth and nail for the right of Asarco to keep on poisoning our children and our environment.

I wasn’t aware of that. What did they do?

Hey Brent, dont forget the whole “throwing out the Chinese” thing.

With respect to Asarco I would encourage any homeowner with or expecting children to get their free DIRT ALERT soil sampling.

We’re being poisoned!

Perhaps the Tacoma-Haters (of which I am president) should move somewhere else. There are other places. I am well aware of the racist, gay-hating, etc etc that happens in Tacoma, just like it happens almost everywhere else on the planet.
I have learned to live with contradiction.
There is a reason there is so much hating going on in the world. I am not going to Explain All Of Life To You.
(I raised children, and I already did that)
But I will say this:
Tacoma was a town that was what it was. It was a town like many other towns. It was hateful and poisonous. It played host to many SuperFund Sites!!!
Through the efforts of many many Tacoma Very Bad History is being changed.
It is becoming far less racist. We have had some non-white people on the council, no?
It is becoming less gay-hating. Who was leading the arts renn here in T-Town? (and I’m not counting the antique/mid-century funk store owners)
It hated on its original owners…..mmmm….Indians !
It was a Stinky cheese town. Clean-ups and retirement of stupid jokes are happening daily!
I am not a cheerleader. I love to rant. Have you read my blog? (for crying out loud)
What is cool about Tacoma is its history, which is kinda unique in many ways.
It gets better because people stay and people work hard. And people work hard at making it better. Did you read any of my articles from 12-15 years ago about Tacoma?
No?
Tacoma is becoming better because of the caring people who care.
That’s what makes Tacoma Cool. And the neato old buildings and homes and the waterfront and the hills and the views.
It’s not anymore corrupt or hating than most American cities/towns. Tacoma suffers from the Seattle-Tyranny of Nyah Nyah.
I say throw off the bonds of yesteryear. We Good Now. Write plays and books about the very thing people hate!
They’ll step up. They already have. They are stepping today. There is a humane effort to house and care for the homeless, just a for instance.
Don’t give up. Have Faith.
And collectively perhaps we can bring back sane real estate prices, TowerLanes Open Kitchen at midnite, The Tacoma Law School (you wanna talk about bitter !!!) and Maybe……..
Just Maybe……….
We can rid our Fair City of the blindingly dangerous & ugly Mercato car magnet.

Looking for clarification:

What does gay hating mean? Is there something wrong about some behaviors?

Some facts that I know:

• Two genders. People are born either male or female.

• The two genders, male and female, are different and equal in value and they complement each other.

• The two genders, male and female, are born into a very important purpose: they form a natural union to reproduce a baby male or female.

Does intuition or history or science dispute the facts listed above?

beerBoy, re: third gender: I’m not Balkan, but if I can become a “Sworn Virgin” anyway it would relieve me of a lot of bad choices I made in my twenties (thirties, forties…oh my I’m so old)

beerBoy, I read the wikipedia nonsense.

How could people reproduce themselves in any other form than what I stated above.

Assuming there is a deviant gene and it is not just an inferred entity, where did the deviant gene come from?

How long could a deviant form of people sustain their biological existence?

Like produces like.

Apple trees produce apples.
Orange trees produce oranges.
Third gender people produce third gender people?

I’m not ready to capitulate to stupidity.

I think the “City of Median Shoulders” is an accurate label. Of course, Chicago is widely known as the “City of Broad Shoulders.” There are a couple similarities: second city status, waterfront location, blue collar image…grit…

The difference is that Chicago talks the talk AND walks the walk. Tacoma spouts lots of rhetoric but usually doesn’t follow up with any meaningful action.

Like saying you want to become a great city then having development codes that only allow suburban sprawl. And allowing historic preservationists to prevent development.