Radosh.net

I just think the fact that they live on a street called "Waterford Crystal Drive" says so much about the type of people we're dealing with here.

"I just think the fact that they live on a street called "Waterford Crystal Drive" says so much about the type of people we're dealing with here."

Yeah, 'cause you can more or less figure out what people are like by the names real estate developers give their streets.

Of course, we could transpose that situation to what many local politicos name urban streets and get: "I just think the fact that they live on a street called "Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard" says so much about the type of people we're dealing with here."

Whaddya think? Is that statement any more or less valid, here?

Less.

znufrii's remark was casual snark, while yours rests on a faulty analogy: "MLK Boulevard" is almost always what a street is renamed, so there's no way of knowing whether any family living on it had any choice about living on a street with that name, whereas it's pretty clear that "Waterford Crystal Drive" has been named that from the start, as part of a campaign to persuade a certain kind of person, or family, to live there. So even if it was a careless generalization, it was fair enough for snark; if you want to take the conversation into righteous discourse, you're going to need some stronger logic than that.

To Michael & Vance: you two should be very happy together on the planet Naive.

"To Michael & Vance: you two should be very happy together on the planet Naive."

I just think the fact that your name is "Tony Ponzio" says so much about the type of person we're dealing with here.

Vance: Is that snark? Anyway, more on your comment later- I'm already late for work.

There's a planet Naive?

Michael: Sounds like someone feels defensive about living on Hummel Figurine Terrace.

Francis: That's around the corner from Precious Moments Lane, isn't it?

Vance: Sorry about the delay, I'm just about to get off from work.

I accept your point about naming vs. re-naming, but doesn't that just speak to the fact that the re-naming might be considered a more accurate label just because it happenend after the fact? When it comes to real estate developers' names for streets, I suspect it reveals more about the developer than the people who eventually live there, as the buyers aren't choosing on names alone, but on the quality of the house and neighborhood, the school system, amenities, etc.

Myself, I live in a neighborhood that has states' names for streets. Honestly, it had no impact on my decision to buy. On the other hand, if the local council decided to re-name my street Porcelain Pig Place, I'd be pretty pissed.

Yeah, I know it makes your point, but I don't think it nullifies mine.

If you fall asleep with the TV on then wake up @ 4:00 AM, you can see Ponch from CHiPs selling real estate for planet Naive. Good golf courses, evidently.

Arthur: Some of us stay up specifically for that. I know a good deal when I see it.

1. I assumed Waterford Crystal purchased naming rights. Seems a little lowbrow for the brand, but anything's possible. This name does tell you something about the neighborhood and the people that choose to live there: it's a cheesy, slapped-together subdivision with no history, string community, or culture worth preserving.

2. The comment she made sounds odd, but it wasn't stupid. She's saying that if the situation escalates into violence, she doesn't want to see anyone else in the neighborhood hurt. The woman's a shitheel, but a shitheel whose actions had unpredictably dramatic consequences. Everyone who comes to this sight regularly and never had a traumatic interaction in high school, raise your hand. All those who didn't kill themselves, put your hands down. See? No hands.

Trout- My point was that an attitude such as the one you've displayed is not entirely warranted. Buying a house is not like renting an apartment, in that certain factors come into play much more strongly, and others do not. One cannot always afford to buy into the hip, trendy places that have oodles of local color and history. Heck, I got priced out of Harlem when I was looking to buy.

While I agree that the name of the street is cheesy, etc., I think it still reflects more on what the developer thinks of his target market than what the target market actually may be.

As for "no culture worth preserving," well, just about every neighborhood in the U.S. qualified for that distinction at one time or another, if length of existence is your sole criterion. What the denizens do once there is much more indicative, I'd think. Gotta admit, though,the folks on Waterford Crystal Drive are off to a very bad start.

Michael, I understand your objections to sterotyping and judgmentalism. I make no judgments on the individuals that live there, but I am skeptical about the substance of their relationships to each other, which I think an incident of inhumanity bordering on manslaughter validates.

My second original comment is nonsensical. I misread the posting--it was a neighbor who made the comment, not the hoaxer, so Radosh's subtext makes sense to me now.

This znufrii/Michael debate is a total downer. Bring back Francis/Kejo!

I think there's an important distinction to be made between living on Waterford Crystal Drive and naming your child Waterford Crystal. Either way, though, they are people.