Houston Doesn't Need You: A Response

Today I read this article that wants to convince Austinites to flee to Houston in a message that completely lacks any self-awareness. The writer wants the middle-class mostly white residents of Austin to perpetuate the problem they are facing in a bigger more diverse city by following suit of the middle-class mostly white Californians fleeing rising housing costs in Silicon Valley. Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. and as of April 2021 was considered the most diverse city in the country, it should not require any cajoling to move there, but please don't. Houston is already facing the same issues of gentrification that Austin faces from people moving from out of state, it does not need any more help from people who feel they are having to settle.

From the moment I moved to Austin for college 15 years ago I have had to hear about how it is the superior city for all the racist reasons one would expect from a town designed to keep black and brown people at the edges of the community. A city that is growing less diverse as it expands. I didn't realize until I moved to Austin what a privilege it was to live in a diverse community. I assumed the college kids calling Houston "dirty" and "dangerous" were also outsiders acclimating to a new city and the culture shock of campus life. It wasn't until a grown man told me to speak English as I was addressing him in that language that I realized what I had gotten myself into. I should have known earlier from the white guys I went out with calling me "exotic". So I'm at this point pretty used to the weird comments from ostensibly liberal whites about my hometown.

Yes, it is the hometown of Beyonce (and Megan thee Stallion, and Lizzo), but it's music scene is as diverse as its population. There are plenty of dive bars where you can listen to alt or indie music, clubs that have 80s nights, and big name performers from many different genres playing at the Verizon to Toyata Center. I saw David Bowie at the Woodlands, a close suburb of Houston. To reduce the city to the Opera or DJ Screw and say you can catch someone clinging to the vibe of that guy that brings a guitar to the party at Hopdoddy is pretty telling of the Houston experience this guy has. Which sounds like none.

Also, the UH and Rice campuses are beautiful. They also benefit from the lack of frat houses. I love the idea of a foam party because I am in some ways very basic, but I think we can all at this point admit that the architecture at all three campuses is okay, but the culture of a more diverse commuter campus is nicer. Unless you're more into historically racist institutions. Also, you can ride the train there, because Houston has multiple well functioning light rail lines.

The writer is correct in that there are more museums, a bigger zoo, a beach nearby and NASA to draw people to the city. They are incorrect in arguing there is no outdoor space when there are many public parks, public pools, and the trail around the bayou is just as nice as the one around the river. Houston also has tunnels, and it's fun to walk around the downtown areas to admire the skyscrapers and the theater district. It has a large Vietnamese community so the Vietnamese food is amazing, but so are the vegetarian/vegan options, the soul food, and the barbecue was featured in High on the Hog on Netflix. It seems as little as this guy knows about Houston he doesn't appreciate Austin fully either because there are plenty of places you can get tacos in either city where people speak Spanish. Statistically you will find in many kitchens for a variety of cuisines people who speak Spanish. So I would ask him to please sit to the side with his opinions that I am going to assume for his sake are unintentionally racist.

Austin has long been a libertarian haven and town of white liberalism. The Capitol is full of them. It is not surprising that Joe Rogan would come down to add to the existing problem of Alex Jones, who was not less problematic earlier in his career but more likely just not as widely known. Houston does not need refugees who were a part of the culture of privilege that existed here under the guise of "weirdness". And Kerbey Lane sucks. If you want to live in a diverse and progressive city try voting against propositions that hurt vulnerable communities. Don't move to Houston because you're lame and want to go to sleep early and swim in private pools. Go ahead and visit to experience all of the nuance of the city this guy who obviously isn't getting out enough doesn't understand. Don't follow the lure of some basic white guy like Californians followed basic tech bros and "B-list celebrities". Houston doesn't need you. If you want change, Austin probably does.