Comments on: Dahlonega, GA

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:44:00 +0000

You’re absolutely right about north Georgia being more affordable, even though it is a regional tourist destination. I hadn’t thought of that. I hope by publicizing that fact that we’re not inadvertantly encouraging even more Sag Hamptonites to leave this area and head for “them thar hills.”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:37:00 +0000

I’m not annoyed at all. It’s only that I think it’s difficult to have a free-wheeling conversation this way. I’ve never posted on any other blog, and I do read many of them, but I feel more personally connected to what you write about, and am motivated to respond. That said, I also find it uncomfortably revealing to be talking to you one on one, but in a public forum. Particularly because it wouldn’t take ten seconds for the people who know you, or me, to figure out who I am. So there’s much less blog privacy than there might appear to be, even as an anonymous….I simply raised this question because I know you are concerned about the lack of responses to your postings, when it is obvious that tons of people read them. That’s what I was incoherently trying to say….

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 03:32:00 +0000

I’m not completely sure I understand your point regarding how resisting change creates a vacuum that will be filled by people with wrong agendas…but I do sense that you think that my dismay at the influx of stores and businesses proffering non-essential goods and services somehow indicates that I am opposed to change. In fact, what I think is that every change can be viewed as both good and bad, depending on the angle from which you view it. In an earlier post I lamented the trend toward remodeling and enlarging much of Sag Harbor’s stock of small period homes. Well, if your primary concerns are real estate values and the appearance of the streetscapes in Sag Harbor, then this could be viewed as a positive development. On the other hand if you see this as part of an ongoing loss of affordable housing stock, then it can be seen in a negative light. I’m sure that those with money to burn, and a love of good shopping view the changes to Sag Hamptons’ commercial mix as a boon. However, those of us who were attracted by the character of the area are somewhat less excited to see the people and businesses that gave the area its unique character driven out and replaced by cookie cutter boutiques and chain stores. It doesn’t mean we’re opposed to all change, just to the type of change that destroys that which makes it viable in the first place.
As to your second point, you’re probably annoyed that I pressured you into posting your e-mail in the blog. I can live with that. As I mentioned, I write this blog to enable a dialog about the issues facing Sag Hampton. I don’t write to hear myself pontificate, although I am certainly capable of doing so (pontificating, that is). But, again, I’m not sure I fully grasp your point. Are you saying that it’s irresponsible for some people to express their views in public, even anonymously (as you did)? Obviously, I disagree with that point of view, but I’m not really sure that’s what you’re saying. I hope you’ll clarify your point, but I’m not gong to hold my breath, given your dislike of written comments.
I will, however, direct my frustration more appropriately. Instead of venting privately at one or two people about the lack of comments on this blog, I’ll broach it directly and publicly with everyone who reads this blog in a separate post.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 10:09:00 +0000

i keep wondering why change is always bad in people’s minds. seriously. because, let’s face it, 8 track tapes didn’t make it and cds have…the world can select the good and the bad over time. my fear is that by resisting change, we create a vacuum that is filled up by people who have more actively wrong agendas…but by embracing change and trying to evolve in decent ways, we only make the world better…i think you become more of a tourist trap by resisting change than by embracing it.
also, and this is a very different point and references the fact that i did not want to post this but sent it to you privately by email: we live in a Very Small Town. that has both its good and bad sides, because nothing is perfect. change may alter some of the good, but it can also alter what is not so good…such as worrying about saying something in a WRITTEN communication and having to take a different kind of responsibility for it than one takes in friendly chat….this raises tons of different questions, none coherently examined here but all worthy of consideration…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 03:48:00 +0000

Great post. You saw a lot as you did the tourist thing. You might also mention that while not cheap, the tourist trap prices do not boggle the mind as in the subject of your blog. And once you leave the small tourist area, you are economically right back in North Georgia which is affordable to real people. You have to go pretty far from Sag Hampton to achieve the same result.