“Now everybody, where you live, come on and represent yo crib, where you from?” Each weekend Tallahassee DJ’s fill the air with chants like this as part of their plan to get the crowds excited by giving “shout-outs” to the different hometowns of college students.
The outbursts are usually people screaming out anything and everything from area codes to street addresses in response.
Many FAMU students who hail from cities other than Tallahassee take this as an opportunity to put down and even degrade the hometowns of many of their fellow Rattlers, particularly those who were born and raised in Tallahassee.
From the Facebook group “I Can Spot a Tallahassee Local Anywhere,” to disrespectful remarks made in public, Tallahassee natives, otherwise known as “locals,” are not shown much respect by some FAMU students.
With a population of approximately 156,512,Tallahasse, is not only the capital city of Florida, it is also home to three major institutions of higher learning.
A large majority of students who attend these institutions are from elsewhere, and do not share the same love for Tallahassee that is evident amongst natives.
With restaurants like Another Broken Egg and attractions such as Fun Station, many Tallahassee natives have a strong sense of pride in their hometown.
In spite of all the wonderful aspects Tallahassee has to offer, some students still do not embrace Tallahassee with open arms.
Deanda Ewers, 20, a senior elementary education student from Rammstein, Germany said, “I was disappointed because I was expecting more hustle and bustle. You are forced to have to think outside of the box to find things to do here.”
Many FAMU students harbor the same thoughts on the capital city’s lack of adequate entertainment for college students.
Love and homesickness for their own hometowns are also reasons for students’ unhappiness here.
James Butler, 21, a senior business administration student from Chicago Ill. said, “From the Taste of Chicago to Buckingham Fountains, there’s always something entertaining to do or a nice landmark to go see, and I miss the good food.”
In addition, Ryan Gordon, 22, a senior business administration student from Houston, Texas said:”I think that Houston is one of the best cities because the music is different from everybody else’s (i.e. chopped and screwed). It’s a good place to raise a family, and there are restaurants like Frenchy’s Chicken and Timmy Chans where you can get 7 wings for $2.”
Tallahassee natives respect their schoolmates’ love for their own hometowns, but do not appreciate the fact that that respect is not reciprocated.
Tunesheya Miller, 22, a senior food science student from Tallahassee, said, “It bothers me that people disrespect my city.”
“It’s not until people who aren’t from here come here saying that’s its lame that we hear all that bad stuff,” Miller said. ” If Tallahassee is so lame then it must be lame because of them because people from Tallahassee think it’s a fun place to live.”
Contact Gheni Platenburg at famuannews@hotmail.com.