A small local flurry on Twitter, after abc13 reporter Miya Shay spots one of these and posts a photo:
Anyone know anything about the “Keep Houston Ugly” stickers popping up around town?
They’ve been around for a while, haven’t they? You can buy one yourself — a different version — online. Find a place to stick it, and you can push the meme further!
Nobody notices all those tiny cracks on a windshield either, until somebody does, and somebody else does, and pretty soon cracks are showing up everywhere.
***
Photos: Matthew Landry (top) and Miya Shay (bottom)
I have been noticing several cracks around Houston.
But, it’s this considered vandalism…?
This is some folks trying to be Austin while stating the obvious: Houston is Houston.
It’s open to interpretation, but I think this is more mocking Austin than trying to be like Austin.
:/ mixed feelings.
Depends if they’re advocating good ugly or bad ugly…
The good ugly/bad ugly concept confuses me. “good ugly” should be spelled ugley like the fat/phat concept.
The irony is that almost anywhere outside of Texas, Austin would be considered quite normal. There are more creative ways to tinker with signs. For example in the crossing sign…simply white out the “on” in “button”. Then white out the “S” in “start” and put a sticker that says “tricks” over “cars” etc etc
biggerintexas, my inner 3rd-grader is cracking up…
Seems to me everyone in Houston is doing their part. Have been for years…
No worries, Houston’s Ugliness is assured as long as its future is charted by bottomfeeders.
Hugo: How about ugly/hugly (silent H like Humble)
I think it’s taking the Austin thing and making it Houston. Lets be honest guys.. Austin is one of the weirdest cities on the plant. They have orchestrated garbage truck plays for petesake! What’s Houston got? well.. Cookie cutter stores and titty bars on every block, no style and dirty.
Hah! You think Houston has “cookie cutter stores and titty bars on every block, no style and dirty.”
I see something much more beautiful than either Austin or Dallas here. I think that the sticker is a taking the word ugly back which so many misinformed people use when describing our fair city. If I had a dollar for every time time people talked about hating Houston only to find out they had only been to Beaumont, Katy or the Woodlands. (not knocking any of those places.) The heart of this city is vibrant and unique and when really explored you can find the amazing things this town has to offer.
Or maybe, some of us think that to Keep Houston Ugly means to quit painting those ugly gray squares over top some of the really beautiful street art out there. Not the stupid tagging stuff, but those cool octopuses I used to see around Montrose, and the lovely Waldo’s that used to crop up periodically.
Anyway, enough rant…and yes, Austin should be made fun of.
Did someone just say Austin is one of the weirdest places on the planet? Maybe as late as 1995, but no longer. East Montrose around Avondale at 2:30 AM on a Monday. Now THAT’S weird.
Funny… Katy and The Woodlands are some of the nicest places in “Houston”
I have lived in Dallas (Frisco), Chicago (Libertyville), Phoenix (Mesa) and Brazil, but now live in Houston (Clear Lake City). I would love to be able to love Houston, but the utter disregard for the city, for organization, cleanliness, zoning, or for making this place more friendly, by those that call it home, does not make it easy. Maybe if you are able to live in the museum district, or the Galleria area (and never leave or have to drive on 45) then all is well, but otherwise it is trash. Ugly begets ugly. People treat the city like a trash dump because it looks like one. Clean it up and people will get a conscience about how they treat the city and others around them. Make “Keep Houston ugly” an anti-motto, a protest to wake up the city government so that they make decisions to bring this city into the present century and prepare it for the future.