Are You F—ing Serious, Aberdeen, Washington?

August 15, 2009
Nate
General Sod
5 Comments

Aberdeen, Washington is not a town you ever want to visit. Sure, it’s the birthplace of grunge icon Kurt Cobain and more than a few of you reading this just had that though scrawl through your head, “hey, I should go to Aberdeen, so I can see where Kurt was born.” No, no you should not. It’s a shitty town in a surprisingly drab part of an otherwise beautiful part of the state of Washington. It’s a backwater.

So, why am I even bringing this up? Because the only thing that Kurt Cobain fans would want to go see inside the city, a plaque in a city park dedicated to the memory of Kurt, has been censored.

Originally etched on the plaque was a quote from Cobain, “Drugs are bad for you. They will fuck you up.” Now the plaque reads, “Drugs are bad for you. They will f— up.” Apparently, the delicate sensibilities of the townsfolk are more important than driving the point home with authority that drugs really are bad for you, as spoken by someone who should know in language that kids will understand. All of this in a town that has a huge meth problem and, as I learned the hard way, a populace that sneers at the notion of a bookstore aside from the small section devoted to crap paperbacks and right-wing nut hardcovers at the local Walmart.

Those drags on society don’t bother the people of Aberdeen as much as one naughty curse word uttered by a their only famous native son, etched onto a plaque in a city park.

For that, the city of Aberdeen wins the inagural Sodblog “Are You Fucking Serious?” award for extreme stupidity. I mean, come on, Aberdeen, it’s just a fucking curse word. It’s just the fucking word fuck, you fucking fucks.

Lizz

November 10, 2009 3:44:52 pm

I live in Aberdeen, I have since birth and I can tell you that not only do we have a massive meth problem, but the heroin is taking over here, too. It seems as if the children here are all on the conveyor belt through the fuck-up factory but noone wants to talk about it or god forbid do something to stop it. The reason we don’t have a book store is in part because noone can afford to buy books they can borrow from the library for free. The only people that have any money in this town are doctors and drug dealers, and most of the doctors are just well paid drug dealers getting people hooked on opiates. The fact that city officials are so concerned over the plaque but not the reason for the quote on the plaque kind of tells you the amount of intelligence we are all being led with in this god forsaken town.Alot of us that have been raised here have a theory that this town is on cursed ground, nobody born and raised can ever leave without “side affects” I hope that someday we will be able to get out of here but every attempt has only led me straight back here I only know a few people that have left this town and not been sucked back in and they’re all dead, Kurt included.

JefroBates

May 25, 2010 2:33:20 pm

I used to drive through Aberdeen on my way to Ocean Shores and always wondered why there were so many derelict homes with old wrecked cars standing in front of them.
I actually tried to make a difference there. I bought one of the Old Derelict homes for a very low price $30,000..that is very cheap by todays prices.
When I tried to do any renovations or remodelling to the house, I was immediately accosted by the Aberdeen Building Dept. slapping codes and forcing me to acquire permits for roof repairs and the most trivial work. I was even questioned at the local Home Depot when I bought sheet rock (drywall) to replace the moldy drywall. After extensive herassment by the local building officials I simply gave up and sold the house for what I had bought it for. YES Aberdeen is a DUMP and the local town officials want to keep it that way. Do not ever think that you can make a difference there … It will always be the HELL HOLE it has been.

Aberdeen

June 24, 2010 1:38:12 am

Well, whereas we may not agree on some of the finer points, I would have to say that Aberdeen is really a place that needs an overhaul. The town is a little too attached to the past, and can not seem to embrace the future. There is too much being held back because its citizens are afraid of change. They seem to like the town the way it is, even if it is dying. As a citizen of Aberdeen, and as a local businessman, I see it every day. And as to the lack of bookstore, I have always lamented that. I can’t tell you how pissed off I was when I moved to town and found that there was not bookstore. Once I have the business that I’m running now established, I’ve often thought about the possibility of starting one up just to try and bring something needed to the community. This part about Kurt Cobain; Kurt hate this city, and until just recently, this city hated him. I’m not surprised that someone complained long enough to have the monument censored, though I agree, it is sad that they did. I don’t actually agree with the use of his language, but free speech should always be respected, always.

June 24, 2010 2:59:23 am

Very well said Nate

I too live in Aberdeen and (41 years) and there isn’t anything that your wrote that I can disagree with.

The town is a surreal mix of druggies, alcoholics, and the chronically unemployed. It’s a hard town to escape and as Lizz mentioned it never fails something manages to drag you back to this shithole.

My mother is a prime example; most of her life has been spent working as a low paid care provider/cleaner. If a month of her life has gone by that she wasn’t 50 bucks from being homeless it would be a rarity. I’ve told her a million times she can go to Olympia, Lacey, or Tacoma and actually make a living at what she does and maybe enjoy life a little. She always has an excuse and its like she has some wierd kind of mental block that stops her from leaving. The only thing I can figure out that like a lot of people here she is miserable and this is some sad kind of dark paradise for the miserable.

Ps – from what I understand someone just stole either the plaque or some other sign from the little park on the Wishkah. I’m sure there is going to be all kinds of drama now to see who will pay for it etc.

Wesley

December 15, 2010 5:31:17 pm

I made the mistake of moving to Aberdeen recently. A friend moved up here a while ago and spoke highly of the area. I mentioned to him shortly after first visiting the Pac NW that I’d like to live up there. Whenever he told me he planned to vacate his current job, I told him I’d love to be suggested as a replacement.

Got the job and moved up. Shortly after getting here, I started to see the error of my ways. There’s no opportunities for social engagement aside from the ones described above unless you drive to Olympia, which is about 50 miles away. I weep for the youth of this town, I really do. If I were a businessman in the area I’d open up a GOOD comic shop, CD store, record shop … something.

I’m making arrangements to return to my native Kentucky soon. This is after not even a month living here.