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From Staff Reports
Asheville, a “city known in part for its art, food and craft beer scene, was at the center of a massive Twitter fight” over the Fourth of July holiday, according to a report in The Charlotte Observer.
Specifically, the Charlotte newspaper ran a story on July 5 about conservative national radio host Buck Sexton’s comments during his first visit to the city (nicknamed “The Paris of the South”), headlined, “National radio host sneers at people in Asheville. And it set off a war on Twitter.”
Sexton, a radio host and political pundit, began his career at the Council on Foreign Relations as a Research intern. Then, from 2005 to 2010, he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. He performed similar duties for the New York Police Department.
Later, Sexton served as a guest host on Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, three influential national conservative radio talk shows.
Asheville, described by the Observer as a “city of about 94,000 tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, was trending on the social media platform after national radio host Buck Sexton slammed its residents for their use of COVID-19 face masks.”
In a July 2 tweet, Sexton, a Manhattan resident, wrote:
“Higher percentage of mask wearers in Asheville, NC than back in Manhattan. What is going on here.”
Sexton later tweeted:
“Some of these stores *still require masks.*”
Sexton later added that Asheville is in the “same leftist category as Berkeley CA, Boulder CO, Northampton MA.”
The Charlotte Observer reported. “His (Sexton’s) tweets come as ABC News reports that New York City’s coronavirus positivity rate is soaring past 10 percent for the first time since January, during the omicron variant wave,”
“Meanwhile, four of North Carolina’s 100 counties are experiencing high levels of community spread of the virus, 28 are experiencing medium levels and the rest are experiencing low levels, according to state health officials.”
What’s more, The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported in its separate story on the Asheville Twitter storm that “The Charlotte Observer reported in 2020” that “Asheville is one of North Carolina’s left-leaning cities,”
The News & Observer also noted that, “In Buncombe County, which is home to Asheville, 37 percent of voters are registered Democrats while 22.5 percent are registered Republicans and 39.7 percent are unaffiliated.'
McClatchy News, which owns both the Charlotte and Raleigh newspapers, reported at the time, “In July 2020, Asheville’s City Council unanimously approved a resolution in support of reparations, which the Brookings Institution defines as a “system of redress for egregious injustices for black residents.”
Sexton is a New York City native and resident who hosts multiple radio shows and podcasts.
He “appears frequently on Fox News Channel and other outlets as a political commentator and national security analyst,” his biography on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” website says.
In February 2021, he wrote on Facebook and in a blog post that the science at the time said to “open the schools, stop wearing masks outside, and everyone at low risk should start living normal lives.”
Facebook flagged the post and PolitiFact rated Sexton’s statement as “false,” reporting that experts at the time urged mask use and were not encouraging people to return to normal.
Sexton and his co-host Clay Travis, as a duo, were chosen to replace long-time and No. 1-rated conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh following a long search after Limbaugh’s death on Feb. 17, 2021.
Regarding the controversy that erupted during Sexton’s recent visit to Asheville, the Charlotte newspaper stated, “Sexton’s comments have also started a battle on Twitter — with many jumping to the city’s defense.”
Following are some of the postings over Sexton’s comments on Twitter:
“Asheville, NC is one of the prettiest places in the US and has the nicest people on earth,” one person said.
“This is my obligatory tweet as a WNC native that Asheville has been and remains awesome,” another user tweeted.
To Sexton, another person wrote, “My guy…you’re in ASHEVILLE.”
Other Twitter-users supported Sexton in what The Charlotte Observer termed his “sneering” at Asheville.
To that end, Clay Travis, co-host of “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” tweeted in a response to Sexton. “They (Asheville) also voted for reparations... Phenomenal spot that has been overrun by the woke.”
“Like most places, though,” another said. “the beauty gets ruined by the liberals.”
“@BuckSexton Asheville is further left than Manhattan,” Why? posted. “One of the reasons I would never go there, even though it (Asheville) sounds like an awesome place to visit, and I only live several hours away.”
Agreeing with Why?’s assessment of Asheville, AddNameHere wrote: “Same here. Born and raised in the N.C. mountains. Last time I went (to Asheville), there was a woman standing on the sidewalk with no shirt and no bra. Like it was normal. And she did not look good, LOL.”
Sergio wrote: “Asheville(‘s) been taken over by neo-Marxists 10 yrs. ago, EZ.”
33norton wrote: “Any area that’s predominately blue and liberal — they have to somehow keep the narrative going. At this point, it is more about the narrative and feelings than about any proven scientific evidence.”
Archer wrote: “Not where I’m at — Raleigh, Asheville and Charlotte are the places to avoid.”
To Sexton’s post, PatriotsNotPoliticians wrote: “You’ve found one of the few liberal hotspots in NC. Lifelong North Carolinian here. Almost all of the hotspots in NC are liberal. The rest are hogs, farmland and sand.”
Bill Mynatt wrote of Asheville: “One of the most liberal towns in the Southeastern U.S. Love Asheville, but it has taken a hard turn left in recent years.”
Bonchie wrote of Asheville: “Very liberal town.”
John Williams wrote of Asheville: “I hear it is the Portland of the East Coast. Charlotte is more conservative. Bryson to the west has a whole different feel.”
Frige wrote of Asheville: “It’s lib city there. Businesses can’t hire help, either. Just a coincidence.”
To Frige’s posting, AVL Comics responded: “That hasn’t been a problem for any business paying a living wage.”
To Sexton’s posting, SusanKnowles wrote: “Why in the world are you there (in Asheville)? When I left there, it wasn’t a liberal town. Today, I don’t recognize it and haven’t been back there since 1999.”
Also to Sexton, ValerieB wrote: “LOL. You think wearing a mask during high COVID count is paranoid? Also, right now, the Flu is high in some areas. I sure don’t want the flu, so guess what? I’m going to wear a mask in crowded places because I don’t want to get sick.”
WaldorfOverWatch wrote:”I miss the sleepy mountain city of the past. Sometime in the early 1980s, Asheville was taken over by Northern Yuppies, and has never been the same.”
Inez Stepman wrote: “Asheville is a hippie town.”
Regarding Sexton’s poking fun at the proclivity of many Asheville residents to wear face masks, Chris wrote: “I’d say (it is because) people don’t want to die.”
Zanne wrote: “Asheville is the Portland of N.C. We avoid going there as much as possible. It’s a cesspool.”
Perhaps weary of hordes of tourists, PatrickFord wrote of Asheville: “Why not just avoid it completedly. Signed: The people of Asheville.”
WaitingOnFootballSeason wrote: “Tried to open an office there (in Asheville) about eight years ago. Nobody wanted to work. A lot of wealthy parents from the North have sent their kids there to ‘discover themselves.’ Psychology and sociology degrees with limited work experience. Many failed musicians. Patchouli oil fills the air....”
Kerry wrote: “I’m in Asheville and currently have COVID. I’m glad people are masking up to avoid my fate.”
Denise wrote: “We like it (Asheville) fine. If you don’t like it, avoid coming and free up the traffic.”
Responding to Sexton’s tweet, Rebecca wrote: “I guess I’ll be crossing that destination off my list, which is a bummer, because part of my fanily tree was among the founders (of Asheville).”
Kimbra Cable posted: “Get real. Asheville is an artsy, well-educated, laid-back community.”
ValerieB. wrote: “Asheville, NC is one of my very favorite places to visit. It’s a beautiful drive from ATL. I’m so glad to read that they care about their neighbors (by wearing masks).”
Jeff Stanley wrote: “Asheville is woke... I avoid it as much as possible.” (Stanley bills himself as follows: “Proud American Christian, loyal patriot, deplorable conservative, wildland fire, missionary, gun-owning infidel, oath-taking III%er and a blessed Southerner.”)
In response to Stanley’s posting, Radishes for Squirrels wrote: “Please do (avoid Asheville). We don’t want you here.”
To that, Stanley replied: “Hahahahaha, look at my cats. I can smell your profile. Time to change your litter box.”
Michael Brown then addressed Stanley with the following posting: “You should study American history. The first example of woke behavior was the Boston Tea Party and the boycotted tea. Of course, you would not learn that because it does not fit the narrative which the Republicans wish to establish.”
Repylng to Brown’s posting, SameAsItEverWas wrote: “A grateful Asheville thanks you.”
To that, Stanley posted: “I aim to please. Triggered I sought. Triggered I found.”
Gary R. Simonds posted: “OMG. Thank you so much! I love that my region is now considered WOKE! Perhaps it will keep far-right white supremacists from moving here. Perhaps it will keep it from voting for another Madison Cawthorn. Thanks so much for the compliment and endorsement.”
Les M. Brown posted: “Asheville is a wonderfully eclectic city. It would be a great model for other cities.”
Responding to Brown, Barbara Turner wrote: “You may think it’s woke, but it is not. There may be more people registered as Democrats then there are as Republicans... but I can guarantee you that this city is all about being a conservative.”
In a separate posting, Christopher Singer wrote: “Much rather be woke than asleep.”
Responding to Singer’s posting, Stanley wrote: “I prefer the ability to think for myself over (being) “woke” or “asleep....”
Crystal Phillips then posted: “Avoid Asheville as much as possible. This area does not respect law enforcement — not ICE, drugs, needles. Homelessness at an all-time high, tent cities in parks and so on.... The Mask has been proven to cause more health issues. So much more could be stated about Asheville.”
To Phillips, Christoph replied: “Good. You and all the other (expletive deleted) can stay in your holes.”
Kerry Gold posted: “All these woke-dominated cities have one thing in common. They were all nice, friendly towns prior to being woke. The woke either moved in, or took over, and they stopped being nice and started (on) the path to being unlivable. Gatekeep your community. Don’t welcome weirdos.”
Alan Forde posted: “Who the f---- is Buck Sexton? Does anybody really give a sh--?”
Ricky Dunn posted: “Asheville is your typical hippie city with homeless everywhere — the homeless who choose to be homeless. These are the safe-space, gender-twisting millenials that hate this country. They can have that city. Don’t worry. Look at Seattle and Portland. Asheville is next.”
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