Lubbock’s Love-hate Relationship With Criticism Unfolds

There’s a very specific tension that comes with living in Lubbock: you’re allowed to complain…but only to a certain point.

Ask around. Everyone has something to say about this place. Complaining about Lubbock is almost a personality trait for a few people I know. It's how we bond and small-talk. It's like...tradition, or something.

But the second your complaint sounds even slightly like you have a great idea to improve something?

That’s when it happens.

“Well, if you don’t like it, just move!”

It doesn’t matter what you said. You could be talking about something as simple as recycling. Or wanting cleaner streets. Or better public spaces. You’re not trashing the city. Not at all. You’re literally suggesting ways to make it better, and suddenly you’re being told to pack your bags like you just insulted someone’s grandma.

The weirdest part is that the people who tell you to "just move away" are the same people who complain loudly, frequently, and passionately.

It creates this strange guilt where you start second-guessing yourself. Like, am I being negative? Or am I just noticing things that could be better? I don't know. But just because you like things the way they are doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.

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Wanting your city to improve isn’t disloyal, nor is complaining about a few things that need to be changed. It’s actually the opposite. It means you care enough to imagine it being better.

Lubbock has a lot going for it. People are proud of it, and rightfully so. But pride shouldn’t mean shutting down every idea that might make life here better. Telling people to leave town doesn't fix anything at all. It really just guarantees that nothing will ever change.

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