Funny? Thoughtful? Or can it be both?

I couldn't but chuckle as I read about a mother scolding her daughter for drinking a 5-hour energy, because "they will kill you," while she, the mother, bought a pack of cigarettes. My chuckle grew louder as I read about a college kid who thought teachers taught high school because they never went to college. By the time I read about a lady complaining about there being no bottoms in a clothing store followed by the gay clerk shouting "Baby, that's Atlanta for ya!", I was laughing out loud. Overheard in Atlanta, a blog which posts funny phrases spoken and overheard by Atlantans is a very simple but interesting idea. At first I only enjoyed it for the comedy it provided, but after I sat back and looked at the whole page, I realized that it was much more than just a place to get a laugh.

The blog is advertising Atlanta's personality. It's not doing so through showing off shopping centers, or tourist attractions, or apartment buildings. Overheard in Atlanta is showing Atlanta's personality through the voice of the people. When people think of a city, they consider it for its business and its monuments, but very rarely does the average person think of a city in terms of its individual people, which is what gives this blog its purpose. The title of the website rests at the top of the page on a backdrop of the Atlanta skyline. Below the title is a little phrase which provides a summation of what Overheard in Atlanta is all about: "the sound of the city." The sound of the city isn't the clinking of its factory machinery or the ambient sound of traffic clumps, or police sirens and fleeing criminals. It's the voices people. Overheard in Atlanta gives people this new perspective on Atlanta to show that Atlanta is more than just a skyline.

Bloggers create things like this site to show the outside world what Atlanta is really about, but also to give those who live in or around Atlanta a sense of community. Posts like those on Overheard in Atlanta show the people of their city that they're not alone and that they have a voice despite the bustle of everyday life. Below each post is a button which lets the reader share the quotes that they find particularly funny with other people, which is a way to continue the word and also a way to create more communication between people. The more the people give see that they're not voiceless and alone, the more they'll grow to love the city they live in and see that they are not just a blank faced passerby on the sidewalk. They are a part of something great.

Andy Van Deventer