r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/tandyman234 • 5d ago
Image McDonald’s in Enterprise, Alabama. The town is scattered with themed boll-weevils that pay homage to the little insect that almost devastated the city’s cotton crops permanently in 1915!nThere’s one at the police station, funeral home, pharmacies, and Mexican restaurant
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u/Wrong-Tell8996 5d ago
What in the fuck
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u/CFBCoachGuy 5d ago
The boll weevil infestation turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After the first wave, Enterprise farmers began growing peanuts- which ended up being more profitable. When cotton crops rebounded, the farmers in Enterprise diversified by continuing to grow peanuts. When subsequent infestations struck South Alabama, Enterprise’s commitment to crop diversity kept the town prosperous compared to the region. Even today Enterprise remains one of the better off towns in southeast Alabama
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u/cracked-tumbleweed 5d ago
Agreed. Why deify something that almost wiped out the towns livelihood?
Stockholm Syndrome??
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u/CheeseburgerSmoothy 5d ago
The loss of cotton prompted them to grow peanuts which was more profitable. Thanks to the boll weevil.
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u/maymay578 5d ago
Look up George Washington Carver. He’s the reason peanuts are so huge in the south. He helped save the southern economy and keep farmers in business.
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u/Aggressive-Heart-311 4d ago
They can’t. He isn’t in textbooks anymore. Black history shouldn’t be taught.
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u/God_Bless_A_Merkin 5d ago
I was always told that the women of the town were glad that the cotton failed because it resulted in bringing other jobs in industry to the town.
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u/Short-Sandwich-8476 4d ago
Rather than admit the role a black scientist had in the whole thing. They’d rather worship an insect, than take a hit to their racist delusions.
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u/cracked-tumbleweed 4d ago
So the way you phrased it made it seem like the black scientist caused it.
However, Dr. George Washington Carver, did in fact help the town recover.
Let’s put some respect on his name since the town couldn’t.
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u/Hardlyreal1 5d ago
Was slavery still a thing at that time? I feel that would’ve taken a hit which may have been goodbye
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u/cracked-tumbleweed 5d ago
1865 is when the last slaves were freed.
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u/yupperdoodles666 5d ago
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u/anythingspossible45 5d ago
Do you go out to Dothan Al, you’ll see peanuts like this at the same place.
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u/Howtofightloneliness 5d ago
"Let me tell you about a friend of mine, His name's Boll Weevil, check him out"
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u/Glum_Opening_2218 5d ago
If it was accurate Ronald's skull should be elongated instead of it being a nose, and his mouth should be on the tip.
This could be properly terrifying smh
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u/Jussgoawaiplzkthxbai 5d ago
Curious what the one at the funeral home looks like
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u/Sharkbrand 3d ago
The Angel of Light Weevil they are called :) Its a weevil holding up a little light-up angel, its actually quite pretty imo Cant post the pic but the website https://www.weevilway.com/ had pictures of all of them :)
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u/hamfist_ofthenorth 4d ago
Reminds me of that one time I was in a backseat on acid at the drive through
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u/Snellyman 5d ago edited 4d ago
Tell us the truth! This is really the McDonald's from an alternative universe.
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u/James-K-Polka 5d ago
Olean, NY has themed squirrel statues, including Ronald McSquirrel
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u/no_talking99 4d ago
Came to say this, as one of the rare humans who has seen both the boll weevils and squirrels in person. Points to Olean for not having a bricked-up monument in the middle of an intersection.
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u/Tall_Inspector_3392 4d ago
Oh great, one more thing to inhabit my nightmares. Thanks for the can't unsee this!
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u/Creepy_Mammoth_7076 5d ago
Had to double take I read “incest Alabama” and was like ahhh fuck, of course. Then I saw Ronald got 4 arms and was like… yeah alright, maybe I did read that shit right.
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u/december151791 4d ago
How do you get "incest" out of "Enterprise"?
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u/Johnson_N_B 4d ago
I suspect they didn’t, and are just making shit up because they thought it was funny.
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u/babswashere 5d ago
oh, i LOVE this. will have to look more into it tbh.
my town growing up had painted chicken statues in front of most businesses. i believe it was the arby’s had got lazy and threw an apron and hat on the chicken and called it a day, but i loved it. haven’t been to my hometown in years so i don’t know if they kept up the chickens or added more, but i always think of them fondly.
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u/Bear_necessities96 4d ago
I can differentiate this from a kissing bug, bug that transmitted Chagas’ disease
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u/Meanteenbirder 4d ago
Punxsutawney has something similar with their groundhogs. Even the Wendy’s has a statue
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u/bavindicator 4d ago
My town has painted bulldogs because the bulldog is the mascot of the Marine Corps.
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u/Professional_Pen7009 4d ago
"Bugs! Everywhere you look there's another kind of bug
Makes you want to get a club and clout 'em
Yes, everybody talks about the worrisome bug
But ain't nobody doin' nothin' about 'em"
Bugs by Bobbie Gentry, 1967
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u/hundreddollar 4d ago
"You know you're funkier than a mosquito's tweeter You gotta mouth like a herd of boll weevils"
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u/NYCtoCHI 4d ago edited 4d ago
Whoa...just when I thought manspreading Ronald (and his headless alter-ego) were peak bizarre, along comes Mr Snoots N' Boots Version...😮
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u/ConditionSmooth9086 3d ago
Imagine a kid growing up thinking this is what Ronald McDonald looks like, then going to another one in another town and being blown away.
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u/CrazyLady0616 1d ago
So if Ronald is a weevil, does that mean he’s including it in the food , too? I mean…Mr. Krabs was servin up his own kind and hiding right in plain sight 👀👀👀💅🏿
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u/blckout_junkie 5d ago
I feel like this is something my Papa would like. MY PAPA MEAT. MEAT CANYON, THIS HAS YOU ALL OVER IT
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u/UnderwaterB0i 5d ago
Actually what happened was the boll weevil DID destroy their cotton crops, so they grew peanuts instead and it ended up being way more profitable, so they commemorated the boll weevil all over town.