Pasquotank County unimpressed by Charlotte

In preparation for the barrage of disrespect sure to accompany the Democratic National Convention, I’m offering a second sampling of past insults endured by the host city:

“They don’t know art from nothing. Half of them don’t even know what state Charlotte is in.”

— Vernon James, D-Pasquotank, describing his constituents’ reaction to the debate over funding the North Carolina  Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (1987)

“The tall buildings, crowded sidewalks and endless stoplights confuse and annoy me. . . . A damp doom descends on me. I feel like my luck just ran out and washed down the gutter.”

— Mike McIntyre, author of “The Kindness of Strangers: Penniless Across America,” recording his impression of Charlotte. (1996)

“A Mickey Mouse ruling delivered by a lay jury in a place that is not known as a great metropolis.”

— A spokesman for the British conglomerate that owns Meineke Discount Muffler, sniffing at a Charlotte jury’s award of $346 million to dissident Meineke dealers. (1997)

“So much to do, I don’t know how y’all made it here tonight.”

— Comedian Chris Rock, commenting oh-so-drolly on Charlotte’s entertainment options beyond his performance at Ovens Auditorium. (2003)

“I dreamed about playing in the National Football League all my life. The Eagles, the Giants, the Redskins, the Bears. But I found myself playing for the Carolina Panthers, wearing this funny-looking uniform, and I didn’t even feel like I was in the NFL.”

— Quarterback Kerry Collins, tracing his problems to his rookie year in Charlotte (2007)