Town: South and Why It Matters

Cher, South Carolina. This is the pure deep south. What's it like in Terra? It's about I mean our high school maybe has 400 students in it. Like real small place. Annabellum homes, old mills, and a sleepy downtown surrounded by cotton fields. What's the specialty? What's the best thing you got? Uh, all of them. These Wait, these are all your grandkids right here? That ain't all of them. That's part of That's just part of them. On the surface, there's nothing special here. It's population is neither collapsing nor exploding. It's not a

crime capital nor a rich city. It's just a good old-fashioned deep south factory town. When they drive down Main Street and they see the homes, I mean, it's we used to be called the prettiest town in Dixie. But in Shra, things may be about to change. They paid uh 500,000 for each, but you know, they got little eyes and be, but that's crazy. We're going to have it. We don't rule us. If you want to understand a quintessential southern town that may be on the brink of a transformation, come with us to Tr. Its median household income is just $22,000. well below the national average. A century ago, it was a different story.

Located conveniently on a river and near the cotton fields, Shaw's money earned it a reputation for being the prettiest town in Dixie. It said here that while burning everything on his march to the sea, General Sherman spared it because it was too beautiful. What are you guys setting up for right here? The taste of which is what's most delicate event. Would you say it's our premier cocktail attire event? And we have what between 5 and 800 people show up at park. Now, how people live in Toronto? Um, and the town limit is about 5,000. Yeah, we still have I think what four major industries.

Yeah. Back in the day, like I said, we had a bunch of textile and they went out went to China like everybody. So, Chaffler, which our biggest industry, they have three plants here and they probably employ close to 3,000 people. I mean, when you come through here, it's just beautiful homes. It's beautiful streets. A lot of them look to be quite old. Yeah, lots of history here. So, so what's the story? Why are all these mansions beautiful estates? What's the story for Sher? The Pey River that runs through here. It was the furthest part you can go up um with the depth was Cher. So, a lot of the imports and exports, they come here to deliver from other places because the big ships couldn't come in.

But anyway, we have the church down here, old St. Davis Episcopal Church. There's still bullet holes and stains in the wall from where they did the Revolutionary War where they used it as a hospital. A lot of people are attracted to the area because it is so family oriented. It's quiet, lowkey. It's not a lot of traffic. When they drive down the main street and they see the homes, I mean, it's we used to be called the prettiest town in Dixie. I feel like Shu has a lot of its character for sure. I feel like a lot of us hold on to that. We want to grow. We want new things, new businesses, new. But we love holding on to our heritage and our history.

This is one part of Tra. Beautiful, prosperous, antabbellum, white. Once home to plantation owners and traders, and now houses the town's elite, including executives at Tr's remaining factories. But across town, it's a different story. We're not from here. We're Yankees, right? We're just driving through. Okay. What's it like around here? I love it. Good place to settle down. I'm retired. She is. Do most people here, do they work in the plant or what? What do you want? Most people do. Uh, which this section right here is mainly uh elderly people. Got a lot of businesses coming in. Got Sha across the street from me.

I mean, this seems like a very kind of traditional southern town. It is. As you can see, these houses are basically about the same. Yeah. And this what they called the old mill house. They built these houses for the people to stay in like old textile mill basically. But so that are textiles gone now? Pretty much. But one thing that I can say about around here, our water is not too good. Well, we got lead in our water. So we are having to buy our drinking water. And water's not cheap no more. show where I can.

Yo, what's it like around here? Godamn nice and like that. You got to be to yourself though like sweet around here. You know what I'm saying? That's all. You don't need to be beat to yourself around here. Everything good though, you know? Peace and quiet. This what own this was born at the um Trumpet man. He was born here. Yeah, he was born here. Jobs. Good. Yeah. What do people do? Got down. We got a plant around like um Carolina can counters like that. How are the police here? They um they pretty good. I ain't going to cap. Yeah, pretty good. Make sure everybody safe and protect around here.

They got most of the bad guys off the streets. So, Pretty cool around here now. You know what I'm saying? Before it was worse. Yeah. Killing and going on, man. People got scared. Come outside. You think you'll stick around here? Oh, no. Trying to move on. I've been here too long. I'm really doing my own thing right now, though. Kind of tell you all the truth. You know what I'm saying? Kind of little homeless situation. This my uh people house right here. Yeah. It's a bandit. Oh yeah. Still do my thing, make my money, do what I got to do, survive out here. You know what I'm saying? You'll see some

though. I'm trying to tell you. You go see a lot of people. They nice and cool. They'll talk to you. ain't kind of act. Most people around here kind of nice. I lie. Do you think if you wanted could you go get a job at a factory? Yeah, I get any job I want. I'm just I got fire from my last job KC. I going with the manager there. Took a little break right now. Said get another job start doing like yard work cut grass Do what you got to do, man. What's it like around here? It's bad around here, man. I don't need to be around this kind of stuff. Too much drugs, man. I don't need to be

around this kind of stuff, man. I was That's why I was telling my case worker, you got to get me out of here, man. I don't even come out and deal with the people around here cuz, you know, they just ain't right, man. They beg all the time. This place here is infested with drugs, man. At night time, all you see is crackheads all night begging, buming. Man, get away from me, please. It's just like I get no peace here. That used to be the t-shirt place. This was a factory right here.

Yeah, this was a t-shirt place. That's why I don't understand this place, man. It's just too much go on out here, man. I never been in a place like this, man. Even in the Bronx, it wasn't like this really. No. other projects that they got over there. The guy got killed over there yesterday, a couple days ago. Shot got his brain flew out. This whole area we're driving through here, it's like a factory graveyard. There's just old abandoned factories everywhere. And this is all right next to the projects, one of the poorest parts of the town. Over there, you've

got the active factories and slightly more middle-ass neighborhoods. And then in the middle of all of it, you've got the mansions. So you really see all the levels of the kind of like factory system in this little town here. So in the middle of this really kind of vacant area, a bunch of abandoned factories, there's a seafood restaurant and it just smells unbelievable. You have like an abandoned pay phone, abandoned gas pump, and just this amazing smell of fresh seafood. We're gonna go check the spot out. Just start to change. That's how it's changing now. Bad really hurt like this and like that.

Why are kids? The young people it ain't how it used to be, man. They ain't They rolling up no guys. I don't even try to stay around. Is that bad? It ain't that bad. I got time for nonsense. Hey, thanks Guan. Yes, sir. You I'm subscribe. Yeah, man. Thank you. So, it's been here 65 years. Yep. A long time. When did mama had it, then I did? Well, Daddy died, then I took over today. What's the specialty? What's the best thing you got?

Uh, all of it. Seafood. We have really good seafood. We have fresh seafood. You don't find places like this often, you know. This is old. It's old. I think it's like a staple restaurant, the town. Oh, yeah. It's getting hard now. Like, you know, the small business is real hard. Can't hardly afford to pay anybody. Fish going up every week. I mean, I don't want to go up. Try not to, but I'm going to have to shortly. What's uh Terra like?

Good. Down home people. Good place to raise kids. That's a good place. So, do most people here work in the factories? Seen a bunch of factories. That's right. I ain't never worked in one. No. You've you always been doing this? Well, I used to ride motorcycles for motorcars. That's what I did for a living. Then I come back here, help baby out. Then I got stuck here. Getting old now. No, not at all. What's your secret? Uh, he piss. Do you guys have kids? Who's want to take it over from you?

Yeah, great kids. We got one back there. We had three back there. We got 17 grandkids. You got 17 grandkids. 17 grand. Between me and him, we got Well, we had He had three, I had three, then we got one together. These Wait, these are all your grandkids right here. That ain't all of them. That's part of it. That's just part of them. You What's the biggest difference between running a business like this now and say 20, 30 years ago? What's the biggest difference?

Well, people back in them days, they come in pretty decent. You know what I'm saying? You know, people like and all, but now they come in D. But they all good. Don't get me wrong. Come here and just sit around with his dad. His dad would get the guitars out. They all get guitars together. Something like that. It ain't that like a gathering place. That's right. It's changed now a lot. It's all good. They can't make a living. We're not making a killing. That's all right. So, you're in the back cooking the fish?

Yeah. Me and my buddy Junior, he's back there, too. We uh we cook the fish back there. Yeah. All right. So, what's it like in Toronto? about that. I mean, our high school maybe has 400 students in it. Like, real small place. But still, how long's this place been open? Since 1961. Place been open since 1961. That's the owner right over there. Real cool dude. Uh, best fish in Charle, South Carolina. Big well-known place. Everybody around here loves. All right. So, when we're doing this, we are always searching for places like this. You know, the best food, the local vibes, the small business owners. So,

we're about to dig into this right here. Let's look at what we got. We're eating on the back of our pickup truck, which you also love to have. We got some catfish, hush puppies, and sloth. Oh my god. And that's the shrimp. All right, so we're about to dig it. We're about to dig into this. We just want to say if you want your news experience is raw, real, and authentic cuz this seafood we're about to dive into. Smash that subscribe button. Our mission is simple. Capture the world. No bias, no fear. Thank you for watching. Now, let's enjoy it. Now, the transformation that I mentioned before is happening because of this auto parts factory. The plant owned by Germany Schaefer is hoping to replace

human labor with robots. In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that only 200 humanoid robots are being used in factories globally, and perhaps the first ones in America are being used right here. Schaefer's robot, Digit, made by a company called Agility, works in a closed room moving baskets all day. It currently costs between $10 and $25 an hour, but Agility predicts it will get down to just $2 to $3 an hour, much cheaper than the starting human rate of $20 an hour at the plant. The Wall Street Journal predicts that this will replace human jobs there. So, while in Tra, we asked locals what they thought about this and AI. So, we heard about the Shalers. Is that what it is? We heard they've got one of the first

humanoid robots anywhere. That is correct. Well, I actually had a little Mexican restaurant that just opened up what, two months ago. They have a robot that comes out and delivers the food after. Now, everywhere you look in the news, on TV, they're talking about AI. What do you think about that? I think it' be a big hit. We're going to have it. We don't China's going to rule us. What do you think about that? What do you think about robots? Um I pretty like that cuz um robots can kind of like take over like a kind of like a technology thing. Be too smart.

Take over. They ain't going to need it no more. What do you think about that AI all? I don't care enough for that. You guys ain't got a computer here. N old school. We ain't even got a credit card here. It's the future. Let's talk right. Some might not like it, but it's what's coming and it's not leaving. If you're ready to move forward, that's where it's going to go with. It's going to go forward. They might not want to accept it, but guess what? Change is coming to everybody whether you like it or not.

The Wall Street Journal predicts that this will replace human jobs there. But it just so happened that well in Shira, we met a man who worked alongside the robots. You mind if I step up here? Is that okay? Thank you. So, are you guys both from here? I've been in Cher all my life. Is you from Cher, too? Born and raised on the playground pretty much. I've been here for 50 years right here at the sun spot. You all feel like it's changed much in your lifetimes. Not much, but it seemed like they getting ready to make a change because when the old fade away, the young change, you know, they making things a

little bit better. We just learned that they put in one of the factories here. They put in a new robot. It's the first kind of like human style. It looks like a human. Yeah. I work there. I work at ENA. You work with Yeah. I work there. I go on third shift there. I work at Ena. Oh, they got four of them. What do you think about that? They paid uh 500,000 for each. So, you know, that's what Oh, the robot. Yeah. They'll sleep 16 hour work number eight. They actually they sleep with like people, but you know, they got little eyes and but that's crazy. But

what do you think about that? Uh I'm I'm going be honest. I'm going tell you the truth. I think they waste their money because they spent all that money for that and they ain't getting the job, man. They don't really use them that much, man. Yeah. I mean, they got them just in that one section, but they wanted to move around. That's that's that's not working. So, were there more factory jobs? Yeah, more factories. There used to be more. Yeah. Takata. Uh, they closed that one down. Howland's still here. Got you got five plants of ENA. I don't worked at Takata. All kind of different Carolina candles, stamp the tools. I

don't wor the pixie plant. I done basically all of them. Now when I hear the word work, it hurt my Oh, it get it gets hot here. I don't know how New York, but it get hot here. Yeah, it's not like this in New York. What do you guys think about AI? Artificial intelligence. Uh, I know. I can't believe everything on YouTube though, bro. But, you know, some things make you laugh on there, you know. But, uh, you never know. I can't even. It's kind of scary. It's kind of scary to me because, you know, you don't know what to believe, you know. Uh, but some stuff I ain't going to lie, I like looking at cuz it's it's kind of funny, you know. So,

when people watch this video, they might think you guys are AI. Yeah. How do they know it's real? Yeah, you know, you're right. You don't know what I'm from here. You know where that at? No, I don't. I figured that town ain't it ain't bad. It just, you know, depend on what you do and how you want to do it. You know, the people change. You know, friends ain't what friends used to be. Uh, kids have no respect for grownup. When the kids raising kids, it ain't going to get no better. That's why it's a whole lot of kidling shooting.

Well, everyone, we've heard a lot of people bring up the shooting over in the Dizzy projects. That where I live there. You live there? I don't seen so many people laid down out there, dog. I got friends been killed and stuff out there. Everybody got a backpack. with a gun. As simple as that. Did you work in the factories here? I worked in fuel. I ain't had no problem with them. I like making money. I like making honest money, man. But other than that, like I say, I've been here about 37 years, almost 38. I watched a lot of these stores go out of

business. I shopped to a lot of these stores that went out of business. Why so much stuff close? Cuz people take their money out of town, man. People, you can't I mean, if I get a stove and you get a stove and we side by side, I won't make you with if you get my drip. You might not understand me, but because I'm white. So, that stuff still is that's still the way it is around. That ain't never going nowhere, man. It can always be black and white. Long as it's the world, man. This is what the problem is. Everybody got a different color.

Are you optimistic about the future? I'm al optimistic about everything. Cool. What about AI? I really think AI ain't going to do nothing but mess up this world like it doing. Uh and it ain't going to get no better. What they going to do is improve AI cuz AI ain't going nowhere. You know that. I know that. Something to think about. Dumb as I am, I think about stuff like that. I call myself Tom. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff I don't know in the world. I'm still learning, man. Got a lot of wisdom. When you stop learning, stop living, man.

Now, I should say that the reason we ended up here was because I read that journal article back in March and noticed they interviewed executives, investors, and managers, but not a single Chira factory worker. The residents of the town were ignored. This is exactly why we started Roken News because the media fails to capture people in places like these. In the end, it was the journal's loss. In Shra, we found beautiful homes, a quiet river, friendly faces, delicious catfish, and simply put, the type of town that's getting ever harder to find. Chira may change, but a lot, I hope, will stay the same.