Wednesday, August 31, 2011
On Standing
I've already posted here about how much I adore David Simon. If he announced he was running for Mayor or President of anywhere, I would drop everything to help get him elected.
(To be fair, I say that knowing he will probably never be on a ballot. He has a much better job as a storyteller.)
This talk he gave in New Orleans really resonated for me. So much of the same stuff in Detroit right now. Suspicion of outsiders and newcomers. Insensitivity to external realities and commonalities. Criticism of ideas not on merit, but on some measure of "authenticity" or tenure or geography of the author.
And all this from folks who call themselves "progressive." It's a damn shame.
I think this quote sums it up pretty well:
"Everyone uses 'standing' as a shield. And it hides the fact that there are a lot of bad ideas that get credence, and a lot of good ideas that get ignored."
His anecdote about development in New Orleans and Baltimore hit especially close to home. If only we could think differently about what "progress" really means.
