A few kind people have asked where I've been late or more specifically why I haven't been blogging. I gently put them off, but now I'm ready to reveal my activities of the past few weeks.
I've been deep undercover in the Khaki Tide.
I've spent the past month as one of them: the self-centered urban professionals who do absolutely nothing around here except raise their kids, care for their family, work hard at their job, and, when the carousel music winds down at 9 p.m., kick up their feet to watch some TV, read a book or just go to bed.
I'm here to tell you. IT'S AWESOME.
Seriously, what an existence. To focus on only a few things and do them well, do them better than you've done them before and to not worry about things like school accreditation, city councils, waterfronts and the like.
Ah, let someone else take care of those things. That's what we elected them for anyway.
Yeah, I didn't just pass the buck. I tied it to a brick, flung it right into City Hall, and plopped back onto my couch to catch up on my "Men of a Certain Age."
It's an attractive lifestyle, I assure you. So enticing in fact that I sometimes didn't want to come back. I now understand why Donna Holaday will have a difficult time attracting people to her March 6 at the High School. The 9 a.m. start will interfere with birthday parties, errands, some child's practice of some sort or just a general tendency toward enjoying a lazy Saturday morning. (For the record, I'll be coming back on a red eye that morning so I may not be able to attend.)
So what are we to do. How do we engage those who are understandably content in their day-to-day lives, leaving the heavy lifting to those that care? How can we broaden the circle of giving-a-crap and get people to fight for a stake in this city?
I'm not sure, to be honest. Having lived the existence for the past month or so I can say with some confidence.....Apathy Rocks.
Thoughts?
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14 comments:
Asian dictators are relying on you.
Authoritarian governments across Asia perpetuate themselves by exploiting this dynamic. They say, essentially, "You can make money and watch TV and drink liquor and buy luxury goods and enjoy the legalized prostitution, but don't question how we run things and don't even think of protesting."
Newburyport isn't an Asian dictatorship. Yet. But if enough people follow your example . . . .
Tom
The City of Newburyport is wrestling with our charter and how we should be governed. Is our current system responsive to our needs? Is it too big or too small?
Should we have a town meeting form of governance? Or terms too short?
So I get a call from a friend where I used to work for more than 1/4 of a century; they have a Town Manager and 5 selectmen. There is a move to review the charter and move to a city government system; i.e. Mayor and City Council!
So the grass is always greener...but more to your point people in that other community say it’s hard to get involved..."we have jobs and families and how can I go to meetings at night?"
It's sad but it boils down to commitment. Are you part of the community, just sleep there or only get involved when it involves something that impacts you?
Bob Cronin
Newburyport City Council
Ward 3
@Bob. Is Framingham at it again? For God's sake I already lost that election so we wouldn't have to do that anymore.
@Tom. In my experience, there is only one thing that gets people off the couch. Pure, unadulterated, rage. That's it, the secret to self-government.
I say that you guys have an override, cut school programs, and promote a methadone clinic downtown.
Then you'll see some participation!
i guess it's a good thing you weren't elected to the charter commission then, huh tom?
@anon....Not following you. Please explain.
i don't think the voters would have appreciated your apathy
@Anonymous: Ah, I thought as much. Had I the honor of being elected, believe me, I would have been among the harder working members on the commission. I was looking forward to the position and was willing to risk time with my two boys to help do the job.
Alas, the voters freed me of that obligation, so I think I'm allowed to spend my time as I see fit.
@PKL-Well, to be fair, this isn't my example. I simply spent the past six weeks living as the vast majority of Newburyporters spend their time. And I've come to understand why they do; it's far easier than getting involved. (BTW, PKL, what civic organizations are you involved in?
@Bob, you're exactly right. It just comes down to a commitment. As I wrote back in October, people simply needed to Take Time to Care.
I've got to admit. Nighttime is tough when you've got to rock/read kids to sleep after getting them dinner and spending a bit of time.
But there are ways of making it work. It can be as easy as watching council meeting on the PortMedia site, reading the local news and just making a little time to be interested.
Civic involvement is like exercise. It's easy to come up with reasons not to do it, but you just need to make the time.
BTW, Bob I can't figure out why the link to your blog doesn't work.
Tiananmen Square is your fault, Tom.
But perhaps I should make it more obvious when I'm joking.
BTW, I will be announcing my civic involvement in about eight weeks on the Knife Tricks blog.
Hey Tom,
I think many people become involved in local government when something not so good effects their lives, an infill project possibly next door, a large wind turbine, a landfill, traffic problems, school funding cuts that effect their children. Many, many times people then get hooked and get involved in many ways.
But I always say people get "meeting fatigue," and most are involved on a more limited basis, which is fine. Not everyone could be involved on a continuous basis. So taking a break. Not such a bad thing.
And I think judging from all the involvement in the volunteer boards, committees and organizations, that civic involvement is actually pretty high.
(It's also February :)
Mary
While I'm too old to get enraged, is no one else upset about both the installation of video cameras downtown and the fact that our (now secret) police can do it without Council involvement?
Why do all the Tea Party folks get upset about supposedly liberty-infringing events in D.C., while ignoring a real one right here?
Since I've regularly noted there is not much for a resident to buy downtown, most stores won't miss me. Restaurants might.
Dick, I have a friend who sometimes seems paranoid, and sometimes seems like a genius.
He contends that the public is given shiny keys to stare at (healthcare) while the real outrages go unnoticed.
For example, Monsanto has used a ruling by former employee Clarence Thomas to force farmers to switch to their genetically modified soy beans.
Even if a farmer doesn't want to use the beans, Monsanto will sue if any pollen drifts over from a genetically modified field and gets into the farmer's seeds.
So, is it crazy to think that Monsanto is taking over the food supply or is it smart?
And yet, the Tea Party guys go bananas because of threat to liberty entailed in paying for someone's well-baby visit.
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