BAYLOR: It shan’t happen hereI did it on purpose, fully intending to contrast the perpetual defeatism of local obstructionists with the can-do spirit which is persevering downtown in spite of the economic troubles. Not for a minute do I entertain any delusions about rough, recessionary times, but these are no excuse for passivity or inactivity. You roll up your sleeves and go to work, which is what my company’s doing.
To live in New Albany is to be compelled forever and always to look at positive developments with a shrug — knowing that local Limbaughs are praying for failure — and to listen to their self-flagellating admonitions of futility, powerlessness and begrudgery:It just can’t be done here — and you’re a fool to even try.
Call it what you will: Arrogance, defiance, foolhardiness or cheek. I call it a calculated risk, putting it on the line, and being in the right place at the right time. Guarantees are lacking. Aren’t they always?
Win, lose or draw, this is going to be fun.
Bravo!
ReplyDeleteWin, lose or draw, this is going to be fun...for a whole heckuva lot of people. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWe've been waiting!
ReplyDeleteIn general, people feel their problems are unique to their city, when really they are not. I've worked in three states in my short career as a journalist and most of the same "problems" people talk about here happen in just about every smaller city I've encountered. Change doesn't happen overnight, and opening a business that is different is a step in the right direction, at least for you. But you must understand no matter how you may see things shaking out, some will never want New Albany to really change, same as many smaller cities. We should all want safety, good education and accountability from our elected officials, but when it comes to transforming a city into a different mold, it's all subjective. You can't really say one side is right and one side is wrong. Both have legitimate arguments.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that I agree with that last statement.
ReplyDeleteIf you talking about transforming NA into, say, a "Madison" type town vs a "silicon valley" town, I would agree with you. I don't think that is how Roger and others are framing this topic.
NA needs many physical changes but to get there it needs a mental change even more. An attitude adjustment, if you will. Put "can do" people in a room and something will come out. Put "can't do" people in a room and nothing will out. "We CAN'T open the door".
I think there's a difference between someone seeking to preserve things they perceive as working well and what typically happens in New Albany.
ReplyDeleteThe naysayers don't say "This is good and we shouldn't change it." They say "This is bad and we can't change it."
I don't really consider "This is bad and we can't change it" a legitimate argument.
As usual, Bluegill says it much better than I(me, myself,...?) Exactly what I was thinking.
ReplyDeleteI've been in rooms with "can do" people for the past four years, I've seen not much come out of it anywhere. It's OK to dream, but sometimes you have to separate dreams from reality. I agree that you shouldn't say "we can't change this", but I think you have to narrow the scope of exactly what you want to change, otherwise, people are scattered.
ReplyDelete"I've been in rooms with "can do" people for the past four years, I've seen not much come out of it anywhere. It's OK to dream, but sometimes you have to separate dreams from reality."
ReplyDeleteyeah, I've hit that wall myself here Daniel.
G-But you have to keep on keeping on and I respect the people that do, like yourself. Like Lloyd and Bluegill, for instance, they say a lot, but I see them everywhere, neighborhood meetings, cleanups, the Rustic Frog, um nevermind that was wrong. I don't ever see them at cleanups :)
ReplyDeletebut I think you have to narrow the scope of exactly what you want to change, otherwise, people are scattered.
ReplyDeleteNo disagreement on that from this quarter.
Thanks Daniel.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering who that tall skinny flat chested kid drssed in drag was at the Rustic Frog!
Now I know!! (the red wig is what had me guessing)
I was wondering who that tall skinny flat chested kid drssed in drag was at the Rustic Frog!
ReplyDeleteWow! Just wow.
Lloyd, the UK tassles should have given him away.
ReplyDeleteI needed a good laugh. Lloyd's a stingy tipper by the way. 1-17, I mean Hoosier, you know you just watched my boys take care of Ole Miss. Now it's on to LSU.
ReplyDeleteAs always, I come late to the scrum, but Daniel's take impresses me as extremely cynical.
ReplyDeleteI consider myself a "once and future" journalist, and I value the objectivity that cynicism brings to the role Mr. Suddeath fills in this community.
But I will dispute Daniel's thesis, and I'll appropriate bluegill's reformulation as the best.
"...but when it comes to transforming a city into a different mold, it's all subjective. You can't really say one side is right and one side is wrong. Both have legitimate arguments.
That's a fine position for a purely objective journalist to take. For better or worse, though, there is no such thing. It only exists in the ether (or J-school).
IT IS NOT SUBJECTIVE. Objectively, one side is right. One side is wrong. One side wins. One side loses. Just because one side prevails does not make that subjective. Objectively, one side IS right. One side IS wrong.
The K-Cats now have to face the Bengal Tigers...uh-oh.
You go, Daniel, but you are drawing the wrong object lesson (after three cities) to assume that "both" sides are right...or "right."
That's an irrational argument.
However, I will give you credit for your critique that "you've been in the room with 'can-do' types for four years."
Me too. And I'm disgusted with the population of the room almost as much as I am with myself.
But that IS changing. You may not see it today. But we are at the dawning...right now.
The ongoing, naive self-gratifying circle jerk has reached its zenith.
P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S, right now, like an unheralded birth, is emerging. The star, seen in the East, draws the attention of Wise Men.
Unlike that Biblical story, though, there are capable, intelligent, and reachable shepherds here. Believe it or not, the stars are in alignment, and the shepherds, along with the Wise Men, are poised to transform New Albany.
Romantics may feel free to mark Friday, March 13, as the nativity, giving credit to that paragon of secular spiritualism for his and his partner's bold assertion of, as you put it, "can-doism."
Keep on keeping on, Daniel; be objective, preserve your olbjectivity. But, I promise you, objectivity cannot deny that we are on the cusp of a new day.
And this OPINION has nothing to do with the "Beak's" my bride enjoyed, or the "Solidarity" on tap, the pommes frites, and the Croque Madame I enjoyed last evening, the last day before the Bank Street Brewhouse debuted.
[Roger: I still want the T-shirt - "I was there..."
Just because one side wins and one side loses doesn't mean right or wrong, in some cases. When most people say they want progress, I have found they mean more retail, more restaurants and the like. How does that make one right and the other wrong for wanting something smaller? As I said, everybody should want safety, good schools and accountability from government officials, but for example the Brewhouse you mention, a great place for those who like to drink and definitely something different than what New Albany usually offers, but I don't see how that equals righteousness.
ReplyDeleteAs you pointed out at the Newport meeting yourself, new shops don't mean much to the city in terms of revenue. Those of us who want more businesses usually want options. Those against it usually say they want the city to stay smaller, they don't want the traffic and things of that nature. How can you really say one side is wrong and one side is right? So I would say if you're talking about progress in terms of business, it's really only a benefit for those who want more options and for those opening the businesses. If you say you want progress in the way of codes, public safety and education, it would seem that benefits all legit parties.
But I agree with you on the objectivity lesson. That became a big deal mainly because of advertising. Still, when it comes to right and wrong all you can really do is put out the facts and let people decide unless you have the evidence to prove someone is lying. And what many don't understand is evidence is more than "I heard so and so say this".
Keep in mind, this is happening with fairly extreme economic conditions acting as both educational impetus and practical limit.
ReplyDeleteWhen that starts to change, with improved structure and mechanisms in place...well, I'd recommend protective goggles.
I had yet another conversation last night with someone who recently landed in Louisville from another city. As is often the case, they expressed happiness with Louisville but surprise with regard to where we were standing in New Albany: "If I'd known, I may have chosen to live over here."
Like Roger once told Lloyd about his professed dislike of beer so many years ago, "We can fix that."
I would much rather live in New Albany than Louisville. The traffic isn't bad and you can be in downtown Louisville in five minutes. You have basically all the shops you need, a great workout facility, the best paper in the area :), what I think is a great park out at Community and several up and coming restaurants and social type places. Just needs a little fine tuning, like most places. And this is coming from an out of towner too. I think I just wrote a postcard.
ReplyDelete