Sunday, January 18, 2009

New Year's Resolutions And Observations

As we enter a new year, we asked a number of Memphians for their resolutions, observations, and insights for 2009. We continue to post them today.
Posted by at

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

All the high-minded public policy cheerleading is interesting to read, but isn't going to solve our real problems.

Memphis is sick. It's an emotional cancer, a metaphorical tumor that started growing centuries ago.

It metastacized in 1968.

Until we have some deep and soul-searching discussion of bases for our self-hatreds, the rest of the discussion is pointless and fruitless.

The sad irony of this is that the rest of the country is about to move on.

12:14 PM
Anonymous said...

Bob-

What are you doing to help fix issues? Instead of mindlessly complaining, why don't you lead off a thoughtful, soul-searching discussion on how we can address core problems (i.e. self hatred).

charming picture, by the way

9:37 AM
Aaron said...

How is the discussion more needed then than what you call cheerleading?

They can both be potentially fruitful starting points for inspiring people to action.

In fact this "cheerleading" is largely a positive response to addressing your discussion material.

Dig your 55-40 blog.

11:28 AM
Anonymous said...

No, it's not, it's just cheerleading. Bob was not complaining, he was making an observation that touched your nerve for it's truth.
There is no sense in cheerleading if you can't also acknowledge the truth. That's just covering up and building a house on sand. It won't stand. It's also what you've been doing all along, how long does it take you to realize that IT"S NOT WORKING?
What is positive is not burying what actually is, the ultimate reality in the physical universe based on your stats, and trying to be nice. Nasty Nice is what it amounts to.
Maybe people could get on this blog and express what their nagging passion is for this city?
Not their hope for money or adulation and acrimony, or, self agrandizing speeches about their next big initiative, program, or fix-all that is bound to fail from soul-lessness, but, a real vision of what they think Memphis could be with the very characters that are playing parts right now. Things they would be hard pressed to be stoped from doing.
The poor, the criminals, the students that we actually have, the geographical data that is our area with all it's intrinsic happenings, our river, our legacy of human atrocities, huge run down areas

I'll tell you why they don't. FEAR.

It seems to me that the people on this blog that do the most complaining are the cheerleaders. They like to put down anyone who would bring an observation that brings an ounce of reality with it.

The results of this city show me that what's happening is that the city is run by sociopaths. That's what a lot of people who move here from ANYWHERE ELSE see, whether it's so or not, that's what it looks like.
After you've been here a while you realize that nothing is changing, then you realize that a majority of the population has no concept of a soul or a higher power that would make a soul worth having, they only believe in their body and whatever way the wind blows is it.
Now, no matter how you justify the stats here and no matter how you rationalize it all out, it's still the stats. The stats point to the completely un-addressed core issues that cause this city to be what it is, a paraiah of the nation.
At least the new superintendent is going to do some fantastic things. That will give Memphis the "possibility of a future" but, if nothing else changes Memphis will give up a huge population of well educated youth to a bigger market outside Tennessee.
You can take that to the bank.
This place is very predictable. THAT is BAD.

11:55 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)