Promoting America's Urban Frontier
why blog up the rustbelt?
of course one reason is to mix metaphors...
and to overstate the case....with feeling
but i think the point of rustbelt bloggers might be more substantial then what i have seen suggested so far. its not just that we share problems and need to generate solutions. its more then that. what folks in the rustbelt share is a culture- a history, an attitude, a view of past, present and future. we share an socioeconomic econiche. we share our water. and our air. blogging for the rustbelt is an act of cultural preservation, the creation of an identity and an act of rebellion against those controlling the invisible hand, which would like to dispose of us.
of course we need good cities and a vibrant economy. and we need healthy educated people and a clean and fresh environment. but most of all we need a vision of ourselves as the people who inhabit this shared socialecosystem- west of the east, north of the south, east of the west.. and we need to understand that this socialecosystem is the home of american solidarity. and that this socialecosystem exists in many other places around the world and that we can only gain by reaching out and connecting with the people who inhabit them- to then reach out to those who dont and help them understand what we have learned in generating our identity.
to do this we have to link together, cross race class gender sex age barriers in our home communities and then work in solidarity for a newer, socially inclusive society of solidarity.
being from the rustbelt is not about glitz- its about being honest and not hiding from what is hard. in hopes of a better day.
we are the new appalachia. the new inner city ghetto. but now we are a whole region, a whole culture.
to paraphrase karl "rustbelt bloggers share! we have only our insolation to lose"
and to overstate the case....with feeling
but i think the point of rustbelt bloggers might be more substantial then what i have seen suggested so far. its not just that we share problems and need to generate solutions. its more then that. what folks in the rustbelt share is a culture- a history, an attitude, a view of past, present and future. we share an socioeconomic econiche. we share our water. and our air. blogging for the rustbelt is an act of cultural preservation, the creation of an identity and an act of rebellion against those controlling the invisible hand, which would like to dispose of us.
of course we need good cities and a vibrant economy. and we need healthy educated people and a clean and fresh environment. but most of all we need a vision of ourselves as the people who inhabit this shared socialecosystem- west of the east, north of the south, east of the west.. and we need to understand that this socialecosystem is the home of american solidarity. and that this socialecosystem exists in many other places around the world and that we can only gain by reaching out and connecting with the people who inhabit them- to then reach out to those who dont and help them understand what we have learned in generating our identity.
to do this we have to link together, cross race class gender sex age barriers in our home communities and then work in solidarity for a newer, socially inclusive society of solidarity.
being from the rustbelt is not about glitz- its about being honest and not hiding from what is hard. in hopes of a better day.
we are the new appalachia. the new inner city ghetto. but now we are a whole region, a whole culture.
to paraphrase karl "rustbelt bloggers share! we have only our insolation to lose"
Comment
About
© 2009 Created by Jim Russell on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of Rust Belt Bloggers to add comments!
Join this Ning Network