The sarcasm is undeserved this time, Foodie, and I for one am glad he was willing to share this with the Associated Press.
I hadn't made the connection between the two the way he did, but note that the AP writer noted
two observations he made about Philadelphia in the lead paragraph:
Quote:
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PHILADELPHIA (AP)- October 15, 2007 - Michael Nutter has learned something in more than a year of campaigning for mayor: Philadelphia is a dirty place and its people suffer quite an inferiority complex.
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(emphasis added)
Anyone recall me saying anything like this? It gets better:
Quote:
Government efforts to cut down on the city's homicide rate, get more residents off welfare and attract business must start with an attitude change by city residents, Nutter said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday.
[...]
Looking back to the 1990s, Nutter recalled how well former mayor Ed Rendell played the role of cheerleader as he helped bring the city back from near bankruptcy.
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I guess the
Inquirer chose to run that suggestion of mine for Mike because Mike agreed with it even before I made it.
Pardon my digression, but this may be more relevant than you think:
I have a couple of friends who are big into the self-help movement -- they've written a book that's selling decently, have an online Web radio show and are working on a video Webcast program. (
Here's their web site if you're curious. If you think the whole "Secret" business a bunch of hooey, don't hold this against them; if following advice of this type produces people as kind and decent as these two, there might just be something to it.) I was over at Darien's on Saturday -- I had a serious 'cue jones and Darien has a charcoal grill; I bought the ribs and cooked -- and they played some of their videos for me.
One of them had as its subject "cleaning up your space," both physical and mental. One of their big points was that when our space is cluttered with all kinds of junk, we don't feel good about ourselves: It hinders our ability to perform at our best, whether that junk is physical or mental. A lot of it is things we once used but no longer need; some of it may be things we never should have held onto but were too lazy to get rid of; some of it may be things -- or thoughts -- that are actively harming our ability to get what we want. Clear out this junk, they said, and you will feel better about yourself; feel better about yourself and you can work on the thoughts and attitudes that will enable you to achieve your goals.
If I'm not very much mistaken, this, in more words than he used, is exactly what Mayor-presumptive Nutter said to that AP reporter. The trash on the streets of Philly is a symptom of our poor self-image -- and I've written about that self-image before in the
Inky, noting the difference between Philly's inferiority complex and my hometown's (short summary: Kansas Citians think their city is a wonderful place and resent how the rest of the country gives it short shrift; Philadelphians think their city really stinks and tend to agree with outsiders who trash it like they do*).
After having skimmed that Shamsud-din Ali thread over in Politics and read about More Of The Same, and after reading this AP story, I think that if making
The Secret next year's "One City, One Book" choice would produce the needed changes in outlook, then let's all read it. Nutter's point is more than a little accurate: We stink because we consistently settle for less than the best than we are capable of. We allow the junk to accumulate, both on our streets and in our collective municipal psyche. It's time to clean up both.
*The funny thing about the Phillyblog crowd is that even those who agree with the negative judgements by and large agree because they're not willing to settle for less; they love this place and want to see it be what it can be. At least that's the impression I get from most of them.