Growing up I lived in a small rural town. I knew I was different and had a hard time socializing with my peers, until I went to collage. As I made the move to the metropolitan arena it became obvious that this is where I belonged. This new urban lifestyle and the social networks that I came into contact with, has made the most dramatic change in my life. I now know who I am and what my goals are. Now here comes my beef with todays babyboomer left over conservative "policy makers" who at night take there new flashy hunter green oldsmobiles '98s back to there suburbanite safety of home at 5:00 p.m.. How is it that these people (established planners) feel that they can make an accurate decision as to the future lives of the people of the urban environment that they work for,but dont have contact with or even live near. Tell me, how many working planners has ever had the experience of having an assault shotgun put to there forehead and held hostage for an hour and a half while trying to make ends meet while working at a convenience store, how many established planners have spent a year of there life cleaning office building at night so that there educational needs are taken care of, and how many established planners go to work every night with only there house keys and a dollar because while cleaning these office buildings at night they are roaming in and out of the dark alleys of the down town urban fabric. Everyday I experience these thing and everyday I take my education(BA in environmental design) and apply it to the REAL street experiences of my everyday life. Although this might sound like a bitch session I do enjoy experiencing true underground street life. I organize musical events that celebrate this new aesthetic of the underground street life, these musical events start at 12:00am and last until 8:00am and are held in old downtown abandoned warehouses. Do you know what it feel like to listen to completely electronic music in a collapsing ,almost gothic degradation of the urban fabric of life. Well I have and I have also paid my way through collage to only now be sitting in front of a computer wondering why people dont understand my way of life and why I am looked down on and why my environment becomes more and more violent everyday with more building vacancies and business window signs that all read going out of business. What I dont understand is how the people and I of the urban street life can survive. And how is it that our voice is never heard only glamorized by the 6 O’clock news a war zone for higher ratings. And as these trends continue the separation grows further and further distant between those with the excess money who make the decisions (suburbanites) and those who need to be invested in. Why is it that my voice and the hundreds of intelligent people like me are not heard I have seen with the eyes of the street the continuing polarization of our society and with those “policy makers” continuing there trek to the suburbs every night, blinding themselves from the true reality of the urban fabric, I can personally assure that this future will bring the next revolution.
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Originally posted by Maister
