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Monday, April 30, 2012
How Deep Do/Will Your Roots Go?
"So my wife and I have been in Chicago for like five years, I'm in finance, we really like this school, we've checked maybe like five or six, but loved this one because it's just more diverse; you know because of all the Hispanics in the neighborhood, which we love, LOVE IT, we didn't want our kids to go to school or live with all white people, we love the connections the school has with the Joffrey and the Civic Opera, Miles has the option to learn Mandarin, Chinese, or Farsi. It's close to our favorite restaurants, cafes, and guerilla theaters. I can walk or bike here. I know we'll stay here through 8th, but that's probably it. No, I mean Chicago, I don't want to deal with the
hassle of navigating high school. I mean if he doesn't get into the selective enrollment..what other choice do we have, what, send him to Clemente, no, no, no, not going to do that.( chuckle) I think we will probably go back to Columbus, where my wife is from, but, but enough about me, what do you think?" he said. I replied, " Let me tell you a story...
Chicago was once full of swamps and prairie. The swamps were drained, now gone; today Chicago's native prairie is fraction of it's ground cover, closer to being choked out for good by the succession of non native species. Such species, like common grass and weeds, grow in the prairie's place; one would never know the prairie was once there. The roots that went down deep into to land, have been replaced by the shallow, adding little to the land except manicured lawns; easily uprooted when drought comes.
hassle of navigating high school. I mean if he doesn't get into the selective enrollment..what other choice do we have, what, send him to Clemente, no, no, no, not going to do that.( chuckle) I think we will probably go back to Columbus, where my wife is from, but, but enough about me, what do you think?" he said. I replied, " Let me tell you a story...
Chicago was once full of swamps and prairie. The swamps were drained, now gone; today Chicago's native prairie is fraction of it's ground cover, closer to being choked out for good by the succession of non native species. Such species, like common grass and weeds, grow in the prairie's place; one would never know the prairie was once there. The roots that went down deep into to land, have been replaced by the shallow, adding little to the land except manicured lawns; easily uprooted when drought comes.
35 and here to stay!
I just turned 35. I think I just entered a new age demographic also. I believe I am now part of a "child-rearing group, ages 35-44". What is interesting about that demographic and what I believe to be true, based on what I am hearing from young urban professionals I hang with is this, this demographic is now struggling with which neighborhood to raise children in and which school to send their kid to. Really for many of this age group, in the middle class, when it comes to kids, Chicago has it's limits. The suburbs or one's hometown now has cache. Not me, the only thing I have to look back to for a reference is Chicago, I've been here forever, born and raised here for 35 years, before gentrification and globalization caused people to make false choices. My age demographic will not force me to leave this city I love.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Buzz Words
Proximity doesn't create community.
Diversity is nothing more than proximity if you aren't pursuing a relationship with those around you doifferent than you.
Diversity is nothing more than proximity if you aren't pursuing a relationship with those around you doifferent than you.
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