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September 29, 2005
The Good, The Bad & The Condescending.
The Good.
I'm sure you've all heard the commercials for Go!Fest featuring Ron and MichMich (finally-something she can do! A voice-over!). For the record, Ron throwing the weight of the Mayor’s office behind a new venture like Go!Fest, is a good thing.
In case you are unaware of what Go!Fest is, the City’s press release describes the event thusly: Go!Fest celebrates how Chattanoogans of all abilities live, work and play together. This Fall Festival is an inclusive, free event targeted to those with disabilities, their families and caregivers.
That’s great and I, along with the entire WME staff, intend to be there. Our city isn’t the friendliest environment if you are physically challenged and it’s truly good that we are reaching out to our own citizens who face these challenges. It should have happened years ago, but it's nice that it’s happening now.
So, MichMich staging a publicity stunt featuring Ron playing wheelchair basketball with the Siskin Rebounders to get some media attention is exactly why they invented publicity events. I’ve heard from some folks who feel that it was insensitive of Ron to pull the wheelchair stunt. If you feel it was crass, I can't tell you how to feel, but I, of all freakin’ people, am giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one. I wish them success and hope that Go!Fest is helpful to those who deal with getting around in a hostile physical environment.
The Bad.
That said, can we ever expect anything from this administration that isn’t a photo op? Sure, a mayor does these kinds of things. All well and good. But, can we expect anything more? Like new jobs? Tenants for Enterprise South? Infrastructure upgrades? The absence of substance from the Littlefield administration is starting to get uncomfortable.
The Condescending.
In the commercial Ron says, “It all starts with compassion.” Like hell it does.
The physically handicapped do not need 'compassion.’ They aren’t sinners or drug addicts. They, either by genetics or physical trauma, experience lost or altered use of some aspect of their person.
What they need is for the Americans With Disabilities Act to be enforced and for thoughtful design to be incorporated into our public spaces. For instance, the cobblestones at the south end of the Market Street Bridge and the south end of the Walnut Street Bridge, while nifty as they were pulled from Ross’ Landing before the 21st Century Waterfront project, are a bitch to get over if you’re in a wheelchair (not to mention on a bicycle or motorcycle.) Sure, there are nearby alternative paths, but damn that is some rough going.
The differently-abled aren’t charity cases, Ron. All of us--any of us--could be moments from that condition. Get over yourself.
p.s. Did you clear the theme song "Going to a Go!Fest" with the Rolling Stones or their publishing company? Cuz, 1. they will sue (y)our ass for improper use and 2. the altered lyrics chanted over the original "Going to a Go-Go" track are really cheesy.
Comments to: worstmayorever@aol.com
| By Billy Blades | 10:50 PM
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