RubberBuzz || Akron Unleashed: Apathy

9.19.2005

Apathy

I full-heartedly believe Akron's on the mend, that this city is getting better and better every day. Sure, we're not a destination city. We don't have Broadway, the Magnificent Mile, oodles of movie studios, or even a beach, but we also don't have the traffic and cost of living that those places do. Akron is all about comfort, not show.

My Mom thinks I'm crazy. She was born and raised here and her prejudices keep her from seeing the improvements that are happening all around her. I think she'd get along great with Seth Godin. Seth is some kind of marketing guru who spoke at a conference here within the last week. His Thursday night meal included stale bread and bad service, accompanying the worn and tired employees he saw. His conclusion is the city must be dying.

We're all guilty of snap judgments and prejudices and I feel Seth is no exception. If we only experience a miniscule portion of a city our perception is blurred. Seth really just had a bad dinner and saw some people who look beaten down... on a Thursday. Nearing the end of the workweek everyone looks beaten with sad puppy-dog eyes. I'm not trying to make excuses for what Seth experienced; I'm just pointing out what he left out.

One of the commenters on Seth post brought up a really good point:

We're all ambassadors for the neighborhood, town, city or state within which we live and work...everyday. Do a crappy job or throw litter on the street and it reflects on everyone else.

This even goes back to the whole "cool Akron" stuff. If we don't love and respect our city, how can we get others to embrace this city as a great place to live? In the past few months, the city has really come together galvanizing efforts to make this city more attractive to the outside world. But all of those efforts mean nothing if the average citizen of Akron is indifferent. Until they care, how can the rest of the world care?

Seth Godin :: The end of Akron, part I, stale bread

Thanks to Ron of Buzzoodle for pointing Seth's post out to me!

(joe :: Apathy)

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