Defend Reality.

[lennycrist]

This blogger, formerly from Youngstown, now an ex-patriot living in Austin, TX, used to be down on Ytown. But she read all the great things coming out Youngstown’s new Department of Feel Good Stuff and Public Relations and wants us all to jump into action. She’s moved away and only perceives what she reads, so I don’t blame her. I wanted to set the

Comments

[bobservo]

i read all of this and i have one this to say: way to go. phil kidd seems like he's from the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anthing at all" school, which is not only retarded, but anti-American (as you said yourself) and anti-intellectual. the only message i'm hearing from this youngstown renaissance is "we have pretty trees and martinis and art festivals! check and mate, boardman." just a few days ago, brooke was upset over the fact that youngstown was possibly going to tear down some trees (which can be replaced) and replace them with a free public parking lot. oh, the horror and practicality of it all! i guess all the poor black people from the area will have to deal with it the next time they want to see garth brooks down at the chevy center.

[karellieloo]

All very insightful. There should be a more open forum where people of the Youngstown public can challenge those shallow cute-ifying ideas of JAY! and Dr. Sweet.

I say, I wish there was an independent paper (rhymes with, tall Russ) I could read again...didn't the 2010 plan include anything about that? Business incubator helping out at all? YSU? Hmm. Oh let's get back to making Powerpoing presentations of the aMAZing future ahead (T minus 3 years!)

PS As frustrating as it is economically around here, I imagine there are sooo many other cities going through the same. There seems to be at least some interested citizens making a valiant effort here. I for one appreciate the "scene" that they're trying to liven up, even with my precious and completely un-disposable income.

[rottenchick]

oh, phil kidd. a do-gooder whose good-doing only benefits himself in the end, ie: lining his pockets with t-shirt cash and buttering up to local politicians/businessmen/etc. for a potential career in pr/politics/schmoozing. from what i can garner, defend youngstown only publicizes stuff other groups are doing, which is covered ad nauseum in countless other publications/websites/blogs/radio/tv, and does nothing in itself but sell merchandise. at least dominic gatti held that BS "summit," which was SUPPOSED to be a colloquium of ideas but was mostly a place for gatti to introduce himself to the world (he let no one else voice their ideas)and to hawk yet more t-shirts. guys, call a spade a spade

[rottenchick]

oh and did i mention ive single-handedly saved saved youngstowners from drugs? that ive fought off dealers and junkies on my front porch who tried to lure my friends back to dope and gone into the campbell projects and the hubbard 'rican neighborhoods to physically drag my friends out of there?

i've seen professors with master's degrees with YSU teaching jobs go to rock bottom, forging prescriptions and stealing to get dope. i've seen them get fake IDs so they can go to pennsylvania and get on methadone and vanloads of people trek to pittsburgh every month to go to the needle exchange.

so, youngstown doesn't need t-shirts. it doesn't need a fucking cupcake shop.

lets start with a methadone clinic, a needle exchange, a realistic drug rehab-to-work program. cause its not always the blacks, the poor, the white trash. it's everyone.

[rottenchick]

alot of rehabs are so caught up in beurocracy, and methodone programs cost lots of money. PA has great drug rehab programs, way better than in youngstown, a city that is begging for help on that level. i wonder when we will catch up, and what good it will do for us? it will be too late for alot of people, though...

[billiambl]

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

Hey, when do you plan on starting up some other publication (it should really be online)?

[iamarapgod]

Florida's ideas are not really relevant here...and they are kind of shortsighted b.s. And for ytown to be cash in on florida's whole thing we would have needed to do all this shit 20 years ago.