April Baer writes:
"Dear Cleveland: Are you reading this looking for The Big Kiss-Off? You've come to the wrong place. I am so tired of seeing short-timers screaming across the Op-Ed pages, all hot to point out the problems that drove them to leave town. Tasteless. Why don't we skip that, and treat my departure like what it is--a breakup that's a little sad, and a little sweet?
It would take a real ingrate to sit here and complain--"No one bothered to make use of my talents." "Nobody asked me what I thought." "Nobody capitalized on my potential." Wah wah wah. Don't get me wrong, I've seen how tough it is for young people with energy and talent who are trying to make their mark. But know this: that's not why I'm leaving. I've accepted a job at KOPB in Portland, Oregon because I am a late bloomer. I am way overdue for the "go find yourself" exploration that normal people make when they're in their teens or twenties.
Brain Drain? Please. I'm the least appropriate person for that label. For the past five and a half years, I've had the chance to do meaningful work at a progressive, community-minded company (ideastream). I found a fantastic neighborhood in Cleveland (Ohio City) where a person can stretch her legs, play hard, and really get to know the neighbors. OK, so the old-school politics drive me nuts sometimes. But there's a reason why I've stayed. Just like there's a reason you're still here, reading this, when you could be in Columbus sucking down a Cinnabon at Easton in a consumerist stupor. I'm talking about two things: The past, and the future.
Cleveland history is better than television. You've got gods and monsters, steel barons, race riots, social upheaval, and once in a while... PROGRESS. It's good to live in a city that hasn't forgotten where it came from. I can tick off a long list of ways that the city's mythology continues to shape what's happening today.
And what about the people coming forward to challenge the past? You know the names--Chris Carmody, Sadhu Johnston, Daniel Gray Kontar, Lillian Kuri, Dave Wittkowski, Cindy Barber, Michael Salinger, Annetta Marion & Bernadette Gilotta, James Levin, And yes, you too, Mulready. (These are only the ones I know best.) When they didn't see it happening, these people didn't up and move to Chicago. They got their hands dirty and brought their future to life. Fun and mission amid the ruins of the manufacturing economy? You're damn right it's out there, if you've got the nerve to go get it.
When I came here at the tender age of 25, my only sense of calling was to the Nordstrom shoe sale rack. But how could I have retained that frosty veneer after walking down Clark Avenue on a frying summer day, seeing young women fussing with even younger babies, talking about their temp jobs? Or after eating hot dogs at AM with guys whose home address is 2100 Lakeside? Throwing back beers in Slavic Village with fifty-five year olds who are waiting to hear if they're about to be downsized? This town changed me. And there's plenty more like me out there, just waiting to be converted. If I could, Cleveland, I'd just love to sit you down on my lap and say, "Relax, baby! Why are you trying so hard to be someone else? OK, so things ain't what they used to be at the steel mills. Why don't you just keep on being exactly what you are--a wise-cracking, magnificent old broad who has not yet lost her sense of humor, or the will to live." There will always be a young fry coming up from Columbus, Mansfield, Cincinnati, Dayton, Youngstown, who want a real city, who have something to offer, but who don't know how they fit it. They're arriving every day. What will Cleveland offer when they show up at the door?
As long as you are living here, the best thing you can do is to make the most of your money and your time. Every dollar you spend can do one of two things: help or hurt. EVERYONE can do more to support the urban centers. EVERYONE can do more to support the arts and culture. I am not laying on a guilt trip. This is about using your lifestyle as a weapon. Stop driving to Strongsville and Beachwood when you should be at Tower City or Shaker Square. Quit going to Burger King when you ought to be getting takeout from Phil the Fire.
This goes for politics, too. Wanna know why your elected officials go around mouthing platitudes and avoiding risk at all costs? It's because we've come to see public life as just another service to be bought and paid for. Insert tax money, wait for services to drop out the chute. If you don't like politicians treating you like a passive consumer, you need to stop acting like one. Tired of the quagmire? Get off your duff and do something. It doesn't have to be anything big. Donate to a candidate, volunteer, go to the block club meeting, catch up on the news. Whatever gets your freak on. It is not enough to merely react to what you think is bad. Spread some fertilizer on what you think is good.
So with that, Auf Wiedersehen, Cleveland. Come see me sometime in lovely, pine-fresh, rain-drenched Portland. I'll be thinking about you."
from Cool Cleveland reader April Baer aprilbaer@hotmail.com
April Baer is the host/producer of 90.3@9 on 90.3 WCPN ideastream. Her last day at work is Fri 1/23. The opinions in this letter are April's and not those of 90.3 WCPN ideastream'.
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