An open letter to Dayton.
First off, let me preface this post by making two statements:
1. The following post is my opinion. Nothing is factual. Anything stated is merely my thoughts which are based on observations and beliefs (which may or may not change.) Nothing more.
2. This is the last post for this blog. Not that you should care. Heck, I don't even care. I'm just letting you know.
I've lived in Dayton all of my life. I'm proud to be a Daytonian. Sometimes, though, this city pisses me off. Correction: Sometimes the people in this city piss me off.
This post was inspired by the intellectually inept cretins who post their sewage over at the Dayton Daily News website. It's good to give people a forum and a lot of people actually have something of substance to say. But sweet lord, some folk have completely hijacked the comment section, pushing their own stupid agendas, beliefs and ideologies. In effect, they've turned the DDN site into a political shouting match, ripe with the most ridiculous, racist, sexist, moronic, hateful, spiteful and grammatically incorrect ramblings of negative-ass Daytonians.
Here's a sample:
why would anyone want to be closer to dayton?? it is a crime ridden dump!! any town thats full of blacks and illegals will always be a bad place!!! kettering is getting to be the same way as the blacks move in, it is going downhill fast!!!!not racist just the truth!!
dan
7:23 PM, 12/1/2009
Wow, great stuff Dan!
Here's another ditty:
I never got a job from a poor person.
Obama needs to quit focusing on screwing over our business leaders and realize that we live in America where people are free to pursue their dreams and accumulate as much wealth as they want. Oh, wait a minute. I forgot we have a "Pay Czar" now to make sure that no one gets ahead of anyone else.
Wake up people!
KJB
6:50 PM, 12/1/2009
One more for ya!:
Do they only hire people of Asian decent? ROR (Raughing out roud)
What's the deal?
American Made
11:23 AM, 12/3/2009
All three of these posts are from an article about a company bringing 150 jobs to Dayton. How the heck did it spiral into this nonsense!
I know I shouldn’t let this crap anger me. But for some reason, it does. However, these post have inspired me to pen a few of my own comments to the citizens of Dayton.
Here we go:
To anyone who “hates” Dayton: Leave.
To anyone who cares about the future of this city: Dayton is not “dying”. Many cities across the nation are going through the same thing. It’s not unique to Dayton. We’ve been hit hard. But there are an abundant amount of resources available in this city to help workers and their families get back on their feet. It’s fairly inexpensive to live here and we have quality, affordable education at our disposal in the form of Sinclair Community College.
To those who complain about leadership in Dayton: Take steps to hold those in leadership positions accountable. Also, realize that leadership doesn’t just mean city managers, mayors, commissioners, etc-more leaders are needed in the homes, the communities, in the churches and various organizations throughout the city. If you don’t see any leaders from where you’re standing, then become one. When you look in the mirror, you’ll see one every time.
To (some) white citizens in Dayton: Stop the blame game. I got news for you: Minorities aren’t the only ones committing crimes in Dayton. Also, realize that Dayton is more than black and white. Dayton has a fair amount of Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnicities. It’s okay to be around people whose skin is darker than yours.
To (some) black citizens in Dayton: Drop the victimization act. (It aint workin’ anyway.) We need to take greater responsibility for our families and our communities. (And ourselves.) To some of my young brothers, economic empowerment can’t be found in the club or on the corner.
Also, let’s get more involved in the Dayton community. I get upset when I’m involved in certain civic activities and I look around and I’m the only brotha' there. Dayton is your city too. Start acting like it! Nothing is gained from exclusion. We fought too hard to be left out of the process.
To citizens of all backgrounds: Dayton has a long history of racial tension. It’s the big-ass elephant in the room. We will go forward as a city, when EVERYONE ceases being self-interested. Nothing is gained from retreating to our own communities and not being a part of the greater whole. Diversity is America's strength. Nowhere is she more diverse than her cities. We need to realize that.
To (some) of our beloved suburbanites: Oakwood my ass, you live in Dayton! Your precious suburb wouldn’t be anything without the core city. Take some interest in the city. What affects one, affects us all eventually. The Greene will never be as vibrant or eclectic as an urban life can be.
To the new mayor of Dayton: You have an enormous amount of pressure on you. You’ve been called everything from a racist to a savior. I know that you’re neither of these things. If you are genuinely interested in helping Dayton, (and I believe you are) then I can only hope that you’ll chip away at the antiquated processes of governance that don’t have the people’s best interests in mind.
Some folk say you’re unqualified. I don’t know that many people are qualified to be mayor of this city (or any city for that matter.) I’m not sure a fresh-faced McLin was qualified when she took the job either. But she learned, and I’m sure you will also. And hey, nobody else stepped up to the plate to bat. You did. I respect you for that.
To the old mayor of Dayton: I thank you for your service. I think it’s unfair that many blame you for the problems that plague this city. The truth is-many of these problems are systemic and were in place before you took office.
However, I do believe it was time for a change. Don’t take it personal. (I’m sure you’re not) I’m of the belief that the longer a person stays in office, the less effective they are.
To city management, officials, etc: I believe that you will be held more accountable and scrutinized for any decisions you make from this point forward. I’d be on my best behavior if I were you.
To the intellectual simpletons who dominate the comments section @ the DDN website: I don’t know where to begin. Whether you believe it or not, you contribute to the problem. You are representing Dayton in cyberspace. People outside of Dayton see this stuff and form an opinion of our city based on what they read. You want to stand on a soapbox and spew your venomous tirades? Start a blog. Oh yeah, and learn to spell check.
To the Dayton Daily News: My only beef with the DDN is the comments section of their articles. I understand they don’t want to censor. I get that. But either moderate it better, change it so that people are forced to put their real names, (not “daytonsux” or “teabagger4life”) or just drop it. I know it’s a bold statement, but I’m saying please be aware that these things may contribute to Dayton’s negative image.
Anyone who read this far, God Bless You! This is just my two cents. My opinions. Have a Happy Holidays! Oh, and one more thing. If you want to put something in my stocking, I’ll take an iTunes gift card or the second season of “The Love Boat” on DVD. Either one works for me.
Peace!
Frank Coleman
