"Banish the word 'struggle' from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we have been waiting for." — Hopi elders
Sponsored by
Apathetic Portland
<< back to group Evolver Portland, OR
- Login or register to post comments
- Print this page
April 23, 2009
Call me a cynic, but growing up in Portland's youth culture I couldn't help but feel a strong sentiment of apathy emanating from my peers, and slightly older individuals. If you take all of the hipsters, stoners, psudo-gangsters, punks, fixed-gear heads, and budding artists that comprise the majority of Portland youth culture, you are hard-pressed to find a uniting or impassioning issue or sentiment that could truly galvanize the youth community into uniting into exactly that, a community.
Perhaps it is just the left-over vibes from the days of Elliot Smith, or perhaps it is the perpetually grey skies from November to April, but I feel that apathy is something which must be totally replaced from people's mindset in order to achieve a better future, or at least a function community of people.
Obviously, there are different strokes for different folks, and finding ONE ISSUE which speaks to everyone is nigh impossible. However, there are things that I think appeal to the vast majority of Portlanders, which could serve as catalysts for stamping out this painfully apathetic sentiment.
But the most important (and interesting to me,) is that most Portlanders I know have a strong sense of pride and love for their city. Perhaps the city itself could serve as the uniting force for the people?
Comments
Rambling response
— Apr 23, 2009
This is definitely a conundrum, largely because the problem lies not in the community but with the disaffected and uninterested individuals themselves. In order to function, a community needs its people to be interested--at least modestly--in what their fellows are doing. Part of the problem with these y-gen types is the self/"me"-centrism they embrace, maybe unwittingly. My brother and sister are very much of that generation, and it's pretty clear to me that their experience is all about wanting others to make note of what they're doing--making note of what others are doing is much less of a priority to them.
The cool thing about Portland for people in my age group (30s) is that it really IS a progressive, thoughtful, forward thinking and community oriented place. People in my experience here, apathetic Gen-Y types aside, really are very interested in what each other are doing and are very interested in encouraging them in their pursuits--particularly those that better themselves and their communities (victory gardens, composting, etc., to volunteering with kids, etc.). It's one of the biggest reasons my partner and I left Chicago and moved here: Chicago, as cities go, is a lot more like the Gen-Y types who're interested in themselves well before they are others; to make matters worse, mutual interest is competitive rather than encouraging, and that helps no one in the long run. At least it didn't for us. Portland appealed to us so much, and continues to do so, largely because it is a real community and people are genuinely interested...
Maybe growing up here screws the pooch for these kids, though? An essential part of the teen years is rebelling--in any number of fashions--against the community norms. This is a lot easier in places like the midwest or the east coast where communities are normed and generally homogenous and narrow minded. I have to imagine rebelling as a teen in Portland is hard: There are already so many adults acting counter to the prevailing attitudes in this country, and being more productive rebels to boot, including probably some of their parents, that apathy is probably the easiest and most appealing mode for them to rebel in?
I agree: There probably isn't one issue that's going to wake up the apathetic. Part of it may be that they need to grow up. And part of it may not be any one issue at all. Part of it may be that the city, the issue, whatever--needs to find a way to be cool to these folks, to be appealing--to stimulate and expand both their sense of identity and their genuine interests in the identities of others and of their issues?
brandon heckman
portland, oregon, usa
mindfulparadigm.com
Continuing...
— Apr 24, 2009
I realized yesterday's comment might've been condescending. It also wasn't really well thought out on my part. Apologies.
One of the things that's worth exploring is the notion of cycles of maturation--what it's appropriate for one age group to be doing and moving through, how that changes as we move into the next level of maturation, etc. We should avoid thinking about "maturity" as a better/worse than proposition--or a more or less proposition. It's normal and appropriate for people to behave in certain ways at certain ages.
It'd be cool to find a way to rewire the community in such a fashion that it becomes "cool" for young people to connect their rebellious/individualistic identities with the values of the community, and to see the community as an extension of themselves and therefore something deserving of their interest and involvement. This has a lot to do with changing how the community presents itself to this group of people.
Are these elements already in play? Do we have to invent a new wheel here, or can we just raise the visibility of things that are already in place. I'm not sure--this requires research, I think. I'm not connected enough to Not For Profits and other "centralized" community resources (like Evolver) to know what the messages are. That's a personal mission for 2009 for myself--to get more involved in the community, to be part of cultivating a healthier society myself. I think once I get out there and am doing stuff, I'll have a picture.
Are there already folks in the Group who have better ideas than me?
Sorry if I was condescending yesterday--I didn't mean to be... Was at work, tired, and not thinking straight. Thanks for posting a great topic--hopefully we can get some traction on the issue.
brandon heckman
portland, oregon, usa
mindfulparadigm.com
Explore Groups
