You see, if you spend any time on 'special interest' boards, you'll come to realize that while the passion driving the exchanges is admirable, it's readily apparent that some don't appreciate that not everyone out there in the real world either a) sees things through their particular lenses, or b) gives a damn, period. They get so caught up in their ecstasy that they lose perspective. Whether it be film, sports, fashion, music, it happens all the time, everywhere.
It only seems fair that this occurs regarding local politics, too.
Putting a fine point on it, those who read The Spec, Raise the Hammer, The Hamiltonian, watch 'The O Show', listen to Laura Babcock's 'Laircast' are the exception, not the rule regarding awareness and engagement. (If you were to access the numbers for all of the above and compared them to the available population, you'd see what I mean in black-and-white: I'm going to be generous and refer to the available pool of participants not participating as 'the 90%'.)
Thrown into the mix are polarity, archly partisan mindsets...and worst of all, ignorance of how things work, should work...and could work.
But let's put this –shockingly small– number of Hamiltonians who are active participants aside for the moment. Let's take a look at those who –unlike the above– don't give a good Goddamn when brouhahas such as Peggygate 2 erupt at City Hall, those who don't keep up with goings-on there, or those who set up natural barriers to 'all that'. 'The 90%'.
What 'those who care'...the aforementioned 'special interest' participants...seem to forget (and I'm going to include at least a number of councillors) is the degree of not just cynicism 'the 90%' possess, but what I'd refer to as being beyond ambivalence, even beyond disinterest to what I'd categorize as 'fedupedness'.
The truth is that most people in Hamilton...putting aside the fact that they're reluctantly in for a penny, in for a pound...feel no compunction to invest anything in their own governance. It might be best to think of this as a variation on what Charlie Brown goes through time-and-again with Lucy re: kicking the football. Seriously; what has The City done for them lately? (And by 'lately', I mean 'potentially going back as far memory allows'. Yes, I know how this will make the average Hamiltonian politician bristle. Tough.)
It would be silly to deny a general distrust of government. As it applies to Life in Hamilton, some of this comes from disappointments witnessed, some of it comes from simply not having the time, the energy nor the place in their daily existences for involvement, and some it comes from a lack of understanding of what councillors do, how City Hall operates, how 'the System' works.
The first element is probably too big to address here. The second is a socio-economic one, and also too complex to focus on at this time. So let's take a look at the third...because I believe this actually forms the crux of the problem, one that manifests itself in ridiculously low voter turnout rates, and a dearth of engagement in the local governance.
Coming up next: The Nitty-Gritty
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'm always interested in feedback, differing opinions, even contrarian blasts...as long as they're delivered with decorum...with panache and flair always helping.