At different points in my life I’ve aspired to be an artist, a musician, and a bulldozer operator (not necessarily in that order). I’ve started down two of those paths, and fallen flat on my face; I’m just too reserved in my emotions to succeed at art or music. As for the bulldozer, I just need one I can practice on, so if you know of anyone…
Anyway, I say that to give yesterday’s outbursts a little context. I got heated on Twitter, defending Fresno from a group of individuals bent on being dissatisfied with the entire community. (Why most of the individuals in that group still live here escapes me.)
Perhaps the most frustrating thing, though, was having to defend myself for standing up for Fresno.
Here’s the deal: I love this place. I mean I really, really love Fresno and the valley. I didn’t want to—Kim and I wanted to move within five years of my arrival (six years ago)—but the more I learn, and the more relationship I forge, the more I want to stay. Yeah, I know about the crime, the air quality, the poverty, the ____; by staying, I’m saying that I’m willing to either 1) accept these or 2) try to change them.
Of course, I haven’t always felt this way. (Queue cheesy flashback music…)
I lived in a city in North Carolina, half the size of Fresno, for close to 12 years before moving here. I hated the conservative mindset, the lack of “progress,” the agriculture history. Sound familiar?
When I left Greensboro, I took everything I owned. I wanted no reason to return, beyond visiting family and friends. But within weeks I realized that Fresno is smack in the middle of the “Bible Belt of the West,” and I found myself dealing with the same frustrations I thought I had left 2,211 miles away.
I saw two options: get the hell out, or engage. I chose the latter, and started to look for opportunities. After all, that’s what we have plenty of here, right? Opportunity?
What I didn’t do in that process is take time to talk trash about my former home. As Conlan has so eloquently pointed out, the hub of yesterday’s Fresno-focused criticisms (the person, that is) isn’t even in Fresno. Look, it’s like friending your ex on Facebook so you can look at updated photos—no matter how good those photos make you feel about your own life, sometimes you just need to move on.
Fresno doesn’t suffer from mediocrity. Or from a lack of culture, or many of the things people say they can’t find here. It suffers from an imposition of expectations—a lack of understanding. Of the history. Of the people. Of the potential. And that lack of understanding leads complacency.
An example? This morning, one of the group took a stab at the Met, referencing the potential 1,000,000+ audience in the surrounding county. But within that 1,000,000 people is a mix not found anywhere else—a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. We can’t assume that they place the same importance on a museum that another like-sized community might.
Fresno needs people who understand the community, who are proactive in helping to define its future, and who will capitalize on its strengths. And we have that—in small clusters, but the numbers are growing. We have people who give a damn, and who are mature and innovative enough to pursue what they believe to be beneficial for a greater good.
That being said, I’d like to revise my earlier statement:
If Fresno makes you miserable, and you’re not resourceful enough to get out—assuming things like a court mandate or dependents aren’t keeping you here—you’re only contributing to the “mediocrity.”
I’ll go one step further to say that if you’re not inspired by something that’s happening in this community, it’s probably time to re-examine who you’re spending time with. Sure, we have problems, but there are people who are finding innovative ways to address and overcome them.
Then again, it’s easier and more comfortable to wallow in group-loathe. But if you really believe the grass is greener on the other side of the Delta, or the Grapevine, or wherever—and depending on what makes you happy, it very well may be—go graze.
A significant portion of my time is spent online—the internet is what my business is built on, after all. I listen, and I add to the noise conversation, especially on Twitter, which is where all this stirred up. The great thing about online conversations is that you can tune them out; while that’s a common reaction, it’s also an easy way out, and (to me) it defeats the purpose of tools like Twitter.
So I do the exact opposite: I start listening more. I follow everyone participating in the conversation—if for no other reason, I want to know who to ignore in person. While I could just tune out the negativity, I’d rather combat it. If my passion comes through in the process, I’m okay with that.
Fresno needs advocates. We need people who don’t just live here, but choose to do so, without regret—and who are willing and eager to talk about why. That’s why I responded yesterday, and why I’ll continue to engage in this discussion. Fresno, I love you.
