Monday, June 8, 2009

And start getting real...

I suppose I come to this table with mixed feelings... I am a life-long resident of the District, and have witnessed first hand an almost unimaginable metamorphosis of commercial-development, racial-tolerance, and a whole host of other hyphenated trends that allow me to wander around outside without fear of arrest, theft of belongings, or an otherwise untimely demise.

And, full-disclosure, I have in the past been quite a fan of The Real World: Wherever. The first handful of seasons reinforced the values my family tried so hard to instill... People can meaningfully cohabitate, in spite of vast differences of opinion. Ethnic, religious, and gender "differences" exist only in so much as you allow them to.

In the same vein, I have also watched the insidious grasp gentrification has on a city that was formerly untouched by such things outside of Georgetown, and The Hill. The big boxes moved in, and entire families moved out... or worse, were forced out. I have waited decades to be proud of the District for reasons other than sprawling Monuments and parks named after dead people. We finally have the development, and lost the soul. And I'm still not proud.

So learning that TRW is coming to the District now, as opposed to even a decade ago, is quite fitting - if not just another nail in a coffin. The show hasn't been socially meaningful in at least that long, and seems quite content continuing to video-edit its way toward and beyond status quo. As much can be said for the District, which abandoned its citizens in a flurry of commercial acquisitions and tourism initiatives that seem to exist only to assure visitors that, "We don't shoot people anymore, I promise." So, rest assured residents of 2000 S St. NW, we don't shoot people anymore, we promise.

4 comments:

LATBachelorFan said...

I'm sorry, I thought this blog was supposed to be written and frequented by those of us who love our fair city and hate the fact that MTV is barging into town to annoy us with pathetic underage drinkers for a few months. Carl, your needlessly depressing post is unfounded. If you hate DC, I think you're writing for the wrong blog, buddy. Your tone would be more appropriate at a blog like why.i.hate.dc. I think we can all agree that TRW sucks... and leave it at that. Let's leave the DC-bashing to other blogs, shall we?

Carl said...

I think you're proving my point for me BachelorFan... It's okay to bash MTV for their nuisance show, but it's not okay to be realistic about our hometown's part in where we are as a community? Where's the parity there?

To put it succinctly, If I hated DC, I wouldn't be living here... As I stated, this is where I've spent the better part of my life. I love -all- of DC, including the not-so-great parts of its history. I think acknowledging MTV's capitalization on DC's current climate also means acknowledging where DC's current climate comes from. We're all on the same boat :) I just chose to lead off with a non-Irene inspired post today.

Doug said...

Um, and if it's any consolation, we do still shoot people. C'mon on over to NE some night...

Carl said...

Shhh... Doug... you'll scare the house members off!