Morning Brew: March 24th, 2008

I'm not sure that a response, through stickers, to the city's lack of public services, paucity of free cultural activities, and incidences of violent crime would necessarily be 'negative' and 'unconstructive'. Would it be better to be glibly cheerful and stand at street corners singing upbeat songs about what's happened to this city, and how none of it matters? The point of campaigns like this is to generate interest, and buzz. 'Unmasking' the rogue sticker creator would serve nothing. Let his/her work stand by itself. Branding this 'negative' or 'unconstructive' or (another word I loathe) 'unhelpful' makes a PC case for ignoring something problematic and blaming the person who's identified the problem.

Remember that while there hasn't been huge dramatic decreases in violent crime in Toronto, the truth is that there is less violent crime in Toronto then there has been in many years. The media tends to blow it out of proportion, and people have access to many more sources of media than ever, making it much more likely that on average, you are sure to hear about every single violent incident in this city in one form or another.

But this person hasn't identified any specific problems. They've made an exaggerated, blanket, negative, unconstructive statement.

Also, my wanting to learn who this person is has nothing to do with wanting to "out" that person. I'm more interested in understanding how someone could possibly feel that the city does _nothing_ for them, and how claiming such could possibly lead to any good.

This city does a lot for everyone in it, regardless of its glaring shortcomings. To see someone have given up entirely, as this sticker suggest, saddens me.

Jerrold, maybe there aren't stickers large enough to enumerate the various ways in which this city fails many people who live here. Think about the homeless, the working poor, recent arrivals stuck in harrowing public housing estates, the transients, or students who are here temporarily. Claiming that the city does nothing for some of its residents brings this notion to the fore, and gets people talking about it. Talking about a social problem makes for concerned citizens, and concerned citizens speak to elected representatives, an important function of a civil society. People should be sad. I lived abroad for nearly 15 years, and am shocked by how the city's changed, and how little those who have money, private pensions and extended benefits don't seem to care much about those who have significantly less in a city whose mantra seems to be 'no new taxes'. THIS saddens me.

In my experience, it is less the city that gives Toronto its tarnished reputation, but the people who live in it and the companies that operate in it.

You know what really saddens me? Hungry people. Homeless. The poor. Someone who has the time and money to print off stickers, regardless of the message, doesn't need my "sadness."

I'm with Gloria. There are, unfortunately, a high number of people in this city where that sticker could relate to. This person, not so much.

I'm also with Ryan L. Weak cities vote for weak leaders. Of course this city is going to hell when you have a Prime Minister who couldn't care less if Toronto fell off the face of the earth, thanks to its citizens who would vote Liberal if the candidate was a dog. Of course this city is going to hell when you have a Premier who lied through his teeth to get elected, and got elected a second time because of an obscene misinformation campaign on Private Schools. Of course this city is going to hell when a Mayor gets elected by threatening to kill a bridge to an island airport, which has turned out to be a God sent for business travelers, the same people we should be welcoming. He then gets elected a second time by the sole fact that people, rightly, know that they can't beat an incumbent locally, and the best we can do as competition for him is put up Jane Pitfield and Stephen LeDrew?

So until we get a Prime Minister who cares about Toronto, a Premier who's not dishonest, and a Mayor not ideologically driven, and not hell-bent on, ahem, "servicing" Unions at every turn, then guess what, friends, things will stay the same.

Which is to basically say, that until this city gets a backbone, and starts electing leaders based on policy, instead of (fill-in-the blank lie), things will remain stagnant.

This city is a joke, and it is OUR fault. The sticker doesn't help, but anyone we've voted for hasn't helped either.

Peter G, gimme a break on the cultural events complaint. You're one of those people who expect the city to hold festivals and plays outside your doorstep so you can watch from the comfort of your own home. And godforbid you pay any of the hardworking people that put their blood and sweat into putting any of these events on for you. Sheesh.

No wonder so many people feel like the city is doing nothing for them. They aren't doing anything for the city either.

Thanks for reposting this. I'm really curious about who's behind this sticker. I won't/can't call it a "campaign" yet, because so far I've only seen the one. Has anyone seen others??

I for one am totally behind these stickers. Where can I get some?

I would encourage you to run a poll about what the readers think about these stickers, I think most people share my sentiment.

Ryan, please explain to me how it is that Toronto does nothing for you?

Unless you shit and collect garbage in your own backyard, never step outside of your home to walk in a park or get a book from the library, never need emergency services, or enjoy clean drinking water, your city does a lot for you.

Jerrold: I should hope those things are the very *least* a first-world city is able to do for its citizens. Any city with the resources and privileges Toronto enjoys and yet can't provide the basics of life like emergency services or potable water is barbaric.

The City of Toronto does a lot more than just provide basic services (which, for the most part, they do very well). From promoting tourism to stimulate the local economy, to recording history in the archives, to operating museums, hosting and funding arts and cultural events... the list goes on. If you honestly feel that your Toronto does nothing for you, you must not be taking part in a lot of what the city has to offer.

I understand the frustrations Torontonians are experiencing. I feel them too. But the last thing we need are jaded, disgruntled, hate-promoting citizens deflating what little morale and hope we have left.

Making these stickers and plastering them around the city does nothing to help remedy the problems we face. A more productive approach would be a sticker that reads "Our Toronto Needs Our Help" or something to that effect.

Inspire solutions, not hatred.

Hey, Jerrold: aren't people allowed to engage on this issue with you, without being called "jaded, disgruntled, hate-promoting citizens deflating what little morale and hope we have left"? Pretty extreme.

I'm in favour of culture and civil society because I've lived in many cities, and because I call this place home. And there are problems. I'm also in favour of things like common courtesy, civic-mindedness, and humanism. All of which I see in very small measure here these days.

And Chris: I don't need culture to come to me, because I'm part of it, as an academic in Humanities.

I thought this would become intelligent debate, rather than mud-slinging.

People should certainly continue to engage each other on this issue. And we should expect that we'll have our own opinions on what a message on a sticker (which essentially calls our city a zero) attemtps to accomplish.

What I was trying to say is that I don't see a forward-thinking, content, or hopeful message in this sticker during a time that morale is already winter blues low.

The big question is what, exactly, prompted the person behind this sticker to create it, and what can we do to help this person, and those who share his or her opinion? The fact that this is a question at all speaks to the total failure of this sticker as a change-agent, which is my biggest problem with it. I've been monitoring responses here and on Spacing Toronto since I first blogged about this, but so far we still don't know the sticker's source, or if more than one exist. Argh.

Toronto IS a great city, but it is arrogant for us to think that we are "the best". If you've ever travelled to Paris, New York, London, Rome or even less popular locales like Tel Aviv...you will realize that Toronto doesn't even compare. With Subway fares in NYC and Paris being considerably less expensive than the TTC and a municipal dedication to culture..you will soon realize that Toronto is a "one step forward two steps back kind of place".

Sure we are multi-cultural. Sure we have nice museums and restaurants and on so on...but there is way more to do to improve culture in our city than defending hanging out at the Drake or attending the Film Fest.

We do not have an "outdoor" culture that promotes entertainment. Smoking bylaws are rightly disputable but alcohol laws make you think spending your money on the entertainment after 2 am is a sin. Loosen up Toronto. You are NOT New York. Kensington market is cool but it doesnt compare at all to sprawling markets in Florence and London.

If Toronto wants to become a world class city...it has to realize that it cannot count on the private sector entirely and must cater to a more diverse crowd than suburbanites with kids that want free entertainment at Nathan Philips Square.

I'm not even gonna get started talking about social programs...that's a whole other debate in itself....sigh...