I grew up in Baltimore in the 1970s and 80s. It was the same then. I think the issue is the patronage system. The only city dwellers that are engaged are those who live off the system. And there are a lot of those people. I would argue the majority. The rest are disengaged and know they can’t change things. So they just survive.
Cecil, what amazes me is that every mayoral election in Chicago there is a candidate that runs on a tough-on-crime and back-the-blue platform and there is a candidate that runs on a status quo platform. Chicago citizens choose status quo every time and then wonder why nothing changes. In my opinion, they have no one to blame but themselves.
I grew up in Baltimore in the 1970s and 80s. It was the same then. I think the issue is the patronage system. The only city dwellers that are engaged are those who live off the system. And there are a lot of those people. I would argue the majority. The rest are disengaged and know they can’t change things. So they just survive.
Cecil, what amazes me is that every mayoral election in Chicago there is a candidate that runs on a tough-on-crime and back-the-blue platform and there is a candidate that runs on a status quo platform. Chicago citizens choose status quo every time and then wonder why nothing changes. In my opinion, they have no one to blame but themselves.
It's that way in most major blue cities. I'm not sure if there's something in the water that keeps them wanting the same old status quo.