Alpha Dog
ByNow that it is clear that the city plans on holding yet another retreat, in the name of efficiency and generally getting along, I thought I should offer up a suggestion on potential areas they could concentrate on for the year 2010.
This year I would like to see the City Council and Mayor Jenkins work on something not inherently obvious to them (by definition). The need to understand subtext.
Subtext is defined by Merriam-Webster as the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text). You may recognize it more readily as a device used in television and film. It is often referred to as the story within the story.
For example, you may remember the popular advertising campaign where the fastidious grocer named Mr. Whipple implored the patrons not to squeeze the Charmin. In this case, he is actually telling the shoppers not to squeeze the toilet tissue.
Squeezing toilet tissue. Who cares? What harm is there in an edifying squeeze? What seemed like the kindly merchant trying to maintain the integrity of the product was really about Mr. Whipple: control freak; and his obsessive quest to maintain order in a world of chaos.
He couldn’t stop the world from changing around him but, dammit, he sure could try to control the homemakers of yore from squeezing the always predominately displayed tissue.
Of course, that is one interpretation of Whipple’s mania. Ultimately, he would always succumb to the sins of the tissue and wantonly squeeze it himself! (the cad) To that end, Mr. Whipple may have had a simple fetish and rather than confront his own base desires he employed transference to the unwitting shoppers. Perhaps the toilet tissue represented the breasts of the women he chose to confront; and in the end, Mr. Whipple always surrendered to his desire.
The last, and perhaps most controversial interpretation of subtext in the Charmin campaign is that Mr. Whipple is actually protecting the women from themselves. There is something virginal about toilet tissue in that state. White purity that is unspoiled but with the realization that it will one day be torn, debased, and ultimately discarded unceremoniously; and once defiled, it can never be made pure again. Stand aside, ladies, your guardian angel Whipple is going to preserve in you what he so desperately wants taken from himself.
And why did they always have to sniff it while squeezing?
Face it, the guy needed therapy.
I have taken the time to painstakingly edit the following video from the January 12, 2010 televised council meeting to illustrate an example of subtext and how it eludes most of those in attendance. Watch carefully, you should find yourself mired in the same frustration as the citizen speaker.
The untrained observer might conclude that this citizen was complaining about the general rudeness of people who carelessly, or purposely, allow their pets to use his yard as a toilet. Living on a corner lot next to a public trail, I can sympathize. However, there appears to be another theme at play.
I sense a citizen who is frustrated with the city and what he perceives as a lack of acknowledgement and, ultimately, lack of action.
First he begins with a simple email but it escalates to having to take the time to travel to city hall and address the council and mayor personally. What is his treatment? He is facing scorn and inquiry in a semantic battle over what a response is. In Councilman Ehrenreich’s opinion it is a return email acknowledging the problem. To Mr. Davita, response appears to be the lack of solution.
Both sides are talking, both sides are listening, but neither side seems to get it.
What the council and mayor do not seem to understand is that “working” on an issue does not necessarily mean that a solution will be the end result. I could rehash recent history to corroborate this point but Mr. Davita did one step better. He laid down his trump card when he asked how many citations the city has written enforcing this ordinance in the past five years.
Touché.
However, most of us will agree that we would rather the police concentrate on activities that are of a greater benefit to the whole of the public.
The confusion is around why would a statute exist if there was no plan to enforce it even in the face of the fact that it is being violated? We see this all the time, cell phone usage comes to mind.
That brings us back to square one in the situation; looking for solutions. Here we hear the coin drop in the mayor’s juke box of “public education” and the proposed “pet socialization area.” Unfortunately, neither holds much hope that the situation will change on Fisher Avenue.
Who knows, maybe this is just my transference of frustration with the city that I am assigning to Mr. Davita. During the same period I was also expecting a response from the city on a matter that went unanswered over a curiously long period of time. A simple information request two months delinquent. In parallel, I watched and waited for the mayor’s response to the July fireworks related fires and deferred mitigation.
Bupkis.
Take heart, Mr. Davita. It isn’t that they can’t hear you. It is just that they can’t seem to answer you.
Ehrenriech is the voice of the community, and he rudely overspeaks to someone he blew off through email to tell them to go talk to the ROA and build a fence? Leadership at its worst right there.
Ehrenriech, turn the other way and represent the community. Stop representing the city. Who elected you?
What happened to the promises of the mayor that she would go over citizens questions and concerns from the prior council meeting and discuss them with the council at the next council meeting? She was to update us on all citizen concerns. To “oretend” to care about the citizens concerns and do nothing is appaling
I think referring to the ROA was the wrong thing to do. They are not suppose to uphold a city law. It is confusing because the ROA does send emails regarding lost and found dogs and cats, which appears to be effective.
I think that is why the city concentrates on broadcasting their easy messages like working on the historical sites and honoring the military. Those things are feel good items, and more importantly, those things are impervious to criticism. The hard issues, where their performance is fair game is where they seek cover and it is disgusting. Mine expansion, lack of community development, and other hot issues are glossed over or trivialized. John, you were a vocal proponent for the survey to get a pulse on what the citizens are thinking. Well, here you got citizen in the flesh telling you what he thinks and you lead him into a pissing match. So which is it? Do you or do you not want to know what concerns the citizens?
RBS,
Exactly – Notice how the council and mayor got uncomfortable in the discussion, and seemed to want to make it go away?
A dog park won’t solve the problem of doodie on lawns. Dog parks are for dog exercise, not toilet activity.
Also, John appears to be sending a signal that he will not support the citizens until there is a willingness to raise taxes. Interesting approach to governing. We have a police force that has bikes and ATV capability, yet we do not ever see the officers on the beat, out on our streets, the ones we live on. And it takes a little savy to go find out why.
So our council should commit to do the work, and provide some guidance to our tax paid resources and ultimately navigate success. Don’t point to the Lakewood police force, or the ROA, that is “making the problem go away”.
The police dept is probably the most stable thing about Dupont and I have no compliants regarding the service level they provide at this time. I think the ATV and other things were part of the “dream” of Dupont and not the reality. Sell the ATV and forget the dog crap issues. What the citizens need are clear policy directives. If it is a law on the books then how will it be enforced? That goes for parking, fireworks, or dog crap.
WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP?
I love this site. Only here can I laugh at the idiots running the village. It’s much needed therapy.
Genius. ROFLMAO at the end of the second video.
It is ironic how a citizen who offers solutions for a dog shit problem, is treated like dog shit, by a guy who loves trees.
apparently the tree doesn’t want to be pissed on.
When Mr. Davita finished he thank everyone and took his seat. At that point it is clear that nobody (Mayor or CC) is up for re-election. The mayor, CC, and city staff don’t care what the DuPont citizens want/need or suggest.
You got that right. They won’t even follow the results of their survey so why do we think they will listen to someone who comes to a council meeting?
Oh man, that video was freaking hilarious! I can’t wait for the next one…
I really enjoyed the lead in discussion on subtext. And I really agree with RBS, there is some gravitational pull with our city leaders to work on the easy stuff, neglecting the real needs and desires of the citizens/taxpayers. We need economic growth and stimulus to get loop road in place, bring in the food/retail, and raise the tax base to pay for improved police and fire services.
I was appalled at John Eherenrich squabbling over what was said in an email one month prior – Hey John, I think Maury Povich might have an interview slot for you, Mr Tough Decision Maker.
The fact of the matter is that they ask you to call or write them, then they ignore you. Anyone who has ever written the Mayor or council knows you get a form letter response with no real action – and it IS frustrating. The Mayor characterizes everything on her plate as “In process” as if there is really work being done on it. What she is really saying, she knows about it, and is trying to figure out what to do with it.