Think It Through, Part III
By George Knapp
Third in a series of opinion/editorials shared with the News and Press from a citizen of Darlington, S.C.
Since this is my third editorial in as many weeks, I have been asked to share a little about myself, and what gives me the belief that my questions are worthy of asking? Well, for one, I have been a successful and responsible businessperson, parent and citizen over the last 37 years. I have been a curious and energetic human being for almost 53 years. I hold an Engineering degree which is how I learned to hone my critical thinking skills and an MBA whereby I learned the science behind organizational and cultural management, as well as the fundamentals of operating an enterprise of any type, be it governmental, not for profit, a small business or a large corporation. I was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and grew up in Canton, Ohio. Thanks to my West Virginian heritage and immigrant grandparents, I learned how to be polite, and why participation in my community was the only way to ensure the continuation of the American spirit. See, in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century, speaking out could cost you your life. By growing up in the mid-sized urban environment of Canton, Ohio, I learned how to adapt, think on my feet and pick my battles. My biological and extended family, much like the neighborhood that I grew up in and the schools I attended are a rich tapestry of American life. Many different cultures, religions, life philosophies and perspectives were at my disposal to learn from, embrace and incorporate into my own personal view of the Universe.
With this in mind, I give you my version of “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”
The Good:
I attended the meeting about the proposed Recreational Center on Tuesday evening and was very pleased with the turn out and how well engaged most of the attendees were. The Mayor and Council were on their game and I honestly feel that the people there received both some education about the project and the workings of the city as well as a safe and open environment to express their views. Many of the speakers on both sides of the issue were well prepared and did an excellent job of presenting their opinions. Often facts and logical reasoning were used and all who participated listened intently to what was said.
“The Knapps” were made to feel that some of our activism has started to make a difference in this town and whether or not the passionate activism of others was helped or hindered by our actions, I was very pleased to see this level of engagement. Those of you that were there may have noted that even though I put my name down to speak, I felt that almost everything that needed to be said, was said by those who preceded me and for once in my life I was “without comment,”(insert laugh track here – *chuckling to myself*) but I appreciate the Mayor’s attempt to get me to speak anyway.
The Bad:
I would rather name this section “The Could Have Been Better,” because I do not wish to demean or point to anyone who has a genuine good hearted interest in our town as being less than acceptable, so please allow me some artistic license here. There were two very important themes that could have been better dealt with, in my opinion. First was the theme of “do it for the kids,” “the future deserves this,” “keep the kids off of the streets,” and secondly, “if you build it they will come or if you have a positive attitude good things will happen.” While very emotionally appealing, none of these arguments were supported with data. The plan is not definitive enough to even understand the total long-term costs, the project timing and the ecological and environmental impact on the land in question, all of which certainly impact the future generations of Darlington residents. There was no basic level of certainty or uncertainty analyzed which could show that a nice set of ball diamonds will or might or could attract any significant increase in tourism to Darlington. There was no statement of juvenile crime statistics compared to similar cities, the state or the nation. From what I have seen in these last six years of driving, walking, jogging and living throughout the city, our juveniles seem to be pretty good kids. Again, that is an opinion as well, based only on what my eyes tell me, not on data. Lastly, the “Power of Positive Thinking” may have been a popular book, but there is little scientific evidence to support that concept. In fact, a recent study showed that pessimists often measure a little higher on “happiness” studies than people who claim to be optimists, but even this study concluded that their results were open for further study and that the best optimists could hope for (irony) was to be equally as happy as those who self-identified as pessimists.
The Ugly:
While I backed off of the term “bad” in the previous section, I will not soften my take on The Ugly. Sadly, a small and frankly insignificant (in numbers, morale stature and logical thinking) minority of people have gone so far as to “blame” myself and my wife for ruining the Recreational Center Project, saying nothing but negative things about Darlington and have even gone so far as to levy personal insults, threats and question my wife’s citizenship. First of all, I wish that we had so much power to directly cause people that we don’t even know to come forward on issues facing our town, present excellent arguments and change the course of this city’s history for the better. THAT would be a huge compliment, but it is not factual. We do what we think is best for the city and that is that.
Personal attacks are the last resort of the incompetent.
Lastly, my wife is a naturalized citizen. We went through a 10-year vetting process, in spite of the fact that she was a citizen of a NATO ally, in fact our strongest NATO ally. Andrea worked as an EMT and a police/fire dispatcher, serving her community. Our son heroically served two tours in Afghanistan as a Marine and was decorated several times for his actions. My grandparents were immigrants whose only son died from wounds received on D-Day. Those that attended my wife’s naturalization ceremony have often said that it was one of the most moving and patriotic moments of their lives. So, don’t, don’t you dare go there. I may be a well-educated, progressive “Northerner” and proud ACLU member. My wife and some of my children may be immigrants, but we love this town, we have voted in every election that any of us have been eligible for and we have been involved in local, state and national politics our entire lives. Your hateful and ignorant speech only feeds us and makes us stronger and if you would spend your energy on intelligent debate and problem solving, you could also be part of improving the town you say that you love.
Back to the Good:
Darlington, you made me proud on Tuesday night and here is a “good job” and a “pat on the back” to everyone who participated actively and passively in the meeting, the meeting preparation and the follow up.
We are Darlington, and we are “The Knapps”.
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