April 27, 2003
Diversity Versus the Mass
More random thoughts coming out of the "young creatives" panel, and in some sense the further evolution of my stance on baseball.
Another potential problem with reaching for cultural institutions such as Major League Baseball is that, to an extent, it is counter-productive to fostering local culture(s). And depending on how one conceives of fostering local culture(s), reaching for mass market entertainment and development limits diversity (in any of the ways in which we used the term).
What's needed, perhaps, instead of trying to lure a mass market engine to town in order to "stimulate" the local ecnomy, is a strategy -- or at least an overt determination -- to engender a local market of what we might call micro-cultures.
Is there a hard and fast rule of economic development that says it must be based upon mass culture? Joe Cortright asserted a process that operates as follows: The people who live here create the dynamic of the place, which draws others here, who feed into, reinforce, and to some degree change the dynamic of the place, which affects who the place will attract next.
Do we really just want to function under the principle that to be a successful city we need to have as many of the bells and whistles of mass culture as possible?
Imagine if we struck out upon the course of growing our own "native" Portland micro-cultures. To begin with, just heading down that path would attract more of the sorts of people who would make such an environment a culturally rich one. Imagine a citywide network of such micro-cultures (an approach which also helps address the issue of diversity, since whatever civic priorities and policies we put into place to foster micro-cultures would necessarily have to cross boundries of, say, class and race).
Imagine an organization such as the Regional Arts and Culture Council holding an annual festival of local micro-cultures, arranged not by divisions of age, race, or class, but on unions of focus: Music, painting, theater, crafts, food, etc.
Everything most people love about Portland is based upon its seemingly unique opportunities for deep-rooted "native" culture. Why should we be seekign to impose a mass culture from above?
Anyway. See why I think we need an all-out conference using Friday's panel discussion as the impetus?
Comments (2)
Elaine on 28 Apr 2003
Have you suggested that to the Arts Council? Would you be willing to volunteer to help them organize such a thing? It's such a great idea!
The One True b!X on 28 Apr 2003
Somehow, I don't think I need another volunteer activity in addition to the Portland Association of Independent Journalists, Portland Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and this website right here.