In your opinion, what does Mobile need to be "on par" with the rest of the big cities? (York: low income, home)

[krmb]

Hi,

Like many young people who live in Mobile, I've started to feel like it falls a bit short when compared to the other big cities. There are fewer opportunities for growth and training. There's little to do in way of entertainment. We neither have a "down home country" feel, nor a "big sophisticated city" feel. We do have Mardi Gras, though. The beaches are exquisite, and property costs, for what you get, probably can't be matched, but what about the "social scene" and "business scene?" What about guilds for writers, actors, and artists? What about television studios, and all of the other things that would probably make Mobile something extremely special?

What, in your opinion, could Mobile add to make itself a more popular city?

[PortCity]

We can't compare Mobile to a major city we don't have the population now compare us to same size cities then we stack well...There is room for improvement like shopping, and more downtown vibrancy.

[raj kapoor]

Mobile is a wonderful city. It is rich in history and the cycle of life suggests that it is coming into its second golden era.

If large companies from around the world want to come to Mobile there must be something about the city that is good and promising.

Perhaps what is missing in Mobile is the enthusiasm of its young and bright citizens to want to make a difference. Perhaps re-invent the city or simply to be one of the ones who guides its evolution.

Consider what you have to offer Mobile and ask yourself if you can make a difference. Cities are only as great the people make them. Some cities lose too many of its own and then the task of reaching potential is longer and harder. All cities fall short to critical eyes. (get 'constructive lens', lol )

raj

[krmb]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Mobile is a wonderful city. It is rich in history and the cycle of life suggests that it is coming into its second golden era.

If large companies from around the world want to come to Mobile there must be something about the city that is good and promising. raj

I agree. Mobile is a wonderful city, and it has grown in the past few years, but there is not a lot for people in their twenties, and people with poor communication skills are often looked over; if you are different, it seems like it is much more difficult for the people here to try to understand you.

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Perhaps what is missing in Mobile is the enthusiasm of its young and bright citizens to want to make a difference. Perhaps re-invent the city or simply to be one of the ones who guides its evolution. raj

Well, typically, there are no established groups for budding professionals to join and learn from. We don't have movie-making programs, film festivals, communication clubs (except for maybe the school-related ones), comedy schools, writers' guilds, or anything to even encourage a young person to pursue the arts here. Budding professionals who want to learn from the seasoned have to travel to places where there are established programs.

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Consider what you have to offer Mobile and ask yourself if you can make a difference. Cities are only as great the people make them. Some cities lose too many of its own and then the task of reaching potential is longer and harder. All cities fall short to critical eyes. (get 'constructive lens', lol )

raj

Well, that's the problem. I feel like I have little to offer this place, because I have not gotten the quality of training I want. I simply haven't had many important experiences, because this place has not afforded them to me. Yes, sure, if the people in charge wanted to, they could probably create more programs, jobs and leisure, for the young people so that they would stay. They could create incentives to bring current talent here so that we could learn from them, but there's no reason to stay if you feel like you can't get what you need. I feel like I need help becoming a better communicator, and my needs are not being met here; I feel like I would do better in a laid-back environment that could work with me and teach me how to entertain people and get them on my side. Here, I've been taught to act only a certain way, and I can't do much with it.

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Why does Mobile need to be on par with other big cities? I did not get memo from Alabama that y'all wanted a New York city, Los angeles, or chicago.

[krmb]

Originally Posted by SippiStateBulldogs

Why does Mobile need to be on par with other big cities? I did not get memo from Alabama that y'all wanted a New York city, Los angeles, or chicago.

We, the young people, need to grow and learn from more experienced professionals. I was kind of hoping, though, that someone could tell me of programs here that could be of assistance. I'm assuming there is nothing, or if there is, it is not advertised.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by kmb501

We, the young people, need to grow and learn from more experienced professionals. I was kind of hoping, though, that someone could tell me of programs here that could be of assistance. I'm assuming there is nothing, or if there is, it is not advertised.

You are not coming through to me clearly, so I will speculate.

From what I just read, I am now guessing you would like to go into performing arts. But yesterday you wanted New York or a somewhat similar place to move. Today you said you want a laid back place that would allow you to grow and learn.

Do you see how you need to be more specific to have anyone offer info on groups and programs.
Particularly in reference to being a better communicator. I don't know if you have a speech impediment or you want to be a great stand up comedian or an opera star.
What do you refer to when writing that you don't have good communication skills? What do you mean when you write that you want to be able to entertain people. (on stage or just be more likeable)

It may be me but I don't feel you are filling in the blanks. If you can be more specific about the things I mention above.

I will point out that the performance art infrastructure you mention twice that does not exist in Mobile exist in very few places outside of academia. Making movies is not an industry in the south generally. (using locations is)

raj

[krmb]

Oh, well, I guess I haven't been very clear, then. I didn't go into the performing arts; I went into teaching instead, but good teachers are typically good entertainers, and, although I've gotten the opportunity to observe some outstanding teachers in this area, I would like to go somewhere that would allow me to focus directly on entertaining. That way, I could build a unique skill set that would make me a better educator.

Right now, I can probably get a clear message across, but I feel like I don't get a lot of buy-in from the people I talk to. I would like to learn how to be the person whose company people want and who people trust. I want to become someone who can connect with people and make them feel comfortable.

I feel like I need all kinds of skills that I don't currently have in order to accomplish this. I feel like I need to be a decent comedienne so that I can defuse tough situations and bring laughter where it would not have been. I need to become a decent actor so that I can show people what they want to see, in terms of emotion. I feel like I need to be able to speak well through writing and be able to tell all kinds of stories about an exciting life well lived. I want my students to look up to me and honor me, and I want my coworkers and friends to value me.

Now, though, I struggle to communicate with people. I don't really know what to say, because I don't know how to connect with them. I feel like they have often already judged me unfavorably. I think a few people, including my students, may even be a bit afraid or intimidated by me. I obviously need to fix this. I have trouble seeing things from the other person's perspective, and I don't know the best ways to settle disputes and reach common ground. I'm thinking of this as a lack of experience, but I feel like the best way to catch up would be to immerse myself in a group of people that works at these skills on purpose. Perhaps in the bigger cities, I might be fortunate to meet people who make decent livings at these trades and can show me tricks that I never thought about.

[raj kapoor]

I think all the other things you mention for enlightenment and self-improvement should be set aside for now and look deeply into good old fashioned psychology to enable you to understand others and yourself.

raj

[eshore78]

Nice sports facilities would definitely help. Visitors come into town for Senior Bowl, college football, GoDaddy Bowl and have to sit in a crappy stadium in a low income neighborhood. Stadiums have a bigger impact on a city's image than people think. To a lesser degree, same thing goes with the Hank. It doesn't do all that much to hurt the image from out of towners but a nice stadium downtown near I-10 could definitely draw interest. There's no way this is gonna happen but it would help. Not going to get into how bad I think the Hank is, that's for another discussion.