What To Do About The Negative Nancy Naysayers (Baltimore: layoffs, property taxes)

[Arianator]

I have to agree: most people I know are quick to point out the negative aspects of the city.

The fact is: crime rates have improved somewhat, and though it's still one of the biggest, if not the biggest problem the city faces, it's still an improvement.

One thing I never understood is how the school system divides money among schools. There are schools in the city without A/C and yet Severna Park is getting a new High School. The old one is only 55 years old. My high school (Glen Burnie high) had 5 buildings, the first one built 92 years ago. Classes in the top floor of that building were miserable in the summer, since the A/C often didn't work.

Why can't people look at some of the positive things about the city? The inner harbor is certainly a beautiful place, and there are many great neighborhoods (Canton, Fells Point, Federal Hill, etc.) There's plenty to see and do, like the aquarium, zoo, plenty of restaurants, two stadiums, and, of course, Horseshoe Casino.

Bottom line: There's more to Baltimore than just "the wire". Unfortunately, that's what most people that aren't from the area think (and many who are too).

[chariega]

The problem is: The city has an image problem. Drugs, crime, The Wire, slow growth and renewal, and large swaths of dilapidated houses are sadly what many people think of when it comes to Baltimore...technically, they wouldn't be wrong.

It's great that people who live in the city can sing Baltimore's praises, but unless the city really booms and straightens out like areas of Philly and DC, to the point people OUTSIDE the city can recognize Baltimore as a first-class city with a good cost of living, entertainment, history etc., it will continue to have "negative naysayers."

[BMoreIsAwesome]

The city does have problems, and unless one has a bag over their heads, I don't think that they are unaware of that. My point is, in order to get to the point where the city booms and thrives (and some would argue that it has already begun to do so) being negative and focusing on the negatives to the exclusion of the positive will never help the city.

[Scratch33]

Originally Posted by BMoreIsAwesome

What about the negative nancy naysayers on this forum?

Are you related to Spiro Agnew, by any chance?

[BMoreIsAwesome]

Think about it on a micro level. For example, what if you're an individual and you've got a lot of crap going on in your life. But you've got some good things going for you, as well as some potential. What if you exclusively focus on the negative stuff and never ever focus on the positive things going on in your life and tried to improve something, even if it's just a small thing here and there? I would think someone would think that person was off balance.

[BMoreIsAwesome]

LOL! no I'm not related to him. Thank goodness!

[ktaadin]

Baltimore had its reputation long before 'The Wire' came out, so I think it's wrong to cite a TV show as the cause (or even a significant part) of Baltimore's image problem. It was excellent television and so I think evokes perceptions that already existed (rightly so, on the whole). No, I know that all of Baltimore is not like 'The Wire'. But that's a very significant part of the character of this city, moreso than almost any other city in America. You only need to look at our murder rates to see proof.

My honest thought is that the city, by itself, may not be able to right itself. It requires so many basic investments in infrastructure, modernization, education etc that it can't fund what's required on it's own tax base because things have fallen so far. The state of Maryland might be able to help by choosing to help finance these things, work with area businesses and universities to fund incubators, grants, programs etc that provide real, hard incentives for organizations to locate here, and that might foster the kind of social and economic environment for a real turnaround. It would cost money to start of course, but my hunch is that over time the investment would pay for itself many fold. A Maryland with a stagnant Baltimore is a much weaker state than it could otherwise be.

[pwduvall]

Originally Posted by ktaadin

Baltimore had its reputation long before 'The Wire' came out, so I think it's wrong to cite a TV show as the cause (or even a significant part) of Baltimore's image problem. It was excellent television and so I think evokes perceptions that already existed (rightly so, on the whole). No, I know that all of Baltimore is not like 'The Wire'. But that's a very significant part of the character of this city, moreso than almost any other city in America. You only need to look at our murder rates to see proof.

Sure Baltimore had a bad reputation within Maryland before The Wire. What I'm talking about is the national/international reputation of being a city of nothing but slums - a city that people from Camden and East St. Louis can look down on. That wouldn't have been possible without The Wire. If you endlessly crank through Census reports like I do, you would see that most of Baltimore's fundamentals aren't way out of line with other challenged Northeastern and Midwestern cities. For example, Memphis (which is admittedly in the South) has worse fundamentals than Baltimore, but when Americans think of Memphis they think of Elvis. Because of The Wire, when Americans and Europeans think of Baltimore, they think of a city of nothing but slums. That imagery is extremely powerful and will take decades to gradually dissipate. By the way, a lot of cities with high murder rates, St. Louis, New Orleans, Oakland, and Kansas City for example, don't have nearly as bad a reputation as Baltimore.

Obviously The Wire was very well done. A poorly done show wouldn't have the ability to destroy the city's reputation for what will eventually amount to a generation. Furthermore, any improvements that the city has made or will make will not make a dent in the American consciousness. Congratulations Mr. Simon!

[choccity]

Why isn't the city more known for the 'Ravens' and 'Orioles' and the energy and excitement that these teams bring to the city? Both teams average over 500, both very tough teams. This 'The Wire' association is over 10 years old. I think people need to let that correlation go and move on. When I talk to people and mention Baltimore more people now bring up the Ravens/Orioles than The Wire.

[Arianator]

Originally Posted by choccity

Why isn't the city more known for the 'Ravens' and 'Orioles' and the energy and excitement that these teams bring to the city? Both teams average over 500, both very tough teams. This 'The Wire' association is over 10 years old. I think people need to let that correlation go and move on. When I talk to people and mention Baltimore more people now bring up the Ravens/Orioles than The Wire.

While there was a thread about how the Ravens fanbase is growing, it's still a limited area. Both Washington and Philadelphia have professional sports teams. The only places the Ravens are the dominant team are Baltimore and the surrounding counties, Cecil county, the eastern shore, and Sussex county, Delaware.

With that said, a lot of Redskins fans I know are actually rooting for the Ravens, considering their team had such a terrible season.