Home › Sarasota Livin' Blog

Netiquette and ethnic cleansing ....

Sat, 2006-01-14 08:55 — joemoraca

There have been discussions about Netiquette as long as there has been email. We all get in situations on email where we don't want to get into a pointless discussion. Worst is when everyone has a deep seated point of view that discussion won't change .... but sometimes I just can't help myself.

To quote an email I just hit the "send" button on (with some minor editorial clarification):

Email I got...

On 1/14/06, JOHN SUSCE wrote:
Mother Jones commentary "Gentrifying Disaster" by Mike Davis

thought this recently published article and reprinted in many magazines throughout the country would allow SOME of you----- who questioned the terms "gentrification" and "ethnic cleansing" were not appropriate in describing andres duany and his "new urbanism," --- to understand what we have been trying to educate and inform SOME of you about ---- maybe SOME of you agree with duany and what is happening in sarasota and that is certainly your choice but to deny his "new urbanism" is not discriminatory is not intellectually honest.

My response:

I know I will regret this email later ... but being someone that feels it is very unfair to use the term "ethnic cleansing" and Sarasota in the same paragraph (now I did it ... for some good discussion on the term http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing#Origins_of_the_term )

Just to excerpt a few highlights of the article you mention: ...
"There exists, in other words, a sinister consensus of powerful interests about the benefits of an urban 'triage' that abandons historical centers of Black political power like the Ninth Ward ........

Into this fraught and sinister situation now blunders the circus-like spectacle of the Congress of New Urbanism (CNU): the architectural cult founded by Miami designers Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk."
........

Ethnic tensions are artificially inflamed by speculations about a "population swap" and impending 'Latinization" of the workforce.

------------------------------------------
Very interesting commentary by Mike Davis ... but I am confused some:
if you add up:
the Republicans,
Democratic neo-liberals,
Unscrupulous Employers,
Louisiana / New Orleans government officials,
the rich and powerful (those few not in the first 4 groups),
now seemingly add in the "will live in a tent for a job" Latinos

It seems you start building a pretty big majority. Is "the man" more than just the top 5 families in the world or is "he" a much bigger group? Or I guess more likely I am under the control of "big media"

So is it "bush inc" controlling the local land use agenda here in Sarasota?

Joe Moraca
http://www.moraca.org

Comments

Sun, 2006-01-29 11:13 — joemoraca

copyright law

can't copy entire articles without the authors / owners permissions.
Sun, 2006-01-29 10:07 — jon susce (not verified)

afforable housing

i forgot what i like to say --i don't care what they say about me as long as they spell my name correct. how about publishing on your blog the ENTIRE mother jones article and just not the part you selectively choose that had abosolutely nothing to do with my premise. see you around the campus and keep the faith.

Sat, 2006-01-28 11:41 — joemoraca

you are published with no edits

please spell my name correctly ... like the url it is moraca..

Since I just saw your email last night I have not done as you asked.

Fri, 2006-01-27 20:18 — jon susce (not verified)

duany's "new urbanism" and ethnic cleansing in sarasota e

I would appreciate it if Mr.Maroca would place the PELICAN PRESS artilcle by Bob Arden "WHAT HAS DUANY REALLY DONE TO--OR FOR --OUR TOWN" (1/27/06) in his blog to answer his question.Mr Arden asks the question in the article, "IS ANDRES DUANY JUST ANOTHER TOOL OF THE RICH AND ENDELESSLY GREEDY"? Mr. Arden goes on to answer that question in part by saying, "Some people are begining to think so."
Evidently Mr. Maroca like others in Sarasota would rather defend Mr. Duany and his "New Urbanism" with blind faith without researching the harm this individual has done in other communities of this country. For those that have a open mind I would suggest they begin by reading the article in MOTHER JONES that Mr. Arden refers to in his article.Then along with further research one might begin to consider that Mr. Duany has done great harm to the establishment of afforable workforce housing. (Mr. Duany is quoted as saying that,"Cities don't need affordable housing, it bankrupts cities.")
One might after further research consider that Mr. Duany has indeed fostered what I call "ethnic cleansing" which is the removal of a certain group of individuals from one neighborhood to another --my example is low and moderate income folks being removed from neighborhoods like The Rosemary District, aka Overtown.
It appears to me that Mr. Maroca as if often done by well meaning individuals that have been persuaded by prevailing information that is advocated by influencial developers and real esatate intersts that have the power to influence the uninformed through media advertsing and other means that Mr. Duany is something that he is not.Again I will be looking forward to Mr. Maroca placing Mr. Arden's article, "IS ANDRES DUANY JUST ANOTHER TOOL OF THE RICH AND ENDLESSLY GREEDY?" in this blog.It is unfortunate that individuals who are well meaning make a initial assessment that might not be accurate but unfortunetly are unwilling to admit that their orginal assessment might be flawed because to do so would harm their credability.