Quote(https://photos.moderncities.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Miscellaneous/Cheerleaders-and-Cynics/i-ZmQdQjF/0/a85279f5/X3/EVERYTHING%20SUCKS!-X3.jpg)
The Jaxson team is often accused of being cheerleaders for Jacksonville who don't do enough to acknowledge our city's problems. Conversely, we're also frequently accused of being cynics who don't do anything but focus on our city's problems. From our perspective, where we really fall is in the pragmatic in-between: we celebrate the things that work and critique the things that don't.
Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/between-the-cheerleaders-and-cynics/
^ I am a cheerleader for what's right in Jax but you may not know it from many of my posts on the Jaxson.
It's for the reason cited in the article: There is a lack of constructive criticism among the movers and shakers in this City due, in my opinion, to a relatively closed and incestuous set of members in that group who essentially act as an echo chamber (Exhibit A: The Jacksonville Chamber and, to a lesser degree, the Civic Council). I see the Jaxson as an opportunity to put forth criticisms that many in this city are afraid or don't want to address as it may hurt their business and or non-profit interests due to "rocking the boat," especially among today's hypersensitive and/or vengeful elected officials..
In today's partisan world, there is not much room for moderates like myself to dialogue without attacks from both left and right advocates. This contributes to balanced and well reasoned views taking a back seat to those from the extremes which leads to continued less-than-optimal decision making.
I would add one other possibility: laziness. By this, I mean people who do not want to expend their time, energy and resources to properly assess an issue before them. It's just easier to not ask questions or make everything "black and white" and go with one or the other and hope for the best. By example, I believe this contributed to the JEA scandal and JPA issue with the river dredging and power lines. But it also shows up in land use and zoning issues and setting priorities for transportation and other infrastructure issues.
Quote from: jaxlongtimer on June 06, 2022, 04:23:29 PM
^ I am a cheerleader for what's right in Jax but you may not know it from many of my posts on the Jaxson.
It's for the reason cited in the article: There is a lack of constructive criticism among the movers and shakers in this City due, in my opinion, to a relatively closed and incestuous set of members in that group who essentially act as an echo chamber (Exhibit A: The Jacksonville Chamber and, to a lesser degree, the Civic Council). I see the Jaxson as an opportunity to put forth criticisms that many in this city are afraid or don't want to address as it may hurt their business and or non-profit interests due to "rocking the boat," especially among today's hypersensitive and/or vengeful elected officials..
In today's partisan world, there is not much room for moderates like myself to dialogue without attacks from both left and right advocates. This contributes to balanced and well reasoned views taking a back seat to those from the extremes which leads to continued less-than-optimal decision making.
I would add one other possibility: laziness. By this, I mean people who do not want to expend their time, energy and resources to properly assess an issue before them. It's just easier to not ask questions or make everything "black and white" and go with one or the other and hope for the best. By example, I believe this contributed to the JEA scandal and JPA issue with the river dredging and power lines. But it also shows up in land use and zoning issues and setting priorities for transportation and other infrastructure issues.
A very valid and accurate observation, IMO. There is a vendetta driven agenda in Jacksonville that is more evident than in the cities I have lived in or closely observed.