Source: Google Maps People group themselves into countries, counties, cities and communities within each of these. It's funny that they all begin with "C", as if they're demanding alliteration. Elections are another way of clumping a group of people. That is why the redistricting petitions are so heavily contested. Dividing groups can lead to misrepresentation. I’d never thought of it until the polling assignment for JOUR4953 came up.
Districts are meant to represent a geographic area. Ideology shouldn’t come into play, but it is a component of the clumping that we do. Like-minded people tend to enjoy the same things, and end up living in the same areas. Bay View is an area like that. Fun, small, locally owned businesses that work together drawing a demographic that wants what they have to offer. As the older members of the community fade, the complexion has changed to a semi-urbanite area.
As I interviewed people at the local café for my report, it was funny that many didn’t want to publicly discuss their “real” opinions. Safer to keep values to yourself unless sure they were surrounded with people that felt the same. Reputation in a close-knit neighborhood means more than disclosure. I saw my own values and concerns as a “hidden” gem. Don’t rock the boat, just be cool.
I’ve lived in the area for over a decade, before it became so attractive. The changes have been both good and bad. Friends have opened and had to close businesses, but that’s the nature of things. We all enjoy the farmer's market and the motorcycle meetups each week. As the community continues to change, I see the group that was here at that time has become the old school crowd. My hope is that the area remains a place that holds onto smallness and variety.
You see the differences at each of the polls. The elementary school has mostly the older set, socializing and familiar. Along the lake, the higher dollar property owners want to erase the past but keep the quaintness. Stand outside the library and watch the renters covered in tattoos and spite for the status quo. All have valid viewpoints, but they make up just one district in a city that is diverse and divided – much like the rest of the state and the country. That awareness is something I will always appreciate learning, because of a class assignment.
Districts are meant to represent a geographic area. Ideology shouldn’t come into play, but it is a component of the clumping that we do. Like-minded people tend to enjoy the same things, and end up living in the same areas. Bay View is an area like that. Fun, small, locally owned businesses that work together drawing a demographic that wants what they have to offer. As the older members of the community fade, the complexion has changed to a semi-urbanite area.
As I interviewed people at the local café for my report, it was funny that many didn’t want to publicly discuss their “real” opinions. Safer to keep values to yourself unless sure they were surrounded with people that felt the same. Reputation in a close-knit neighborhood means more than disclosure. I saw my own values and concerns as a “hidden” gem. Don’t rock the boat, just be cool.
I’ve lived in the area for over a decade, before it became so attractive. The changes have been both good and bad. Friends have opened and had to close businesses, but that’s the nature of things. We all enjoy the farmer's market and the motorcycle meetups each week. As the community continues to change, I see the group that was here at that time has become the old school crowd. My hope is that the area remains a place that holds onto smallness and variety.
You see the differences at each of the polls. The elementary school has mostly the older set, socializing and familiar. Along the lake, the higher dollar property owners want to erase the past but keep the quaintness. Stand outside the library and watch the renters covered in tattoos and spite for the status quo. All have valid viewpoints, but they make up just one district in a city that is diverse and divided – much like the rest of the state and the country. That awareness is something I will always appreciate learning, because of a class assignment.
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