"It’s a cliche, but I always feel like saying, 'I’m not the one who changed.' Portland has taken an outrageous and bizarre turn and there is just no end in sight."
This breaks my heart. Seattle is my hometown, though, thank God, when we moved back to the PNW a couple of years ago, we chose to live in Tacoma, which is still fairly rational. I love this line:
"One of the weakest elements of far-left ideology is its apparent inability to course correct, as evidenced by the countless policy failures and total lack of self-examination or introspection. This creates discord and negative outcomes with serious consequences for citizens, consequences we experience every day." Maybe Seattle can pull itself back from the brink... maybe not.
I could have written almost this exact opinion piece. Except I have less hope that things will change. The ideological bubble that is portland facilitates the “head up your own ass” obtuseness about the reality of failed progressive policies. Portland progressives love to think of themselves as an ideological minority under siege by evil forces everywhere. This of course runs counter to the fact that their own ideology is in charge of many of our most important institutions.
I wish I could leave for someplace sane and beautiful (like portland used to be). When I travel even a few tens of miles out of the city it’s not hard to find likeminded people; people aghast at what has become of the states most populous city. People who share values such as free speech, distrust of monopolies, concern for the environment and concern for tangible evidence of racism and bigotry where it exists, but who want nothing to do with the critical theory based approach to “solving” some of these problems (because they don’t).
I hope I’m wrong and that portland can change. Maybe Peter B. had the best approach when he tried to deflect support for mayor Ted (and thus increase the chances that his Marxist challenger would win). Maybe things have to get much worse before they get better…but I don’t want to live here while they do.
This breaks my heart. Seattle is my hometown, though, thank God, when we moved back to the PNW a couple of years ago, we chose to live in Tacoma, which is still fairly rational. I love this line:
"One of the weakest elements of far-left ideology is its apparent inability to course correct, as evidenced by the countless policy failures and total lack of self-examination or introspection. This creates discord and negative outcomes with serious consequences for citizens, consequences we experience every day." Maybe Seattle can pull itself back from the brink... maybe not.
I could have written almost this exact opinion piece. Except I have less hope that things will change. The ideological bubble that is portland facilitates the “head up your own ass” obtuseness about the reality of failed progressive policies. Portland progressives love to think of themselves as an ideological minority under siege by evil forces everywhere. This of course runs counter to the fact that their own ideology is in charge of many of our most important institutions.
I wish I could leave for someplace sane and beautiful (like portland used to be). When I travel even a few tens of miles out of the city it’s not hard to find likeminded people; people aghast at what has become of the states most populous city. People who share values such as free speech, distrust of monopolies, concern for the environment and concern for tangible evidence of racism and bigotry where it exists, but who want nothing to do with the critical theory based approach to “solving” some of these problems (because they don’t).
I hope I’m wrong and that portland can change. Maybe Peter B. had the best approach when he tried to deflect support for mayor Ted (and thus increase the chances that his Marxist challenger would win). Maybe things have to get much worse before they get better…but I don’t want to live here while they do.