I think that we, as Oak Parkers, are pretty proud of our town. We are a relatively affluent, progressive, and active community. As the first suburb west of Chicago, we are also proud of our closeness to one of the country's greatest cities. When I go out of town and someone asks where I am from, I quickly respond with, "Chicago," knowing that whoever I am speaking to is imaging the lakefront and monumental skyscrapers that characterize downtown.
However, when we say "Chicago" I don't believe we include the whole city. Areas like Englewood, Hyde Park, and Austin are forgotten about or dismissed. And yet there is only one street separating Oak Park from Austin. If you are standing in the middle of Austin Ave and you look east down Madison, you see cracked pavements, crooked signs, and peeling paint. Looking west, you see boutiques and cute Italian Restaurants. East of Madison is the Congo River and west of Madison is the Thames.
High schoolers venture into Austin to do volunteer work, to share their knowledge with others who are less fortunate, which is by no means a bad idea. We all want to help others around us to be the best we can be. However, I'm not sure we see Austin as a place that can better us, teach us new things, and allow us make new connections.
Ah I agree with this so much. I always tell people that I'm from Chicago, purely out of convenience, but when I say it I usually mean downtown and not the other Chicago neighborhoods that we live so close to. I also agree that, yeah of course volunteering is great and benefits both parties, but I feel like the way that Oak Parkers do it is almost patronizing. Solid comparisons between the different rivers and the different towns!
ReplyDeleteI really like your comparison with the Congo River and Madison, it was spot on. I also like your point about how most people do not see Austin as a "place that can better us..." Is the reason the title is capitalized the way it is signify to the lack of mutual recognition?
ReplyDeleteNora, your post has many great analogies. I agree that although many Oak Park residents volunteer in cities downtown, there is not full mutual recognition. Mutual recognition includes recognizing the qualities the other party has to offer. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI agree, people view many other parts of the city as a different place altogether. Going into Austin for many feels like entering a dangerous place that's not Oak Park or Chicago.
ReplyDeleteI agree, people view many other parts of the city as a different place altogether. Going into Austin for many feels like entering a dangerous place that's not Oak Park or Chicago.
ReplyDeleteNora, this is so good! It's something we all do out of habit, saying we're from Chicago, without even thinking about the places that are not downtown. I agree that some people in Austin are more doing the work to make themselves look good, and do not really care about how it impacts the community (not that their work isn't great!).
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