What’s the greatest challenge facing Spartanburg? Ask 100 people that question, and you’re likely to get 100 answers. Some would talk about development issues. Some would talk about education issues. Some would talk about spending priorities and taxes. Every issue under the sun in our little corner of South Carolina seemingly has somebody pushing on it from one side or another. That’s a good thing, but there’s a bigger story too. A lot of people in Spartanburg, far too many in fact, wouldn’t have an answer to that question at all.
That, ironically enough, brings me to my answer to the question. For me, Spartanburg’s biggest challenge can be summed up in two words: ignorance and apathy.
A story in this past Sunday’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal brought home that lesson in a dramatic way. The article tells the story of two residents of one of the poorer areas in Spartanburg who didn’t call 911 when the house they were living in caught fire last Friday night because they were afraid they would be charged a fee by the fire department for putting out the blaze. Instead, they tried to put the fire out themselves with a garden hose. Fortunately for the two amateur firefighters, a neighbor called the fire department, and aside for a little smoke inhalation, no one was seriously hurt.
After I read the story, my first instinct was to dismiss it. It was too much. This was just a case of random stupidity, a story about a couple of people who, because of their stunning ignorance, nearly won themselves a Darwin Award. The more I thought about it though, the more I started to see this story as an extreme example of our own failure as a community, a failure in almost every sense.
Rather than mocking them, I think we should all be asking ourselves why these people didn’t know that they weren’t going to be charged for calling 911. There’s a lot more than just one answer to that question, but all of the answers get right at the heart of what’s wrong not just in Spartanburg, but all over America as well. The answers all detail a failure of the individual and the community, both probably in nearly equal measure. It’s ugly. It’s complicated. It’s a cancerous growth on our democratic society.
The failures of the residents involved in the incident are pretty easy to point out, and pointing out those failures gives us a way to inoculate ourselves against anyone who might suggest that there’s a larger blame to go around. It’s undeniably true that these people’s ignorance nearly killed them, and that the lion’s share of responsibility for that ignorance rests with the people themselves, but it’s also true that we live in a time when civic involvement, and the knowledge that usually accompanies it, aren’t valued very much in our society or our community. In many ways, this incident is basically an extreme example of that fact.
That’s where I think our failure is. Things like this happen at least partly because most of us don’t care enough about local politics and issues to keep up with it at all. Because so few people seem to care about thoughtful local issue coverage, information on those topics becomes more and more scarce, and before long rumor—always the least reliable source of information—becomes the only source of information a lot of people get.
Everyone is to blame for this in one way or another.
We have an education system that breaks civic involvement down to little more than a quad-annual sporting event. We’ve got local media outlets that cover car accidents, shootings and drug busts, but fail to tell people about the things that actually affect their lives. Their political coverage is most often limited to the “horse race” of a campaign or the sensationalizing of a scandal. We have politicians at almost every level who would rather play to people’s ignorance and fear than elevate the discussion by talking about civic responsibility. Finally, we’ve got the individual who can’t be bothered to pull away from the TV for a few minutes to actually read what little real coverage is out there.
The level of ignorance needed for a person to try to put out their own house fire rather than call the actual fire department doesn’t come from nowhere. It comes from everywhere. It’s so pervasive, and so difficult to combat, that even thinking about it gives me a headache. What can we do? Getting accurate information out there to the citizenry is obviously one piece of the puzzle, but there’s a much larger question: How do we convince people that not only is it their right to be involved in their government, but it’s also their responsibility?
Assuming that the problem of making information available to the people is straightforward enough that it could be handled if we had the will to handle it, What would it take to get someone who can’t tell you the difference between county council and city council to use that information? How do you convince people that their voices matter when current circumstances would seem to lead a lot of them to the opposite conclusion?
How do you make someone care?
It’s a question that gnaws at me far more often than I’d like for it to, and most of the time, I’m pretty cynical about the whole thing. Sometimes, I don’t think it’s possible to make anyone understand. Sometimes, I even wonder if we should bother.
Still, if we really believe in citizen rule, if we believe that our government is truly ours, then we must bother. The only hope for the future of Spartanburg lies in its citizens, and in our ability to convince more of them to care. I doubt there’s any sort of magic solution out there to make that task an easy one, but I believe it’s the job of each of us to keep trying. With a little luck, maybe we’ll at least be able to stop people from trying to put out their own house fires anyway.
Christopher George
“It’s so pervasive, and so difficult to combat, that even thinking about it gives me a headache.” Yep. That’s been me this past week. How did we get here?? It is SO depressing. I have my optimistic weeks and then my not so optimistic weeks.
The problem is just gigantic.
If people cared just a little–enough to read the paper, understand how the government functions, how to call Duke Power when a street light went out–educate themselves about simple things…it would make a big difference to their lives and the overall community. But like you said…people don’t even understand the difference between the City and County governments.
Do you ever think that it just won’t work because the people don’t care enough to be involved in the process? I mean…it’s not working now…how can we make people understand how important the individuals role is in a democracy???
You’re doing some good work on this front, Tammy. If anybody knows about the difficulties of this issue, it’s you.
“…how can we make people understand how important the individuals role is in a democracy???”
I have no idea really. I just think we have to get the information into the hands of as many people as possible, and hope that our passion can somehow rub off. It’s a slow process in my opinion, and I think it’ll happen one individual at a time, or at best maybe one neighborhood at a time. Knocking on doors, handing out flyers and pamphlets, having conversations with people about more than just which politician they should vote for, these are all things that I think can help.
Thanks Chris! I do try. Although sometimes I feel as if I am beating my head…really, really, really hard against something…really, really, really hard.
BUT, night’s like Monday eve at City Council…when folks show up for something they believe in…regardless if it is the folks supporting Drug Court (they show up at Council in force every year to support Drug Court for CDBG funds) or folks showing up to support Hub-Culture, Little River and Cakehead Bakery…it’s people showing up and supporting. Now…granted…we must keep in mind the Drug Court folks and the Hub-Culture folks worked hard for that support. They courted the hell out of Council, invited them to see what they were doing and shared tons of info with them to make sure they saw the bigger picture of their impact WAY before that meeting because that is what it takes. But most importantly, they also got people there to support and send the message that…hey, this matters to me. And that speaks volumes.
And I left there Monday not only with Spring Fever flaming but also with optimism renewed that little by little we can make a difference.
The bigger picture, on the other hand, still a mess. But, hopefully one day…
In my opinion your best column to date so far. I’ve often felt that Spartanburg should be known as the “Most Apathetic City in America”. I’m a firm believer in the old adage “nothing changes if nothing changes”. A trip to cities that are thriving within driving distance (Greenville, Asheville, Hendersonville) proves that you can be changed by something that happens to you (economic and otherwise) but you can also refuse to let it define you. Communication between all the residents and vision without fear seems to be the norm there. If enough people lift their hands to embrace change maybe the sky won’t fall.
That confusion about city and county government seems to highlight a fundamental confusion that many people seem to have about what it means to have levels of government. Without having done much research on it, this is how it seems to me:
Old style conservatism, which was wary of a large federal government, was entirely supportive of robust state and local governments, but over time, that wariness somehow became misdirected and devolved into a hatred and suspicion of all levels of government, even ones that are literally run by your neighbors.
That dislike and cynicism has corroded almost all civic participation, which only makes corruption and ineffective governments more likely, which seems to justify the cynicism and apathy. It’s a terrible cycle that has to be stopped if our current style of government is to continue to operate.
I don’t know if this is still true, but I don’t recall ever having a civics class. We had a 9th grade government class, but it didn’t really go into the philosophical roots of civic participation, it was more of description of how bills become laws.
Maybe the state legislature axed it when they realized it would be more difficult to make cheap political stunts to get elected if students had a good civics background.
I think you’re totally right about the role that modern conservative hatred of all forms of government has played in the corrosion of civic participation. That self-fulfilling belief that government can’t do anything right never ceases to amaze me.
I also don’t recall ever having a real “civics” class in school either. Like you, I had the generic “three branches” overview class and that was basically it. In my opinion, we should be teaching our children from a very young age about their responsibilities as citizens in our citizen-ruled society, and that should entail a lot more than just talking about the importance of voting. Voting is important, but real civic participation is much bigger than what happens on that one day.
The fact that every election every politician from a local to a federal level promises the world and rarely ever delivers . If someone does come up with great ideas they get labeled a radical or crazy kook. Its easy to be apathetic when you feel the highest power in the country can be compromised and you never see any results . As far as being cynical about local government , its still the good ole boy system . If a few elite people spoke out on the cripplin effects the blue laws have on competitive businesses in the county , they would be gone in one meeting or two meetings of the county council . The majority of the county or city residents could want something and if the powers that be do not want it , it will not be done . Sure you can vote them out just to have their clone take their place . The fact that the gov is at an all time low in the publics eye is not without reason . Blame it or call it modern conservative hatred but it grew out of frustration and lack of results . Name some good , self supporting government agency out there that does not have crazy mismanagement or corruption or both . The citizens do not have much pull or say so and its crazy to think something will really change by some web posts or blogging . Move on . org would be nowhere without some billionaires throwing money at them and then they still are not really changing anything . The couple afraid of the fire department may have had good reason to be afraid . Maybe in the past they had paid a fine for starting a brush fire , or had a fireman serve an eviction notice . I do not know , yes its stupid but their may be a somewhat legit reason … I ride the wave waiting on it all to collape,using my energy on work and the things I can really control in my life , not worrying about being p.c. or if the smoke from the politics is blinding everyone of the real issues that we face
“As far as being cynical about local government , its still the good ole boy system . If a few elite people spoke out on the cripplin effects the blue laws have on competitive businesses in the county, they would be gone in one meeting or two meetings of the county council.”
How the hell would you know? I don’t recall seeing Mick Minchow at a city council meeting pushing anything, though I’ve only missed two in the last 10 months or so. Have you bothered attending county council, since you’re so concerned about those blue laws? When was the last time you tried to contact a council member, city or county, about anything? Call me crazy, but I bet the answer to all those questions says a lot about how much Mick Minchow actually knows about Spartanburg circa 2010.
Now to explain that “good ol’ boy system” crack you’ll probably go and spin me that yarn about how the city fucked you over like 14 years ago. We haven’t heard that one in a while.
Do you even realize how much things have changed in the city since then, or is that chip on your shoulder too big to allow you to open up to anything? Seriously man, get a grip. One of our city council members was something like 18 years old when GZ was “ran out of the city.” I guess she’s just part of the good ol’ boy system too, huh?
You never have really been one to accept criticism without a hostile reaction Chris. Going to council meetings doesn’t make you high and mighty. You illustrated in a recent article about those payday lending places that the good ‘ol boy system is alive and well, but now you’re in denial?
You have a platform to take it upon yourself to explain local politics to people, to educate and inform us ignorant and apathetic masses about the institutions you love so much. Why don’t you use this venue for that rather then passing judgment and blame? Rather then writing about how you just don’t know why people don’t know about all this, why don’t you explain it? Maybe you should get a Darwin award for not thinking of that yourself.
Always on the spot with those simplistic answers aren’t you chAng?
I’m not saying that going to council makes me “high and mighty.” I am saying that it likely means I know more about what happens there than somebody like Mick–or you for that matter–who can’t be bothered to show up and take part in how your local government functions. You’re free to disagree with that if you want.
Payday lending is ONE issue. Is it an area where a certain number of well-heeled individuals have more than their fair share of influence? Absolutely! Does that make our ENTIRE local government one giant “good ol’ boy” system in every respect? Of course not! Nuance isn’t exactly your forte is it?
As far as how I’m using my column, I DO use it to educate people about issues, every week in fact. Citizen ignorance and apathy is one of those issues. If you don’t like the point of view I choose to come from when educating people…tough shit! Start writing your own column to balance things out if you’re so concerned about it.
More judgment and more blame from our own local liberal Rush Limbaugh, how quaint. So quick are you to fall back on that old stand-by of me not writing my own column. Tsk tsk, I’d expect more creativity from you.
I actually live outside of Spartanburg county currently, so why the hell would I go to a council meeting? I do care about the people in Spartanburg on a personal level, and I hold dear the creative aspects of what those individuals do, but I could care less about the politics. I think I’m strongly in the majority in that regard for a lot of the same reasons Mick listed.
Community involvement doesn’t have to be political, obviously. Going about change politically is probably the least productive way to be involved, unless one has money to burn that is. I’m sure you’d love to see your beloved little group of elite legislators force people to take a more hands on role in local government, just as the term democracy implies, but guess what, it’s a representative form of government, not a democracy as you so dutifully remark. Sure people would do good when injustice strikes to stand up for their own interests, but it’s their free choice not to, as if it really would make a difference. Trying to belittle people about it just makes you look like even more of a dick, with a beard.
“I actually live outside of Spartanburg county currently, so why the hell would I go to a council meeting?”
I currently live outside the city of Spartanburg, but that doesn’t stop me from going to city council, but whatever. As you said, you’re free to get involved, or not. Nobody as far as I’m aware has suggested otherwise. Likewise, I’m free to call that choice not to get involved foolish. Isn’t the freedom to hold differing opinions grand?
“…but I could care less about the politics”
And you demonstrate how little you care about local politics by being one of the most frequent commenters on a weekly local political column? For a guy who doesn’t care one way or another about local politics, you sure do spend a lot of energy arguing about it. I’m gonna go ahead and call bullshit on that one.
“I’m sure you’d love to see your beloved little group of elite legislators force people to take a more hands on role in local government”
I’m going to ignore the paranoid element of this (you should probably consider smoking less weed by the way) and just ask where exactly did you see me suggest that people should be forced to take a more hands on role in local government? I’ve argued that we should work to persuade the more apathetic people out there to participate, nothing more.
“Trying to belittle people about it just makes you look like even more of a dick, with a beard.”
I haven’t belittled anyone besides you and Mick. Both of you have made the sort of asinine statements I expect from the “shit all over all things civic” crowd. In my opinion, statements like that deserve to be belittled. If you’re not prepared to have your statements challenged, you shouldn’t make them.
I should say though, I like the “dick with a beard” thing so much I think I might work it in as a tag line of some sort. Considering the source, I’ll take it as a compliment. Of course, I’ll give you full credit for it in the future. Thanks!
Believe me, it was no compliment. Acting like a dick is something I’ve come to expect from you though, especially towards anyone who happens to disagree with any little aspect of your government loving BS.
I read all the articles here on the Spark, and comment freely whenever I get the whim, don’t get all sentimental on me now. I was more interested in calling you out on your ill behavior then actually the half assed opinion piece you threw together, whining about peoples lack of enthusiasm in participating in what’s typically a waist of time, politics that is. It seems you cared more about making fun of a couple trying to extinguish a chair with a garden hose then constructively explaining the things you were whining you wish people knew about in the local government, and acting all holier then thou in the process. -and not that it’s any of your business, but I haven’t smoked pot in a long time.
You didn’t say that people should be forced to take a more hands on role in local government, but I didn’t say you did, as you well know. We’re both perfectly aware of your utilitarian beliefs though, thinking people should be dominated by force to do what the government decides they should do, as is the way it is in government these days, but I doubt you want to go down that path of discussing the fundamentals of political ideologies, as usual. The comment in a more general sense though was one more of reinforcing the notion, as so very often happens, of the misuse of the term democracy, rather then acknowledging we have a representative republic.
“Dick with a beard” -ah yes, I stooped to your level. I’m surprised you didn’t pull out the “I’m the unfair victim of a personal attack” card, as you’ve done so many times in the past. You always seem to excessively lash out whenever anyone challenges any of your statements, was my original point to begin with. Rightfully shaming you for wrongfully shaming other people isn’t that becoming of me, but I guess it’s a price I’m sometimes willing to pay in attempt to put that overblown ego of yours in check, although it seems like a lost cause. -and hell, up all night drinking coffee, there isn’t much else going on.
You’re an entertaining dude, chAng. It would be a sad day on the Spark if we ever lost you.
lovingly yours,
The Dick with a Beard
Whatever. I think the whole “good ol boy” label (for city council at least) is way off base. I’ve only recently started “getting involved,” with no particularly close family or social connections to members of council, and have no big name or big checkbook and yet I definitely feel included in the political process. Show up to things when you don’t have to, make a good case for your cause, and your voice will be heard with due consideration.
I do think it’s a shame that many politicians feel that they have to make grander and grander promises to get elected, but it’s the fault of an ignorant electorate that will listen to them and vote based on empty promises.
You should know better Brad. Nothing good has ever came out of Spartanburg’s political system, and I should know because…well…because government is BAD I tell ya! Just plain BAD!
One of the many ironic about all of this is that people’s awareness of and participation in the overall political system is at one of it’s highest levels in a very long time. Citizen activism at all levels of government and on a variety of issues is very healthy right now. I could come up with a list of ten or more examples just this week even.
Just for the record, neither the city nor county can change the blue laws. Any change has to come at the state level. State law allows municipalities — but only those in the most populous counties — to decide whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales. Likewise with annexation law; any change will have to come at the state level. Till then, areas adjacent to the city but with existing fire and sewer service — like Una, Saxon, Arcadia, etc. — will remain outside Spartanburg.
As a non-Republican conservative, I agree that apathy and ignorance are hugh problems in our community, state and nation. Cynicism is high because people feel that government generally fails at what it is supposed to do. There are plenty of obvious reasons for this:
- the 2-party system, in which both parties exist solely to perpetuate themselves by getting more candidates elected (look at the Spartanburg Republican Party as an example).
- government trying to be all things to all people at all levels (forced annexation?).
- the inability for “average” people (read: non-wealthy) to afford to run as candidates (school board campaigns now cost more than $10,000).
There are some obvious solutions:
- TERM LIMITS at every level of government. If it works for the President and Governor, why not Senators, Councilmen and School Board members? If you know you can’t be a career politician, you’re less likely to make decisions based on re-election (ie self-interest) and more on the interest of constituents.
- stronger campaign rules and independent auditing and enforcement of ethics rules in governing bodies. If politicians know they will go to jail if they are corrupt and they can’t game the system as easily, they’re more likely to shoot straight with voters.
- more government transparency. People would be much more involved if it was easy (dummy-proof) to find information about what government agencies are doing.
All of these are pipe dreams, of course. Government is self-sustaining, and many voters simply press “R” or “D” in the voting booth (SC is one of the few remaining states that still allows straight-party voting) without knowing a candidate’s stance on the issues. Media coverage (lack of it, especially for local issues) is a big part of this. Newspaper reporters can’t afford to spend weeks doing research for big stories anymore.
I’d love to find some like-minded citizens locally that want to help push some real reform at the local and state levels.