Egan: Apathy and Resignation To Blame in AY Fight
In her NY Times op-ed piece this weekend, author, Fort Greene resident and DDDB board member Jennifer Egan contrasts the wily public relations machinations of Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner with the relative apathy and inaction of those who claim to oppose the project that would indelibly change the landscape and character of the borough….
In her NY Times op-ed piece this weekend, author, Fort Greene resident and DDDB board member Jennifer Egan contrasts the wily public relations machinations of Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner with the relative apathy and inaction of those who claim to oppose the project that would indelibly change the landscape and character of the borough. The combination of presenting the project as a fait accompli from day one and casting himself as the champion of the working class was, she opines, effective in a race-baiting sort of way. In the end, she laments the passive role it has placed the borough in, to be molded and shaped by profit-seeking developers, not the people who live here.
What was mostly lost in this caustic debate was the biggest question of all: what do we Brooklynites — a diverse and even divided collective — want our borough to be? Do we want it transformed from a sunny, low-lying place into knots of vertical superblocks? Are we content to let our borough’s future be imposed on us by developers and politicians? A strong girding of power and ideas is our best defense against developers who might wish to control the process. And an active and vocal public will send a healthy warning to elected officials who might consider placing these developers’ interests above our own.
What surprised us most was the tone of resignation that underlay the essay, playing right into Ratner “formidable spin machine “.
A Developing Story [NY Times]
ratner couldn’t have dreamed up better enemies as Pucca and Goldstein….
If DDDB would have talented people at the helm there would have been a chance, but with these PR clowns, what do you expect?
Ratner definitely bought the Times as they were involved in a real estate deal with FNC. There coverage has been either nonexistent, inaccurate, or biased and this is widely acknowledged (burying articles on Saturday is typical). At the News, an anti Ratner reporter was fired. The Post provided modest coverage, often taking swipes at the Times through its articles.
9:58 here. if you are just learning about AY from this blog, you missed the train. everybody else, are opinions actually changed by threads like this? i’ll ask again, who has read egan’s new novel?
you really think ratner bought and paid for the times/post/news? this is the type of hyperbole that destroys any credibility that the majority of the AY opposition might otherwise have.
The only allies Ratner has are ones that have been bought and paid for.
The chief reason why the opposition has been so lame is its leadership. When you approach a political topic by declaring any who disagrees with you as an idiot, you’re not going to make many allies. Errol Louis’s columns have been spot on.
“businesses close when there is no demand for their products. apparently its there.”
exactly.
Is anyone else sick of these so called “neighborhood saviors” (including mister brownstone) that do not send their kids to the local public school? PS 11 is decent school – Ms. Egan could do far worse. Another question: Do public lottery school solely exist to give these “Bo-Bos” a way out?
Chuck E Cheese? You wont need to go that far. We’ll have street meat vendors on every corner from the bridge to to prospect park.
mmm mmm good