Monday, September 25, 2006

"Jesus in Cleats"

And so has Reggie Bush been anointed. The savior of the Saints franchise. The Black-and-Golden One who will liberate Saints fans from their eternal torment. The deliverer of the chosen season-ticket holders to the Promised Dome.

Imagine 70,000 people on one city block, on one special day, all there for one purpose. Imagine over $100 million going into bringing those people together. Imagine a Super Bowl atmosphere, complete with the media frenzy and global interest in what is happening on that day on that block.

Sounds magical, doesn’t it?

Now, imagine that the city block the masses have come to is in Gentilly, or Mid-City, or Lakeview, or the 9th Ward, or New Orleans East. Imagine that they are not there to sit in a comfortable seat and watch grown men play a game on artificial grass, but have come together to be part of the action and participate in the rebuilding of that neighborhood. Imagine how much work could get done.

Yeah, I know. I don’t believe in magic either.

I will be one of those fans in that number this Monday. I plan on seeing Rebirth at the pre-game show. I will then head home and turn down my TV and turn up my radio. I will yell at the TV (and more strangely, the radio) and lil’ po’ boy will imitate me, leading to yet another words-we-say-only-around-daddy conversation.

If the Saints win, I will be elated. If the Saints lose, I will still be elated. Okay, I will be deflated first, but elated afterwards that they’re at least losing at home again.

But I can not pretend like this Monday’s game is the best thing that has happened in the recovery of New Orleans. I felt the same way about Mardi Gras. People want to make this a symbol that the recovery is going just fine:
Joe Horn said that the quick repair of the Superdome should give people a sense of hope that the rest of the city can bounce back.

"If you can rebuild a place that's 1.9 million square feet," Horn said, "you should be able to come back here and rebuild a 3,000-square foot house."
I am not so sure that a functioning Superdome is a symbol of a functioning city. If the city were functioning properly, this game would not be such a big deal. It would be expected.

Make a list of all the services a city needs to function. From health care, to police, to firefighters, to electricity, to sewerage and water, to small businesses, to infrastructure upkeep, to housing – none of them are “bouncing back.” Limping back, maybe. But no bouncing.

This Monday we will prove to the nation that we can still put on a world class show – even when we haven’t yet recovered. But the next day, will anybody be trying to prove to the city’s residents that we can put on a world class recovery? Anybody?

Let me repeat: I will be in that number. I will be distracted for a day by Jesus in cleats (“Cleatus” for short?). But it’s only one day, and I am not waiting for a savior to come down from on high to fix New Orleans. I don’t believe in Jesus in a Tyvek suit.

People are making money off this game. That’s why there is so much attention. The NFL and ESPN want this game to be like a Super Bowl so they can make Super-Bowl-like money off of it. I didn’t expect a lot of the real news of the recovery to be told this weekend. The money makers want this Monday to be pleasant for all the money spenders. The news need not always be pleasant.

Edward R. Murrow said in 1958:

We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
We in New Orleans are not, for the most part, wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have gotten over our built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. We had to.

But the rest of the country lives in a pre-Katrina world. They will be sitting on their fat surpluses Monday night distracted, deluded, amused, and insulated from the totally different picture we see down here every day.

I am not saying don’t enjoy the Saints or don’t go to the game. I know I’ll be enjoying the game. I’m just saying that this game will not change my opinion of the recovery.

Only a recovery will change my opinion of the recovery.

EDIT: Yes, symbolism.
"When people come in here and see what's been done in less than a year's time," says Doug Thornton, general manager of the building and the driving force behind its revival, "they are going to say, 'If the Superdome can be rebuilt after that tremendous destruction, my house can be rebuilt, my neighborhood can be rebuilt and my city can be rebuilt.' So much of this recovery is about confidence and belief. You've got to want it to happen. You've got to believe it. This is symbolism."

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fantastic post. I completely agree: symbolism fades pretty fast. Thanks for posting this; now I don't have to. LOL.

Mark Folse said...

I Believe.

Tim said...

Somebody should tell Joe that po peeps don't have no 3,000 sf house.

SantaBarbarian said...

terrific post. thanks.

Soapie said...

health site
health site
health site
health site
health site
health site
health site
health site
health site
health site

BABY NAMES CIRCLE said...

Thanks for sharing this awesome article with everyone. Click on this link to find baby names easily: Modern Hindu Baby Girl Names Starting With H

MATH TEACHER said...

follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me
follow me

Live Strems Sports said...

All Blacks vs Argentina Rugby Live
All Blacks vs Argentina Rugby Live Stream

Live Strems Sports said...

The Rugby Championship New Zealand vs Argentina Rugby Live
All Blacks vs Argentina Rugby Live Stream

Anonymous said...

New Zealand vs Argentina Rugby Game 4 Live Stream online Date and Time:
Date: 14 November 2020
TIME: 1:00 am EST

All Blacks vs Argentina Rugby Live
New Zealand vs Argentina Rugby Live Reddit

Time Of Fitness said...

Health and fitness HIT yoga sounds like an oxymoron. Come on, they seem like polar opposites. HIT is by definition an intense workout. Isn't yoga supposed to be a bit more zen? Well, let's try to explain the combination. HIT yoga is a relatively recent trend that, when we think about it, seems inevitable to us. Both HIT and yoga are popular and growing training methods. It was only a matter of time before someone ended up putting them together (like ketchup and french fries).

Essay Writing Service said...

One of the advantages of technology nowadays is that it won’t be difficult for you to find dissertation writing services. As a matter of fact, all that you have to do is to search online and you’ll be surprised with the results. What is left for you to do is to choose which of these services will work best for you. Contact writingmyessay.com to buy dissertation.

magicienparis said...

Sculpture de ballons paris
magicien close-up paris
mentaliste paris
animation entreprise paris
Magicien mariage
Magicien Anniversaire Enfants Spectacle de magie
Magicien mentaliste
Sculpture de ballons paris

yasuo said...

Time is a knife, engraving the years on the sculpture. Everything about Jesus is recorded, and his time is symbolized in historical memory. And Steam symbolizes the memory of the game. In the process of Steam Level Up, you are constantly watching the changing of games in each era.

Kathleen C. Lowder said...

arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo

wahaj33 said...

arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo
arbravo

NIA said...

Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all folks you actually recognise what you are speaking about! Bookmarked. Kindly additionally talk over with my site =). We can have a link trade arrangement among us!

Yggdrasil bot Discord
void(document.oncontextmenu=null);
how to appear offline on steam
rarbg
Reboot and choose proper boot device
Write for us Technology

NIA said...

Hi there very nice website!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally…I am glad to search out numerous helpful info right here in the publish, we’d like develop extra techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .



Groovy Bot
Fast People Search
hulu error code p-dev320
vulkan run time libraries
0xa00f4244 nocamerasareattached
Windows Could Not Automatically Detect This Network’s Proxy Settings

NIA said...


Hi there, simply became aware of your weblog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I am gonna be careful for brussels. I will be grateful in case you proceed this in future. A lot of folks might be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!


Write for us Gambling
Write for Gambling

Anonymous said...

Best shoes for walking on concrete
When you spend half your day on concrete, you deserve better shoes – ones that provide superior cushioning, superior durability, improved traction, and significant flexibility.

insta-fb-captions said...

Checkout Monthsary Wishes Messages For Girlfriend

web developer in mashhad said...

i agree with you. it is a good text and i liked it very much. jesus be with you!

Toney Wix said...

I’ll immediately snatch your rss as I can not to find your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly permit me understand so that I may just subscribe. Thanks.


malayalam quotes
love quotes malayalam
sad quotes malayalam
motivational quotes in malayalam
friendship quotes malayalam

Mashhad WWW said...

may jesus help us all in our endeavors. specially me and my new web development company in mashhad
wish me luck and good fortune!

chinobazaar said...

Amazing article, Thanks for Sharing.

www.chinobazaar.com


Love from Nepal

mahdi said...

من از خدمات سما سرویس استفاده کردم و بسیار راضی بودم. سما سرویس بهترین مرکز تعمیر لباسشویی ال جی در مشهد هست.

Sarah J. said...

I really enjoy your blog post about da po' blog, it's one of my favorites. I especially loved your description of "Jesus in Cleats." I'm new to blogging, so I'm still getting used to the mechanics of it, but I love how this post was so personal. You had a lot of great tips and I found it really informative. Web Development

Sarah J. said...

I enjoyed reading your post on da po' blog. It was well-written and I enjoyed how you used different prose to describe your topic. You also did a great job of addressing a variety of topics and gave a lot of information about your post and the website in general. Story eBook

Ashar said...

So nice information is shared through this platform. I am providing SEO services if you need plz remember me now

Tech trend said...

online pese
hdjnxj
nbc
bhb
bx

rosellaqueen said...

Very nice post thanks for sharing this post

https://chennaigoldrate.today/

stroudtech solutions said...

Thanks! Come take the ORIGINAL Bible Tour Louvre PARIS by a Jehovah's Witness! Enjoy a fantastic tour conducted by our multilingual pioneer guides!

stroudtech solutions said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PginAhmedabad said...

Hey! 👋 Loved your post! 🚀 How about considering [new perspective] to spice things up? 🌟 Let's chat! 🗣️ #EngagementBoost - Parenting Pinnacle






PginAhmedabad said...

Hey there! 🌟 Loved your post! 💬 Adding my two cents: embracing challenges can turn setbacks into stepping stones! What's your go-to strategy for overcoming hurdles? 🚀 #PositiveVibesOnly -Crafty Creations Corner