Posted on 03/15/2002 12:00:17 PM PST by wwcc
[Note: Mr. Niman is an African-American, progressive (he voted for Nader), and an adjuct teacher at the State University of New York at Buffalo. This man teaches your children. Mr. Nimans' columns can be divided into three catagories: White people are evil. Republicans are evil. Paranoia about both. This is typical of his weekly column; lots of words but little substance or content (he mostly tries to be clever). If he would stick to a topic, in this case, the cost and purpose of new signage, he might make sense. Unfortunately, his hatred of people unlike himselve colors everything he writes. If you want to contact ArtVoice and let them know what you think of Mr. Niman, here is the address: editorial@artvoice.com
The winters just about over. Weve survived seven feet of snow just fine. Its been six months since 9/11, and folks are taking to the skies again. Theres hardly a twinge of concern these days when we hear planes pass overhead. Its been over almost a year and a half since the coup, and so far, no marshal law. Its been two years since the dreaded Y2K, and my computer is still chugging along. Spring is in the air. Considering all the doomsday scenarios, were doing OK. But just when you thought it was safe to go outside, the Masiello administration started erecting EVACUATION ROUTE signs all over Buffalo.
Tastes like chicken
I first saw them as I headed north on Delaware Avenue. Big blue signs emblazoned with white letters spelling out the words, evacuation route. Evacuation from what, I wondered. Hmmm.
Buffalo has a bizarre relationship with Florida. Every major town in Florida serves what they call Buffalo Style foods. It started out with wings, but now includes a host of supposed Buffalo favorites such as Buffalo Style Alligator Bits. In Florida you can deep fry anything, dip it in Franks Hot Sauce, serve it with Kraft Blue Cheese dressing, and call it Buffalo Style. Hence, you have Buffalos impact on Floridas culture and obesity rates. But what do we get? What little piece of Florida have all the sunbirds in city hall brought back for us?
I think the answer lies with these new evacuation routes. Theyre omnipresent in Florida. Much of Floridas population lives on precarious sand spits jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This being hurricane territory, they all have evacuation routes, designated streets upon which they are all supposed to pile their SUVs and, without panicking, calmly drive away from the impending tidal wave.
BuffaloJust Like Florida
Now we have evacuation routes, too. Just like Florida. A little piece of the Sunshine State right here on Delaware Avenue. But as I started passing sign after sign, I couldnt help but think about what I possibly might be evacuating myself from? A hurricane or typhoon-driven tidal wave coming in off of Lake Erie? No. Theres not enough water left in Lake Erie to do any damage.
Maybe were evacuating from an earthquake. But if thats the case, why are we heading north, up toward all the chemical plants? That seems stupid. Ditto if were running from terrorists. We wouldnt be heading up toward the toxic tank farms. So I swung my car around and headed back toward downtown to see if maybe the signs ran in both directions. But they didnt. They just head out of the city.
Maybe the two snowflakes on the sign are supposed to offer a clue. But this is Buffalo. Maybe theyre meant to simply offer a holiday greeting piggybacked on our doomsday signage. Hmmm. Could this be a snow evacuation route? If so, why? Why evacuate from the snow? Evacuation is the last thing I want to do when its cold and miserable outside. Id prefer to simply go home, not evacuate. Were pretty safe indoors during a snow emergency, albeit a little bit bored. Not even seven feet of snow caused anything to collapse outside of a handful of carports, picnic shelters, and substandard buildings (such as a big awning passing itself off as a boat storage building on Grand Island). No need for evacuation here.
KenmoreNirvana
So I swung my car around again and continued heading north. I wanted to see to where I was being evacuated. The signs in Florida lead you to solid ground. They designate routes leading off of exposed peninsulas and onto the mainland. But Buffalos already on the mainland. Where are we going?
Finally, the signs ended and I was in Kenmore. Now Im really confused. What possible emergency would necessitate my removal to Kenmore? Not snow. It snows in Kenmore, too. And even if it didnt, the people in Kenmore arent likely to welcome me or take me in just because my hood has snow. Snow emergencies require that traffic move in two directions, not one. So Im still clueless. Why am I supposed to flee to Kenmore? Is it a volcano? A tornado? Perhaps a biblical plague?
Then it hit me. Buffalonians have been evacuating to the suburbs for two generations now. Since 1960, this migration has claimed over half of our citys population. These signs must simply be historic markers.
But Seriously
But seriously, this is the problem. This head-to-the-hills mentality is so ingrained in the local culture that it has wormed its way into the psyches of our top government leaders. I called City Hall. The Mayors office offered no comment or explanation for the new signs. But, given their recent history of comments and explanations for things, this is probably the brightest move theyve made in weeks. The Traffic Engineering Division actually erected the signs. When I asked a spokesperson there what the signs were about, she impatiently asked if I noticed the snowflakes. Yeah. Well, the signs designate our new snow evacuation routesthese are the first streets to be plowed and kept clear.
Ive got nothing against clearing major streets, but we already do that. We call them Bus Routes, not Evacuation routes. Theres something calmer and less hysterical about a bus route. Local law says you cant park on them at night in the winter so plows can keep them clear. We can even call a few of the more central streets Snow Emergency Routesa better, clearer description that doesnt ring of terror and doom. We aint evacuating, were just plowing some snow. Evacuate means to remove the contents of, To excrete or discharge waste matter from, or to withdraw, especially from a threatened area.
Delaware Avenue is not alone in earning this designation. Similar signs are going up on routes all over the city. They all have one thing in common, however. They all lead out of the city. No signage leads into the city, and no routes are designated for cross-town traffic. Yet, there is no reason why we would want to leave the city in a storm unless we lived in the burbs. But, with most area jobs now existing outside of Buffalo, our rush hour runs both ways. Yet no one is evacuating Buffalonians out of Cheektowaga. In fact, many suburbanites left without power after this years ice storm evacuated into the city for warmth and shelter.
We Cant Afford Such Nonsense
These signs make no sense. They serve no purpose other than to cause stress by posting the word evacuation all over our city. Were not living on a spit of sand in a hurricane-wracked region, nor are we living in the shadow of a nuclear plant. Were living in Buffalo, the City of Good Neighbors. I cant think of a better place to be during an emergency and I certainly have no interest in evacuating.
These signs also offer a subconscious message. They perpetuate the long held local myth that suburban life is safe, saner and less threatening. This is also the underlying message in most of our local media. Its why people, driven by their fears, give up Victorian homes for the architectural squalor of ticky-tacky, particleboard cookie cutter domiciles.
Maybe Im reading too much into simple traffic signs. But then, in a city that is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, why am I reading these signs at all? They dont have a clear message or purpose. The folks at City Hall wouldnt tell me how much they costthats not public information. Suffice to say, however, we cant afford such nonsense. Nor can we afford any further evacuation. Theres nothing here to run from but ourselves.
In December, Buffalo had 7 feet of snow. The national guard was on my street with backhoes trying to dig us out. The clean-up was made far worse by the fact people were out driving as soon as a street opened up.
By reading this piece, I'm sure you can catch the kind of attitude Mr. Niman gives off and why people don't like to talk to him.
Mr. Nimans' writing reveal all you need to know about his personality.
... Maybe I?m reading too much into simple traffic signs ...Learn to trust your intuitions, man.
Plus the fact that, in the very first paragraph, he reveals that he doesn't even know how to spell "martial law."
Michael
Maybe you're reading too much into a simple newspaper column.
Perhaps the good professor could learn how to spell -
. Its been over almost a year and a half since the coup, and so far, no marshal law
It's martial law, dumbass.
.... So, whatcher trying to say is, he's a Black Communist? Not terribly surprising - There're a lot of them out there. There are also plenty of school administrators too afraid to fire 'em.
In any case, my equation says that Mandatory education = Compulsory idiocy. Why does absolutely everyone need a college degree these days, anyway? We, as a nation, are stupider now than we've ever been through our entire history. After all, the Federalist papers were written for your average, "uneducated" farmer in the late 1700's, and they understood it just fine. Why is it that less than 30% of our college graduates can do the same today?
:) ttt
Amen.
It's routine navel-gazing drivel; not worthy of comment or post. The racial comment added to the headline is entirely unjustified.
Are there THAT many people still living in METRO (city and suburbs) Buffalo? Are there any non-government jobs there, aside from the HSBC operations center?
HORSESH--People don't move out of inner cities because of traffic signs; they move out because of crime and neighborhood deterioration. If you don't want folks moving out when you move in, try behaving a little better.
Absolutely right. I'm betting that there are similar motivations behind disallowing inner-city kids (more crime, perhaps?) from attending suburbian public schools.
When it comes to politics (and our school system is CERTAINLY politically-operated), money talks...
:) ttt
LOL! What a looser maroon ;)
I had this idea for a resteraunt. I wanted to call it: "Tastes Like Chicken". The menu would be all sorts of wierd stuff like Rattlesnake Pie, Possum Stew, Daily Road Kill Grill....etc etc...
The deal is that every thing would be made from chicken...
Parts is parts.
Yes, I'd say that was a pretty safe bet.
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