Okay, so Monique and Mom thought my humor was funny on the last two entries I wrote, so I felt like I had to keep it going with another laugh-inducing post. And with a title like that, how can I go wrong, right? (Is there an acronym for sarcastic remark? There's one for laughing out loud [LOL] and laughing my ass off [LMAO] but not one for 'that was sarcastic'.)
But it really is true. I mean, planners really are on the B list when it comes to social circles. We know political figures (although not in the schmoozy way that most others have encountered them). We are in the Fresno Bee or on the news, but never in the headlines. People occasionally blog about us. But when you go to a dinner party, or just hang out with some friends/acquaintences, and you have to explain your job, the inevitable question pops up every time: what the heck is a planner? Do you, like, plan events?
No. We plan LIFE.
It's so funny, though, because we planners usually take our jobs so seriously, and have to try to explain that our field is a hybrid between architecture, engineering, and landscape architecture, but on a broader scale. After a few minutes of blank stare, I'll usually draw an analogy with the game Sim City, which takes the glaze away. Or for the less technologically saavy, I usually just say "I try to make Fresno pretty."
Back to taking our job so seriously, I really do think we have a B-list complex as professionals--I mean, the one article I have posted in my cubicle reads "Planners Can Save the World" (in reference to, of course, our efforts to stop global climate change through requiring more bike lanes and thus more alternative modes of transportation) and the most recent article I read on Planetizen (our trade website) today was entitled: "Can Planners Save the Overlooked Masses?". You know, it's tough bearing the weight of the world on our shoulders from 8 to 5.
(Please sense the sarcasm and satirical tone at this point.)
But honestly, I am just really excited to be in a field where we are taking on the challenges that seem really impossible, like making Fresno more bike and pedestrian friendly, and eventually, undercovering the dynamics that make southwest Fresno what it is now and helping to make it a vibrant community in the future.
I just wish it was more clear cut! How on earth do you maneuver through the politics with a clear conscience?
That's something I think I'm going to be grappling with for awhile. I think Cornell will be a nice break, a completely different perspective, and hopefully some new experience in different political climates.
Enough philosophy.
If you see Scotty this week, give him a huge hug. He's been working major overtime for the end of his credential. I really think this guy could convince a KKK member to like Martin Luther King. No really--watch the link! He's so dedicated, I was making dinner the other night, and he made me listen to a podcast of a MLK speech while he was in the shower so that we could talk about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdMrWVJ2oHk
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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