Finding an affordable apt. in nyc that was acceptable was relatively easy. As was getting a job. Moving my stuff down here was not as easy as I would have liked. I used three dif cars on three dif week-ends, by myself on all but one occasion, and two of the cars broke down, once on the highway in the pouring rain. Spending money for the tow trucks sucked...I was not counting on spending that money. But the good lord shines his light on me all the time, so as bad as it was, the delays, the money, the stress...Ive no business complaining.
I work at a social service agency in Queens, and I get paid to do there, what I did in Northampton out of the goodness of my heart and concern for my friends and family in the community. When people ask me why I moved to NYC, getting paid for caring is one of the reasons. Say what you want about NYC...it places an economic value on community affairs. Places like Northampton love to talk the talk, but when it comes time to put the money where your mouth is, everyone gets real quiet. I've heard it described as convenient liberalism.
Not that I wanted to get paid for caring in Northampton, but it bothered me that time and again, I had to flyer about important meetings, spending my own money and time do so, because the people holding the meetings were either unwilling on incapable of doing so themselves. The same people who 'care so much', who are 'working to make the community a better' place. But I imagine that defining that word -community- and the people that inhabit each definition, would go a long way towards illuminating who was being served and who wasn't.
I guess I just had enough. Maybe this is a bad analogy, but many people in communities such as NYC recycle and re-use because they have too, because it's logical, because it makes economic sense. As opposed to doing so because they are going to save the world. That is a subtle difference, but one loaded with suggestions.
Anyways...
Is my carping on about the progressive politics of the affluent and privileged class of Northampton getting old? I enjoy it.
