Not in the headlines

It doesn’t take long to learn to wall oneself off from criticism and snark. In my case about nine months.

I try to hang on to the belief that people, even reporters, ask genuine questions and want to understand. I continue to behave that way but now I know better. There’s no juice in a headline about good work getting done –
Seems like all stories are required to have tension and a villain and a barbed clickable headline. So many stories put a cynical twist on the facts in a way that undermines those who step into responsibility. Five hundred thousand people could breathe a sigh of relief that you tackled some decades-neglected challenge, but you’ll read about the two people who say it wasn’t enough.

It’s not just reporters. Now, in Houston, we have whole institutes devoted to long form criticism complete with data and big words and elaborate slide decks. Paens to problems. What they seek, they find.  And these institutes are looking for problems.

Spending $$$ to admire the problems but coming up short when it comes to solutions. It would taint their data to talk to the people in the arena – they’re above all that. Finding flaws and gaps and lacks and problems. There is a flood of researchers, consultants, and systems thinkers, and thought leaders – and so few of us steadily, day after day crafting solutions.

If you’re doing the work of actual delivery then you’re doing so to a shrieking sound track and a steady drip of nastiness. Plenty of spite dressed up as protest. There’s nothing like having someone scream at you to do what you’re actually doing. Apparently, homework isn’t a requirement before you verbally assault people.

I see how easy it would be to learn indifference. To don a “fuck off” attitude.

At this point if you’re not building something or making something that improves the human condition, if you purport to care that people have affordable places to live but aren’t building any, or lament that we aren’t prepared for storms but haven’t done any prep, or freak out over heat but all you’re doing is cranking your AC higher and shrieking at someone else to do something about it all – well I’m just a bit less interested in what you have to say. And headlines will never be my report card.

I was sitting in a City Councilmember’s office, talking with her and her team and I wanted to hear every word she had to say. She’s been in the fray and worked the storms and planned and effectively deployed every resource at her disposal. She’s been an effective leader and dug in every single time all hell broke loose. Spent more time working than “selfie-ing” for the cameras and it was so completely obvious. Anything we can do together I will gladly work on –
My folks are those up to their necks in the mess, still listening, still looking for solutions, still treating others with respect, still clinging to integrity, avoiding cheap shots and shallow wins. In those rooms it’s much quieter. There’s humility and creativity and laughter. And real love of people.