Dear Editor:
This morning I had a sobering education in the extent of the crisis of corporate conformity, and the cold silencing of America’s public spaces and civic life. It all started when I looked out my apartment window on 13th and Washington Street at 8:00 am, and noticed an extremely huge line of people waiting for the bus to Manhattan. This line has been getting steadily longer, by the way, a situation that prompted me, on Feb. 12, to publish a letter-to-the-editor of this paper proposing a solution to Hoboken’s morning commute woes: free ferry service to Manhattan.
In Europe they have free ferries. So does Staten Island. To me, this sounded like a creative, outside-the-box solution, and in fact I received several e-mails of support for my idea: from, well, some very creative people—including an opera singer, an actress, and a Hoboken councilman. While discussing this issue with my dad, a political activist in Edgewater, NJ, he made a crucial point that according to Riparian law—dating back to the time of the Romans—citizens should be allowed unlimited access to the waterfront. So NY Waterway really has no legal right to run a for-profit ferry, and could be challenged in court: by someone with the ethical sensitivity and legal acumen of, say, a Norman Siegel.
So, on the morning of March 18th at 8 am, I tried a little civic experiment. I took a “direct democracy” approach to my free ferry idea. Grabbing several copies of my letter- to-the-editor, I spoke directly to the burgeoning line of yuppies waiting for the bus, a line that had now reached epic proportions, snaking all the way around the YMCA and almost to Hudson Street. “How would anyone like to have free ferry service to Manhattan?” Blank stares. “Here’s a copy of my letter-to-the-editor, calling for free ferries to Manhattan, would anyone like to read it?” Stone cold silence. Not even a flicker of curiosity on their zombie-like expressions. Perhaps some of them were curious though—one man, miracle of miracles, actually gave me an unscripted smile—but none dared break conformity with the other lemmings, once the herd decided to reject this strange, non-corprotized intruder (me), a vulnerable, civic human being pulsating in the public space before them….with, with, with…..oh my goodness what is this world coming too……an actual…..Idea.
We are now living in a country bereft of ideas. The Democrats and Republicans bow to the same corporate masters who employ those good silent folks at the bus stop who turned a cold shoulder to this strange actual citizen in their midst. (Citizen, a term not in their business school vocabulary). They’ve learned how to play the game, sit in the cubicle, do as their told, not step outta line. Vote for Democrats and Republicans, and get financial scandals, Recessions, CEO’s who make 600 times they do, and lousy bus service. Shhhh.
Reactions to this letter are welcome at jfbredin@hotmail.com
John Bredin
Teacher, writer, activist