Hiding in plain view 2

Hidden

It  is not unknown to me. I actually do know it.  I’ve been to that place, I’ve seen that sculpture, and I’ve experienced that event/practice/celebration. I live or have lived in that neighborhood or on that street.  I’ve read that book.  I learned that history.  I’ve dined at that restaurant, gone to that joint – been there more than once as a matter of fact.

This post is being written in response to a tweet by Derek Lumpkins:

“Do the ppl who write these headlines ever consider that some listeners/readers ALSO live in places that you prob haven’t heard of?”  He was writing in response to the headline: (the Curiosity Desk) has the story about a Boston statue that you probably haven’t heard of.  In this instance, the story was from WGBH News but it could have been the Boston Globe (“The story behind Dorchester’s Mysterious Pear”) or any number of news and information sources both local and national.

First of all, thousands of people drive by this 12-foot Bronze Pear statue every single day – many twice a day.  It is not unknown to those people.

When I see such assertive and definitive language, I always want to shout:

  • You are not the standard for my life. You’re not the arbiter of what I and a whole bunch of other folks know or live
  • My neighborhood is not hidden – I find it just fine every day
  • There is no unknown history (sometimes details are only known by a few but it is known)
  • Just because you’ve never heard of a place doesn’t mean it doesn’t have meaning and deep roots among other people.

It’s not off the beaten path. Perhaps it’s out of your way but it’s on my way, in my path, and part of my life.

I know that headline writers like to write headlines that scream and make assertions to get people to read the story even if the headline contradicts the ultimate story but really, it’s kind of lazy and is sometimes offensive.

If a reporter hasn’t heard of something does that mean it doesn’t exist or is hidden?

We are not hiding but are living in plain view.

No one knows everything not even the wise for knowledge is endless that’s why it’s so prized or should be. (quote from Candelaria Silva)

Thanks, Derek, for prompting this post.

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* Referring to the 12-foot Bronze Pear in Dorchester – Clapp Favorite Pear by artist  Laura Baring-Gould. Not, in my opinion, the most attractive sculpture in the city, but certainly an appropriate historical reference.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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