Sunday, August 02, 2009

War For The Soul Of The Rust Belt

Regions are fictions, not entries in a reference book. Power is generating a following of the map you created. This is the art of geography. Via The Pitch (Kansas City), taking issue with Jonathan Franzen's Midwest:

I tend to think Franzen's conception of the Midwest is framed rather extremely by his experiences as a regional expatriate (and being one myself, I think I can tell), and I would argue—or this is at least how I argue with myself—that his emphasis on the distance between the Midwest and the centers of power is not as definitive or as determinative as what specific forms of communication and transportation existed to bridge those distances. Indianapolis ain't Brigadoon, Mr. Franzen. It's the ways that ideas and trends get filtered out by the narrowness of the channels of communication and transportation that is determinative, and not so much the time lag that he talks about. But it's much more romantic to think of the Midwest as a land time forgot, I suppose.

Also, as someone who grew up right on I-70, I think his cartography's kind of bullshit.

This isn't an academic debate. Economic development is at stake, as Richard Longworth would remind us. If you think it doesn't matter, review the shitstorm over Anthony Bourdain's conception of Rust Belt Chic. Who gets to represent Buffalo to the world?

I'm amused with the pulling rank, the flashing of credibility. Conveying the authenticity of place is a difficult task. Sometimes (more often than not), outsiders do it better. There is a grand narrative to be found. We're still looking for one.

8 comments:

Justin Kownacki said...

It's all about perception, which is a two-way street: who's establishing the perception and who's consuming it?

Franzen can say anything he wants to about the Midwest, and anyone else can agree or dispute it based upon their own experiences. But *if you have no experience* with the subject, you're inclined to buy the perception of the describer whose worldview you already agree with.

I just moved to Baltimore, and I've never eaten at any of the places Bourdain went to in his Rust Belt special. His Baltimore experience is very different from mine. Does that make his -- or what he chooses to highlight -- wrong? No, it's his (and his producers') opinion. Where we get in trouble is when we allow others' experiences to stand in for our own, and base our judgments on theirs.

(Nontheless, nice commentage, Jim.)

Christopher Barzak said...

But the last time I looked, no one really cared what novelists think about social boundaries and economic development.

I agree with Franzen on certain points of his description of a Midwestern character, though argue with his mental map of the place.

But again, I'm not sure if many players in the fields of social perception and economic development are paying much attention to what novelists think. Maybe I'm wrong, though. If I am wrong, I'll be happy.

Jim Russell said...

Where we get in trouble is when we allow others' experiences to stand in for our own, and base our judgments on theirs.

Subjectivity doesn't translate very well if there isn't a kernel of universal truth buried in it somewhere. Of course, a skillful person (e.g. conman) knows how to prey upon this basis for trust.

Being able to interact with a world beyond our firsthand experience is powerful, and absolutely crucial to economic development.

But the last time I looked, no one really cared what novelists think about social boundaries and economic development.

If they don't care, then they should. Regardless, good story telling is highly valued in the world of economic development.

Economics (and geography) is a social science. Data are useless without a strong narrative.

Christopher Barzak said...

If they don't care, then they should. Regardless, good story telling is highly valued in the world of economic development.

Economics (and geography) is a social science. Data are useless without a strong narrative.


I agree that they should care, but then I am a novelist, so I'm biased. :) I also agree that data are useless without a strong narrative. I suppose I am speaking from the experience of not having come across a great amount of key players who see the function and power of strong narrative, and not just non-fiction narrative, but fiction as well, which often has the ability to dramatize and personalize what non-fiction often presents as data points.

Jim Russell said...

I suppose I am speaking from the experience of not having come across a great amount of key players who see the function and power of strong narrative, and not just non-fiction narrative, but fiction as well, which often has the ability to dramatize and personalize what non-fiction often presents as data points.

I have no idea how prevalent the practice is, but it is commonplace in my social circles. For example, post colonial fiction informs my work (e.g. Rushdie and Lahiri).

Obviously, I'm very curious how the Rust Belt narrative might transform. I can't speak to the literature, but I've seen this happening in other mediums. I very much admire the work Kim Chestney Harvey is doing with the Pittsburgh Technology Council:

In the spring of 2008, Audrey Russo and I began to sow the seeds of Pittsburgh's Art + Technology Initiative in an effort to unite and cultivate the creative and technology communities in the Pittsburgh region. By exploring the various intersections of Art and Technology, and creating unprecedented strategic partnerships, the initiative now aims to enhance the productivity of both groups, while fostering this nexus to spur regional progression. Founded on the idea that art and technology share the fundamental characteristic of innovation, as well as a synergy at the forefront of cultural innovation, the Initiative and its partners are dedicated to unearthing the possibilities of this leading-edge fusion.

The Pittsburgh Technology Council's 15 Minutes Gallery is Southwestern Pennsylvania's foremost conduit for artists and businesses to come together and proactively promote culture and commerce. Focused on exploring the intersection of art and technology, the works of art in the Gallery span the gamut of artistic mediums and expression all while magnifying Pittsburgh’s unique cultural lexicon. Invest in our region's future, and rich cultural heritage: Invest in Art.

Innovate. Incubate. Create.

Christopher Barzak said...

Pittsburgh's Art+Technology Initiative sounds wonderful. I wish there was something like that going on here in Youngstown. I sometimes feel that the push for ever increasing technological development here, without respect and comprehension of the essential foundation of a literate, analytical and interpretive culture in partnership with technological development, will turn this town, if it does manage to change itself radically, into another one trick pony, trading steel for technology, and resting on that, rather than diversifying the economy and culture into a much more varied, layered community. The arts are appreciated here, but I'm not so sure if the arts and technological sectors have figured out what they have to offer each other yet.

But it is that characteristic, as mentioned in the quote you used, of innovation that they have in common, and which can compliment each other in so many ways.

Jim Russell said...

Did you happen to catch Rust Fest at the McDonough Museum of Art?

http://burghdiaspora.blogspot.com/2009/05/rust-fest.html

John Slanina and I have been talking about exploring the synergy between Youngstown and the doings at the Pittsburgh Tech Council. I think it would be a very promising avenue to explore.

Christopher Barzak said...

No, I missed that. It wasn't publicized very well, and when I did learn of it, it was on the last day of the exhibit, unfortunately. I might have heard of it much sooner if I hadn't been in Pittsburgh for two weeks during the exhibit period, taking a course at Chatham U. It sounds like it was interesting, from all that I heard of it.