Gordon Howie criticizes billboards posted by “Healing Rapid City” around town to ease racial tensions and promote conversations. Howie’s photos show two of the billboards with the following text:
Visualize our Connectedness
Loving Hearts
Generous Hearts
Connected Hearts
Peaceful Hearts
Healing Hearts
Howie dismisses these billboards as “well-intentioned” but “seriously mis-directed”:
The money being spent and/or the effort being expended on this billboard campaign misses the point completely. Its like pouring water on a mud puddle.
Maybe they are doing something of substance too. I hope so. If they are, they could have used the billboards effectively to solicit others to help. It makes me think they are probably not DOING anything. If they have a plan of action, I would welcome a contact from their group. I would be happy to help, if they have a plan that actually makes a positive difference.
Well, at least THEY feel better! [Gordon Howie, “At Last, a Solution for Racial Tension… Not!” The Right Side, 2015.05.22]
I’m still sifting through Howie’s blog for his affirmative plan to ease racial tension in Rapid City. Perhaps banning Brad Ford and Mein Kampf from his website?
But dang: if posting slogans and advocacy is merely an exercise in misdirected feel-goodery, Gordon Howie has just indicted his blog and pretty much the entire South Dakota Blogopshere. If raising awareness about issues without offering a specific plan deserves condemnation, then newspapers waste resources.
Healing Rapid City is trying to get out a positive message. There’s nothing misdirected about that.
This from a state that features anti women’s rights billboards on the highways leading into every major city? As an aside, I was embarrassed to bring my 20 something daughter back to my hometown when she saw some of these “placards of hate”. It resonated with me when she said, “Back home these wouldn’t last overnight, Dad. Someone would burn them to the ground and everyone would cheer.” It seems tolerance is truly a one way street in some parts of USA.
Maybe Gordon Howie and I are thinking about different groups in Rapid but there is a poster circulating on facebook with the heading “Lasting Change”. This group has been discussing race relations in Rapid City. Their fourth meeting will be May 27th from 1:00-5:00 at the General Beadle Elementary. Everyone is welcome. Maybe someone could tell Gordon about the meeting but with his apparent attitude they might not want him there.
Poor misguided and judgmental Howie.
It should be obvious to everyone, except Howie, that the billboards are a part of the plan of action, It is a small start, but it is a start and hopefully have an impact on the community.
The naïve Howie should know that there is not a single action that will eradicate racism. Or maybe can lay on hands and cure the whole damn thing.
Good answer Roger. I think the right answer in Howie-World is whatever he decides it is.
Loving generous connected peaceful and healing hearts is a direction. It is also a fundamental direction because without a change of heart, racism will never end.
“This from a state that features anti women’s rights billboards on the highways leading into every major city? As an aside, I was embarrassed to bring my 20 something daughter back to my hometown when she saw some of these “placards of hate”. It resonated with me when she said, “Back home these wouldn’t last overnight, Dad. Someone would burn them to the ground and everyone would cheer.” It seems tolerance is truly a one way street in some parts of USA.”
Someone’s being a bit of a drama queen.
Daniel,
Are you a drama queen?
Porter, good reminder of the misguided, misdirected fetus-worship billboards. Where’s the outrage? If SDRTL can defend those billboards as an effort to change hearts and minds, so can Healing Rapid City.
Daniel, I might have thought Porter’s daughter was overreacting once upon a time. Then I got married and had a daughter and realized the seriousness of the state’s efforts to control women’s uteri and treat them like chattel. Rage on, Ms. Lansing.
Cadillac Jack’s signage into Deadwood resonates well if not better than anti choice signage. Prob just need to get rid of highway signs, they don’t really change opinions anyway.
Thank you, Cory. You understand. perhaps … Burning down a “fetus worship” billboard is in itself an act of free speech. I suppose a judge would make that decision but I’d be justified in asking for a change of venue out of SoDak due to the overzealous direction of the Republican lawmakers on the issue. A Minnesota judge might agree with the action.
No Daniel, Porter is not being a drama queen. People completely unknown to me, and I to them, spend millions and millions of dollars and hours trying to control my life. That’s about as dramatic as it can get.
Mr. Howie is insaner than most and owes me money. Pay up. God guns and Gordon. 1 out of 3 ain’t bad.
Mr. Lansing, while I may agree with your point I must caution you that despite Mr. H’s urgings you should not burn down private property.