COMMENTARY
Bruce Andriatch: Anonymous mindlessness is the message
Columnist’s note: Much of the following is meant as sarcasm. Proceed with caution.
All these years, conventional wisdom said the first-ring suburbs had been changing because of factors such as older housing stock, job losses and sprawl. (And, possibly, cable TV.)
We now know that was wrong. The real problem with the suburbs is that people from Buffalo keep moving in. (Another problem with the suburbs is that lately all the birds seem to wake up at 4 a. m. Are they on London time or something?)
The evidence is right there if you care to look for it. (Much like there is evidence that Neil Armstrong set foot on New Mexico and not the moon.)
You won’t hear this from the so-called experts. To get at this story, you need to read anonymous comments on Internet message boards. (There is absolutely no proof that the people who post these comments wear pajama pants to the grocery store and live in basements.)
Take the case of the Williamsville South student who is accused of beating a classmate so badly that the victim had to have his face reconstructed. We subsequently found out he had earlier committed arson and armed robbery. “I am curious if he is a city import,” someone wrote on speakupwny.com. “The fire took place on the East Side of Buffalo. Would be interested to know how a kid living in the 14221 zip at the age of 15 was on the East Side.” (Perhaps he made use of a motor vehicle of some kind?)
Other posters struggling for an explanation for his violent behavior declared that he had indeed previously lived in Buffalo. (Not that there’s anything wrong with it.)
Someone posted this comment on a WIVB-TV message board about the assault and the subsequent revelation that he had a lengthy criminal record: “How was he even allowed in Williamsville? This is a good area.” (Unless there has been a recent court decision I missed, it should be noted that you are still allowed to move to Williamsville from Buffalo.)
Anonymous writers cited more cases of people from Buffalo trying to ruin the suburbs for the rest of us. (The suburbs are fine. The only thing that would ruin them would be if Ted’s closed.)
There was the case of a couple of women who allegedly lifted $1,300 in stuff from the Wal-Mart in Clarence. And what about that near-riot that broke out in the Walden Galleria a couple of months ago? If you think those criminals came from the suburbs, I have some property I’d like to sell you on Tonawanda Creek Road. (In truth, I do not own any property on Tonawanda Creek. Seek a geologist’s advice before buying any.)
Both of these cases also elicited thought-provoking online comments from unnamed people. (The main thought they provoked in me was that most of the writers probably would not make those comments in public.)
This is not a new problem in suburbia, by the way; people from the City of Buffalo have been moving into nice, family- friendly suburban communities for years. (I know this because my grandparents moved from North Buffalo to the Town of Tonawanda in 1953. No one tried to stop them, even though they were believed to have been Democrats.)
But the anonymous posters do not seem to be against all people moving from Buffalo into the suburbs, mind you, just certain kinds. They also seem to yearn for a time when certain kinds of people did not live in the suburbs.
More people should read what’s on message boards. The comments are illuminating. (Be aware that you might have to also read between the lines.)
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