Changing The Tune

Maggie Pautler

Shimmering flakes drift down upon the perfectly crafted houses, the evergreens stacked against the Kirkwood Farmers market, the Kirkwood City Hall, and other Kirkwood landmarks. The miniature people inside the confines of this fantasy appear happy, or as happy as one of the robots living in Camaztoz from Madeline L’Engle’s, A Wrinkle in Time. An African American child and white child appear frolicking around the Station Plaza fountain, and no distinction exists between the neighborhood behind the Target complex and the mansions on Taylor Avenue. Among the Kirkwood landmarks stand unfamiliar ones, such as the large universal church that sits prominently on Kirkwood Road. The designer of the snow globe neglected to include any sign of individuality among Kirkwood residents. Political signs, parochial schools, and even libraries exist only outside the utopian Kirkwood. No telephone polls with wires spanning the streets blemish the snow globe version of Kirkwood, and no newspapers lay limp on driveways; moreover, the glass barrier prevents Kirkwood from connecting with the outside world. Inside the globe nothing appears awry. Inside the globe peace, love, and harmony thrive. Inside the globe automatons replace real humans.

The real Kirkwood possesses both the potential to remain truly human while also developing a respectful community with fewer prejudices. Unemployment, criminality, and politics hoard the most media time, yet the community of Kirkwood boasts more than murder, corruption, and theft. Most Kirkwood residents never read or hear the positive story, never know of the good their neighbors do. Rather than encouraging the community, the media earns money by tearing the community down, emphasizing every negative story. How can citizens know of all the neighbors helping each other, the selfless individuals committed to furthering the community, or the volunteer organizations sacrificing hours of time if the media never reports them? Yet the public knows about Cookie Thorton. Everyone in Kirkwood knows about Kevin Johnson. And everyone thinks they know about Meacham Park. Prejudices against Meacham Park stem from hours of news coverage dedicated to Cookie Thorton and Kevin Johnson, both of whom resided in Meacham Park at the time they committed their crimes. The first result of a "Meacham Park" "Google" search entails a profile of Meacham Park and the second result of a national search engine reports on Cookie Thorton murdering five people. When the media only directs negative attention towards a group of citizens, prejudices fester. Citizens avoid Meacham Park, for fear of the perceived evils associated with the neighborhood. If citizens heard of the successes of Meacham Park residents, they would recognize the humanity of a neighborhood like Meacham Park. Likewise, all the negative media coverage lessens the respect citizens have for the community. Kirkwood citizens do not admire other citizens, especially when all they hear about their fellow citizens involves corruption. Of course the media must report crime, but to dwell incessantly on the mistakes of others weakens a respectable community.

Almost every citizen comes in contact with newspapers, the television, or the radio daily, if not hourly, so the media could alert citizens of Kirkwood residents’ accomplishments. Philosopher Abraham Maslow stressed the importance of self-esteem in his hierarchy of human needs. According to Maslow, satisfying a citizen’s need for

confidence, achievement, and self-esteem yields morality, acceptance, and lack of prejudices. Therefore, if news anchors such as Robin Smith and Larry Conners allocated a specific amount of time on News 4 for recognition of successful citizens, residents would feel accomplished. If journalists working on the St. Louis Post Dispatch sacrificed paper space for the recognition of even meager accomplishments, residents would feel accomplished. If Bill Reker and Bob Hamilton developed a KMOX radio show aired during rush hour devoted to praising Kirkwood citizens, residents would feel accomplished. Their sense of accomplishment would reduce insecurities that evoke prejudices. Likewise, awareness of the achievements of community members would maximize respectfulness. Accomplished citizens would convey to their neighbors that they too can achieve and succeed. One Sunday at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, the Pastor commended an usher for an award the usher received regarding his efforts to unite Kirkwood and Meacham Park. A man I had previously overlooked as another tick in the clockwork of Mass deserved much more credit than I gave him -- much more credit than probably any parishioner gave him. Yet how could we have known the accomplishments of this man with whom our only contact occurred in the last second of Mass as we paraded out the door and reached for a bulletin. For Kirkwood to be highly respectful, Kirkwood residents must respect each other’s achievements; therefore, citizens must be aware of their fellow citizens’ achievements.

In a quest to recognize citizens and abandon the prejudices and disrespect plaguing Kirkwood, adults and youth must receive equal attention. Kirkwood High School recognizes students every Wednesday on the school’s "Around Campus Television", thus fulfilling students’ need for encouragement. Outside of the school

students receive recognition from establishments like ‘Fox 2 Athlete of the Week" or the "Honor Roll" printed in the St. Louis Post Dispatch; yet adults do not possess an immaculate immunity from prejudices or disrespect. In fact adults often cultivate the prejudices in their own children. If adults fail to receive recognition, fail to feel secure, then respect throughout the community also fails.

Unless the community wants to live in the perfect isolation and mechanical precision of snow globe Kirkwood, no possibility exists to create a prejudice-free, highly respectful Kirkwood. However, Kirkwood could have fewer prejudices and be more respectful. Like a child learning how to walk, Kirkwood residents could learn how to stand upright without depending on prejudices for security. Residents could identify their neighbors with their accomplishments, rather than their baggy pants or storybook of tattoos. Parents could accept their children’s playmates regardless of the family’s income, status, or race. The media’s power could be directed at uniting Kirkwood, instead of beating out the same tune of corruption and crime. Kirkwood could thrive.