Not only do Montgomery County (and, to an extent, other area county’s) citizens adore discussing yesteryear, they try their best to mine the past for solutions to present day urban/economic problems.
This has to stop. Now.
Look, I dig talking about the past as much as the next crusty Gen Xer. I get it. It’s comforting and easy to reminisce and to look at the old days with rose-colored glasses. The past can make you smile. The present and the future can drive you to drink.
But, solely looking to the past for answers to modern issues can be a problem, especially if no one is coming up with modern ideas. From my discussions with Daytonians from different social strata, the solution to the area’s problems is almost always along the lines of:
“We need to take it back to the old days!”
“We need to do like they did in the 80s!!”
“We need to do what worked in the 70s!!!”
Respectfully, we need to do what works in the 21st century, which is generating new and fresh ideas to solve local problems and move the region forward.
We need new ways to lure massive corporations to the area (in the 21st century, if you don’t have Fortune 500 money funding your city, you’re dead in the water). We need new selling points to our young and talented people to keep them here and to stop the brain drain that hurts intellectual capital. We are long overdue for a vision of what Dayton, Ohio is in this still new century.
And before you send me angry emails, progressive, forward-thinking American cities tend to do very well in many important categories (see: Detroit. Really, the city is having a fascinating renaissance by pivoting away from its storied, original economy, which was manufacturing, and embracing the tech sector and foreign companies/innovations). New and creative ideas = fresh and innovative possible solutions to modern issues.
My plea for new ideas for the Miami Valley’s post industrial existence isn’t meant for area leaders alone. It’s to you, dear reader.
Do you have an innovative idea/concept for improving our region? Is there a transformative idea that’s been brewing in your mind for a while? Do you have what it takes to lead the Dayton area into a new, prosperous age with a bold new vision? If so, what is it?
Talk to us! Dialogue is another way to spur change. Healthy and honest discussions are often the method to kickstarting some kind of positive transformation.
I’m off to listen to some 90s Rap Rock. New music is weird.
What’s your bold, new idea for Dayton? Send it to edletter@coxinc.com and we might highlight it in a future feature.
Greg Simms Jr. is an on-air personality/writer for WYSO and an entertainment contributor for Good Day Dayton.