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Are polar bears more important than rural communities?
September 18th, 2009 by Mike Knutson
Let me begin by saying that I love polar bears and believe Americans need to alter their daily lives to help combat the global warming that is destroying the polar bear’s environment.
But it also seems to me that most Americans care little about the future of rural communities. And apparently, I’m not alone.
Hollowing out the Middle agrees
I’m still working my way through the recently released Hollowing out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America, but I’m far enough along to offer a few thoughts. (I also wrote about it back in April, before it was released.)
The authors open by asking the question that often troubles me: “Why should we care about the future of small towns in the Heartland?”(p. ix) They then offer a statement that inspired the above headline:
Though the small town claims an iconic place in the American psyche, we are considerably less alarmed by the emptying out of the prairie and plains towns than by the endangered status of the polar bear, an altogether more universally vulnerable symbol and one that our kids can easily comprehend and mourn the loss of. (p. ix)
Unlike most books that begin with “whoa onto us” statements like the above, the authors quickly redirect the direct the energy of the book from blaming others to that of self-reflection.
They close their preface by stating, “It is people’s actions that ultimately determine whether a place hollows out.” (p. xiv)
Yes! I agree.
We are responsible
Rural residents have as much responsibility for the future of their communities as free market economics or government policies. We choose where we buy our groceries. We choose how trashy or vibrant our communities look. And we choose how our young people feel about their communities by what we tell them and how we invest in them.
Unfortunately, little attention is ever directed at this last statement. And that’s why this book is so important.
Just Do it!
So why do Americans today care so much for the polar bear and so little about rural communities? I suspect it’s because some passionate individuals took notice of the polar bear’s plight and have attempted to do something about it.
I know that’s an oversimplification, but I’m confident our actions will speak loader than our words alone.
Where should you begin? I’d recommend purchasing Hollowing out the Middle and learning more about why young people are leaving the American Heartland. And then, if you think it’s worthy, recommend it to a friend, and spark a conversation on the subject. (I’ve already purchased a copy for a friend at the Souuth Dakota Department of Education.)
It seems to me that as we take action (like Iroquois, SD is doing) and build a conversation, we will be successful at raising the awareness of the importance of Rural America. Not only will our communities be stronger, but others will finally “get it” and understand our passion for rural.
And who knows, maybe someday we’ll be as important as the polar bear.
Photo credit (top): Oxfam International - Flickr. (Let me be clear that I am in no way attempting to belittle those who seek to save the polar bear. On the contrary, we can learn much from their passion.)
Tags: brain drain, education, hollowing out the middle, Iowa, millennials, people attraction strategy
Posted in Community Development, Gen Y, In the News, Rural, Youth | Comments (
2 )
September 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Bravo, Mike. Nice grabbing headline, and super point in the content. It is up to us, not somebody else. Unlike the cute fuzzy polar bears, with urgent footage of their habitat literally melting beneath them, no one else is going to save rural communities. Some will care, but none will take the action that is necessary. The reason is, nobody else can. The kind of change that can turn your small town around cannot be prescribed by Washington policy, or launched by a non-profit in New York, or pitched by a Hollywood star. The hollowing that’s going on is about our own behavior. As the noble saying goes, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
I would also offer a humble, if off-subject, opinion. Much of the reason polar bears need saving today is because we humans have made a collective, unfortunate assumption that we are most important. Above any other species or system, always. Maybe the same could often be said about cities and heavily populated regions.
September 18th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Joe, Thanks for the kind words, but it’s hard to go wrong when you are paraphrasing and quoting a good book. People are going to think I’m getting paid with all this propping for Hollowing out the Middle, but I think it’s worry for anyone interested in rural places.
And don’t be a stranger. You can post or write comments on non-environmental subjects anytime.