Uncool Headline Quotes Azziz Out of Context
Arriving via email Tuesday morning was an irate note complaining about how MCG (Georgia Health Sciences University) President Ricardo Azziz was grossly taken out of context in the Augusta Chronicle article describing his Monday address to the Rotary Club of Augusta. The email was from an Augusta Chronicle employee.
The president’s comments were simply an echo of points made by Chamber of Commerce and economic development wonks since time immemorial: “People and businesses invest in communities who support and foster the arts.”
Nothing controversial about that, unless you use hipster language that when used in a headline can be turned against you.
Here is the passage in question, presented verbatim from the Tom Corwin article:
“Those potential research recruits — many in their 30s to mid-40s — are looking for a vibrant, creative community, with thriving arts and things to do, he said. In other words, to attract those folks ‘you need to be cool,’ Azziz said.
‘Health care and biomedical research is a brain industry,’ he said. ‘It’s an industry that appreciates the arts, the coolness, the quality of life, the mental stimulation. We’ve got to become cool.’”
His people want you to know that the good doctor wasn’t slamming us. Azziz made his observations while stressing the importance of bringing new research missions and the big bucks that come with them to the school.
The positive impact that such investment would have in the community is irrefutable, but Azziz may need a bit of local education and enlightenment concerning the community he has chosen to make his home.
As Georgia’s second largest city, we are blessed to be free of the big-city headaches seen in places like Atlanta, or, Azziz’s last home, Los Angeles. His previous post, as a highly regarded honcho at the UCLA Medical Center, may have put him in an odd place to judge “coolness” as it pertains to a medium size southern city in today’s America.
My sister-in-law is currently working on an advanced math degree at UCLA, and she loves the weather out there. Of course, it costs 150 bucks a month to park your car and the taxes are obscene.
I am not going to disagree with Dr. Azziz and his theory that an “artistic identity” for a community like ours is very important. While there is always room for improvement, one of the CSRA’s biggest problems is that we don’t brag on what we have nearly enough.
We can put Davidson Fine Arts School up against any high school in the country and be proud. Same goes for A.R. Johnson. We have a collection of incredible public schools all over the area, and we run them for a helluva lot less dough than other places do. Don’t go throwing test scores at me, our “best and brightest” do just fine wherever they go (see the aforementioned valedictorian of Lincoln County High School, Sara Anne Remsen).
For the “finer arts” I submit Le Chat Noir, Symphony Orchestra Augusta, The Augusta Mini-Theater, The Augusta Players, Storyland Theater and the Fort Gordon Theater.
And for all the pointy heads out there who want to point at places like Asheville, North Carolina or even Athens, Georgia, and say they are “cooler” than we are, just give those communities the “public charity water” that we carry for the poor in our area, and let’s see how they do with it. Those are much smaller communities, and in the case of Asheville, real estate is so expensive up there that poor folks can’t afford to live anywhere nearby.
Azziz’s quoted out of context assessments bring to light the need for us to better explain to the rest of the world that if they want a higher standard of living, for less money and no big metro problems, look no further.
No doubt Azziz wants us to improve but, when all factors are considered, our hometown can be a pretty cool place. You just have to be smart enough to see it.You Might Also Like:
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