McObamary, B Corps, and the Remainder…
It never fails that every time I say I am going to write on a few different things it ends up being one post…
The other day at Dunkin Donuts Joel and I had coffee with Brian McLaren. We spent a while talking about all sorts of stuff, networking, and talking about B Corporations. But what has haunted me since that day was the idea of the remainder slum.
Now, I do realize that what I am about to type will be considered to be politically incorrect, but such is life… and this is important.
Slums tend to fall into two categories… arriver slums, and remainder slums. Arriver slums are a bit of a transition point, the place where people enter into a new place, and eventually work themselves out of it. Historically speaking, these are the places where people would move into a city from the country, leaving the agricultural trades, and getting an industrial job. After working hard and establishing themselves financially they would move to another community. We have also seen this through immigration.
The remainder slum is what happens to those people who, for one reason or another, can not leave the arriver slum. Through the generations these are the people who were not able to establish themselves economically, and were not able to leave. The remainder slum is a huge issue that we do not want to deal with because it causes us to deal with generational failure, and it takes the hard work of reversing the culture of that niche society.
The remainder slum is where we find people who come from a family history of unemployment, and to whom a forty hour work week is as impossible to accomplish as a marathon would be for me to finish. And so, the question becomes, how do we minister to, and in, the remainder slum?
I believe that there are many ways to answer this question, and I also believe that B Corporations play largely into the equation. But I also believe that we need to step back, and re-examine how we look at the situation.
Coming from a largely conservative republican background, the first thing that comes to mind is that you just need to provide jobs for people, and if they work, they work… But I don’t think that is the answer anymore.
I also don’t think that the answer is giving them money, or “Independence Cards” (how Orwellian is that name?), or allowing them to get by through hand-outs.
Somewhere, between the two, is the answer.
In my last post, I said that I was going to talk about what I am thinking about politically this year… and to be honest with you, I am slowly coming to the decision that regardless of who runs, I am going to write in Michael Bloomberg. Why? Mostly because I am sick of the status quo, and I refuse to give any kind of support to it.
A few weeks back there was a debate at work about the candidates and who should be president. There was all sorts of talk about change and freshness, and new spirits… It was all crap. You see, as long as we continue to support the candidates from the established parties who are continuing to take money from the same old people, and are catering to the same old contingencies there is no change, no freshness, no new spirit. The puppet masters are still the same, the only thing that has changed is the face of the puppet.
And so, rather than real change, there is a warm fuzzy feeling for about twelve minutes and everything continues on the way it has been for years. In order for change to occur, in order for real, substantive change to happen, you need to start fresh… you need to shed off the chains of those who have kept us shackled to the old ways, and start to move in a fresh, new way… and while that sounds hopeful, as long as the Republicans and the Democrats are in charge of the political landscape in this country they will do everything in their power to keep that from happening. Hillary? Obama? McCain? They are all the same candidate, just wrapped in different colors and genders.
As I think through were we are politically, I can not help but look at it all through the lens of Baltimore’s brokenness. I can not help but see the picture of the remainder slum that consumes so much of this city. I see so much that has been promised, but the promises end up in a remainder slum of their own… having sounded good at the time, they were unable to claw their way into existence. What we need is not the right political candidate, but it is a group of people to take ownership of their city (and nation). A group that puts the needs of their brothers and sisters above all else, including votes, and does what is in the best interest of those around them… regardless of whether it is popular or not. What our brothers and sisters need is not another handout, but to be taught how to work… how to handle their money… how to raise their children.
What the remainder needs is a group of people to care for it… to invest in it… and to develop it… even at the expense of profit.
And so, I will leave you with some homework. As I am thinking and praying through what it looks like to love and care well for the city of Baltimore, the idea of the B Corporation continues to stick in the back of my mind… I would love to hear your thoughts on what an effective B Corporation would look like here, and how it can successfully care for the city…
Filed under: Baltimore, Brian McLaren, The Garden Community, church planting, life, ministry, reflection, religion, worship
You may want to really look at Obama before you call him the “same old candidate”. His donors are not the typical political donors. Most of his money has come in small bits from individuals. He has a strong background as a community organizer, working in the remainder slums you’re talking about. And yes, I understand exactly what you mean and tend to agree with you, but I don’t see Bloomberg as an answer to the poor and hopeless in any way whatsoever. Take a stand, yes, but make your voice count as well.
I never thought this place was, ahem, broken, as you put it. I didn’t know we needed an outside group of people to take ownership of my city. I didn’t know I needed somebody to come in to teach me how to work, handle my money and raise my kids. Thanks for cluing me it. Please tell me who to hand over my house keys and when.
Fuck off.
How can a city that pushes 300 murders a year not be broken?
How can a city that second only to Miami in aids cases not be broken?
How can a city with 60,000 boarded up, vacant houses not be broken?
Last night, two blocks down from where I live there were two people shot and killed as the result of a incident of “road rage gone bad”… tell me this is normal.
Maybe I come off sounding like an arrogant prick (I have heard that from time to time), but that is not my heart… my heart is to see this city restored to her true glory, and see her people work towards that together…
Tell me, what do you see? Help me understand what I can do to work to better the future of this city…
Hi Summer!
Thanks for dropping by! I had to rescue you from the spam bin for some reason… you may have upset the Askimet.
I agree with you that Bloomberg is not the answer, but probably not for the same reasons… I really do not see substantial change happening until the current crop of political “leaders” are flushed out of office. There is far to much of a concearn for power bases than for the country that we are living in right now, and too many people see the poor and downtrodden as being a constituency instead of people who are in need of a hand up. Watching Gladiator the other night, and seeing Commodus tossing bread to the people and having gladiatoral contests for the people in order to make them love him reminded me of much of the political process in this country… and until that changes, regardless of who is in office, we will see no change.
So, I vote my vote of protest for Bloomberg (who I actually have the utmost respect for), and know that I will make no change, but hope and pray for people to change thier party affiliations in an attempt for the powers that be to change thier mindset
I think that waiting for the powers that be to change their mindset is a waste of a life. Things don’t change unless you act to change them. A protest vote does not change things.
I was registered as an independent before I moved to Baltimore because I prefer not to vote for a party but for a candidate, but in order to have any say in local elections, I had to register as a Democrat. I don’t feel aligned to any party, but I want my right to vote. Me withholding my vote in local elections because I don’t like the system (which I don’t) won’t change anything, it will just further disenfranchise me. Do something positive with your vote, not something negative.
Also recognize that there are a lot of people within Baltimore that really like it the way it is, and a lot of people that are working to improve it… and sometimes those are the same people, but there are also a lot of people that don’t know things could be different and those are often the people that cause a lot of the problems. Boarded up houses aren’t caused by the citizens of the city most of the time, but by people that are either trying to make a buck by depressing the values of the homes around them (blows my mind) or don’t know what to do with the property. I don’t think my neighborhood is “broken”, in fact it works pretty well. It could be better, a lot better, but it’s on the way because people DO care and are drowning out the voices and actions of people that don’t. Have a voice!
Snoop,
I tend to agree with Summer on the issue of voting and politics. I see your heart and probably agree with you but I don’t believe that every candidate is the same. None of them will be perfect but I do think change can happen and that even a traditional political party could possibly be used for good. Your vote is your vote but I’d encourage you to put it in a direction forward (like Oba…..
Summer and Cham,
I just wanted to say something on behalf of my friend, Snoop. I know his heart and I think he was a little misunderstood in this post. I am convinced that he in no way believes the city is a terrible place - he lives in the middle of the city and loves it. When I hear the word “brokenness” I take that, not as a dig against your or his neighborhood or any one person, but to reference those crucial issues such as extreme poverty, drug addiction , and injustice which we all know do exist within such the GREAT city of Baltimore. I know that Snoop doesn’t expect a group to come in from the “outside” and “make things better.” If anything, I believe he wants to learn from you great people, the ones who are doing it - not tell you how to do things or take the keys to your house. You guys, Cham and Summer, are probably just what Snoop is talking about - a group taking ownership who loves their neighborhood.
Sorry for the “sticking up for Snoop” because he can, of course, stick up for himself. All I’m saying is that I think the word “brokenness” and his real passion for his home city was misunderstood.
Hey Snoop! I don’t know you from Adam, but as a friend of Joel’s you can’t be all that bad.
I enjoyed following your thought process as you think about this political season. I agree with you that all three major candidates are quite similar. While there are some differences that could be talked about, I believe their underlying philosophy is this: The answer to the problem (whatever it may be) is the government. I listen to the candidates promising that in their government they will make the sick better, the poor richer, the rich poorer, and the successful pay for their successes. And I empathize…however they miss the point.
The problem’s ultimately are not the perceived social problems. The reason Baltimore is broken is the same reason Lakeland, Florida is broken. The problem is sin, pure and simple and there’s nothing a government can do about that problem nor is that why God instituted human government.
The God-ordained answer to the problem of a broken world is the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached and displayed by those who love Him. God commissioned the church with the responsibility to preach the Gospel, and to display their love of Christ by loving the brethren and even the lost. The greatest acts of charity have seldom if ever come from the government, but from the church. (That’s not to say that every church fulfills this mission)
To simplify my position on what role government should take, I vote for the person who will keep government as small as possible since government is made up mostly of sinful individuals who are easily swayed by the taste of power (it can even sway the good Christian man). God ordained government to “govern” man, or in other words to bear the sword of justice and protection for its citizens. Alas, the closest candidate to that position is still a long ways away from that position…maybe I’ll vote for Bloomberg too.
Note to those who may forget history: There are two and a half candidates out there whose positions are scarily similar to those of communist regimes of the past, and a Venezuelan regime of the present. The social promises are nice, but they have always lead to a power-hungry government.
“…reference those crucial issues such as extreme poverty, drug addiction , and injustice which we all know do exist within such the GREAT city of Baltimore.”
Joel - these exist EVERYWHERE. Is the way to fix Baltimore to remove the population that is struggling? It is not the city that is “broken”, it is a segment of the population, and no matter where they go, these problems will follow. A lack of education, a lack of hope, a lack of purpose… these are the real problems. I’m not a religious person, so to me it’s not about sin or what Jesus could do for people, it’s about what exposure to the world could do. It’s not about “you” it’s about your place in the world, and honestly, for so many of the people I see loitering on the corner, they have never thought of that. That’s the real problem, but it’s not just Baltimore. It’s everywhere.
The last thing that we need is to remove the segment of the population that is lacking hope. This seems to be the strategy of late, moving people out of areas desirable for redevelopment, and claiming success… while the people who need hope are living the same hopeless lives in other areas of the city, or Edgewood…
Summer, how do you see us working towards solving the problem?
hope in…or for what? Hope is an empty word if it doesn’t have something else attached to it.
Are we hoping for more money? (but not too much…then people don’t like you) Are we hoping for a better life…which is defined by?
Why is it that some of the richest celebrities still die hopeless deaths? What is our standard for this elusive and poorly defined hope?
For a start?
I will take hope in anything… a raise, a relationship, even that the Orioles will stop rebuilding and start winning again before I die. As long as a person has hope, you have the ability to help them grow.
If a person has hope, even the the slightest big, you can eventually help them see where true hope springs from.
Now would be a good time for the Alexander Pope poem:
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
~An Essay on Man, Epistle I, 1733
I didn’t mean to sound “down on hope” which as I re-read my last comment sounds like I was. It’s just that this term “hope” has been abused by cruel men throughout history (i.e. Hope in a perfect Aryan race) to make others dependent on them. I love your statement that you are passionate in the pursuit of your Creator. Likewise, I am passionate about knowing how our Creator wants us to display the hope we have in Him, for to be sure Satan will offer many counterfeit “hope’s”….like the Oriole’s winning for example.
(kidding there of course)
If I knew the answer, I would act on it.
I think education has a lot to do with it though. If you educate people that there are bigger and better purposes in the world, if you give them a chance to actually see it, if they know that it’s ok to try for something…. that’s the real key to fixing it. How do you do that? Bird by Bird I suppose. It can’t be done on a grand scale if it can’t be done on a small scale.
I look around at my neighbors and I see a bit of hope in the teenaged girl down the street. I really hope that she gets out of her bad home situation and makes something of herself that isn’t a repeat of the life she’s known. I talk to her every chance I get. Her momma doesn’t like that though. Doesn’t want her daughter talking to someone who has the “wrong” skin color? or a college degree? or a day job? or a future? I can’t figure out exactly why.
Summer, I am not sure what you did to anger the Askimet, but I do hope you appease it, and quickly… I would hate to miss out on your comments because I do not catch them in time…
If you don’t mind me asking, what part of town do you live in?
I think that much of my political philosophy (and if you look at it my faith, and philosophy of ministry) is based on the whole “Bird by Bird” thing… I tend to analyze on the grand scale, yet get frustrated when there is no movement on the small scale.
My experience, correct me if I am wrong, is that there is a great deal of (earned) distrust of Caucasians in this city. We are paying for the sins of our fathers, and because of that there is a natural tendency to not give us the benefit of the doubt.
What sucks about this is that there are a bunch of opportunistic African Americans that feed on this distrust and milk it for every last penny. Working in the car business, I can not tell you how many times I have seen someone not deal with me because of my skin color, only to have someone of the same race screw them over something fierce. It is a sad state of affairs…
I’m in Patterson Park, on the North side. My husband and I moved here two and a half years ago, and were the first “yuppie” couple on our block. We were immediately told by the white neighbors that they were “glad to see another white family” and were immediately (and continuously) told by a few of the black women that they “didn’t like white people”. I say women because there aren’t any black men living on our block, aside from one really great family who is nice to us.
I’m not someone who groups by skin color though, generally, so this all came as a bit of a shock to me. I’ve come to understand that years of immigration in Baltimore also brought a lot of racism with it, and each separate group doesn’t trust any of the ones around it. I grew up in Texas, in a rather homogeneous mix of whites and blacks, and it hadn’t occurred to me to distrust anyone without learning it from experience.
My neighborhood has improved significantly since we moved in. The dealers have changed corners now that so many more houses are lived in. The neighbors that are active are increasing significantly, and we as a neighborhood are working to continue the trend. I don’t know what to say to the people who don’t like this. Is it wrong to not want dealers working the corner? Or hookers screaming outside at 2 am? I don’t know how it could be.
You seem to have made up with the Askimet… not sure what you had to sacrifice to pull that off, but congratulations to you.
I think that some of the resentment of change is a result of the city’s history of changing a neighborhood by moving out the undesirable element to another part of the city, and moving in people who are “more desirable” rather than working to enact positive change in the lives of the current residents.
I am assuming that has something to do with it, or else people miss the certain ambiance that comes with dealers and hookers working your block…
Snoop and everyone,
Wow! What a great discussion. I am new to this conversation and I am grateful for everyone bringing these ideas to the table. I myself will be moving to Baltimore myself this coming summer and I am trying to learn as much as I can about Baltimore.
I agree a lot with debese concerning the root problem of any city (Baltimore included) as being sin. What is interesting, though, is that sin seems to be that much more detrimental when it finds itself in the city and becomes more systemic in nature. As far as politics, I would agree with Summer concerning a vote being used in a positive way. I would much rather my vote go to something that will possibly work towards the provisions of the interests of business owners like the B corporations of which you speak.
However, we are also mislead to believe that the President is going to have a lot to do with change on the local level. The government is set up so that this will not be the case (checks and balances). It is going to take people who are committed to the betterment of an area. This is what the gospel is supposed to do. And I do say supposed to.
I would like to know about B corporations because this seems to be an incredible way that Christians can enact and perpetuate significant change in an area.
I also would welcome any thoughts or advice for a younger white couple moving into Baltimore.
what’s up derek…we’re moving to the midtown area (bolton hill/mount vernon). bolton hill is a great neighborhood right next to a neighborhood with a lot of poverty. A great place to live and bring God’s justice and fight systemic sins!
on b corporations, check out http://www.bcorporation.net/