Okay, Brett, I think I'm seeing Chris's satire regarding Target.... Yeah, here's to our new symbol of high culture; I spose it hopes a little class will rub off on it by virtue of its location--I hope none of its class rubs off on its neighbors. And right after I was grousing about Target and Twins being touted as culture nowadays, I see a(nother) commentary in today's Star Trib beating the Twins drum and ever-so-subtly mocking Minnesotans' high-mindedness (and I'm not even from Minnesota).
>From: Brett M Stephan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [Mpls] re: Painting the Town (in concentric circles of) Red >Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 10:54:25 -0600 (CST) > >Please forgive a new subscriber's naivete, but I was hoping a veteran or >two of this list -- or perhaps the list moderator himself -- might clarify >how such quasi advertisements as cited below work into the fabric of this >list: In this case, the meditations of a Minneapolis man on the >"cultural" capital of the latest addition to Target Corporation's 63 >Minnesota-based Target retail stores, the downtown Minneapolis Target. > >This particular store -- arguably the flagship for the corporation -- is >celebrated below and in a previous post by the same author as a focal >point for family activity and cultural celebration. I find it unnerving >how the author, albeit uncritically and probably unwittingly, exposes >the symbiotic relationship between consumerism and car culture, where one >destructive habit supports the other. (Driving two miles only to fill >one's cart with admittedly unnecessary items only to save money on the >parking fee made necessary by consumers' mode of transportation of >choice.) But more importantly: Making public the experience of deriving >pleasure and entertainment from shopping by broadcasting one's own >privilege to a list of hundreds, many of whom surely end each month >deciding whether to buy groceries or pay rent, is in extremely poor >taste. Moreover, it is devoid intellectually, and is -- let's face it -- >consumerist and classist by nature. This is a Minneapolis issue >indeed: Forgetting the potential of the state of things in our city, >ignoring (or perhaps being completely oblivious of) the experiences >of those less financially privileged, all the while feeding the claws of >detached, destructive corporate markets as the local businesses run by our >neighbors crumble... and then claiming its fun for the whole family! > >Have residents of Minneapolis already come to uncritically support a >corporation which has, quite blatantly and without apology, thrived off of >the unwilling support of tax payers, while robbing the downtown district >of the "culture" per se which existed prior to when we were told that we >couldn't get along without it? Is this really the company that gives back >to the community, or is it the company that feeds off of it while running >a PR campaign so flawless that we can feel pride and wonder in a monster >corporation only intending to expand its profit margins and >marketability? What's going on when the physical and ideological >landscape of downtown is being replaced by monocultural subsidized >suburban trash paid for by the urbanites who take pride in what our city >otherwise would, and should, and most importantly -could-, have to >offer? How can we stand by and watch as the culturally diverse landscape >that once was downtown Minneapolis is systematically removed and replaced >by the culturally sterile corporate marketplace reveled by the author >below? Even more important than how can we stand by and watch: how can we >drive in and participate? > >Hoping to receive no more updates on the status of a store which is going >no where (infer meaning at will), > >Brett Stephan >Ward 10 > > > From: Chris Steller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: [Mpls] Painting the Town (in concentric circles of) Red > > > > Downtown Target Report, Month 2: > > > > Still not many shoppers in the evening. Lots of staff. Unattended carts > > whisked away faster than at the airport. A few kids this time. One mom, > > trying to do the groovy shopping cart escalator thing, just put the >cart, > > kid and all, on the regular escalator (everyone arrived o.k.). > > > > Pick up a store map to save on escalator/elevator rides . > > > > We closed it down again at 8 p.m. Overstayed our one hour of free >parking > > welcome looking for enough stuff to buy to get the free parking. > > > > It really hits you on the second visit: it's just a Target. > > > > But the downtown location still puts it up a notch over other Targets as >a > > family cultural event. > > > > Chris Steller > > Nicollet Island-East Bank > >_______________________________________ >Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: >http://e-democracy.org/mpls _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
