Up Against the Wall

The residents of Rittenhouse Square, which is apparently the snootiest neighborhood in Philadelphia – probably 'cause it's the only one with no crack houses – is up in arms (figuratively, of course) about a mural which has been designed for a currently blank brick wall in the area. The theme is “justice”, which is fair enough, I guess, although it would be better to call it “poetic justice” and move it into the urban-renewed “ghetto”. But this is precisely the point. Apparently word has gotten out – and who's in charge of these things, anyway? -- that “murals” sponsored by the city are an earmark of bad neighborhoods. And sure enough, when I drive around Pittsburgh all I need to see is one of these overblown pieces of “civic art” (especially the kind with “diversity” themes, which is code for “anything but white”) to realize that I'd better lock my doors and not come to a complete stop at corners. Naturally, the whole business is very awkward because, of course the denizens of the Square are all for supporting the underprivileged and so on, but to have a mark of urban blight right down the street – well, that just won't do. Personally, I give them credit for staying in the city and not moving out to the upper-crust suburbs, which are a different, and much more insidious, form of blight. On the other hand, I would be willing to bet that these folks overwhelmingly voted for Obama. So they really can't complain.