LISTEN HERE: http://jimreedbooks.com/mp3/themoutsideagitators.mp3
or READ ON…
So exactly who are those outside agitators we used to mutter about so much Down South and here in the Big City?
Back in the bad ol’ days, it was usually anybody who stirred our emotions by bringing unpopular ideas to town—ideas sometimes contained in carpetbags. These agitators were referred to in the context of being troublemakers…but in the long run, their actions and ideas often gave us hope.
Mainly, those folks were our Avatars—they could say and do things we could never say and do, since we lived here, were rooted here. The agitators were able to do their magic, then get the heck out of Dodge before the criticism started. If we agreed with what they did, we didn’t have to take ownership until it was safe…we could just say, well, it was their idea—don’t look at me!
That was then. This is now.
Anyhow, these days, outside agitators are often toting messages of hope to the town. Their presence isn’t as resented as in the past.
I guess if you have a permanent residence here, you can’t be called an outside agitator.
That means the following are just some of the folks who can be considered outside agitators:
Visitors, layovers, business trippers, vendors, employees who go home to the ‘burbs each night, conventioneers, tourists (both accidental and purposeful), guests, temporary residents, consultants, jurors, events-goers, passers-through, flyovers, fugitives from justice, fugitives from injustice, aliens (documented, undocumented or other-worldly), patients, traveling salespeople, transients, escapees, performers, temps… Who did I leave out?
Most of these outsiders know more about Birmingham than you and I do.
These outsiders (i.e., agitators, strangers, Yankees, interlopers…whatever we decide to call them) are more willing than we are to explore and spend money here, and they don’t know the “bad” things we locals have been taught about the City. They see us fresh, and they teach us much about what is good about Birmingham—when we pay attention.
We in turn can show them us at our best.
They usually go away before we have time to point out our fissures and flaws.
These Others can bring out the best in us and let us see ourselves anew.
They are truly outside agitators, the people who come to town and shake us up and get us all excited and hopeful, then leave before we revert to our old habits and start punishing them for their good deeds
(c) 2012 A.D. by Jim Reed