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| Re: Brooklyn Dodgers (on topic) (465960) | |||
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Re: Brooklyn Dodgers (on topic) |
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Posted by SMAZ on Wed Jul 25 05:55:03 2007, in response to Re: Brooklyn Dodgers (on topic), posted by BrooklynBus on Tue Jul 24 23:39:26 2007. This was indeed an interesting topic and almost everybody's contribution was very instructive. The jury will always be out on Robert Moses' legacy. I just hope that whatever their conclusions about the man, that people understand that things that seem like bad ideas now were in fact the only possible choices at the time and were the products of that era's social and economic realities. Other cities and metro areas were also upgrading their motor vehicle arterial systems too. The end of WW2 and the increasing prosperity and education of the workforce thanks in large part to strong unions, the GI Bill and the VA home loan program brought incredible and rapid changes in American habits and aspirations. Raising families in crowded and unhealthy tenements and riding jammed subways was not one of those aspirations. The white flight to the then new suburbs and outer parts of the boros would have happened anyway. That's where the land was and suddenly people had the cars to get there. The question is what would happen to the city? While certain parts of the Bronx may have suffered great dispacement there were other areas cleared of blight. Le Corbusier inspired projects in places like Al Smith Houses may look like crap today but just remember what was there before. People should take a look at old pictures from the 1890s by crusading photojournalist Jacob Riis just to get an idea. It was like in "The Gangs of New York". Disease, premature death and rampant crime were the norm. That housing stock lasted for several decades after those pictures. The newer housing projects were a godsend for millions of New Yorkers. The waterfront had become a decaying collection of obsolete 19th century industry. Things like the FDR Drive and the BQE were necessary upgrades to keep the city relevant in the 20th century and within the difficult geographical conditions of NY, they were done with great skill and taste. Think of Riverside Park or the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade. Imagine what Moses would have done with the old Central RR yards on the Hudson instead of the what Trump is doing. Moses would have made the housing entirely middle class and the new park would have been a jewel. He may or may not have hated poor people but he definitely hated rich people. The man was firmly grounded in the middle class. Yes, the racial implications were lamentable but it was the 30s, 40s and 50s and racism was widespread in every aspect of life including the aformentioned unions, GI Bill and VA loans. (after all, many minorities didn't get a fair chance to serve in combat because of the virulent racism of the time) There is probably not much Moses could have done about that even if he had wanted to. The truth is that the latter and most controversial part of his reign coincided with a time when the city was run by derelicts. The elected politicians of that time didn't have the intellect or the courage to step up to take the heat that comes with making unpopular decisions that are necessary for progress. Moses filled in that leadership vacuum and to the delight of those politicians and to those that followed he took and continues to take the scorn, hate and vitriol that should have been reserved for them, the actual Dem Bums. |
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