Black-and-white, huh?
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8/13/2006
It's sad to see so many black-and-white posts on this message board. Orlando is no "paradise", but it isn't "hell" either. As I stated in a previous post, it's all relative. It depends on where you are coming from. Wealthy folks from the Northeast love it here because everything is so cheap when compared to where they are coming from. Unfortunately, once here they also enjoy bashing their adoptive home as "backwards" and lacking in diversity (an assertion that is culturally insensitive in and of itself). The reality is that Orlando is just as diverse (and likely more) than most cities in the United States. Again: we get the point - you love (insert the name of a maegalopolis like New York or Boston). Orlando will never be that city. Get over it. Accept it. You are welcome here, but don't expect the city to change now that YOU are here. As a teacher in the Orlando area, I understand that some fellow northern transplants are upset with the quality of education here. Let's be honest though - we didn't have the challenges in education up north that we have here in Central Florida. We do what we can. Progress takes time. My advice on this one: learn patience and vote for state and local candidates that care about education (let me give you a hint - Christ and Gallagher aren't among them).
On the other side, we have folks like Allen who idealize the city as some sort of Garden of Eden. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If I thought I could find a teaching position in the Midwest again, I would jump ship tomorrow (as countless other service professionals do here every year - hence teacher shortages etc.). There is a complete lack of respect for service personnel (teachers, police officers, fire fighters, etc.) in this region. Crime is out of control and the division between "haves" and "have-nots" is FAR MORE PRONOUNCED in Florida than in most parts of the country. There is no real middle class here. The state has become a playground for the wealthy. In most parts of the country, one does not have to earn a six-digit income to own a home... but you do in Orlando.
With that said, the climate and general kindness of the people who inhabit Central Florida makes the region worthy to live in even if residents fail to admit their community (or more accurately, lack thereof) has challenges that desperately need confronting.
Jessy | Winter Park, FL