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The Big Dan's Bar rape (the basis for "The Accused" starring Jodi Foster) still haunts New Bedford to this day.
When you mention New Bedford to many who have vaguely heard of it, they ask, "isn't that where Big Dan's bar is?" They are unaware of fact that it's the basis for Herman Melville's Moby Dick (many buildings mentioned in the book are now museums), or that it was a major cog in the underground railroad (Fredrick Douglas made New Bedford his home). This one incident has had a lasting effect on this small city of 100,000.
It got a notorious reputation locally while it was being built, with years of construction roadblocks and the like. I'm not sure, but I wonder whether the Big Dig is really much on the national radar. Maybe, since there were a lot of federal tax dollars going into funding a project with largely local impact.
About the only recent incidents I can think of have been the down side of the recent run of sports championships celebrations, when there were two deaths that happened during these events. That may have been more local than national news, however.
Going back a number of years, it was not one incident, but the overall situation surrounding the school integration controversy in the '70's has to have caused Boston the most bad PR of any event in remotely recent times. Over thirty years later, people still express the opinion that Boston is a notably racist city, based mainly, or solely, on what happened back then.
It got a notorious reputation locally while it was being built, with years of construction roadblocks and the like. I'm not sure, but I wonder whether the Big Dig is really much on the national radar. Maybe, since there were a lot of federal tax dollars going into funding a project with largely local impact.
About the only recent incidents I can think of have been the down side of the recent run of sports championships celebrations, when there were two deaths that happened during these events. That may have been more local than national news, however.
Going back a number of years, it was not one incident, but the overall situation surrounding the school integration controversy in the '70's has to have caused Boston the most bad PR of any event in remotely recent times. Over thirty years later, people still express the opinion that Boston is a notably racist city, based mainly, or solely, on what happened back then.
I agree with you. The busing issues (which, while race was involved, it was not the only issue that angered many white Bostonians... many of them had to leave the school close by and go across the city) and tensions of the 70s have had a lingering effect even today.
The Big Dig (aside from the one tragedy which was known even internationally), seems to be viewed nationally (and internationally) as more of an engineering miracle (albeit an expensive one) than it is a debacle. Especially now that it's completed and people can see the difference (The end justified the means to many) the submerged highway made (both to traffic flow and city aesthetics), positive responses and responses of, "wow" are more of what I hear about.
The sheer magnitude of what had to be done (freezing the ground below South Station during the summer months so as not to disturb the Red Line tunnels, digging under Ft. Point Channel, etc) has made for positive press and attention. It's viewed more as a success (outside of MA) than it is a disaster.
The Branch Davidian standoff and disaster for Waco, Texas. As a smaller city, it wasn't really nationally known for any other reasons; as a result, this is the big event that stands out in peoples' minds even more than a decade later.
Snow would seem to be an annual PR nightmare for Syracuse (and Buffalo and Rochester), but they're so nutty here that they actually have a contest between the 3 cities to see who gets the most snow, and they have a trophy that is given to the mayor.
Syracuse always wins, though, so it's not really much of a contest.
I know. It is funny how they have that, knowing that Syracuse wins all of the time.
It got a notorious reputation locally while it was being built, with years of construction roadblocks and the like. I'm not sure, but I wonder whether the Big Dig is really much on the national radar. Maybe, since there were a lot of federal tax dollars going into funding a project with largely local impact.
About the only recent incidents I can think of have been the down side of the recent run of sports championships celebrations, when there were two deaths that happened during these events. That may have been more local than national news, however.
Going back a number of years, it was not one incident, but the overall situation surrounding the school integration controversy in the '70's has to have caused Boston the most bad PR of any event in remotely recent times. Over thirty years later, people still express the opinion that Boston is a notably racist city, based mainly, or solely, on what happened back then.
I'm not going to lie. When I went to Boston, that did come into my mind, but I actually liked Boston a lot.
I think the other thing that give Boston that rep is it's history with its sports teams. I believe the Red Sox were the last team in MLB to integrate and the Celtics during the Bird years seemed to give the city a "different" type of pride that they didn't have during the Russell years. Even russell had some issues living there during his playing days there and there have been others that have noticed some other small issues too. what's ironic is that the Celtics are the first to have a Black head coach in the NBA and had mostly Black starting teams during the 60's too.
I don't agree with you that traffic has improved since the completion of the Big Dig project and I don't think that was the main objective of the project. Let's face it, the term Big Dig is perceived in the media as a negative connotation; not a positive one.
Big Dig Becomes Big Scapegoat (http://tinyurl.com/5s53vv - broken link)
Can we avoid a Big Dig? (http://tinyurl.com/b6m83z - broken link)
Lessons of Boston’s Big Dig by Nicole Gelinas, City Journal Autumn 2007 (http://tinyurl.com/dxxrdf - broken link)
Yes, it was an engineering marvel and yes, the city looks nicer without the central artery running through it. Was it worth the time and money and pain and tragedy ? I don't think it was. And let's not foget they never did connect south station to north station, which is a huge missed opportunity.
I agree the busing in the 70's was also bad PR; I'm not sure how many people still remember those days.
I do think thought that during its run most people around the country were familiar with it (at least the people I would speak to) and usually it was bad press as it ran on way past cost and time estimates; people from out of town traveling into Boston from Logan would be met with the Big Dig as soon as they came out of the Callahan tunnel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lrfox
I agree with you. The busing issues (which, while race was involved, it was not the only issue that angered many white Bostonians... many of them had to leave the school close by and go across the city) and tensions of the 70s have had a lingering effect even today.
The Big Dig (aside from the one tragedy which was known even internationally), seems to be viewed nationally (and internationally) as more of an engineering miracle (albeit an expensive one) than it is a debacle. Especially now that it's completed and people can see the difference (The end justified the means to many) the submerged highway made (both to traffic flow and city aesthetics), positive responses and responses of, "wow" are more of what I hear about.
The sheer magnitude of what had to be done (freezing the ground below South Station during the summer months so as not to disturb the Red Line tunnels, digging under Ft. Point Channel, etc) has made for positive press and attention. It's viewed more as a success (outside of MA) than it is a disaster.
"The Education of Shelby Knox" was a PR nightmare for Lubbock. Because of that documentary, Lubbock has the reputation of being a redneck town where every teenage girl is walking around pregnant. In reality, Lubbock is a college town with a low abortion rate.
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