[robmausser]

murals done on the south side.

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and here is the mural on the north side. this side looks like it’s still in progress.

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It somehow doesn't improve things at all haha. It just makes this thing look even more like a smorgasbord of different ideas. It has such a "design by committee" feel to it.

 

[AnnetteMeetsJane]

Now, I agree w/the thrust of Shawn's point.............but I'll note, I didn't see him tweet the Councillor or the Mayor or anyone else at the City asking them to fix it, or what the regular schedule for cleaning is.........

Complaining passively is a sport in this town.

Don't like something, do something about it.

Credit to you @allengeorge because you do; as do I and several others here. But Mr. Micallef not so much.

At the minimum I would expect him to report the issue to 311.

None of the above excuses negligence by the City either due to lack of funding, or caring. But that won't change itself.

File a legitimate 311 complaint every day until staff get the idea to make the case for more funding or better processes or both.

Shawn Micallef isn't a passive complainer - he has monetized complaining, and is paid by the inch by The Star to do so. He is a professional complainer.

If he was paid by the City I am sure that he would diligently call 311 too.

 

[Northern Light]

Shawn Micallef isn't a passive complainer - he has monetized complaining, and is paid by the inch by The Star to do so. He is a professional complainer.

If he was paid by the City I am sure that he would diligently call 311 too.

I'm entirely content to have him monetize complaining, but I'd be happier if monetized results from same.

Don't just complain, get it fixed, I'll contribute!

 

[PL1]

Shawn Micallef isn't a passive complainer - he has monetized complaining, and is paid by the inch by The Star to do so. He is a professional complainer.

If he was paid by the City I am sure that he would diligently call 311 too.

He's a freelancer. Yes, his work appears largely in The Star.

He's largely correct. I believe he's come to the opinion that complaining directly to the city does nothing. Sure, you'll get a pothole fixed, but the large, systemic problems aren't solved by calling 311.

 

[Northern Light]

He's a freelancer. Yes, his work appears largely in The Star.

He's largely correct. I believe he's come to the opinion that complaining directly to the city does nothing. Sure, you'll get a pothole fixed, but the large, systemic problems aren't solved by calling 311.

I know Shawn. I agree w/many of his takes.

I disagree w/what he does w/them.

First and foremost, I believe it's essential to ask those responsible, professional and political why they feel something is as it is.

Put them on the spot, hold them accountable.

The idea that you change nothing reporting to 311 may well be fair; but I don't think that's what anyone is asking for overall. Certainly, by all means report something you see wrong.

But where this is a systematic issue............confront those responsible for the system and put them on record.

It's a perfectly reasonable ask of a member of the media.

I think Shawn takes shortcuts that don't serve causes I think he genuinely believes in well.

 

[crs1026]

But where this is a systematic issue............confront those responsible for the system and put them on record.

It's a perfectly reasonable ask of a member of the media.

There is a huge barrier in public accountability where facts and data gets buried and the response is a bunch of cosmetic fluff and superficial corporatespeak.

Some of the better journalists covering the Toronto scene including transit do take the time and do the research to dissect the fluff and show that it is not an acceptable answer.

Shawn (and others) take the easy route by skipping the careful mounting of argument and turning their message into a complaint that borders on a whine or even just a cheap shot.

And unfortunately social media enables this. It takes more than 280 characters to take apart some of the city's behaviours and arguments. The solutions require a lot more than 280 characters.

I may agree with some of the causes he (and others) mount, but better accountability requires better punditry and reporting.

- Paul

 

[AnnetteMeetsJane]

I asked Shawn Micallef on Twitter once whether he had actually reported the specific deficit(s) he was complaining about that day, and I got told to F*&# off in 280 characters and to mind my own business. There was no ambiguity despite the brevity.
At that point I realised that the complaining on social media and in print was the goal, not the means to the goal. He is free to build his brand, but I don't need to consume it.

I appreciate the creativity and effort that went into the #austerityTO works of "art" and it was nice to see it get coverage in The Grauniad this morning. Same goal, more constructive means?
Guerrilla satirists skewer Toronto mayor by turning urban decay into urban art

 

[Red Mars]

Jun 17, 2023

A peek behind the stairwell entrance.

(The remnants of the Nov 2021 fire.)

View from the other side