Come On Birmingham, Let's Embrace Our City

Of course we appreciate John Archibald's recent column because it mentions the ASC, but we also whole heartedly applaud its sentiment.

Archibald: Birmingham's civic complex

By John Archibald -- The Birmingham News

January 06, 2010, 5:53AM

Late last week, a visiting football fan walked into a store near Southside and asked: "Where does one go for fun in this town?"

And people just stared.

There was hemming and hawing, but no real answer.

"Sorry," a lady piped up. "This is Birmingham."

It was an apology. And I blame myself. Because I just stood there.

I'd come from the gym, after all, dirty and tired. I was on vacation, my hoodie pulled around my ears. I was full of excuses. I was ...

I was part of the problem. Because I said nothing. I just accepted it, like everyone else.

Sorry. This is Birmingham.

Shoot. We thought we needed a dome to cure our ills, but we already have a big ol' civic complex. A big civic inferiority complex, that is.

Josh Klapow, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at UAB's School of Public Health, said he sees the parallels between the city and one who suffers such a complex.

"When someone has low self esteem they filter through a negative screen," he said. "Line up all the things they have, and they focus on what they don't."

And that sounds a lot like Birmingham, where we can line up a lot, but we fail to see it. Think about it:

Five Points really can come alive at times, and Lakeview is a hop away.

Downtown's Second Avenue has taken root like wild wisteria, and Reed Books is like a literary amusement park. Restaurants -- from hot dogs to Hot and Hot -- hold their own with the best. The Alabama Theatre is a marvel, and The Alys Stephens Center a joy.

And our Birmingham, face it, is not just Birmingham. Shop in Hoover, or Trussville, or Mountain Brook. Take the kids to McWane Center, or just go yourself. Tell all who ask that they simply must see the Civil Rights Institute. Point to the zoo, the botanical gardens and the museum of art, the parks, the golf.

That, Klapow said, is the start of our complex cure. We must -- bam, bam, bam -- spot the good qualities and point them out, over and over again.

"Collectively, we have to change our way of thinking," he said. "It is absolutely up to each of us to spread the word about Birmingham."

To read more, visit http://blog.al.com/archiblog/2010/01/archibald_birminghams_civic_co.html.