We have been wanting to poll friends, subjects, and readers for some time for their hot takes on the state of things in Greater Boston. It’s a catchall idea, there’s no doubt about it, but we do believe that an unscientific survey can touch upon some truths about the zeitgeist at a particular moment.
We are doing two issues of DigBoston—What’s Wrong With Boston (#WWWB), and What’s Right With Boston (#WRWB)—that will ride the holiday slide into 2020. It’s a big deal that we’re hurtling into another decade, and so we wanted to do something different from the regular look-back and look-ahead spreads.
Needless to say, we expect a lot of feedback about the sorry state of our public transit system, as well as the lack of recreational dispensaries three years after voters pulled for cannabis (if the latter’s a concern for you, be sure to check our feature this week in which we ventured to Worcester to experience a county where recreational weed is an actual thing). That’s fine, but we also ask that you at least try to share info about a slice or corner of the region that your particular purview suggests is in need of significant praise or repair. It could be general, like something about a lack of computers in schools, or it could be more specific, like your feelings about that forsaken Packards Corner intersection, or the stench of natural gas in this square or that schoolyard. Here are some samples:
- The hip-hop scene is finally getting some of the national recognition that it deserves. #WRWB
- Developers get everything they want. Renters get nothing. And it only seems to be getting worse every year. #WWWB
- Come January, for the first time ever, minorities and women will make up the majority of the Boston City Council. #WRWB
You are free (and encouraged) to answer however you wish, but we’re requesting your email in the submission form in an attempt to keep respondents honest (plus we’re giving out some prizes to a few participants, so we’ll need to get in touch with winners). You can also submit by tweeting right at us @DigBoston, sending a Facebook message, or emailing editorial@digboston.com. We will edit and publish answers at our staff’s discretion, and we can tell you ahead of time that we’re not going to print hate speech, baseless accusations, or any poetry.
Just kidding. We’ll run your #WWWB or #WRWB poem, especially if it’s a haiku.
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
