Bites, Camera, Fashion: Bites, Camera, Fashion is a column from Davey McNelly, who is disabled, likes films and makes poor choices while trying to simplify his life.
Here I am again, the day after a fabulous Possum Promenade, a fundraiser put on by the Athens County Independent to raise money for their operations. It was very “Athenslandia,” which is a running TV show that plays in my head about how weird Athens is, with recurring themes and played by your favorite Athens weirdos.
And the Promenade also reminded me of how important actual newspapers (ahem, even online ones) are in making sure power is held accountable.
I’m often reminded by life how major decisions are made by the rich or by the people who can sit around in a room and follow Roberts Rules of Order while someone drones on about zoning for 20 minutes. Are you one of those people? I am not. Athens City Council bores me to doom scrolling my phone so I can stave off my tears. I save those tears for when I’m in a safer place. Like driving and listening to Adrianne Lenker.
And most of the time it doesn’t matter. Eventually, the rich buy off the policy wonks so they don’t even have to come to the meetings. Lucky them.
But it is good that the Athens County Independent covers what is happening, and lets us all know. Thank you, Corinne, Dani, Keri, and all the interns and others.
And sometimes you have to do something. And my anger has been growing for years about the accessibility of Uptown. Each year, people with disabilities and allies put on a Walk Talk and Roll, where we point out specific areas that are not accessible, and improvements that have been made.
Each month, we talk to City officials and administration, asking for curb cuts and crosswalk improvements. We wait for the work to be done. Each month, we ask for the ADA to be followed.
Each year, we show how dangerous unmaintained brick crosswalks are. Each year, people in power say that the work will be done. We ask for a plan, action, minimal compliance. But then it doesn’t get done.
So the Athens City Commission on Disabilities went to Athens City Council on Sept. 16 and talked about how Uptown Athens is an embarrassment for accessibility. People have learned not to go Uptown, because they get stuck, fall out of their wheelchairs, and trip over all the uneven surfaces.
In short, we have given and given our knowledge and input, and nothing has happened. We shared how our only options left are direct actions and/or a lawsuit. We then sent a follow-up letter detailing the issues and asking for a response by Nov. 1. And the Athens County Independent has reported on all of it.
So how does this relate to a film, food, and fashion column? Let’s see. I’m honestly not sure yet.
Bites
Sometimes, you don’t have time to buy food before going into the theater. This was one of those times. We got Reese’s Pieces and popcorn. The kids decided they wanted to sit in the front row and took all the snacks with them. I felt like the Wild Robot, giving everything and failing to meet my own basic needs. I strongly encourage parents to have more interests and life than working yourself to the bone to take care of your kids. They will eventually run off with their friends. At least buy yourself your own snacks.
My kids, 9 and 12, no longer want to watch children’s movies. The youngest and her friend spent more time in the Athena Grand lobby than watching the movie. And at times, I wanted to leave, too. They said the books, read aloud in their 2nd grade classrooms, were better.
They want to watch horror. We’ve seen The Craft and Sixth Sense recently, and I was able to giggle the whole time once I remembered what the plot twist was. One of the great joys of parenthood is getting to live vicariously as your children realize Bruce Willis was not just a bad actor, but was a ghost the whole time. And the kids made up their thievery by making me a nice Irish soda bread, which we ate along with apples and honey. L’shana tova. I hope we lead with imagination in this coming year.
Camera
“The Wild Robot” is a kids movie that tries to be for adults, too. It’s about a robot with some high-level AI features being lost on an island, and trying to find a purpose. I found it pretty but boring, for familiar reasons.
It’s for kids because forest creatures all band together to stay alive. The robot helps a young gosling after accidentally killing its mother (all children’s movies have to kill the parent immediately for some reason). It’s quite beautiful, with the flight of the birds, nature, and animals all being rendered well. The Robot keeps giving of itself, being programmed to serve, like in “The Giving Tree.” It gives its leg, its arm, and replaces them with wood. It short circuits multiple times in water. It eventually decides to go against its makers and stay on the island. This is all fine and good, but the corporation of course wants it back. They burn the island. Classic “corporations are bad” movie motif.
While this change of heart is good, and everyone has time to change, wouldn’t it be better to just not make the robot in the first place? To not send bombs to Israel? Then you wouldn’t even have to call for a ceasefire, because there wouldn’t be a fire in the first place. The woodland creatures all had it completely fine until we meddled. Human hubris continues. All in all, can’t we imagine something better?
Fashion
Pictured are contractors and sidewalk maintenance crews from McKee Paving, hired by the City of Athens. The guy pictured is wearing a reflective vest and giving me a thumbs up while another is throwing up a shaka sign. On Oct. 3, weeks after our City Council demands, they were out, on my birthday no less, grinding down Uptown curb cuts so they are level with the street, as well as fixing sidewalk potholes. Sometimes complaining loudly and with power works!
I am grateful that work is starting, but we have a long way to go. It’s easier to build right, to have a 10-year plan and ADA transition plan, than to keep having to go back and fix things that were done incorrectly.
We in the disabled community are watching and are no longer willing to wait.
