By Tom Todaro
President
Abbotts Pointe Home Owner’s Association.
I was looking for a way to help generate a bit of excitement or at least more interest in our block party Saturday. As some of you (residents ) know turnout has been dismal to the low-end of mediocre in many years past.
So I thought I might try my hand at publicity and advertising, something I’ve spent thirty years of my career doing.
My wife though younger has spent her career in the same business. When her company, a retail concern, closed, we acquired some foam rubber mannequins. Being “self-taught” artists as well as advertising creatives, we’ve saved six or more of these mannequins in our attic, thinking we could make things out of them, and we have. We’ve given some of them away over the years, including the pink ones. All we had left were some black foam figures, mannequins, those things they use in stores to display fashion clothing.
We thought these items might make interesting, attention-getting, signs for the block party. Not having much time to spend, being busy making our living in advertising, Mary painted simple faces and words like “fun” and “run” along with the day and time of the block party.
I placed them on Home Owners Association property at the entrance to Abbotts Pointe.
In a few hours, I had complaints. One seemed to be a complaint implying racism, I’m not sure. The other seemed to be an “anti-Halloween” complaint, though I’m not sure of that, either, since the figures had as much to do with Halloween as “The Scream,” a piece by Edvard Munch, the great 19th century Dutch painter.
I was prepared to apologize for my effort and Mary’s as well. But I’ve reconsidered. I’m not going to say, “I’m sorry.” I will say I’ve learned a lot about leadership in a community but the most important thing I’ve learned is this: You can’t do it alone. It takes more involvement by more members of the community. It takes getting out on the street and getting to know each other.
(As a side note, I “market tested” my fun-figure signs in my yard for two days. I had a conversation with two board members, standing in front of them. We all agreed they were fine and I distinctly said I would then place them in public at the entrance.)
Apparently, some out there in Abbotts Pointe don’t know me. And it seems some think they know how everybody thinks. Call it fear maybe. I’d rather call it a reluctance to loosen up, be yourself, and be real.
Those were not derogatory depictions of any people of color from any country (Abbotts Pointe is populated by people of color from many countries).
And if they evoked Halloween and that is bad, maybe we should ban Halloween yard ornaments and kids begging for candy October 31st.
Anybody for a stone-construction of the Ten Commandments at the entry to Abbotts Pointe?
