I, like many others, have quietly observed as the political and social climate of our beautiful town has deteriorated over the past several years. I, like many others, have sat in coffee shops, restaurants, and in our workplaces and discussed the problems of our community. I have searched for outlets in which to hold discussions, with the cyber era offering even more opportunities to network.

However, in my wanderings, I became even more saddened upon finding that these cyber areas have become even more detrimental to the reputation and social climate of our community. The ability to post anonymously is something that I value, I encourage, and even believe it to be somewhat of a necessity in our current climate.  The biggest drawback to the anonymous posting however, is how quickly conversations can turn to threats and attacks.

One of the biggest examples of this is upon the Raton Topix site. I silently watched until I could no longer take it and thought to throw a small pebble into the pond of social discourse and posted on the Topix site for the first time. You can read below the conversation that took place, if you have not already.

I do not know if this will work or make a difference, but I can make the attempt, do my best, and humbly welcome you to a new place to discuss how we can help our community.

Believe	Wednesday Feb 9 I know that our community has problems, I am by no means blind to those problems. I know that some of them are getting worse (drugs, etc). These are similar problems that many communities across the U.S. face. The Raton Topix forum has become sort of like a train wreck - it is horrible, with so many people bashing other people, but you just can't help but watch. I have held back from posting until now, because it seems that no matter what stance you take, you place yourself in a position to be ridiculed, put down, and yes, even threatened with violence. This is NOT our community. Not representative of our community. There are good people here who do care. There are people who go out of their way to help others and I sincerely believe that there is good in people. Each one of you, of us, has the potential for good. I challenge you, to go about your week, to really observe and actively watch and see the good instead of the bad. To let go of the rumors for this short duration, and look for the good and see what really surrounds you. When I watched only just yesterday - one single day, I saw... *a gentleman at the store in a motorized wheelchair who couldn't reach something on the top shelf, and a man came over and offered help and got the item for him. *a child at another store didn't have quite enough money for her purchase and the lady behind her in line told the cashier that she would pay for it. *a car stalled in the road, and 3 other cars pulled over to help *at yet another store, an off duty police officer helped a woman who was struggling to carry her purchases out. And for myself, I was having a hard time shoveling snow yesterday, when my neighbor saw and came outside and told me he would finish it for me. I was grateful and offered money, he turned it down, saying, "We are neighbors, we're here to help each other" We face many problems, but there is also still good out there. When facing these problems and challenges, the solution must begin with us, each of us, one individual at a time. And regardless of the controversies, rumors, and problems, I believe each of you, each of us, has the potential to do good, to see good, and make a difference. And so to begin, yes, I challenge you to find one good thing today, throughout your week, and post it here. No, don't turn a blind eye to the bad, instead do something that might make a difference. And when you see good, celebrate it. And if you can't find something good, then create it.
Reply	Wednesday Feb 9 What you may not realize is that many of us posting here ARE the ones you see helping the stranded motorist, opening the door, etc. Those things are all well and good. From what I have read I have come to understand that we are tired of the seedy underbelly being perpetually ignored beneath the superficial gloss of which you speak. I pulled a car from the ditch two days ago. A team builder had a drunken fight in the street. I helped an elderly man load his groceries into his car. A cop cheated on his wife, after which she is jailed and a family disrupted. I don't think I can help enough little old ladies across the street to keep things balanced at this rate. I firmly believe that what is being exposed here will build to a crescendo that cannot be ignored. The recent turnover at the city council certainly proved this -- but that was just a first step. As long as we believe that our city can progress when our cops spend more time carousing than busting drug houses and that our at-risk children are in good hands with pseudo counselors of questionable character, we WILL not progress as a community. It is difficult to reach goals without having standards. This is an unpleasant truth, especially unpleasant in a community which seems to pride itself in a lack of such. If you don't raise the bar for what is deemed acceptable for working as an officer or a counselor, then you will get exactly what you deserve. Be the best person you can be. That includes helping us expose this community's shortcomings so that it can be the best that it can be.
Believe	Wednesday Feb 9 Reply, I thank you for your honest reply. I also want to express my appreciation for pulling the car from the ditch two days ago, as well as the other good and kind deeds that you do. And I mean that with true respect and appreciation. Please know, that in no way, shape or form do I suggest that we ignore, hide, gloss over, or push aside the problems that we face as a community. We do have problems, and the problems that we face do need to be addressed. However, the majority of what I see here on the Topix forum is either unfounded rumors, half-truths, personal attacks, and threats. I fail to see how this can bring about positive change. My suggestion is to see the good that IS here. To see that our town, our community is not ALL bad, and to go out and notice, and do something that will make a positive difference. No, we can't control the actions of others, we can't fix all of our problems with a single good deed. However, we can be part of the solution, we can set an example, we can have hope, and we can do something that will make a difference. You never know, if I do something, you do something, our neighbor does something ... it is possible that others just might see that, and others might do something as well. And although it is not a solution to fix "the seedy underbelly being perpetually ignored", perhaps we can outnumber them enough to really make a change for the better. I love my home, and I have the utmost respect for many, many people here. I also see the "underbelly" as you describe it, and yes it does both sadden and anger me. However, right now, the image that is being portrayed of our community is not a good one. Right now, in my humble opinion, that side is winning. Am I perfect? Most certainly not. But I do care and will try to better myself, try to help others, because I know that is where I must begin. Not the be all and end all, but a beginning at least. Why not change this forum to a place of action planning, discussing, helping, brainstorming? It was only my hope to point out that all is not bad here, that my neighbors, our neighbors, are not all bad and we still have a community to fight for. And when I say fight, I mean to take positive action. After all, a single pebble has the potential to make ripples ... does it not?
Reply	Wednesday Feb 9 All that you say is true. However, this forum will never be a venue for that which you seek to accomplish. Every conversation degrades very quickly into hostility. The discourse is hopelessly slanted towards the negative, and perhaps it should be. I no longer try to change its direction -- it is what it is. If you want to offer a dissenting voice, I suggest that you start a blog such as http://norteno1.blogspot.com or http://embracingthenorth.wordpress.com Both of these blog authors believe that in their own way they are trying to improve the community. I would like to see a blog oriented more towards what you are seeking and less towards the political turmoil -- but the two may be impossible to separate. A good example might be http://www.studiocartspace.com Very positive and pro-community. All three blog authors discovered that comments must be censored lest the conversation degrade as you see it here. Why don't the Grow Raton, Chamber of Commerce, or other organizations create such a blog? They could post the web address here occasionally to lead away those interested in a more positive view. If not them, then why not you? In various coffee shop groups, there are many good ideas thrown about. They never really receive the audience they deserve. Here's your chance!