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In Key Bridge collapse, Baltimore lost a piece of its cultural identity (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by MicroWave to c/news

20 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Generations of working-class Marylanders watched in disbelief this week as an iconic symbol of their maritime culture crumbled into the Patapsco River

Generations of Maryland workers — longshoremen, seafarers, steelworkers and crabbers whose livelihoods depend on Baltimore’s port — watched in disbelief this week as an iconic symbol of their maritime culture crumbled into the Patapsco River.

The deadly collapse of the historic Francis Scott Key Bridge has shaken Baltimore to its core.

“What happened was kind of a travesty,” said Joe Wade, a retired port worker who remembers fishing near the bridge as a child. “I’m not a crier, but ... I got emotional.”

Baltimore was a port long before it was incorporated as a city — and long before the United States declared its independence from Britain. Many of the city’s brick rowhouses were built to house fishermen, dockworkers and sailors. They earned a reputation for being pioneering and tough, unafraid of rough seas and long days.

It’s a cultural identity that persists among modern-day watermen like Ryan “Skeet” Williams, who makes a living harvesting crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Iconic? It's a generic truss bridge from the 70s.

[–] stoly 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

This confuses me. It doesn't even look that nice. I mean if the Golden Gate or Brooklyn bridges collapsed, I'd be all for a loss of cultural symbols and such. This is sort of like crying over the Huey P in New Orleans.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Damn, that's a fugly bridge. Apparently it's been designated a civil engineering landmark, and that I understand.

[–] stoly 3 points 7 months ago

I'm surprised. It was surrounded by corruption--Huey P Long, the governor, had two bridges built. Both are named the Huey P Long bridge. He made the one in Baton Rouge (?) low enough that ships can't pass, which ensures that large container ships could never go up the Mississippi and instead have to unload in Louisiana. Also dude had a senator die during his term and never filled it. Last day or so as governor, he appointed himself to be senator and went off to Washington DC. A class act, as you can see.

[–] Toneswirly 3 points 7 months ago

Damn this comment section is a dumpster fire.

[–] Etterra 0 points 7 months ago

1871 Chicagoans: Get on our level, crybabies.

[+] FlyingSquid -7 points 7 months ago (3 children)

“What happened was kind of a travesty,” said Joe Wade, a retired port worker who remembers fishing near the bridge as a child. “I’m not a crier, but … I got emotional.”

Six men died. But sure, cry over not being able to fish by it anymore.

[–] betheydocrime 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Don't you think that's an uncharitable analysis? Joe Wade never said anything like what you're suggesting he did, and the journalist wanted to provide supporting context for the headline's claim about a lost piece of Baltimore cultural identity. We also do not have access to the full interview, only a single line of it--Wade could have said something about the workers, only for the journalist to omit it because that is not what the article is about. The interview would have been very different, with different questions and different answers and a different person being interviewed, if the topic had been the people who died rather than the culture of the city.

I know you're capable of better reading comprehension and media literacy than this, and I don't think you hold a personal grudge against Joe Wade, so what's going on in your personal life to make you have such a negative presupposition about the world?

[–] FlyingSquid -4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Fine, then the journalist is the callous one. One of those two people suggested that the loss of the bridge is a bigger deal than the loss of life. And whichever one of them did so is the one I am criticizing.

[–] betheydocrime 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

No, no one ever suggested that. That is an entirely new sentence that you made up. The only thing that was said is that a person cried, and that that same person fished by the bridge as a child. People can feel emotions for more than one reason at a time.

For real, what is going on in your personal life?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

It is a weird take. There were stories after 9/11 about Sirius the K-9 patrol dog that died in the attacks, but no one was claiming this coverage meant that the dog's life was more important than the many human lives lost. After the initial reporting on the actual events, journalists very often turn to interest stories about very specific aspects and effects of the event. Like, almost every time a major catastrophe happens.

[–] FlyingSquid 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

For real, what is going on in your personal life?

Well, you can start here if you're actually interested: https://lemmy.world/post/12194311

You can move on to here: https://lemmy.world/comment/8841531

Then to here: https://lemmy.world/post/13606683

That will take you from January of 2023 to last Wednesday.

But I doubt you're actually interested.

[–] betheydocrime 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Lemmy is small enough that we can care about each other here, man :) I did read it, and man that really fucking sucks. I've been through some similar stuff before, both with severe food aversion and having a narcissistic parent. I understand why you have a negative view of the world right now, and I hope that your circumstances improve. I also hope that you're able to look at the world more charitably regardless of your circumstances, although I think you've got bigger things on your mind right now than emotional growth and that it's totally reasonable for you to prioritize your physical health.

[–] FlyingSquid 4 points 7 months ago

Thank you.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah people get real defensive about inanimate objects but when some people lose lives it's like their empathy turns into animosity and suddenly culture is more important than lives.

[–] FlyingSquid 0 points 7 months ago

I don't even mind that he's sad about it. It's that he said he cried over it but didn't even mention the men who died. That's just fucking callous.

[–] stoly -1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

We can always count on Flying Squid to come in and say something needlessly hateful.

[–] FlyingSquid 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

If I am needlessly hateful, please flag me for the moderators as that would violate the community rules.

[–] stoly 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I owe you an apology. I misread your comment. I may also have confused with someone who’s not so nice.

[–] FlyingSquid 2 points 7 months ago

No worries.