I did not know this. There is a National Kumquat Day in America, along with the many other national days we hear about, and sometimes celebrate. I don’t believe we have a National Communications Day, but there is an International Communications Day. So maybe, the time has come to establish our very own USA Communications Day.
This could be a day for contemplating communication. There’s plenty of it. More than ever. You hear lots of narratives, a word used, increasingly, with regard to communication. Narratives are spoken, or written, accounts of various things.
Reading “Looking into the Town Government’s Crystal Ball,” Bill Hudson’s editorial series about the Town Council’s annual meeting to discuss spending and policy priorities for Pagosa Springs, brings communication – and narratives – to mind.
Narratives can reflect various styles of communication. Like, for example, communication designed to advocate for something. Advocacy happens a lot in meetings. From reading Mr. Hudson’s editorials, it seems there was plenty of advocacy going on, as spending and policy discussions were underway.
Narratives, sometimes, reflect other styles of communication, for example, direct, solid and serious communication, as well as whimsical and creative communication, and another category that comes to mind… unique communication, narratives that may be open to interpretation.
The manner in which various priorities — those involving property development, for example — were communicated during the Town Council meeting, would, perhaps, fall in the unique communications category.
From what I’ve been reading and seeing in pictures, Pagosa Springs has considerable charm and history. Not quite — but, in some ways — like the charm and history my family and I appreciated in some of the small communities along the peninsula, south of San Francisco, when we moved to the area, years ago.
Small communities, like San Carlos, San Mateo and Burlingame, had a pleasant, nice old style. But, that’s been changing, over the past several decades. The charming, old train depot in San Carlos, is now largely hidden, surrounded by condo and apartment complexes. The old café, inside the depot, where folks used to stop by for an eggs and pancakes breakfast, and lunchtime sandwiches, was shut down when the decision was made to build a sleek, new building in the small parking lot where café patrons once parked their cars. Small, family-owned businesses in the three communities, and elsewhere, are slowly giving way to other types of business. The main streets are losing their old charm.
You wonder what unique narratives were used to encourage buy-in, as spending and policy priorities were being discussed during meetings in communities dotting the SF peninsula.
Speaking of unique narratives, how about those unique narratives, out Washington DC way? There’s seldom any shortage of them, these days. They’re even becoming quite predictable.
If, let’s say, you’re out camping, far from civilization, without any connectivity, could you guess who said, the other day: “If I lose to Biden, get ready to ‘have to learn to speak Chinese.’”
I was in grade school the last time I heard someone say something like that. You’d hear kids, your age, coming up with guff, sounding quite similar, in a way.
Here’s another one… a certain somebody’s unique communication in a tweet targeting Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican, for heaven’s sake! “RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he’s got it (Thank you President T), gone rogue, again.”
That’s another example of what I heard at recess, a long, long time ago.
Guessing who tweeted about Senator Sasse should be pretty easy. The all-cap words and such, are revealing. And SOOO predictable.
Let’s hear it for unique narratives! Happy USA Communications Day!
The Pagosa Daily Post welcomes submissions, photos, letters and videos from people who love Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Call 970-903-2673 or email pagosadailypost@gmail.com