Leave it to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Eugene Kane to snuff out enthusiasm and joy.
Kane puts his unique spin on the idyllic Happy Days.
"Fonz bronze reminds some of happier times"
Given the current state of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods, it would be welcome relief to have Richie, Potsie and the gang representing the only youth problem in town. The TV world of “Happy Days” featured lots of positive aspects for residents of the time: plenty of good jobs; good public schools; honest government; and a homogenous community.
...I think the Fonzie statue will inspire some to harken back to the days Milwaukee had a lot more people and a lot fewer problems.
Back when factories like Allis-Chalmers could pay a high school graduate a solid middle-class wage. Back when nobody questioned whether Richie Cunningham received a solid education at his public high school because his teachers kept in regular touch with his parents. Back when "Mr. and Mrs. C" never worried when he took the car out at night because there was no danger of carjackings or drive-by shootings.
Nobody worried Joanie would come home pregnant because girls her age didn't get pregnant. The Cunninghams lived in the city, not the suburbs, and they were proud of it.
There was little racial diversity unless you counted my man Sticks, the sole black cast member during one brief season and later Arnold, the Asian-American who took over the hamburger joint. But it never seemed like Richie and the gang avoided mixing with other races; there simply weren't any around.
Between 1956 and 1960, the African-American community in Milwaukee nearly tripled to 62,000. Combined with challenging economic conditions and a lack of industrial jobs, the influx of low-income minority residents created dynamics still in play today.
That's why it was hard for some of us to accept "Happy Days" in the 1970s depicting a Milwaukee of the 1950s. Things were changing.
In the past 25 years, I have seen the city change in significant ways. It's much richer in diversity than ever, and our schedule of summertime festivals can rival those of any other place in the nation. It's also a much tougher place to live, particularly for young people; frankly, I get the sense someone as innocent as Richie Cunningham would have a hard time in some parts of town today.
Oh good grief.
What has caused the change in the city, Eugene?
Is it all economics? Is it all about jobs?
Is it all beyond our control? Have we no personal responsibility for the condition of our communities and the quality of our lives?
Maybe Richie succeeded in school because he worked hard. Maybe he understood his parents' expectations and those expectations were that he apply himself and do his best. Maybe he wanted his parents to be proud of him and he took pride in himself.
Maybe car-jackings and drive-by-shootings didn't factor in to the Cunninghams' world because they weren't threatened by kids aspiring to be thugs. Rather than kids being eager to embrace the thug culture, most stayed in school and worked to better themselves, benefiting from the educational opportunities that were, and still are, there for the taking.
Maybe Joanie didn't get pregnant because she lived by a different moral code, instilled by her parents. Mr. and Mrs. C. were always there for guidance.
Unlike Kane, I get the feeling that Richie Cunningham would be as grounded and successful in today's world as he was when he came of age. His conscience and integrity were fostered by his loving parents. Character and honor and morals are taught. He learned his lessons well.
I don't think a present day Mr. and Mrs. C. would raise Richie and Joanie any differently than they did back in that simpler time.
Remember, someday, NOW will be that "simpler, happier time."
Perhaps "the fault, dear Eugene, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
Just a thought.
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