<!--Rick Forgione--><table width="234" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" background="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/niagaragazette/images/byline_234x60.jpg" height="60"><tr><td><div align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By Rick Forgione</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:rick.forgione@niagara-gazette.com">rick.forgione@niagara-gazette.com</a></font></div></td></tr></table>
I have to admit, I am addicted to Facebook.
For those who aren’t Internet savvy, Facebook is a social networking Internet site that continues to grow in popularity. It allows you to keep in touch with a best friend in another state or reconnect with members of your high school graduating class.
It’s fun to look at pictures and profiles of people you haven’t seen since you had a super-cool mustache and a full head of hair. And it’s always inspiring to find others like me who decided to stay in Niagara Falls after high school and make a living here.
Recently, one of those former classmates sent me a “gift from Niagara Falls” — an application that has more than two dozen photos of things any Falls resident would instantly recognize and relate to.
The photo I got was a tray of Trusellos pizza, bringing back fond memories of me gorging myself on the saucy slices. By accepting the gift, I was granted access to the other icons people associate with my hometown.
You can see where this is going.
Some were positive things like Sal Maglie, DiCamillo’s bread, Viola’s steak and cheese sub, Johnnie Ryan soda, the St. John’s Carnival beer tent and Colosso Taco at 2 a.m. (those last two are for the drinkers).
But the most popular ones being sent were an abandoned Love Canal home, a mob hit, a crooked politician (complete with shamed Eliot Spitzer head shot), a bar fight, dirty snow, potholes, pollution and a crackhead.
So far, I’ve been sent three crackheads, a crooked politician, two potholes and the afore-mentioned pizza tray. In full disclosure, I’ve sent my fair share of crackheads, potholes and dirty snow to my Facebook friends with the mindset of, “This is so Niagara Falls.”
Aside from the gifts, I’ve gotten numerous messages from former residents wondering why I still live here and how every time they come “home” it’s worse than before.
I bring this up because I spend hours upon hours each year covering meetings filled with politicians and others stressing the need to be positive about the city and how a brighter future is just around the corner.
I hope that’s true, I really do.
The problem is, a lot of real people in our city don’t share that opinion, and anyone who has the audacity to point out the quality of life around here isn’t up to par is written off as being too negative and not part of the solution.
I’m sure I will take some criticism for writing this column, but the fact is I’m just echoing what many of our fellow residents are saying about our city. They may not be the same people attending black-tie dinners or donating to political campaigns, but their opinions do count.
If how we view ourselves is what really matters, we have a longer way to go than some want to admit.
