I don’t understand why some people feel that they need to ascribe emotional feelings to others. Do they subconsciously realize that their own argument is based on emotion and so they fear losing an argument based on fact? I don’t know but I find it interesting. There is another piece in the Star today that opens with:

Kansas Citians are being asked to jilt their beloved KCI. Of course, they’re reluctant. The airport’s in-and-out convenience born of its unique trio of semi-circular terminals has a solid hold on their hearts. Mine, too.

Why do we have to dumb down the conversation? I recall someone, it might have been Russ Johnson, opining that people were emotionally attached to Kemper Arena and that is why they were against the Sprint Center. No. I know of no one emotionally attached to Kemper. I DO know people who did not like the idea of tossing out an arena that had just been renovated and I know people who knew that we would not attract the touted NBA or NHL franchise but would rather simply be used by teams to negotiate new arenas in their existing towns. These people are not emotionally connected to infrastructure, they are emotionally connected to not doing something stupid. That said, I fall into the above categories and I still voted FOR the Sprint Center as I felt it fixed the even greater mistake that was Kemper. However, KCI is a different situation.

The article continues…

Our love affair with the 1972-built KCI has bloodied the advocates of a new airport, a point made in a Page One story in the Sunday Star. Their arguments for single-terminal design have largely been drowned out.

This is hilarious. In one sentence, those who are questioning the current proposal are reduced to emotional, irrational people; are insulted for being so stupid as to consider not destroying a top-rated airport that is (gasp) FORTY years-old; are made abusers of those who are pushing the proposal and are essentially reduced to a loud, unruly mob. Well played.

For months we’ve had this proposal presented to us as something inevitable. In fact, Councilman Ed Ford said, “It’s going to happen regardless of whether our citizens want it to happen.” For months we waited for the REAL facts, supporting evidence and justification to appear because all that was being presented, apart from its comedic effects, could barely justify the time spent to read the presentation. So now our arguments are “drowning out” the Aviation Department, City Hall and to a large degree, the media??? I think not.

So in the interest of a full and fair debate, let’s for a few paragraphs give the advocates of a single terminal their say.

Ok, that was simply too funny to leave out.

Take a minute and go read the rest of the column here. Join the discussion and leave a comment there and if you have time, come back here and do likewise. But please try, TRY to keep your emotions <sniff> in check AND don’t be a big bully.

 

 

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