The Origin of The Uneasy Optimist

Just a few words on the origins of the title "The Uneasy Optimist."

A few years ago over a cup of coffee I was describing my doctoral dissertation research interest to a well-read colleague with quite a bit of exposure to, and experience in, issues related to urban education.  I told him I was researching the ways the external community could be mobilized to support urban educational reform.  My theory was that community, defined here more broadly than just parents but including non-profits, faith based group, the business community, politicians, really any stakeholder with an interest in the neighborhood school, could be a valuable partner in school improvement.  After proudly detailing my perspective, my colleague announced confidently that this theory "would not work."  He quickly tempered his remark by saying community involvement might have a little positive impact, but he simply did not share my optimism about its potential contribution.

Another time I told someone I really believed better transportation for city residents could help them find better employment opportunities.  My theory, shared by many, was that jobs are out there, but people in urban areas do not have adequate transportation choices.  An absence of good transportation was a primary obstacle to jobs and employment.  My friend, unfurling a scowl, basically told me this argument is merely an excuse people use to not work.  He believed if someone wanted to work, they would figure out a way to get to the job.  Unlike my earlier friend, he did not temper his remarks at all.

I cite both these anecdotal examples to bear out three important points: 1) Much of my thinking about ways to solve problems facing urban areas begin with an orientation toward optimism, 2)  The reality that a lot of really smart people rely less on theory and more on reality to dismiss my many suggestions for positive change, and, 3) While I have spent the past eight years convincing myself there are solutions to conditions facing urban areas, in the back of my mind I struggle to balance initiatives that are, at these most basic level, quite optimistic with the arguments presented by the great majority of people. Thus, "The Uneasy Optimist" is meant to convey the intellectual struggle I engage in with myself on a continual basis.

It is also meant to convey the belief that I am right and they are wrong. You just have to try.