Monday, July 14, 2008

Anatomy of WestbrookWorks.org

Tom Bell's article about Pike's controversial plans for expansion on Spring Street (see below) features a reference to WestbrookWorks, a coalition of businesses--ARTEL, Creative Office Pavilion, Idexx Laboratories, Smiling Hill Farm, and WPME-TV--and individuals--Kathy Costa, Lisa Estey, and Paul Levesque-- who oppose Pike's expansion.

Located at an eponymous website, WestbrookWorks dubs itself "a coalition for a stronger, cleaner city." And its website features a wonderful collection of background reading for the uninitiated viewer, a skimpy and one-sided perspective regarding Pike's proposed expansion, the various reasons for the coalition's opposition to Pike's expansion, a Q & A section, and a primer on how to get involved.

The best part, though, is the website's "Local Impact" section. Besides featuring a cartoonishly drafty home complemented with a list of the assorted drawbacks Pike's expansion might have on the neighborhood, this section has an embedded YouTube video entitled "Asphalt Stinks." Apparently made to protest a asphalt company's move of its "smoking POS" to Rockford, IL, the video was made by a YouTuber whose hobbies include "[d]estroying greedy corporations" and whose list of favorite books includes Economic Fascism in the 21st Century.

Ah, nothing sweeter than business-on-business violence (figuratively speaking, of course) perpetuated by the camerawork of an anti-corporate (and phlegmy) zealot.

- John C.L. Morgan

(Disclosure: My wife is employed by Idexx)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for drawing my attention to the youtube video, I hadn't noticed that on the westbrook works site.

It may be childish. I'm wondering how Pike will respond. Which would be more effective?...

A. A webstite devoted to the virtues of asphalt, or

B. A website devoted to BioTech evils.