Quantcast

Brand our El stops, too

Friday, January 25, 2013
By Jeremy Bressman

Asia on Argyle signage. Credit: 48th Ward Office

 

On Wednesday the above sign was errected at the first Red Line El stop south of Edgewater in Uptown, Argyle.  The sign design itself was conceptualized under Mary Ann Smith’s adminstration with community feedback in 2010 and then installed by CDOT, however the reactions to the installation have been extremely negative when the current administration posted the above photo to the 48th Ward Office Facebook page.  The Ward office then posted this response:

“Thank you for your feedback – we appreciate it. This is not the final product. Decorative pavers will be installed under the viaduct, more color will be added to the columns and it will be illuminated at night. My predecessor held a community process while this was being designed by CDOT. As we move forward with the Argyle Streetscape, we invite you all to be a part of the design process. There will be community meetings held this summer. Sign up for a weekly newsletter to stay tuned!”

Despite the negativity around the design, we thought it would be fun to expand the concept north to our Red Line stations here in Edgewater.  How would you brand each stop?  Here are a few possibilities:

  • Thuggin’ on Thorndale

  • Beaching on Bryn Mawr

  • (Gang) Banging on Berwyn

  • Learning @ Loyola

Tags: , , ,

  • YappysDogTreats

    Glad I’m not the only person who thinks this is hideous. At least make the stupid text fit on the stupid sign without cutting off any of the stupid letters. And who chose those colors? Did someone lose at color wheel roulette?

    • bdickus2001

      “Did someone lose at color wheel roulette?”

      Thanks for demonstrating your total lack of awareness and understanding for anything that is not white-Euro-centric.

      The colors were chosen due to their significance to and frequent use by East Asian cultures.

      • Jasper Beardly

        Fine and good. Why so nasty?

      • YappysDogTreats

        Wouldn’t be the internet if people didn’t misinterpret your tone and get angry about it.

      • Bess

        I am 100% Southeast Asian and born and raised in Asia but I find that sign hideously ugly. Looks like the plastic letters/signs on plastic boards over fish/meat in supermarkets and fastfood restaurants. I don’t know how Asian equates with garish bright loud colors, plasticky looks and giant cut-off letters.

  • PassTheBatonAlready

    This IS really bad but all hail “diversity”. The Asian motif on the platform is a bit overboard and just lipstick on a pig itself. I just think it’s hilarious that a recent real estate listing up the road mentioned “just blocks away from Little Vietnam” (I’m serious). I no longer walk down Argyle because of the random gunfire. At least that restaurant that sat as a burned out hull for upwards of 3 years has finally been rebuilt. Progress.
    In all PC fairness, you need to add “Bangin’ on Berwyn”, “Bendin’ Over on Bryn Mawr”, “Thuggin’ On Thorndale”, “Watch Out On Wilson”, “Western European Wellington”, “Full Wallets Fullerton”, “Diva Dudes Diversey”, “Jivin’ Jarvis”, “Ballerina Boys Belmont”, “Add A Shot Addison”…….

  • bdickus2001

    I realize you’re being facetious with your suggestions, but here’s what your puns equate to:

    Thuggin’ on Thorndale = racist = ignorance

    Beaching on Bryn Mawr = there is no beach at Bryn Mawr = ignorance

    (Gang) Banging on Berwyn = racist = ignorance

    Learning @ Loyola = lacking in creativity

    • Jasper Beardly

      I think I see what you’re getting at, but I believe you’re reaching.

      “Thuggin’ on Thorndale = racist” Are there gangs in that area, or not? (There most certainly are.) If there are, why is it racist to make note of that?

      By the way, you seem to be implying that racism can be addressed through education (or, generally, something opposed to ignorance). Unfortunately, that seems overly optimistic.

    • Chris

      They were extremely accurate. It’s not racist – it’s 100% true. If black gang bangers don’t want to be offended by being called thugs at Thorndale – then they should stop being thugs at Thorndale.

      Also – Bryn Mawr is the stop you get off to walk directly down Bryn Mawr and right onto Hollywood Beach.

      You are seriously reaching.

    • edgeH20mike

      bdickus wowzers, have a sense of humor pal! I thought the suggestions were funny, and sad but true at the same time…

      My guess is you’re an internet troll that does not live in the neighborhood? b/c everyone knows that 1) berwyn and thorndale have recently had BAD gang/shooting problems and 2) on any given summer weekend day hoards of people flock down Bryn Mawr with coolers, towels chairs, etc to Osterman/Hollywood beach…

    • Astronaut Mike Dexter

      Even if the suggestions were racist/ignorant, it wouldn’t make them any worse than reducing the largely Vietnamese merchants of Argyle as just being Asian. Thus, entirely appropriate.

  • Lisa B

    I agree the sign looks VERY poorly done. Like it was made to the wrong size and they had to fix it by chopping off the top & bottom. And altho I know it was un-PC, we’ve always called it Little-Chinatown. Although Little Vietnam is more accurate. So I guess Asia on Argyle is the most inclusive. I think your ideas for the other stops are funny. How ’bout Gang-bangin’ in on Granville!? Sorry bdickus2001!

  • Brian

    Wow this is offensive, is in no way funny . EdgeVille Buzz Classy to the core.

  • Jim Olson

    This is awful. I am so deathly ill of names on everything. Can’t we just leave well enough alone?

  • D

    Wait, I am confused, they really want to put a sign that says Asia on Argyle? That’s weird.
    Thorndale is always going to be known sketchy with gangbangers until they get rid of them.

  • Florence

    The sign at Argyle is the kind of stupidity we learned to expect from the previous administration. That’s why we got rid of it. How much did she pay a consultant for that one? Far more appropriate was the pagoda that used to be on top of the station.

  • Tubaplayer

    Learning @ Loyola? How about raping at Loyola? Funny how that is kept quiet.

  • Erick Ocasio

    I find the names that you have posted on here offensive. I am a business owner in Edgewater and I will certainly bring this up at the next Andersonville and Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. It is absolutely racist and ignorant to even include name possibilities like that.. I ask that you bring those names down.

Become A Member: Get Email Updates
Become a member today, support your neighborhood news and stay in the loop. Members receive a special email update every week.

Member Me!