The Rick Kupchella documentary “A Precarious State” was clearly designed to dominate Minnesota’s political conversation. The program aired on Hubbard Broadcasting stations last Thursday, Oct. 2.
My column today responds to Kupchella’s documentary. You may have already seen partisan reactions to the film, including the stunning fact that we still don’t know who paid for the production or to put it on the air. But I’m not focusing on that.
See, I’m not in the business of defending local politics in Minneapolis. Watching from the outside, I see why it annoys people. But I would likewise contend that the politics in small towns would be equally confounding and concerning to outsiders. We all have our weird stuff, based on the weird people who live in our places.
Cities, towns and rural places share many problems, it’s just that the city magnifies them with density and volume. Contrary to the politically charged message of “A Precarious State,” replacing four city councilors in the state’s largest city won’t fix all our woes.
The program asks many tough questions, but could ask a few more. For instance, when did we become a society run by landlords and their uninterrupted cash flow? People with money, access and power aren’t inherently wise, a fact that this film was built to ignore.
Anyway, I think there are some common struggles across this state, and unheralded opportunities to overcome them.
Read “We do live in ‘A Precarious State,’ but place-baiting won’t solve anything,” in the Wednesday, Oct. 8 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
