Why is InCity Times free? Why is Worcester Magazine free? But the T&G wants money. Who in their right mind would pay for Worcester Magazine or ICT. Come to think of it, or the T&G.Thinking out loud here, would you pay to read any local blog? Nope!
Leads us to the subject of journalism in Wusta. Or better put, the lack of.
The Worcester of the 50’s, when it was a metropolis bustling with happy shiny people flocking to a vibrant downtown, a single tax rate hovering in the mid-50’s per thousand, a literate population supporting two full-fledged newspapers. With real journalists too!
Fast forward to Worcester 2012. Downtown is deader than a doornail, the population is morose, suffering under a stagnant economy sucked dry by non-profits and a tax policy determined to eradicate homeownership, and now, just a single newspaper - the T&G. And a couple pseudos - a weekly, Worcester Magazine and a tabloid, InCity Times.
Without a doubt times have changed around here. Got lots more degreed folks around, but you wouldn't know it by looking at Worcester's blogosphere. Or the T&G. Or Worcester’s other media outlets. Unfortunately none of it for the better. Sure the T&G collects NENPA awards every year. WOMAG too. Bought and paid for.
Awards, um… What about InCity Times? No awards. No nuttin. Notoriety yes, just no awards. There’s a good reason and it’s called Rosalie Tirella. As owner, publisher, resident intellectual, political shaker & mover, advocate of Worcester’s downtrodden white masses (she don’t like minorities), and wanna-be writer. Oh, and vegan. She's got some pretty impressive credentials eh? Just kidding.
Can’t be a journalist if you can’t journalize. Can’t be a publisher if you can’t publish. Can’t be a writer if you can’t write. Sums up Rosalie Tirella.
A midlife crisis is weighing on Rosalie Tirella. Her thoughts always trail back to her adolescent anguish. How to deal with it? A psychiatrist maybe? Got no money.
Write about it! Immortalize herself! But for who? She has no children, no husband, no boyfriend, no girlfriend, no family, no friends. Just a dog and a whole host of inner demons. So, for posterity then. So she made her story filler for InCity Times - a showcase for her pathetic life.
Although Rosalie Tirella is chronologically 53, her mind is that of a 12 year old haunted by the specter of an absent father and for that reason men have become the bane of her existence - the failed relationships, the self-destructive behavior, the violence, confrontation with male authority figures etc.
Without a doubt Rosie's sure got some serious issues. Funny thing, in her warped reality Rosalie Tirella sees herself as a victim.
Pink Gloves, Rosalie Tirella’s recent attempt at introspective writing, an effort dealing with her deprived childhood. 40 years later and she's still whining.
To be continued...
