What does it mean to be "Postindustrial?"

What does it mean to be "Postindustrial?"

Despite having “United” in its name, the United States is still very much a nation divided along regional, economic, ethnic, racial, and, yes, sports team allegiances. 

While we at Postindustrial Media (www.postindustrial.com) recognize our divides are difficult to overcome, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. And by all accounts, some of you already have through your work, art, and good deeds. 

In addition to providing informative and entertaining stories, podcasts, and more, our goal at Postindustrial is to unite a region already with much in common and reason to come together for the common good, from city to city, town to town, and across state lines. We are a region that has given rise to industries and innovations that have transformed our nation, including steel, aluminum, hospitals, and more. We innovate and reinvent. 

“Postindustrial America,” what others refer to as the Rust Belt, Midwest, and Appalachia, has demonstrated that it can come together in these difficult times and will continue to do so once we move past them. 

How? You may ask. 

Simply put, Postindustrial people have proven to be the key to a brighter future for all. 

That’s not to say the work is already done, far from it. 

Because let’s face it, Postindustrial America is too often misunderstood by the legacy media and reduced to stereotypes about out-of-work steelworkers (one which hasn’t been relevant for decades) and flyover-country farmers. 

We all know that’s not the case.

Postindustrial folks are brilliant scientists and physicians working to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and develop other lifesaving medical advances. 

They are inspiring community leaders and activists who refuse to accept the status quo of racial injustice while fighting for a more equitable future for all. Much of that movement has been tested in parts of the region, such as Kenosha, Wis., and Rochester, N.Y., among others.

They are artists and musicians whose passion and talent light up Postindustrial America and are recognized and celebrated around the world. More dancers on Broadway graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh than from any other school in the country.

They are innovators reimagining our day-to-day so that future generations will enjoy a better tomorrow.

They are hard-working, fun-loving, individualists who recognize that fighting for the common good doesn’t come at the expense of their individual freedom. In fact, it makes all of us free in ways that the go-it-alone attitude of our current president and his acolytes fail to deliver.

They are intelligent, capable, and creative in their everyday lives, juggling hectic schedules while making time for a neighbor in need.

They are kind and fiercely loyal to your families, friends, and even those you don’t know because they hail from your community, city, state, and region.

They are proud of your local ways, though the first to enjoy a well-crafted joke about your respective quirks. Cinnamon on chili in Cincinnati? That sounds crazy, but let’s give it a try.

In short, all this and more is what makes you Postindustrial.

In recent years, the Postindustrial Community has set a positive example for others by putting aside petty and destructive tribalism along those regional, economic, ethnic, and racial lines to come together and celebrate our similarities and differences loudly and proudly for all to see and hear.

But don’t worry — we’re still rivals on football Sundays, and on baseball diamonds, trading semi-legal checks on the ice and banging the boards in basketball.

Some things in Postindustrial America will never change.

Nor should they.