fort lauderdale and cruise line and 2006

From the moment I stepped out of my plane in Fort Lauderdale on April 22, en route to a seven-day cruise around the Caribbean, I could almost feel the sense of "growth" that was in the air. As a matter of fact, Fort Lauderdale in 2006 reminded me of the mentality of a lot of America in the mid to late 1980s--that our best days were ahead of us, that economic growth was in the air, and that you had better buy now or forever lose tremendous opportunities to cash in on astronomical profits. But what I discovered, also, is that one of the signs of growth-oriented cultures is that they become laden with cliches. It is almost as if the desire for growth so trumps every other human longing so that we lose our capacity to think in interesting or fresh ways. Everything, then, including our language, becomes subservient to the overall image of growth.

By The Numbers

I have always been fascinated by demographic information about the United States. We soon (probably in October 2006) will pass 300,000,000 people in this country, a number nearly double the population when I was born in 1952 (the official US population in 1950 was 151+ million). In that same period the state of Florida has risen from about the middle of the pack (2.7+ million) to fourth in population (17+ million as of 2003), while New York, once the Empire State in fact as well as in name, declined from the largest to the third largest state in population, even as it increased from 14.8+ million in 1950 to 19.1+ million in 2003. If the estimates and trends can be accurately extrapolated, Florida now has about 18.1 million while New York has 19.3 million; Florida will "catch" New York about the end of 2009 or early in 2010. The real growth story, however, is Arizona, which has gone from a population of just under 750,000 in 1950 to more than 5.5 million today. I don't think I will live to see Arizona pass New York in population, but it will be in the top ten in the next 20 years, I predict.

Accounting for some of Florida's astonishing growth of nearly 3 million per decade since 1950 is Broward County, whose largest city is Ft. Lauderdale. A recent study from the county planning commission says that by 2012 all the vacant land in the county will be developed, which will require innovative ways to "fill in" the underdeveloped or partially-developed areas. Much of the growth is in retirees, who seem to like the mild climate (though it is a little hot for my tastes); yet it also is an area which is adding lots of jobs each year. Thus, the tone in the air is one of growth promotion. I saw the telltale signs of it on an area map and the Travelhost Magazine in my hotel room.

Back to Cliches

I said above that one of the results of living in a "high growth" mentality, whether it is in population, revenue or even church growth, is that you begin to leave all your critical faculties to one side as you drink heavy draughts of the elixir of growth. Another sign is that you tend to use the language and adopt the style of "luxury" or "luxuriant living" which is supposed to go with the spirit of growth. Here is how Ft. Lauderdale stacks up on those fronts.

1. In studying the map of the "Greater Fort Lauderdale" ("GFL") area, I was astonished to see so many golf courses highlighted. Whereas the Portland (OR) area, with a population the same size of Broward County, might have a dozen golf courses, GFL has 33. How do I know? I counted them. Twice. "Fairway living," as I call it, has become the craze of the 1990s and 2000s among people upwardly inclined but who want to project the sense that recreation lies at the essence of their being. So, GFL offers lots of opportunities to explore this kind of life.

2. One way you can tell a place has upward-leaning inclinations is by how many words it adds "e's" to the end of when they are not necessary. Let me illustrate. When I took my son to NYC for the first time (1995), we stayed at "Trump Parque" on Central Park South. I managed to stay there because a woman in my congregation in Hutchinson, KS had a son who was a partner in one of NYC's largest law firms and she told him to give us the firm apartment in Trump Parque while we were visiting NYC. The officious doorman who greeted us at the door tried to shoo us away--because NO ONE in jeans entered his building--but I brandished the keys to the unit, and he meekly had to retreat. In any case, my son (eight years old at the time) asked me why they spelled "Park" with a "que." I told him that this was what people do who want to charge you more. They put an "e" or some French letters on the end of something and then can make you pay a lot more because you think you are staying in more luxurious accommodations. I noticed that Ft. Lauderdale had caught the "e" disease more than most other places. I think I will even refer to it in the future as the "Land of 'E's." For example, there are many "Grille's" where you can eat, while Oregon mostly has "Grill's." I stayed at the "Grande Hotel," which was supposed to be grander by an "e" than the Grand, but I think they put the "e" on the marqueee (notice I added an "e" because I am feeling sophisticated now) instead of upgrading the rooms. Then, on looking at the map, I noticed that one of the Country Clubs is called the "Palm Aire Country Club," and an exclusive shopping center a few miles away is called the "Weston Towne Center." Lots of "e's"; a sign that the community is trying a bit too hard.

Trying Hard in Real Estate

Then I read the Travelhost Magazine and was bombarded with words bespeaking luxury and elegant living. Well, that is the nature of these magazines, but I think the Ft. Lauderdale edition outstrips anything I have ever seen. There are the typical ads for celebrity restaurants (Don Shula, the legendary Miami Dolphins coach, predictably has a steak restaurant--I wonder why no former NFL coach or player has a tofu restaurant...), but then the adjectives start flowing. You can buy a condo at the St Regis, for example, with its "impeccable" five-star services, "gourmet" restaurant, and "spectacular, lushly landscaped pool deck" (I hope they have a little concrete, too). Then there are numerous ads featuring energetic, smiling real estate agents who would love to sell me a "luxury home" or an "elegant condo" with "stunning views" in an "exquisite location" with "excellent dockage" (the city has the advantage of being on the Intracoastal Waterway). One of the ads I loved the most was of a 24 year-old Jewish (he stresses he grew up in Israel) real estate agent who already owns his own agency, has 20 people working for him ("with plans to grow") and doesn't do something unless he can "give 150%." Why can't we just be satisfied with 100% anymore, especially, as the experts tell us, that we are only using a portion of our brain's capacity at any moment? My friend, with whom I was traveling, said, "Hm. I think Roi might be a little much for me."

So, I left Ft. Lauderdale on my cruise on April 23. Instead of being greeted at the docks by people for whom English was a second language, all the people moving the line along were retirees from the East, usually New York and New Jersey. It seemed that they were all named Lois or Frank, and that they drove cabs for 30 years until they had enough money to get out of Yonkers. But that is another story, for another day...

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