Now I’ve found another one to avoid like the plague — cliche used on purpose here — and that is “low hanging fruit.”
I’ve heard it twice now and scratched my head at what they were trying to say.
The Urban Dictionary describes the term like this: Targets or goals which are easily achievable and which do not require a lot of effort.
My word processing program doesn’t like the term “a lot of,” either, and will underline it once it is typed. It is called an informal qualifier.
So now that I understand what low hanging fruit means, I will go out of my way to avoid it, like the proverbial plague.
What officials say when they talk about low hanging fruit is grants which are easy to obtain, grants which are like taking candy from a baby.
I think looking for low hanging fruit is admirable in tight economic times but to just search for the ones that are in reach seems to me to be saying we’re not worthy of the high hanging fruit.
Go for the low hanging fruit but take your ladder. If others know about low hanging fruit then they are going to be going for it, too. If everyone’s going for the low hanging fruit you create competition for the easy stuff while neglecting something higher on the tree that may take more effort to get but bring you higher rewards.
RRRR
Still waiting to hear if there will be a hearing in civil court next week for the injunction on the Roanoke Rapids Theatre.
One should hope there will be. Lafayette Gatling and his attorneys have dragged this further than they should have.
We’re getting reports the grass is high again and there has been no show at the ailing venue for sometime. Being in a mood to reach for the low hanging fruit I’m not going to research it, but it’s been awhile since there’s been a real show out there.
On a related note, talked with City Manager Paul Sabiston today following the RABA meeting and he confirms what I said on WPTM this morning, that the upkeep of the building, mowing and utilities bills are Gatling’s responsibility.
If there are fruit trees at the theater, there should be plenty of low hanging fruit that’s probably rotted because Gatling is not pruning the trees.
RRRR
We haven’t had an editorial lately. I should tell you the policy on editorials for rrspin.com is simple: Don’t write an editorial daily just so you’ll have an editorial, have an editorial once a year because you believe in it and can stand behind it.
I don’t go for low hanging fruit when it comes to editorials. I will tell you I’m crafting one in my mind on the tolling issue, which I will most likely come out against.
The state hasn’t done much to convince me they’ve not already decided to toll I-95. They say no decision has been reached, but ask them about funding options and the scenario is piecemeal it so none of us will be alive when it is completed and the process will start again. Tolling is an option, they say, but there are no other options.
Looks like the state is reaching for the low hanging fruit, but not willing to choose other trees to pick drooping fruit from, that fruit being the drivers and the trees being I-85, I-40 and I-77 — LM
