Q: Do you think that this lengthy profile of Amanda Burden is fair and/or unbiased? Does the writer (Julie Satow) reveal her own point-of-view?
Q: What image are we left with of Burden?
Although author Julie Satow clearly intended for her profile of Amanda Burden to be unbiased and neutral, I could not help but get a message of critical discontent that the author has for the Director of City Planning. The title itself, “Amanda Burden Wants to Remake New York. She Has 19 Months Left.”, assumes that Ms. Burden is merely a inexperienced newcomer with no prior accomplishment in the industry and has an unattainable goal, which the author sarcastically states has the short time limit of 19 months.
The profile opens with a brief description of Burden’s distinct appearance. It is one, according to the author, that is incredibly different than her surroundings. While she had a “…sheath dress, impossibly thin, and with a blonde bob reminiscent of the “Mad Men” 60’s…” assumes that Burden is an outsider, whose overly outlandish demeanor, dress, and ideas are simply part of a glamorous and idealistic television show, rendering her incapable of making pragmatic decisions aligned with the public’s interests, and making her blind to the consequences of said decisions.
Throughout the profile we are introduced to Ms. Burdens many accomplishments, and then immediately reminded of her critics’ disapproval in every strategy and project that she had carried out. She had created a huge development of parkland and waterfront in her tenure, yet the critics said her ambitions leave no place for working-class New Yorkers. She had always been very keen on paying attention to the fine details of projects, yet that had led to criticism and unrest among those needing that have to deal with her frustrating micromanaging.
I believe Satow included the section of her affluent upbringing and socialite past to emphasize that the control of New York’s planning and infrastructure should not lie in a woman who has come from such a foreign world than the many working-class New Yorkers who will inevitably be affected by her ambitious decision making. Yet, luckily for all of us, there are a mere 19 months left in this experiment.
