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Donegal Society supports local charities

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WVCA benefits from “Super Smash Bros for Wii U” tournament

<p>Would it be a good idea to &#8230;</p><p>&#8230; raise the vibrancy of downtown Wilkes-Barre, and the spirits of people who go there, by peppering the place with uplifting messages?</p><p>That&#8217;s the suggestion an anonymous individual, who provided only the first name Jack, recently sent to the Times Leader. &#8220;The city should try a little experiment,&#8221; an email stated.</p><p>&#8220;Place large signs around Public Square with positive messages like &#8216;Feel good about yourself.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>The writer offered these additional possibilities for signboard snippets, which are brief even by today&#8217;s Twitter standards: &#8220;Smile and say hello to passersby,&#8221; &#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a great day,&#8221; &#8220;Enjoy your shopping experience in Wilkes-Barre,&#8221; &#8220;Think happy thoughts&#8221; and &#8220;Check out the restaurants; you know you&#8217;re hungry.&#8221;</p><p>To make the statements especially eye-catching for shoppers and others on city sidewalks, the writer suggested incorporating bright colors. &#8220;When people look at positive messages,&#8221; the email from &#8220;Jack&#8221; stated, &#8220;it will send a subliminal message to their brains. People will react to what they see and read.&#8221;</p><p>The idea seemingly springs from the same thinking that, for a decade or more, has prompted artists to counteract blight in many American urban and suburban shopping districts, including Wilkes-Barre, by painting murals on vacant buildings. In 2004, participants in a mural project here were encouraged to envision what kinds of shops or eateries <em>might</em> occupy a particular empty space, then create that scene in the window for others to see.</p><p>Likewise, in 2007, members of the nonprofit Arts YOUniverse partnered with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry on a downtown projected called &#8220;If The Walls Could Talk.&#8221; Quotation bubbles containing the wisdom of, for instance, Albert Einstein &#8211; &#8220;Imagination is more important than knowledge&#8221; &#8211; were brushed onto various windows and walls.</p><p>Nearly nine years later, could the city&#8217;s downtown benefit from a dose of pithy, feel-good public statements?</p><p>Or does the notion strike you as pathetic pop psychology?</p><p>Give us your feedback by sending a letter to the editor or posting comments to this editorial at timesleader.com. Likewise, tell us your ideas for improving the community and making area residents&#8217; lives better. Maybe we&#8217;ll spotlight your suggestion in a future editorial and ask readers, &#8220;Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Could downtown Wilkes-Barre benefit from brightly colored signs with pithy, feel-good messages? Or does the notion strike you as pathetic pop psychology? In either case, have a great day. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Downtown.jpg</photo0><caption0>Could downtown Wilkes-Barre benefit from brightly colored signs with pithy, feel-good messages? Or does the notion strike you as pathetic pop psychology? In either case, have a great day. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: This proposal for downtown Wilkes-Barre will make you smile; or maybe not