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Health & Fitness

Signs of Culture in Bethlehem. Oh, really?

Behavioral patterns among different neighborhood populations in Bethlehem show evidence of culture.

Behavioral patterns among different neighborhood populations in Bethlehem show evidence of culture.

What is culture? Well, you could say that culture is defined as the presence of distinct behavioral variants, which can be demonstrated by the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement.

In Bethlehem, you can see signs of culture in, well, let’s say -- signs.

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Take for example, a sign for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Lovely. Gives one a sense of class and culture. This is Bethlehem! Or, more recently developed is a sign for a non-profit organization that celebrates arts and culture, in Bethlehem of Pennsylvania, ArtsQuest.

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It’s getting to be a far cry from the blue-collar culture of the City built by the culture of Bethlehem Steel. There are remnants of The Steel, the blast furnaces, now called – SteelStacks. The Stacks are supported by the Sands Casino, and the Sands has introduced their own sign, which helps introduce another new cultural artifact to Bethlehem.

The SteelStacks is an incorporation of the old culture into the new, an arts & cultural campus in Bethlehem, located at the former site of the Bethlehem Steel plant.

There are other signs in Bethlehem, and they are not so culturally inspiring. They are usually found along sidewalks and streets in the City, in what is known as the Right-of-way, that portion of the city between the curb and the actual property line of a lot. They are more like litter. There are laws on the books which prohibit these littering types of cultural artifacts, but the laws are rarely, if ever, enforced. There is one diligent city worker, who removes this litter during the course of his workday. It’s not in his job description, but he does it, because these littering types of signs take away from the cultural renaissance that the city is going through.

Take a quick tour through the photos in this blog. View the examples of signs that are illustrative of cultural degradation within the city.

If we, the residents, do not pay attention to the details, the litter, and the littering signs, all of our cultural renaissance will be for naught. We will not maintain our image as the “gem” of the Lehigh Valley.

The City should empower its residents to remove these signs whenever they appear, and give the diligent city worker a bonus!

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