Those of us living in Fishers have a certain view about our city. Jody Britten has lived in Fishers for nearly 15 years. As a speaker, writer and researcher, she travels extensively around the nation and sometimes abroad. She has found that the image of Fishers, Indiana is not always a positive one outside what she describes as the “Fishers Bubble.” She cited specific situations where highly-trained professional people living in other states have chosen not to locate in Fishers because of our reputation.
What caught my attention was a piece Jody wrote on the online platform Medium. You can read that commentary at this link.
I invited Jody Britten to appear on a podcast to further discuss her contention that many of us in Fishers live in that “Bubble.” Listen at the link below.
Jody’s piece rang true to me and mirrored a lot of my feelings about Fisher’s rapid growth and the seemingly superficial accolades the local government constantly touts. I question though her statement of having to declare a party to register to vote; I thought the only time one had to name a party was to request a ballot for a primary election? Thank you for sharing Jody’s blog, and for all your hard work!
Jody, so sorry you feel that way! We LOVE Fishers! I have lived my happy life , worked hard, raised my family, and am active in my church. I wholeheartedly support the elected city leaders, the school board, and the library board. I am wondering why you chose to move here and change our wonderful city. I have a suggestion for you. Perhaps you could relocate to….Irvington.
“Karen” for sure
There seems to be an awful lot of concern about “outside influence” causing scary change. Almost like the bubble is real. How long does someone have to live here before they belong in Fishers? 15 years isn’t enough? Or will they never belong if they don’t agree with you? It’s entirely possible to enjoy your life, work hard, raise a family, and be involved in the community similar to yourself, all while having different viewpoints than your own. Which is essentially her entire point that you have overlooked.
Karen, Jody has been here 15 years. I’ve been here more than 20. Fishers wasn’t even a city when we moved here. We – and someone who lives here last year – have just as much right to try to shape the city and influence its path forward as you do. There is no longevity test, there is no “only if you agree with Karen” test. We want to move the city forward, not stagnate or move backward.
Susan, that is a micro aggression which should not be permitted.
Maybe you’re right, Bruce, I should have been clearer. Karen’s post reflects one person’s experience. Other experiences, including mine, have been different. Suggesting that Jody’s opinion indicates she should leave Fishers is narrow minded and snotty…part of the problem we’re facing here.
I would offer one tiny correction to Jody’s article. We do NOT register to vote by party in Indiana. Some other states do. But in Indiana, party affiliation is determined by which party primary you choose to vote in. So if you vote in Republican primaries, you are a “registered Republican”.
But the rest of her article hit home. I have lived here twenty years, been active in public life, some political, some not. And yes, for many of the people in Fishers, especially those of the traditional majority party, they are clueless that some of us think and believe differently, even to the point of being offended by those differences. The dust-up over the HEPL youth book collection is a prime example of what happens when some people have their worldview challenged. They didn’t see it coming and they are offended by it. Too bad. It is time to wake up and see the other side of life.