Well, someone has to tell it like it is. This town's current politics must appall to what's left of the self-selected elite (when it devolves to the Kafoury Clan, you know you're in trouble). But the truth is tough; this is a city that will either get its place among other mid-sized towns...or fail. Call it "creative destruction," but it's merciless.
No one in our self-dealing political class gets it.
"Appall" is spot on, but the context suggests "appeal" was intended. It's the rest of us who are appalled.
But what about the city and county's business interests? Have they been too hollowed out by the approaching demise of Downtown to participate actively and effectively in local politics? Or are Goodman, Schnitzer et al. now so diversified in their investments that they can let the neighborhoods surrounding their Downtown properties be taken over by feral homeless addicts?
Avalos is such a grifter. Right before she filed to run she put up her gift registry on Amazon. She had her political supporters furnish her new house.
This piece has a chilling passage. It begins when Ms. Fitzsimmons calls on Avalos at her home.
-------------------------------------------
Then I heard a male voice say, “Is everything all right, Candace?”
I turned around, and there was a white guy, late 30s-early 40s holding a cell phone.
“It’s all right, Jesse (Jessie?),” Avalos said. Then she added to me. “He’s president of the homeowners association.”
“You’re on private property,” Jesse said. “You need to leave.”
/ / /
Jesse stuck his nose in again.
“You need to leave, or I’m calling the police.”
I laughed and told him, “Good, call the police.”
Avalos said, “No, Jesse, don’t.”
“This is private property,” Jesse said again.
--------------------------------------------
First, it's rich that Avalos is the beneficiary of a homeowners' association (HOA). Ordinarily, Avalos could have been counted on to denounce HOAs as instruments of the racist, privileged white supremacist elite. Had Avalos had any sense of irony, this would have her moment to shine with the quip: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Secondly, this episode perfectly captures the thuggish menace that is never far from the surface on the left in Portland.
Can anyone find a hope for Portland’s future in this group? I have looked long and hard, and only our soon to be castrated Mayor Wilson is the only person on this Council who has any concern at all about the continuing decline of our economy and reputation.
Conspicuously absent are any representatives of Portland's business interests. I don't mean Reed graduates who operated a kombucha store on SE Division. I mean grownups who are skilled and accomplished executives with strong political skills and centrist politics who could have been in government during Vera Katz's terms as mayor. See the more expansive comment I posted just now.
"Soon to be castrated Mayor Wilson"... that made me laugh out loud. You got him figured out, as do many people. He's weak. He screams weak and he will NOT do well. LOL...
Here are a few paragraphs of pure opinion about the likely head of Portland's new city council.
Candace Avalos (or Blacktina, a descriptor she gave herself and the one by which I shall henceforth refer to her) is going to be a disaster for Portland in my opinion. The rest of the nation may be rejecting racial and ethnic identity grievance politics, but that is the only type politics Blacktina knows.
Expect Blacktina to side with addicts, the feral homeless and criminals against the hard-working voter-taxpayers of this city.
If you're Blacktina, every addict, homeless - er, houseless - person and criminal is a victim of white cishet capitalist systemic racism. Her ilk would say that it is City Council's job to tell Portland's business community, homeowners and renters to STFU about the zombies and criminals who now occupy parts of town. That's because in my opinion Blacktina and her allies want to bend over backwards not to further traumatize criminals, addicts or homeless people by making them do anything they do not want to do.
I agree. She is going to implode. She lacks the polish and restraint to be a competent politician. She blocked me two years ago, on Twitter, before I even knew who she was, (at the time I didn't) and had never even engaged with her. That kind of thing is done out of fear. She won't be balanced, or fair or nuanced in her role. She will be another extremist and she will crash and burn. Personally, I'm gonna enjoy watching it happen. LOL...
Exactly. She, and most of these types in politics - including Angelita Morillo - are incredibly thin-skinned. Plus, she doesn't have any experience in politics. The only reason her name is being floated is because of her political influence. Clark and Pirtle-Guiney are much more qualified to take the reins.
The mayor can hire and fire the city administrator. If Wilson has enough spine to frequently remind the city administrator of that fact he may have a slight chance of a semblance of control. He can instruct them to “slow roll” any polices passed by Council they don’t like and only act expeditiously on those he does
It's likely the city administrator will be someone who has been at the heart city government and very active in planning the transition. He knows where the bodies are buried. He will probably already have allies on the council and will win over others in short order. That will make it politically difficult for the mayor to fire him.
It will be interesting to see how many staffers the new mayor has. He may not have the bandwidth to know what's happening in the bureaus that's important or the power to influence what the bureaus do. That's the city manager's job.
Well the mayor has the right to decide who to hire and can fire the city administrator. If they don’t use that power wisely, they will be merely a figurehead. My hunch is that is what will happen to Wilson—I expect him to be as spineless as Wheeler. Time will tell I guess.
Did I miss something, or did Portland's business interests basically sit out the city and county elections this November? By that I mean that they don't appear to have fielded any grownup, hard-nosed, experienced business people as reform candidates to keep the elections from being a total rout by the anti-law-and-order left.
Businesses here have so much at stake. The sleazy black bloc/anarchist-style vote suppression campaign against Rene Gonzalez required a response by the only sector of the electorate that isn't tainted by woke, progressive identity grievance politics. Maybe it's that many of the office buildings with horrendous vacancy rates are owned by institutional investors who have no direct stake or real interest in the quality of life here. When things get so bad for them that they end up having their interests foreclosed by lenders, well, it's a mere balance sheet event for them to talk about in their next call with analysts before they move on to greener pastures.
But what about the local moguls like the Schnitzer and Goodman clans? Could it be that the West Hills are the closest they ever get to Downtown and the other areas reeling from inadequate policing, unchecked public drug use and addiction, the filth and chaos caused by the feral homeless and crime? Don't they have a sense of civic duty? Or are have their government relations people given up on trying to bring about change in the city of Portland and Multnomah County?
Call me a fatalist, but to me the harbinger of the progressive resurgence in November was Mike effin' Schmidt's antidemocratic decisions to: 1) remain in office through the end of his term this month after the voters fired his ass in May, and 2) to freeze out Nathan Vazaquez so Chesa Boudin acolyte Schmidt could continue undermining criminal justice in Portland.
Schmidt has a right to stay employed until Sunday night, Jan. 5, but his behavior in deliberately blocking any meaningful transition to people's choice Nathan Vasquez, is shameful (and unusual). Schmidt is a petty, ineffectual egomaniac with very little to be so pleased with himself about.
Great insight. In my "personal" opinion....Portland is DOOMED! After watching Ted Wheelers exit interview I'm appalled that he was so impertinent in stating that he's done such a wonderful job. Crime is down and the city is recovering...??? 🙄😫 With this new political structure I only see disaster on the horizon. 😥
Great article Jeff. However, I wouldn't presume Vadim is over yet. In my experience in this town, sometimes it takes, 3-4 runs before a person gets enough name recognition to win a political race. I sure am hoping Vadim runs again, and Sam Adams. This year was SO disappointing. All the best, those endorsed by the big O and Willy Weak lost to garden variety radicals.
Shannon Singleton said in an interview that inmates in the city jail were "patients" as in those people seeking medical care in a hospital and that they needed to be treated with kid gloves basically. When she described arrested offenders, some of whom are convicted felons as "patients" I knew she was totally out of touch. She is another one who will do nothing and will likely be a one hit wonder, ala JoAnn, and Chloe. It's going to be interesting watching these morons crash and burn.
I’m a white mother of black (now adult) children. I’ve had a front row seat to the spectacle of treatment of black people in Portland. This article is just more of the same that I witnessed as my children grew up here - negative assumptions about people of color. My sons are thriving - in Seattle. They wouldn’t live in Portland on a bet. This town is too insular and, yes, racist. This article is just more of the same. Shame on you.
Saying someone is white is racist? I don't believe you know what the word really means, and plus, it's not 2017. Just arbitrarily calling someone a racist really doesn't work on people any longer. Find a better argument. All you are attempting to do is shut down a discussion about the our political climate. Shame on you.
Sue, you totally failed to see the point. And it is NOT racist to have written what Jeff wrote. It's all about context. Do you even know what he was suggesting? I'd say you don't have a clue.
I also have black family. Half of them are predatory criminals, two killed their four month old INFANT because they valued their stinking meth pike more than feeding that poor little girl. The other half, are good hard working people who take care of themselves and their families.
There are a lot of white folk in Pee town who actually care about people of color. AND there are a lot of people of color in Pee town, who HATE white folk. Avaolos is one of those extremist nutjobs.
Don't forget to call me a racist for being blunt, or to virtue signal with your cute little... "shame on you" mantra, I need a good laugh today. :)
Sue, "Shame on you"? That’s a pretty strong and offensive accusation, especially when we’re trying to have a thoughtful conversation. The line you're referring to isn't some personal attack on race—it’s simply pointing out the political reality in Portland. The article notes that Olivia Clark, as a white woman, might face challenges in a city council made up of many far left progressive and Socialist (DSA) backed representatives. It’s a comment on the way race factors into the political landscape, not a judgment on her or anyone else.
When you throw out “shame on you,” it shuts down the conversation instead of encouraging a deeper discussion about these important issues. If we want to make any real progress, we need to address the facts, not jump to emotional conclusions.
Let’s keep the discussion focused on ideas, not on accusations that sidetrack us.
That's what happens when Jo Ann Hardesty is the face of black politics in Portland.
Also, since 2020 if not earlier, it has been the de-facto policy of the city and Multnomah County to implement the Kendi doctrine to the detriment of voter/taxpayers who do not belong to a favored racial or ethic identity group.
What is the Kendi doctrine? It's:
"The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination."
Sue, I hear you—raising Black children in Portland must’ve been an eye-opening experience. But let’s be clear: this article is about city politics, not about assuming anything negative about people of color. The piece is about who’s jockeying for power in Portland's new city government—not about race.
And while I get that Portland has some ugly history when it comes to race, let’s not treat every political critique as “racist”. This article doesn’t say Avalos deserves the council president position because she’s Black, Latina or ”Blacktina”; it’s simply discussing the reality of her political maneuvering—whether you like her approach or not. Spoiler alert: it’s not racist to point out who’s winning the political game or criticize publicly elected officials.
As for Seattle being less racist than Portland—sure, maybe your kids feel more at home there. But let's not kid ourselves: every city has its own racial baggage. Seattle's history isn’t exactly a shining beacon of racial harmony either. But it sure is full of White Saviors like Portland.
So, let’s not mix up the real issues with knee-jerk accusations. Portland’s problems are bigger than a single political article, and we can call out the system without throwing around "racist" every time we disagree with a candidate or strategy.
Thanks for sharing your perspective—but let’s keep it real, yeah?
Ah Javier… you are gaslighting. Please read what you wrote again. It was very direct. And unfair, particularly in light of the run white women have had for four or five decades in Oregon politics, locally and statewide. You’d do well to own what you said, give it some thought, and move on. You are a good writer. Be even better.
Sue, I want to address your accusation of “gaslighting” because it’s a strong term that implies I’m intentionally trying to manipulate or dismiss your perspective. That’s not the case, and I’d like to clarify my point.
The line you took issue with—about Olivia Clark being a white woman—wasn’t meant as a judgment or a slight. It was an observation about the political landscape in Portland, where identity often plays a role in how candidates are perceived and supported. That’s not my personal endorsement of that system; it’s just a fact of how politics here work.
I respect the experiences you’ve had raising Black children in Portland. I don’t doubt that the city’s history and current culture have presented challenges. But labeling this article—or my response—as racist, or accusing me of gaslighting, oversimplifies the issue. I’m engaging with the political realities described in the piece, not dismissing your personal experiences or the broader challenges of racism.
I’m open to discussing these issues further because they’re important, but it’s hard to have that conversation if we leap to accusations instead of addressing the points being made. Let’s keep the dialogue constructive—I’d genuinely like to hear more of your perspective.
Well, someone has to tell it like it is. This town's current politics must appall to what's left of the self-selected elite (when it devolves to the Kafoury Clan, you know you're in trouble). But the truth is tough; this is a city that will either get its place among other mid-sized towns...or fail. Call it "creative destruction," but it's merciless.
No one in our self-dealing political class gets it.
"Appall" is spot on, but the context suggests "appeal" was intended. It's the rest of us who are appalled.
But what about the city and county's business interests? Have they been too hollowed out by the approaching demise of Downtown to participate actively and effectively in local politics? Or are Goodman, Schnitzer et al. now so diversified in their investments that they can let the neighborhoods surrounding their Downtown properties be taken over by feral homeless addicts?
Avalos is such a grifter. Right before she filed to run she put up her gift registry on Amazon. She had her political supporters furnish her new house.
More of a disaster for Portland politics.
To read about Avalos, check out this profile from PORTLAND DISSENT:
https://portlanddissent.substack.com/p/back-by-popular-demand
This piece has a chilling passage. It begins when Ms. Fitzsimmons calls on Avalos at her home.
-------------------------------------------
Then I heard a male voice say, “Is everything all right, Candace?”
I turned around, and there was a white guy, late 30s-early 40s holding a cell phone.
“It’s all right, Jesse (Jessie?),” Avalos said. Then she added to me. “He’s president of the homeowners association.”
“You’re on private property,” Jesse said. “You need to leave.”
/ / /
Jesse stuck his nose in again.
“You need to leave, or I’m calling the police.”
I laughed and told him, “Good, call the police.”
Avalos said, “No, Jesse, don’t.”
“This is private property,” Jesse said again.
--------------------------------------------
First, it's rich that Avalos is the beneficiary of a homeowners' association (HOA). Ordinarily, Avalos could have been counted on to denounce HOAs as instruments of the racist, privileged white supremacist elite. Had Avalos had any sense of irony, this would have her moment to shine with the quip: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Secondly, this episode perfectly captures the thuggish menace that is never far from the surface on the left in Portland.
You gotta love Pamela. She's got guts and she's SMART.
Can anyone find a hope for Portland’s future in this group? I have looked long and hard, and only our soon to be castrated Mayor Wilson is the only person on this Council who has any concern at all about the continuing decline of our economy and reputation.
Conspicuously absent are any representatives of Portland's business interests. I don't mean Reed graduates who operated a kombucha store on SE Division. I mean grownups who are skilled and accomplished executives with strong political skills and centrist politics who could have been in government during Vera Katz's terms as mayor. See the more expansive comment I posted just now.
"Soon to be castrated Mayor Wilson"... that made me laugh out loud. You got him figured out, as do many people. He's weak. He screams weak and he will NOT do well. LOL...
Here are a few paragraphs of pure opinion about the likely head of Portland's new city council.
Candace Avalos (or Blacktina, a descriptor she gave herself and the one by which I shall henceforth refer to her) is going to be a disaster for Portland in my opinion. The rest of the nation may be rejecting racial and ethnic identity grievance politics, but that is the only type politics Blacktina knows.
Expect Blacktina to side with addicts, the feral homeless and criminals against the hard-working voter-taxpayers of this city.
If you're Blacktina, every addict, homeless - er, houseless - person and criminal is a victim of white cishet capitalist systemic racism. Her ilk would say that it is City Council's job to tell Portland's business community, homeowners and renters to STFU about the zombies and criminals who now occupy parts of town. That's because in my opinion Blacktina and her allies want to bend over backwards not to further traumatize criminals, addicts or homeless people by making them do anything they do not want to do.
And this is only the first 30 days.
I agree. She is going to implode. She lacks the polish and restraint to be a competent politician. She blocked me two years ago, on Twitter, before I even knew who she was, (at the time I didn't) and had never even engaged with her. That kind of thing is done out of fear. She won't be balanced, or fair or nuanced in her role. She will be another extremist and she will crash and burn. Personally, I'm gonna enjoy watching it happen. LOL...
Exactly. She, and most of these types in politics - including Angelita Morillo - are incredibly thin-skinned. Plus, she doesn't have any experience in politics. The only reason her name is being floated is because of her political influence. Clark and Pirtle-Guiney are much more qualified to take the reins.
The new mayor is a eunuch from the start by design. Why the media still treats the position as influential is beyond me. Just habit I guess.
The mayor can hire and fire the city administrator. If Wilson has enough spine to frequently remind the city administrator of that fact he may have a slight chance of a semblance of control. He can instruct them to “slow roll” any polices passed by Council they don’t like and only act expeditiously on those he does
It's likely the city administrator will be someone who has been at the heart city government and very active in planning the transition. He knows where the bodies are buried. He will probably already have allies on the council and will win over others in short order. That will make it politically difficult for the mayor to fire him.
It will be interesting to see how many staffers the new mayor has. He may not have the bandwidth to know what's happening in the bureaus that's important or the power to influence what the bureaus do. That's the city manager's job.
Well the mayor has the right to decide who to hire and can fire the city administrator. If they don’t use that power wisely, they will be merely a figurehead. My hunch is that is what will happen to Wilson—I expect him to be as spineless as Wheeler. Time will tell I guess.
Did I miss something, or did Portland's business interests basically sit out the city and county elections this November? By that I mean that they don't appear to have fielded any grownup, hard-nosed, experienced business people as reform candidates to keep the elections from being a total rout by the anti-law-and-order left.
Businesses here have so much at stake. The sleazy black bloc/anarchist-style vote suppression campaign against Rene Gonzalez required a response by the only sector of the electorate that isn't tainted by woke, progressive identity grievance politics. Maybe it's that many of the office buildings with horrendous vacancy rates are owned by institutional investors who have no direct stake or real interest in the quality of life here. When things get so bad for them that they end up having their interests foreclosed by lenders, well, it's a mere balance sheet event for them to talk about in their next call with analysts before they move on to greener pastures.
But what about the local moguls like the Schnitzer and Goodman clans? Could it be that the West Hills are the closest they ever get to Downtown and the other areas reeling from inadequate policing, unchecked public drug use and addiction, the filth and chaos caused by the feral homeless and crime? Don't they have a sense of civic duty? Or are have their government relations people given up on trying to bring about change in the city of Portland and Multnomah County?
Call me a fatalist, but to me the harbinger of the progressive resurgence in November was Mike effin' Schmidt's antidemocratic decisions to: 1) remain in office through the end of his term this month after the voters fired his ass in May, and 2) to freeze out Nathan Vazaquez so Chesa Boudin acolyte Schmidt could continue undermining criminal justice in Portland.
Schmidt has a right to stay employed until Sunday night, Jan. 5, but his behavior in deliberately blocking any meaningful transition to people's choice Nathan Vasquez, is shameful (and unusual). Schmidt is a petty, ineffectual egomaniac with very little to be so pleased with himself about.
We are doomed !!
Great insight. In my "personal" opinion....Portland is DOOMED! After watching Ted Wheelers exit interview I'm appalled that he was so impertinent in stating that he's done such a wonderful job. Crime is down and the city is recovering...??? 🙄😫 With this new political structure I only see disaster on the horizon. 😥
Pass the Popcorn and let the Circus begin; going to be a hell of a show
Not so easy or enjoyable for those that live in Portland….
Second on that popcorn. So true...LOL...
Great article Jeff. However, I wouldn't presume Vadim is over yet. In my experience in this town, sometimes it takes, 3-4 runs before a person gets enough name recognition to win a political race. I sure am hoping Vadim runs again, and Sam Adams. This year was SO disappointing. All the best, those endorsed by the big O and Willy Weak lost to garden variety radicals.
Shannon Singleton said in an interview that inmates in the city jail were "patients" as in those people seeking medical care in a hospital and that they needed to be treated with kid gloves basically. When she described arrested offenders, some of whom are convicted felons as "patients" I knew she was totally out of touch. She is another one who will do nothing and will likely be a one hit wonder, ala JoAnn, and Chloe. It's going to be interesting watching these morons crash and burn.
Unfortunately it’s gonna be years more of destruction and failed policies before the “crash and burn” happens. Ugh.
I’m a white mother of black (now adult) children. I’ve had a front row seat to the spectacle of treatment of black people in Portland. This article is just more of the same that I witnessed as my children grew up here - negative assumptions about people of color. My sons are thriving - in Seattle. They wouldn’t live in Portland on a bet. This town is too insular and, yes, racist. This article is just more of the same. Shame on you.
Please indicate how this article is in any way racist.
Okay. How about this, for just one example:
“Also she doesn’t have the correct immutable characteristics. In other words, she’s a white woman.”
What a perversion of the truth. I’ll say it again - shame on you.
Saying someone is white is racist? I don't believe you know what the word really means, and plus, it's not 2017. Just arbitrarily calling someone a racist really doesn't work on people any longer. Find a better argument. All you are attempting to do is shut down a discussion about the our political climate. Shame on you.
Sue, you totally failed to see the point. And it is NOT racist to have written what Jeff wrote. It's all about context. Do you even know what he was suggesting? I'd say you don't have a clue.
I also have black family. Half of them are predatory criminals, two killed their four month old INFANT because they valued their stinking meth pike more than feeding that poor little girl. The other half, are good hard working people who take care of themselves and their families.
There are a lot of white folk in Pee town who actually care about people of color. AND there are a lot of people of color in Pee town, who HATE white folk. Avaolos is one of those extremist nutjobs.
Don't forget to call me a racist for being blunt, or to virtue signal with your cute little... "shame on you" mantra, I need a good laugh today. :)
Sue, "Shame on you"? That’s a pretty strong and offensive accusation, especially when we’re trying to have a thoughtful conversation. The line you're referring to isn't some personal attack on race—it’s simply pointing out the political reality in Portland. The article notes that Olivia Clark, as a white woman, might face challenges in a city council made up of many far left progressive and Socialist (DSA) backed representatives. It’s a comment on the way race factors into the political landscape, not a judgment on her or anyone else.
When you throw out “shame on you,” it shuts down the conversation instead of encouraging a deeper discussion about these important issues. If we want to make any real progress, we need to address the facts, not jump to emotional conclusions.
Let’s keep the discussion focused on ideas, not on accusations that sidetrack us.
That's what happens when Jo Ann Hardesty is the face of black politics in Portland.
Also, since 2020 if not earlier, it has been the de-facto policy of the city and Multnomah County to implement the Kendi doctrine to the detriment of voter/taxpayers who do not belong to a favored racial or ethic identity group.
What is the Kendi doctrine? It's:
"The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination."
ps: You forgot to say that Portland is soo white.
Sue, I hear you—raising Black children in Portland must’ve been an eye-opening experience. But let’s be clear: this article is about city politics, not about assuming anything negative about people of color. The piece is about who’s jockeying for power in Portland's new city government—not about race.
And while I get that Portland has some ugly history when it comes to race, let’s not treat every political critique as “racist”. This article doesn’t say Avalos deserves the council president position because she’s Black, Latina or ”Blacktina”; it’s simply discussing the reality of her political maneuvering—whether you like her approach or not. Spoiler alert: it’s not racist to point out who’s winning the political game or criticize publicly elected officials.
As for Seattle being less racist than Portland—sure, maybe your kids feel more at home there. But let's not kid ourselves: every city has its own racial baggage. Seattle's history isn’t exactly a shining beacon of racial harmony either. But it sure is full of White Saviors like Portland.
So, let’s not mix up the real issues with knee-jerk accusations. Portland’s problems are bigger than a single political article, and we can call out the system without throwing around "racist" every time we disagree with a candidate or strategy.
Thanks for sharing your perspective—but let’s keep it real, yeah?
Ah Javier… you are gaslighting. Please read what you wrote again. It was very direct. And unfair, particularly in light of the run white women have had for four or five decades in Oregon politics, locally and statewide. You’d do well to own what you said, give it some thought, and move on. You are a good writer. Be even better.
Also, Sue. You're MO of trying to shame people for their opinions and sarcastically demanding them to "do better" is a form of gaslighting in itself.
Thank you Jeff. Word.
Sue, I want to address your accusation of “gaslighting” because it’s a strong term that implies I’m intentionally trying to manipulate or dismiss your perspective. That’s not the case, and I’d like to clarify my point.
The line you took issue with—about Olivia Clark being a white woman—wasn’t meant as a judgment or a slight. It was an observation about the political landscape in Portland, where identity often plays a role in how candidates are perceived and supported. That’s not my personal endorsement of that system; it’s just a fact of how politics here work.
I respect the experiences you’ve had raising Black children in Portland. I don’t doubt that the city’s history and current culture have presented challenges. But labeling this article—or my response—as racist, or accusing me of gaslighting, oversimplifies the issue. I’m engaging with the political realities described in the piece, not dismissing your personal experiences or the broader challenges of racism.
I’m open to discussing these issues further because they’re important, but it’s hard to have that conversation if we leap to accusations instead of addressing the points being made. Let’s keep the dialogue constructive—I’d genuinely like to hear more of your perspective.