Left In Lowell

Dan Phelps has his word on the Cox/Goth tangle (hey, I like that).

But it appears as though the city manager — and others — have fallen into the trap of labeling people based on their appearance.

Did we learn nothing from West Side Story?

People who like punk, Goth and metal music are still people. They may like to dress strangely, and they may like to pierce certain parts of the body that really shouldn’t be pierced. But it doesn’t mean they’re trouble.

Well, sure, James Taylor looks fairly respectable these days for a guy who used to be a drug addict. Of course, Taylor has cleaned up his act. But you don’t think any James Taylor fans would be smoking some of the wacky-tabacky outside LeLacheur, do you? Naaaahh.

See? Appearances can be deceiving.

I also like his title - a twist on one of the mottos of the lame marketing campaign the city uses (come on, I could have come up with something better, and I’m just a graphic designer with barely any marketing experience). The title? “A lot to like about Lowell — unless you’re a Goth.”