From the OG article in the New Jersey Monthly Shore edition.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net
Whenever the media reports about Ocean Grove it presents the town as being a religious seaside resort. They give people the idea that the Grove is a Christian community, driven by ideology, unbroken through the years since the 1869 founding when it was a theocracy approved by the state of New Jersey.
Typical media articles (as we saw in the National Geographic) usually feature the religious lifestyles and events in town as if that is all there is. Typically they focus on the Tent Village and they never recognize that we are a diverse town, much different from the Ocean Grove of 1869. They never mention that we have a large secular population that lives a lifestyle apart from religious mandates.
The media is lazy and has a narrative about our town that doesn’t allow for them to tell the truth.
Early this month we wrote a similar piece about the misuse of language in discussing our town.
This edition of New Jersey Monthly magazine is about the Jersey Shore. As predicted, in their Ocean Grove piece, they feature Tent Village as if it is the only aspect of the Grove worthy of highlighting. Their photographs show the tents with smiley young tenter-renters in front. They use the photographs to create a false impression about our community.
But you should judge their representation of OG for yourself. Here are quotes from that article:
“More than 300 people–some of whom have been waiting since the 1980’s–are on the tent waiting list.”
“In 1870, the state granted the OGCMA a charter, setting Ocean Grove aside as a place of perpetual worship to Jesus Christ.”
But they don’t explain that the charter was set aside in 1980 by the NJ Supreme Court and that the composition and life styles of this town are much different now.
To continue that misleading narrative: “The Camp Meeting Association still rents the seasonal tents, owns much of the land in town, and works with the Neptune Township Historic Preservation Commission to preserve the Victorian design of residences and businesses.”
“While neighboring towns such as Bradley Beach evolved, Ocean Grove, or ‘God’s Square Mile’ remains rooted in its ministry.”
“Tenter-renters are not required to be Methodists, but the nondenominational association expects them to pray and believe in God”
“The association expects tenters to respect designated quiet time between 10 pm and 7:30 am”
So, unless someone is a religious zealot, they will find nothing in this article to persuade them to vacation or visit OG.
And, for those who live in this town, any of your friends and relatives who read this article will wonder whether you have lost your mind.
Once again, the distorted use of language and the false presentations of history continue to be utilized by media such as NJ Monthly.
Did they interview anyone in the Grove who knows what actually goes on here?
Aaron Neville “Tell It Like It Is…”