Am I my brother's keeper?

Am I my brother’s keeper?

It’s a question that goes back to the real first family. Cain retorted God’s query about Abel with what seems to have become the catch-all phrase we employ to avoid responsibility: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When it comes to our neighbors, our community, the answer really is “Yes.”

We say we want something, but how important is it really? We have something in our possession, but we don’t want it enough to fight for it or take care of it.

Maybe it’s a mentality of “It’s not that important after all” or “It’s not my fault” or “It’s not my business.”

So what will happen to Gonzales? Are we willing to let the Small Town America lifestyle just die a slow death?

Am I my brother’s keeper?

The latest example of “We’re glad it’s here, but not glad enough to spend our money there” is the Lynn Theatre in downtown Gonzales. Which using those last two words begs the question, will “downtown Gonzales” someday just be a geographic reference rather than an adjective that used to denote the city’s heartbeat, the center of activity?

The historic Lynn Theatre re-opened in November 2012 after several years of movie drought and serving as the beacon for the downtown skyline. The Lynn made the commitment to first-run movies – “Argo,” “Lincoln,” “Django Unchained,” “Flight,” “A Good Day to Die Hard,” “Jack Reacher,” “The Hobbit,” and, of course, “Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2” the weekend the theater opened. Those are not the kind of movies you can rent online or from one of those red vending machines. And it’s not like you could run to Seguin or San Marcos or someplace like that and see the movies sooner. The Lynn is showing them the same weekend as the big cinemaplex theaters. And it’s right here on our own doorstep.

The future of movies in Gonzales looked limitless the last two weeks of November when the theater was packed with people anxious to see “Breaking Dawn Part 2.” Ticket sales were brisk. The concession stand was busy. Finding a prime seat was difficult. The buzz was incessant.

But it was a short-lived honeymoon when the theater was packed with eager patrons. It was a good problem to have when seats were scarce, but reality began to set in.

Despite showing three of the movies nominated for Best Picture and the one that won the Oscar, as well as week after week of proven box office heavyweights, people have not been supporting their hometown theater the way they should. You say you don’t like watching a movie with lots of other people? The Lynn offers its patrons plenty of room in a comfortable setting. You can go in any night and get your choice of seat, and buy your popcorn and a soft drink without waiting in line.

Is that the way Cliff and Mary Anderson envisioned it when they saved The Lynn from several more years of darkness and neglect? Hardly. They’re in the business of showing movies and making some money in the process. They’ve done just that for several years in Hondo, and saw that same opportunity for Gonzales.

Why? Gonzales said it wanted a movie theater. So Cliff and Mary have tried to give Gonzales whatever it wants – first-run movies, dollar movies for the kids, special free movies for the Christmas holidays, a free movie night under the stars on Confederate Square.

Through it all, the Lynn Theatre is what it is – great movies shown in a relaxed, family-oriented atmosphere by good people who want to live the American Dream with a business of their own.

There are those, yours truly included, who are glad the Lynn Theatre is part of the downtown business landscape. Unfortunately, there are not enough of us regularly patronizing the theater to make up for those who choose not to enjoy quality entertainment available just down the street.

To be sure, it costs “X” amount of dollars to pay the rent and the utilities and the first-run movie rentals and buy food for the concession stand. The amount of money that’s put in the cash register goes toward paying those bills. If more money comes in from moviegoers than goes out when the bills are paid, Cliff and Mary and their family make some profit and they get to pay their house payment and utilities and grocery bill and car payment and buy school supplies and pay medical bills and so on and so forth. If the cash register runs out of money before all the bills are paid, then difficult decisions have to be made.

Am I my brother’s keeper?

It’s the same for a movie theater or a restaurant or an antique store or a horse tack store or a newspaper or any business that opened its doors to make a profit, to make for themselves a better life, to live the American Dream.

But those same small businesses – proprietors who put their entire future on the line and often use all their financial resources to fund their chance at the brass ring – are dependent upon their neighbors, their fellow business owners, all those who wished them well in their endeavors. Unfortunately, encouragement and compliments are not negotiable at the grocery checkout counter or when GVEC wants payment for its services or when the doctor wants to be compensated for his/her expertise or when the mortgage payment comes due. They want cold, hard cash. Every month. Without fail. Go figure.

The enthusiasm of “Wow, re-opening the Lynn Theatre is a dream come true for Gonzales!” is too often followed with “I can’t afford to go out to a movie” — despite driving out of town for just that reason — or “Let somebody else keep them in business.”

Too many businesses in Gonzales, past and present, understand the challenges Cliff and Mary are facing.

Sure times are tough. They’re tough for those who receive a paycheck every couple of weeks. They’re tough for those on a fixed income. They’re tough for those chasing the American Dream.

It’s one thing to say you’re glad there’s a theater in downtown Gonzales. It’s another to actually spend your dollars at The Lynn rather than jumping in the car and going to the cinemaplex in a larger city. Instead of keeping your money here and ensuring a Gonzales business is successful, you’re telling your business neighbor they’re just not that important.

Am I my brother’s keeper?

Mark Twain has been credited with the observation that “Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it.” I’ve found that the sentiment is similar for Mom-and-Pop businesses. Everybody is glad to see someone else take the risk of starting a business, but where are they when it comes time to support that business, to help keep it from closing its doors after the owners get down to the last penny of their life savings? Many assume that surely someone else will open another business.

But it’s much easier to just support the current business instead of starting over again.

Maybe there’s something I’m not understanding. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t go to the movies as much as I’d like or as much as I should, but I want The Lynn to be prosperous and for Gonzales to have yet another successful downtown business.

The special Valentine’s Day dinner-and-a-movie promotion at The Lynn was a big success, just like every night at the movies could be.

Being our brother’s keeper is not a catchphrase, it’s a call to action.

Lynn Adams is managing editor for The Gonzales Inquirer. He can be reached at editor@gonzalesinquirer.com or 830-672-2861.