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Civic Self-Esteem
February 13th, 2006Dave reflects on the nature of Detroit in the spotlight, in his post The Morning After. He muses on how Detroit behaves like an ugly narcissist when the media comes to town.
Suds & Soliloquies: The Morning After
Detroit is the most insecure city on the planet.
If you’ve lived around here your whole life — as I have, more or less — you know the drill. Whenever something big like the Super Bowl happens in the city, the local media run story after story about the national media’s coverage. The word “image” is used incessantly, as in “What will this do for Detroit’s image?” The “this” may refer to the event itself, or else to the latest murder or arson or other high-profile crime that inevitably accompanies the event.
Dave didn’t note how, in the 80’s, Detroit would celebrate a sporting victory with assorted property damange and violence. The Tigers in ‘84 spawned a riot. The Pistons in ‘89 were followed by 8 murders. The big news story when we reached the penultimate game was as much about the pending mayhem as it was about the pending victory.
The days of Hockeytown were comparatively peaceful.
Think the story has played itself out. It might be time for the Detroit media outlets to write a new script. People are still astounded by the width and bredth of the blight when the visit Detroit, but I don’t think they pay attention to the plight.
One Response |
I guess that’s part of my point — that the city is still pretty pathetic, but it’s gotten better since those days. The 1980s, as I recall hearing and reading, were also something of a low point for New Orleans in terms of crime.
I also didn’t mention how Detroit is often unable to plow snow from its streets or pick up trash promptly. All in all, I doubt I would want to live in the city even now. Car insurance alone would kill you. And I don’t see not having a car as being a viable option in the Detroit area.
Anyway, I just get sick of the crap about the “image” — as if the “image” is separate from reality and can be treated as such. The handwringers need to focus on the actual problems. Perception will take care of itself once the city cleans up its act.
It’s hard to imagine a more incompetent and/or corrupt bunch of clowns than the jackasses who rule Detroit. Maybe in New Orleans, but I don’t have any direct experience there.