Detroit delenda est -- was the destruction of the city deliberate?

[Huggybear]

English,

I appreciate the analogy, though it's hard to directly compare Cato's [[or the popular sentiment) to the present. Carthage was the USSR to the Romans, except that the Carthaginians were capable of penetrating the Roman territory itself and often did. Carthage indeed was a popular enemy, but I think it was more because they were a direct military threat [[Hannibal actually got to within about 100 miles from the walls of Rome). Salting the fields was a myth - but the Romans did re-establish in Utica [[ahem) and then rebuilt Delta City [[er... Carthage). Carthage later became a very important port for grain and a very important Roman city.

As to the "doomed" metaphor, I think you might be reaching for Book II of the Aeneid, where Aeneas has a vision in which he sees the gods themselves pulling down the city walls of Troy [[from the public domain Klein translation):

You do not hate the face of the Spartan daughter of Tyndareus [HB Note: Helen], nor is Paris to blame: the ruthlessness of the gods, of the gods,brought down this power, and toppled Troy from its heights. See [[for I’ll tear away all the mist that now, shrouding your sight, dims your mortal vision, and darkens everything with moisture: don’t be afraid of what your mother commands, or refuse to obey her wisdom): here, where you see shattered heaps of stone torn from stone, and smoke billowing mixed with dust, Neptune is shaking the walls, and the foundations, stirred by his mighty trident, and tearing the whole city up by it roots. There, Juno, the fiercest, is first to take the Scaean Gate, and, sword at her side, calls on her troops from the ships, in rage. Now, see, Tritonian Pallas, standing on the highest towers, sending lightning from the storm-cloud, and her grim Gorgon breastplate. Father Jupiter himself supplies the Greeks with courage, and fortunate strength, himself excites the gods against the Trojan army. Hurry your departure, son, and put an end to your efforts. I will not leave you, and I will place you safe at your father’s door.” She spoke, and hid herself in the dense shadows of night. Dreadful shapes appeared, and the vast powers of gods opposed to Troy.

They don't write 'em like that anymore.

That said, I don't subscribe to the view that Detroit is ever necessarily doomed. I'd rather take this line from T.E. Lawrence:

"Nothing is written."

HB

Huggybear: no, my thesis is not flawed. Cato not only used the phrase while exhorting the Senate, but as you know, it was an obsession. My title was intended as an allusion, not a direct analogy.

More thoughts: the death of Detroit represents the death of low-skilled, high wage employment.

Detroit = organized labor. We now live in a city that defined labor in a post-labor world. We are reaching a point in human history where not only low skilled labor is nearly worthless, even educated, high skilled labor will be outsourced now, and performed by AI later. Not only are the "jobs not coming back" [[a popular catchphrase around here since at least the Clinton era) in manufacturing, smug white collar professionals from every field will soon live to see professions thought safe from offshoring under threat. Journalism, education, engineering, law... a thousand others... none of these guarantee employment after training or a living wage once one secures employment. The Millennial generation is graduating from college to compete in a brutal job market, the likes of which have not been seen since the Depression.

I know I sound like a 1970s era apocalyptic alarmist, but the issue is that there are too many people for our present national and global economies to sustain. When the public good has become our scapegoat, and multinational corporations are our secular saints, this present order of things is not sustainable. Not every city and every ghetto will take post-capitalism as quietly and calmly as Detroit has.

Perhaps Detroit's destruction wasn't deliberate. But some of the factors that were thrown into the poisoned soup absolutely were.

[English]

English,

I appreciate the analogy, though it's hard to directly compare Cato's [[or the popular sentiment) to the present. Carthage was the USSR to the Romans, except that the Carthaginians were capable of penetrating the Roman territory itself and often did. Carthage indeed was a popular enemy, but I think it was more because they were a direct military threat [[Hannibal actually got to within about 100 miles from the walls of Rome). Salting the fields was a myth - but the Romans did re-establish in Utica [[ahem) and then rebuilt Delta City [[er... Carthage). Carthage later became a very important port for grain and a very important Roman city.

As to the "doomed" metaphor, I think you might be reaching for Book II of the Aeneid, where Aeneas has a vision in which he sees the gods themselves pulling down the city walls of Troy [[from the public domain Klein translation):

You do not hate the face of the Spartan daughter of Tyndareus [HB Note: Helen], nor is Paris to blame: the ruthlessness of the gods, of the gods,brought down this power, and toppled Troy from its heights. See [[for I’ll tear away all the mist that now, shrouding your sight, dims your mortal vision, and darkens everything with moisture: don’t be afraid of what your mother commands, or refuse to obey her wisdom): here, where you see shattered heaps of stone torn from stone, and smoke billowing mixed with dust, Neptune is shaking the walls, and the foundations, stirred by his mighty trident, and tearing the whole city up by it roots. There, Juno, the fiercest, is first to take the Scaean Gate, and, sword at her side, calls on her troops from the ships, in rage. Now, see, Tritonian Pallas, standing on the highest towers, sending lightning from the storm-cloud, and her grim Gorgon breastplate. Father Jupiter himself supplies the Greeks with courage, and fortunate strength, himself excites the gods against the Trojan army. Hurry your departure, son, and put an end to your efforts. I will not leave you, and I will place you safe at your father’s door.” She spoke, and hid herself in the dense shadows of night. Dreadful shapes appeared, and the vast powers of gods opposed to Troy.

They don't write 'em like that anymore.

That said, I don't subscribe to the view that Detroit is ever necessarily doomed. I'd rather take this line from T.E. Lawrence:

"Nothing is written."

HB

Extra bonus points for quoting from the Aeneid, which I admit I've haven't read since Renaissance HS, and then, only in excerpts. Another summer project... the quest to continue one's education is never ending.

No matter what happened in the past, Detroit will be fine as long as brilliant people like you continue to support her.