The American Badass Pontificates on Detroit's poor, uneducated

[Hamtragedy]

Born Free is pretty easy when you're born rich. This guy has no clue, I don't care how big a philanthropist he is.

[bailey]

Born Free is pretty easy when you're born rich. This guy has no clue, I don't care how big a philanthropist he is.

very few local "detroit" slappies grate on my last nerve like Bob Ritchie. His Romeo is showing here.

Would have also been nice if the press release...er um.. "interview" addressed the issue of his [[bankrupt..btw) brewery making his beer outstate and all those concerts curiously happening at DTE . or mentioned his "made in Detroit" label... a place that sells stuff with "313" slapped on it has a 248 phone number and is based in Clarkston.

It's great he gives to charities... but it'd be nice if he actually had a moment of insight and thought; "hmm, I'm lecturing those poors to get a job and here I am claiming I'm a job creator...maybe I should do that job creating where the poors are instead of in Clarkston?"

Nicer still would be if any of the media kiss asses would get him to acknowledge he's a poseur.

[noise]

I think you'd be doing yourself a favor by accepting "Detroit" may signify a region greater than the city limits, bailey.

[401don]

He's basically saying that at some point people have to pull themselves up by themselves no matter how badly their parents, environment, etc. have kicked them their whole lives. Something many on here have said. As much as he's helped he knows it will never be enough nor will the millions spent by charities, etc. None of this means charities and individuals shouldn't do everything they can but regardless it can be frustrating when the need never ends. Yet, he better be careful with his words because god forbid something should be misinterpreted or taken out of context. Guess you're better to just donate anonymously and keep your mouth shut.
Bob Seger has made millions and everyone loves him. Until recently, he rarely gave interviews. Maybe he spends on charitable causes. Maybe he does nothing. He certainly gets nothing but admiration by keeping his mouth shut.

[warsaw7]

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/d..._story_package

Not the biggest fan of his music and his persona, but he is spot on. We need to start monitoring welfare checks for starters, it is essentially learned helplessness. I used to work at the Magic Stick across from Midtown Liquor and Deli and twice a month I would watch patrons line up, cash their welfare check, mid-afternoon and spend it on on alcohol. Mind you these were probably the same individuals who were crying foul when their water was threatened to be shut off.

I am not saying welfare checks should be eliminated, but they should be closely monitored so individuals aren't using their checks on alcohol and other non-necessities. This attitude seems to be inherited and is becoming a continual cycle throughout the generations.

[bailey]

I think you'd be doing yourself a favor by accepting "Detroit" may signify a region greater than the city limits, bailey.

that is such bullshit when it comes to entertainers like Bob here. Look, if "detroit" signified something regional...then bobby would be singing about being a car dealer's son living and hour from the city...instead of how he's an OG pimp and hanging with his Deeeetroit playas! It if was all about the "region" he'd film his "gritty" videos on the mean streets of clarkston....etc.

The guy trades in mythology and is given a pass... which is fine, consumers can do what they want with their money. I just think it's a bit over the top when he chooses to lecture about problems, claims he "doing something" about them...but really isn't.

[noise]

that is such bullshit when it comes to entertainers like Bob here. Look, if "detroit" signified something regional...then bobby would be singing about being a car dealer's son living and hour from the city...instead of how he's an OG pimp and hanging with his Deeeetroit playas! It if was all about the "region" he'd film his "gritty" videos on the mean streets of clarkston....etc.

The guy trades in mythology and is given a pass... which is fine, consumers can do what they want with their money. I just think it's a bit over the top when he chooses to lecture about problems, claims he "doing something" about them...but really isn't.

I disagree, but my world is not black & white. Admittedly, I don't know much about his shtick, but I don't think it's as "Detroit City Limits" as you're positing.

[Hamtragedy]

Keep in mind that his schtick was waving the "stars and bars" onstage at DTE. Even if he is an ignorant SOB, he has no right telling people to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps.

By comparison, James Brown subscribed to the same theory. "Soul Brother Number One" was also a big supporter of Richard Nixon. However flawed his own personal beliefs, he energized an entire to community to take responsibility for their own actions. What has Bob done other than criticize and exploit?

[bailey]

I disagree, but my world is not black & white. Admittedly, I don't know much about his shtick, but I don't think it's as "Detroit City Limits" as you're positing.

Look when he says objectively untrue things like :

"But they know that can't mess with Captain America in Detroit," Rock said. "I'm not doing it to make money. I'm doing it to provide local jobs and make an American product."

during a rant about how the poors should get jobs.... I think he should be called out on the bullshit in that statement. The beer before the brewery went bankrupt was made in Webberville and the HQ for distribution was in Lake Orion with a business HQ in Clarkston for all his efforts including the "made in Detroit" label. Hell the Beer's website proclaims once should "grab it around oakland and macomb counties"

I'm happy he gives to charity. What grates is his lecturing the poors to get jobs ala some later day Ted Nugent, continue the bullshit claim he is doing something about creating jobs for those poors, using that claim to market his stuff, and having it be just marketing and not actually based in any fact.

There is not one thing stopping him from actually opening a brewery, clothing manufacturer, or whatever the fuck Bobby Moscow LLC does, inside the city he's claiming he loves and is claiming he's a mascot for. But doing that might cost a little extra and then he'd actually have to deal with the shit every other small business has to deal with in Detroit.

[MAcc]

Anyone who has volunteered or tutored in the inner city will tell you the biggest challenge facing kids isn't gang violence, or crappy schools, or a lack of food. It's crappy parents. Even parents who "want the best for their baby" are deeply troubled [[often they think success will fall from the sky). It's hard to capture in words. You have parents who don't give a shit at all, you also have parents who don't have a clue yet think they do, you have conspiracy theory parents, and you have parents give you lip service but never actually follow through on anything.

Over time you realize people are who they are because of their actions. No amount of money can fix people. A with it low-means parent in Detroit can easily get their kid into an AMAZING private school from K-12 if they show any degree of precociousness.

[Dbest]

Look when he says objectively untrue things like :
during a rant about how the poors should get jobs.... I think he should be called out on the bullshit in that statement. The beer before the brewery went bankrupt was made in Webberville and the HQ for distribution was in Lake Orion with a business HQ in Clarkston for all his efforts including the "made in Detroit" label. Hell the Beer's website proclaims once should "grab it around oakland and macomb counties"

I'm happy he gives to charity. What grates is his lecturing the poors to get jobs ala some later day Ted Nugent, continue the bullshit claim he is doing something about creating jobs for those poors, using that claim to market his stuff, and having it be just marketing and not actually based in any fact.

There is not one thing stopping him from actually opening a brewery, clothing manufacturer, or whatever the fuck Bobby Moscow LLC does, inside the city he's claiming he loves and is claiming he's a mascot for. But doing that might cost a little extra and then he'd actually have to deal with the shit every other small business has to deal with in Detroit.

These are valid points. Even though Jack White moved to Nashville and started his label, he still showed up to cut a check for the temple. I'm not familiar with anything like this with Kid Rock. I'm not saying he isn't charitable though...

Kid seems to be clinging pretty tight to Detroit at this point in his career. Nowhere was this more apparent than at at a halftime show at a Pistons game earlier this year. He was performing some crappy song about Detroit and had the nerve to have the Pistons dance team run around with banners that read DETROIT... Is Vanilla Ice from Detroit now too?