"Most cities get by on their good looks. Detroit has to work for a living."

lilpup · December-08-09, 02:29 PM

I think this Elmore Leonard quote should be Detroit's new advertising tag.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/04/news...azines_fortune

**BillyBBrew** · December-08-09, 03:46 PM

I love it!

**Pcm** · December-08-09, 08:46 PM

Campbell-Ewald has that quote prominately displayed in their lobby.

**English** · December-08-09, 08:58 PM

Love it! It'll be my Facebook status tomorrow.

**Pcm** · December-08-09, 09:04 PM

Whoops, should have read the article first...

**Lowell** · December-08-09, 09:09 PM

I liked this quote too from the article...

"The faint of heart had left already. The people who are left are the ones who want to make a difference."

**Det_ard** · December-08-09, 09:21 PM

So true, so true...

MichMatters · December-08-09, 09:35 PM

It'd be a great quote if it weren't for the fact that the city and metro aren't doing much of that, these days, either, if we're going to be honest. And, tangentially related, after hearing about the national test results for the school district, today, I'm almost completely broken in my hope for the region. It was kind of the last straw, for me. It's like abject failure on every front, these days. Economically, socially, financially, politically...everything seems to have finally gone completely to hell when you thought it wasn't even possible for it to get any worse.

lilpup · December-08-09, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by MichMatters

It's like abject failure on every front, these days. Economically, socially, financially, politically...everything seems to have finally gone completely to hell when you thought it wasn't even possible for it to get any worse.

Well, then, there's only one direction it can go!

Related: Detroiters' emotional attachment increases, despite economy

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...SIDE/310029997

MichMatters · December-09-09, 01:07 AM

I didn't think anything could get worse than the Detroit of the late 80's and early 90's, but in many regards, they have. The crack epidemic and its immediate aftermath was just horrible, but the city as a whole still seemed to have hope for better days. That's not there, anymore. The surge in hope during the first three or so years of this decade is gone. To worry about simple fiscal, social, and economic survival is not a spot any big city envies to be in, for sure.

**Lowell** · December-09-09, 09:17 AM

So what do you think will happen now? What is the solution?

**MotownSpartan** · December-09-09, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Well, then, there's only one direction it can go!

Related: Detroiters' emotional attachment increases, despite economy

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...SIDE/310029997

Not that I agree with MichMatters' assessment but if you have abject failure on every front, why would you expect the region to move forward in a positive direction? Especially when we are competing against other cities and regions that have their acts together [[at least relative to us).

Failing to educate your children does not equate to getting better in the future. And believe it or not, things can get worse here. What happens when all those children become adults?

**Detroitnerd** · December-09-09, 11:08 AM

The real problem is that nobody here sees problems as OUR problems. They're THEIR problems. And so we're perfectly happy to live in a place that's totally fucked-up -- as long as it's not OUR area that's fucked-up.

Jerry Herron said it best once: People don't face social problems here. They pack up and move. And that's what they keep doing, whether it's out of state, out to 50 Mile Road, or into a gated community. As long as it's THEIR problem, it's not OURS.

But the truth is: We all spiral down the toilet bowl together.

**Onthe405** · December-09-09, 12:32 PM

Most cities get by on their good looks. Detroit has to work for a living.

Great stuff. Patty Duke [[as the infamous Neely O'Hara) uttered this line in the camp classic "Valley of the Dolls"!

"I didn't have dough handed to me 'cause of my good cheekbones. I had to work for it! She's [[Anne) gone through life on a pass 'cause of her damn classy looks . . ."

**tallboy66** · December-09-09, 01:32 PM

Good rhetoric but when you worked at a plant or office for 5,10,15 years and they announce it's closing then what?

"In a world where nobody seems to know what's going to happen next, the only thing to do to keep from going completely nuts from frustration is plain, old-fashioned work"

BBDO employees will just have knuckle down and get to the task at hand,yep there task will be to find new jobs, most likely out of the Detroit area.

**DetBill** · December-09-09, 03:55 PM

Well there is still a few of us trying, constant negative energy breeds more of itself. Everytime I get down, I keep thinking of what my 94 year old mother keeps saying,- "you guys dont even know hardship yet,, you should have seen what the depression was like around here the only difference we did anything we could to put food on the table. for 10 cents an hour. we worked 15 hours a day for food " I realize there are probably people in the same boat here today but there are lots with it much better than that.
You really have to hang in there if you can, if not, you probably need to move, There is still alot of things and people to be thankful here in our area.

**rjlj** · December-09-09, 04:11 PM

tallboy66, when your plant closes you get back to work as Elmore said. It is old thinking to think that there will always be some plant job out there. People need to get to work, learn something new, create something new. Easier said than done but no one survives by siting on their azz.