This dude finds Flint depressing.
Monday, May 18, 2009
14 comments:
Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.
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Mr. Weisenthal's article is just an aggregation and summarization of others' prior writings, presented as his own work.
ReplyDeleteHe's just another example of the "bandwagon" effect that we all learned about in junior high school social studies. As such, he's a lagging indicator. You'd think that as a writer on a business blog, he'd want to try to do better.
Flint; an impoverished, depressing dump? Harsh, but probably pretty close to the truth. Why would someone go there other than to see the remains of their family? This entire blog is about a place that used to be our home. Doesn't that explain a lot.
ReplyDeleteYes, Flint is depressing. Surely qualifies as #10. No argument here. Having said that here is my list of nine places even more likely to make you put a bullet in your skull.
ReplyDelete9) Joe Weisenthal's cubicle at clusterstock.com towers.
8) The poorly lit, windowless room where Joe Weisenthal' chess board sits.
7) Any Chinese restaurant that Joe Weisenthal is complaining about the service in.
6) Joe Weisenthal's dorm room at The University of Texas at Austin.
5) The hit counter on Joe Weisenthal's infrequently updated blog... y'know, thestalwart.com.
4) Joe Weisenthal's mother's womb (only while Joe was in utero).
3) Joe Weisenthal's dashboard sunglasses compartment.
2) Anywhere within a 10 foot radius of Joe Weisenthal's aura.
1) The dark, dreary recesses of Joe Weisenthal's soul.
GH, I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but in my own defense the blog does have some posts about the present and future Flint. And a lot of the urban planning posts that everyone ignores deal with the present, although most of them are about the present someplace other than Flint. But I have to admit the biggest percentage of posts are about things that no longer exist except in our memories.
ReplyDeleteI was more offended by what a lame post Flint got. He didn't even ID the photos or size the page correctly. And the description was so generic...he could have at least thrown in a Coney or Safetyville reference.
Maybe a more appropriate response on my part would have been- Yes, Flint is in pretty bad shape, but it's still my home town. So watch your mouth buddy. Gordie, to your credit you do bring the here and now into your blog, but as you say, our interests lean towards a home we can't go back to.
ReplyDeleteWürstside Warlørd breaks out the big guns on Joe Weisenthal! I think this is the first time I've seen someone forgo "yo mama" for "yo mama's uterus." Damn.
ReplyDeleteAnd GH, I'm headed back to Flint this summer. Any of your family haunts you want a photo of? Seriously, I'd be happy to swing by and post something.
"...I'm headed back to Flint this summer."
ReplyDeleteInterested in a meet-n-greet with ex-pat's-not-too-far-removed? At Angelo's? Kearsley Park Pavilion?
And bring your mother. I wanna meet the girl that hung out with Bird and Diz.
Love all the comments on Mr. Weisenthal's article. Check out the link--there is one from his mother.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone notice the resemblance to Tony Soprano's nephew Christopher? He got whacked...
ReplyDeleteI noticed the resemblence. Chrissy was one of my favorite characters. I'm sure he would have come with a more entertaining take on Flint, given his skill as a screenwriter.
ReplyDeleteI saw Michael Imperioli (Christopher) walking in the city once. He's a sharp dresser. Sorry, Mr. Weisenthal doesn't even come close. Let's stop giving "depressing" Mr. Weisenthal our attention. Just a suggestion...
ReplyDeleteGrumkin, if we avoid all the depressing topics, there wouldn't be much material left. But I'm with you, this guy wishes he was Christopher, and we should stop flattering him.
ReplyDeleteI didn't leave Flint because I disliked it there, or because I had to to get a job. I left because I had wanted to start a career in radio and thought it would be easier in CA. The fact that this person did no research is pretty transparent. I love my hometown, maybe a bit too much, and am proud to be from there.
ReplyDeleteI am looking through the other blurbs he wrote and he's being ripped in the comments there too, for the same reasons.
His mother's uterus was perfectly happy when he was in it and she's perfectly happy with her son now.
ReplyDelete-- Joe's mom