4 ms·

This article and SOJ propaganda are insufferable. Detroit does not lack resources or technology. They lack intelligent social organization and responsibility.

This article and SOJ propaganda are insufferable. Detroit does not lack resources or technology. They lack intelligent social organization and responsibility. The lack of economic opportunity is not a cause for violence, otherwise every farming community in America 100 years ago would have been a bloodbath. Corruption and stupidity all the way up and down are the problems. Enter into any Detroit social situation: personal, professional, civic - you will see tons of really bad behaviours all around. Moroever, the terrible behaviour of residents compounds the economic problem: nobody wants to open shop there anymore. Making it a disaster. People should move out of the worst neighbourhoods, have the bad homes destroyed, save the ones worth saving, and rebuild. It will gentrify quickly if there is security and the former residents will probably live much higher standard of living elsewhere.

throwaway_xx9 10y ago
As a former resident of Detroit, I can say that jomamaxx's commentary is quite accurate. Paying somebody's water bill helps them today, but is not a long-term solution to improving anything tomorrow, where the average resident doesn't even have a high school diploma. Something as drastic as moving welfare recipients into high-rises and bulldozing the rest of the city may be needed. Then dis-incorporate the city, and build a new one. Unfortunately the soil is contaminated with heavy metals, so you would have to also scrape the top foot of soil too.
jomamaxx 10y ago
HuffPo has an entire section just for Detroit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/detroit-corruption/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/detroit-corruption/ The culture is as rotted as the buildings.
tbihl 10y ago
People have done what you're describing. They've moved into the city core. A lot of the outer stuff, at this point, should just be considered ruins. The problem is that it's hard to write people's long-term residences off as ruins.
- jomamaxx 10y ago
  "The problem is that it's hard to write people's long-term residences off as ruins." It takes leadership. Not semi-corrupt status quo.

throwaway_xx9 10y ago

As a former resident of Detroit, I can say that jomamaxx's commentary is quite accurate. Paying somebody's water bill helps them today, but is not a long-term solution to improving anything tomorrow, where the average resident doesn't even have a high school diploma. Something as drastic as moving welfare recipients into high-rises and bulldozing the rest of the city may be needed. Then dis-incorporate the city, and build a new one. Unfortunately the soil is contaminated with heavy metals, so you would have to also scrape the top foot of soil too.

jomamaxx 10y ago

HuffPo has an entire section just for Detroit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/detroit-corruption/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/detroit-corruption/ The culture is as rotted as the buildings.

tbihl 10y ago

People have done what you're describing. They've moved into the city core. A lot of the outer stuff, at this point, should just be considered ruins. The problem is that it's hard to write people's long-term residences off as ruins.

jomamaxx 10y ago
"The problem is that it's hard to write people's long-term residences off as ruins." It takes leadership. Not semi-corrupt status quo.