Article I read for this blog post: http://www.cnn.com/video/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown/season-2/detroit/index.html
Article I read earlier this summer: http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/7170/battle_rages_over_bourdain_s_portrayal_of_detroit
I remember reading an article earlier this summer about Anthony Bourdain’s trip to Detroit, where he toured a range of Detroit’s restaurants with Fox 2’s Pullitzer prize-winning journalist, Charlie Leduff (well-known on the Internet for this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDqu8tXrQWU). Many Detroiters complained that the episode only illustrated the bad side of Detroit, like his trip to the Packard Plant, a dilapidated factory where Studebakers were once made. While the Packard company is an important part of Detroit’s history, Detroiters pointed out that Bourdain failed to visit places like Eastern Market that show off the great food places that Detroit does have. Our Duke Engage cohort is well aware of the bad rap that Detroit gets thanks to countless conversations about our summer with family and friends prior to our arrival. Media exaggerates and embellishes the idea that Detroit is just a city full of decrepit buildings and homeless people. However, after reading Anthony Bourdain’s response, he offers a great counterargument on why we should show the bad and the good sides of Detroit.
Bourdain’s message is that the ruin porn is part of what defines Detroit and makes it such a great city. It makes it unique and beautiful, and it says a lot about the people of Detroit who suffered through the hard times of the fall of the manufacturing industry and the collapse of the economy. My last post was about the ~30 year cycle of bankrupt cities; Bourdain declares that you only need to look at New York’s Lower East Side or the Meat District to get a glimpse of what is in store for Detroit. He compares the Detroit spirit to that of New Orleans: a “born and bred, ain’t never leaving” vitality. It’s the same Detroit vs. Everybody sentiment I mentioned in my first blog post, and the one that drew me to Detroit in the first place. Bourdain argues that the show didn’t purposefully highlight ruin porn because that makes good T.V., but rather because it showcases what Detroiters have that makes the city special: hope. Tourists flock to ancient ruins in Greece and Rome; Detroit is just a pioneer in having modern ruins. The ruin porn is a constant reminder of failure to Detroit, but it should not be hidden because it represents where the American dream was forged and symbolizes the Detroiters’ will to keep fighting until they get theirs.
Article I read earlier this summer: http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/7170/battle_rages_over_bourdain_s_portrayal_of_detroit
I remember reading an article earlier this summer about Anthony Bourdain’s trip to Detroit, where he toured a range of Detroit’s restaurants with Fox 2’s Pullitzer prize-winning journalist, Charlie Leduff (well-known on the Internet for this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDqu8tXrQWU). Many Detroiters complained that the episode only illustrated the bad side of Detroit, like his trip to the Packard Plant, a dilapidated factory where Studebakers were once made. While the Packard company is an important part of Detroit’s history, Detroiters pointed out that Bourdain failed to visit places like Eastern Market that show off the great food places that Detroit does have. Our Duke Engage cohort is well aware of the bad rap that Detroit gets thanks to countless conversations about our summer with family and friends prior to our arrival. Media exaggerates and embellishes the idea that Detroit is just a city full of decrepit buildings and homeless people. However, after reading Anthony Bourdain’s response, he offers a great counterargument on why we should show the bad and the good sides of Detroit.
Bourdain’s message is that the ruin porn is part of what defines Detroit and makes it such a great city. It makes it unique and beautiful, and it says a lot about the people of Detroit who suffered through the hard times of the fall of the manufacturing industry and the collapse of the economy. My last post was about the ~30 year cycle of bankrupt cities; Bourdain declares that you only need to look at New York’s Lower East Side or the Meat District to get a glimpse of what is in store for Detroit. He compares the Detroit spirit to that of New Orleans: a “born and bred, ain’t never leaving” vitality. It’s the same Detroit vs. Everybody sentiment I mentioned in my first blog post, and the one that drew me to Detroit in the first place. Bourdain argues that the show didn’t purposefully highlight ruin porn because that makes good T.V., but rather because it showcases what Detroiters have that makes the city special: hope. Tourists flock to ancient ruins in Greece and Rome; Detroit is just a pioneer in having modern ruins. The ruin porn is a constant reminder of failure to Detroit, but it should not be hidden because it represents where the American dream was forged and symbolizes the Detroiters’ will to keep fighting until they get theirs.
Urban exploring of our own at the Packard Plant
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