Possibly the best Super Bowl commercial ever produced took place yesterday. It wasn't by any stretch funny, not even slightly humorous. It's greatness comes about because of its propaganda. Add to this the fact that the lead character of the commercial is a Rapper known for his incendiary lyrics and it becomes even more so one for the ages. I refer, of course, to Eminem and the subject matter is of Detroit, Michigan. Eminem and Detroit: They go together. After viewing the ad one one think the city is Nirvana.
There were references to being down and out. There was also an emphasis on the character of the people and how they will come back: come back from poverty, the loss of the auto industry, the perception that Detroit cannot recover.
In my twenty year career as a peddler I drove to and through Detroit more times than I can count. I-75 snakes through Detroit. For out of towners it is an experience to behold. Don't take you eyes off the road, though. There is constant construction taking place. I'm a mentally tough guy but fear was the one thing that caused me the greatest concern when travelling through and in Detroit. The last thing I wanted to do was become lost on a side street, never to be seen again by my family again.
My least favorite recollection of Detroit: I had, on a particular day, picked up my brand spanking new Oldsmobile 88 in Columbus but half way through Detroit, well, a rock magically appeared out of nowhere and decided to destroy my windshield. the word 'livid' comes to mind.
I read a statistic awhile back that the population of Detroit proper has shrunk from a high of 1.8 million to present day 800,000. The reasons for this would be numerous. Probably, Johnson's "Great Society" was a factor since it occurred in the late 60's and 70's.
The political system of Detroit has confounded and plagued the people with administrations of corruption. The present Mayor and former NBA basketball star with the Detroit Pistons, Dave Bing, appears to be a man of honor. His goal is to raze one-third of the city. The best way to describe Detroit is 'blighted'. He has his work cut out for him. Today, it was announced Mr. Bing is offering homes to policemen and firemen homes at $1,000 to move into the city.
If you've ever been to Cleveland and not Detroit don't waste you time going. They are one and the same. Cleveland has the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. That might give them a leg up.
One of the wealthiest and most elegant communities in Michigan is Gross Pointe. The trouble is it requires going through Detroit to get there. It's sort of like going through Hell to get to the Dairy Queen in this island community.
So, kudos to the producers of propaganda and making us believe what is, isn't. They did their job well. Now let's see how many businesses and population from across this great land move to Detroit. I'm not holding my breath.
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