Stand up and tell 'em your from...DETROIT! (Inkster, Auburn Hills: 2009, loft)

[st8champ90]

Originally Posted by Vicman

No, I think "and the" explains exactly what is wrong with Detroit.

If you think he is twisting your words, quote him, quote yourself, and then explain why his interpretation is not correct.

No reply? No surprise.

[Chicagoland60426]

Originally Posted by grhtex

In the category of "no one really cares what I think on a public posting board anyhow" I'd like to state that I side with "and the". He made his points well and defended them even better IMHO.

Saying your from a city when you really aren't has always been one of my pet peeves. I don't know why but it just bugs me. I suppose it's because I work in a technical field and it just disturbs my sense of order, and accuracy. Anyhow, my wife does this all the time too - "Oh hello, so you're from Chicago"? "Well I'm from Chicago to". ....Then I remind her- no dear you grew up in Mundeline about 40 miles from the city. Then she gets pissed and its to the couch for me, all for trying to be accurate.

I am now west of the Mississippi as well. I didn't grow up in Detroit (about an hour south but I never tell anyone I'm from Toledo because I'm not. Now I mostly weep for Detroit once a truly great city with so much history and now with seemingly so little hope.

How will this city be rebuilt?
Do you believe the govt' will pump money into it until it is prosperous again?
Do you believe some new business or industry will take root and blossom organically like the automobile industry did many years ago?
What industry would that be?
Do you believe any existing companies are willing to risk their money and invest in Detroit when they have a smorgasbord of competition from so many other states, (right to work states).
Who wants to put a business in Detroit which has a heavy union influence? Unions at all levels are self serving entities whose main goal is survival and perpetuation. They redirect capital away from innovation and investment into activities that could help a business truly innovate, better serve customers, and therefore allow the company to prosper offering the best opportunity for employers and employees alike. Now they are the parasite trying to survive with out killing the host and willing to take any amount of tax payer money in the process. Any company anywhere in the world having witnessed the last 50 or so years of this symbiotic employer/union relationship will think twice, or maybe not even at all before locating in Detroit.

IMHO a litany of some of the big problems facing us and not unique to Detroit.

Sense of morality is questioned.
Lost sense of right and wrong.
Shame for actions gone - no accountability.
Ethics and morals - going...going....most likely gone...
Broken families and broken homes.
25% graduation rates.
Teen pregnancy.
Who is your daddy DNA testing bill boards.
Family - the foundation of society has broken down. Neighboorhods, Communities, townships, counties, and cities are sure to follow.
Look to the govt' for solutions.
Welfare programs
Nanny govt' grows. cradle to grave programs.
Many people work in and depend on the nanny govt'
Generational welfare.
It's now part of the fabric of society.
Too many people with a vested interest in truly changing it.
Tax payers and tax consumers - More people taking from than contributing to the system.
Tipping point is reached - downhill slide continues.
Political Correctness - Can't question or challenge sacred cows.
Solution? more of the same - govt' proposed solutions.
Results ? more of the same- more govt' programs bleeding us dry.
A modern day progressive dream is realized.
Democrats and Republicans are interchangeable these days. They keep us arguing on posting boards everywhere while it's business as usual.
It's been a long slippery slide but it appears were falling faster and faster to the bottom.
When will we find the bottom and start climbing our way back up?
Will the govt' lead us back up and show us the way, or will we realize we're responsible for ourselves?

I don't know the solutions but this is what I'll try to do:
Take accountability for my own actions in success and failure.
Look inward and upward for solutions not to the govt.
Pursue freedom. freedom to succeed, freedom to fail - free to try again.
Vote for those who believe in freedom.
Vote for those who uphold the law.
Cut my neighbors grass if he can't get to it.
Yell at my kids when they need it. Yell at other kids when they need it too.

Singed, old fashion guy on soap box,

Regards,

Well what if you're from a suburb 10 minutes away from Chicago and in the same county and say you're from Chicago. I do it all the time when telling outsiders I'm from Chicago, when I live 10 minutes away.

[and the]

Well what if you're from a suburb 10 minutes away from Chicago and in the same county and say you're from Chicago. I do it all the time when telling outsiders I'm from Chicago, when I live 10 minutes away.

When you order something in the mail or from an Ebay auction, do you list your address as "Chicago" with a Harvey zip code? If your address says "Harvey" and not "Chicago", you're not from Chicago, unless by "from", you mean "I used to live there but don't anymore".

[st8champ90]

Originally Posted by and the

When you order something in the mail or from an Ebay auction, do you list your address as "Chicago" with a Harvey zip code? If your address says "Harvey" and not "Chicago", you're not from Chicago, unless by "from", you mean "I used to live there but don't anymore".

Wow! Thank you "and the" for declaring yourself czar of informing people where THEY are from. For our next question, if we are from, lets say, Allen Park, and were visiting California. Someone asks us where were from and we say, "Allen Park" (cause that's how "and the" told us to do it) and they say "where's that?", what do we do next?

[and the]

Well, I'd say "a few miles outside Detroit" or "just west of Detroit" or "near Detroit" or "outside Detroit". Or you could tell them, "I'm a Detroiter but have an Allen Park Zip code and actually live in a house that's in Allen Park and pay taxes in Allen Park, which is a suburb of Detroit, but I feel much better about my hipness by leading people to believe that I live in the city." Even the guy from Chicago calls himself "ChicagoLAND", which implies he lives in the suburbs, or the greater Chicago area, AND he identifies himself with his suburban zip code.

You could put up your hand and point like everyone who doesn't have a need to reference where they live with their proximity to Detroit.

Or, maybe you could put your hat on sideways, pull your pants halfway down your behind, unlace your shoes do your best suburban-guy-doing-Latin-Counts-gang signs impression and say "Yo dawg, I'm from the D! ...which can also include any number of suburbs in three different counties and in some cases goes beyond Lake Michigan to the West and Canada to the South." You know, like our well-known suburbanite, Eminem does.......

[st8champ90]

Originally Posted by and the

Well, I'd say "a few miles outside Detroit" or "just west of Detroit" or "near Detroit" or "outside Detroit". Or you could tell them, "I'm a Detroiter but have an Allen Park Zip code and actually live in a house that's in Allen Park and pay taxes in Allen Park, which is a suburb of Detroit, but I feel much better about my hipness by leading people to believe that I live in the city." Even the guy from Chicago calls himself "ChicagoLAND", which implies he lives in the suburbs, or the greater Chicago area, AND he identifies himself with his suburban zip code.

You could put up your hand and point like everyone who doesn't have a need to reference where they live with their proximity to Detroit.

Or, maybe you could put your hat on sideways, pull your pants halfway down your behind, unlace your shoes do your best suburban-guy-doing-Latin-Counts-gang signs impression and say "Yo dawg, I'm from the D! ...which can also include any number of suburbs in three different counties and in some cases goes beyond Lake Michigan to the West and Canada to the South." You know, like our well-known suburbanite, Eminem does.......

Again, you're part of the problem. You want a clearcut line between the city and suburbs which is why there is so much division now. I don't think many people who say they're from Detroit even though they live a few miles outside the city border are trying to "act tough" as you imply. Most people do it as a simple reference point to the biggest city in thier area. That's why we root for the DETROIT Tigers even though we live in the burbs. We all belong to the area.

BTW, why did you avoid replying when I showed you what I said that was misquoted as you asked?

[QuickWit]

"And The" I totally agree with everything you've said. It is nonsense to hear people from the suburbs telling others "I'm from Detroit" and then anxiously awaiting the "oohs and ahhs" like they should be given some kind of badge of courage for surviving. I was born and raised in Dearborn but never claimed I was from "Detroit." In fact, most of the people in my neighborhood hated Detroit and downright despised the city. Most people in the suburbs blame their every woe on the City of Detroit, and such complaints may be justified. I live downtown Detroit now and I still do not claim I'm "from" Detroit. Although I do tell people I "live" in Detroit because that is factually accurate. However, my life inside a giant tower of concrete and glass looking down on the city below is a far cry frommost of the people who are "from" Detroit living in crime-ridden, decaying neighborhoods. To be honest, "Downtown" and the real "Detroit" are not even remotely the same places. My job has required me to drive through many of the neighborhoods outside of Downtown where only 1/3 of the houses are not burnt-out. This is not the area the suburban tourists see when they come downtown for a wings game and leave right away when its over. They don't want to see "THAT" Detroit. It's DANGEROUS!

Congratulations on escaping the "real Detroit." You must have overcome some seriously strong adversity to do so. I support Detroit and by all means try to contribute to its economy, but by no means do I consider myself from Detroit. To do so would be an insult to those who actually grew up here and survived long enough to get out of this mess. People from the burbs who say they are from Detroit are merely looking for attention in an attempt to legitimize some kind of ridiculous "tough guy" image they think it gives them. Good Luck to you "And The."

[Maxine3]

Can anybody say "southeastern Michigan?

[Wingnatic]

Why not ? I was born in Detroit many moons ago , and moved to the suburbs to save myself , my family , my property . When I read post # 1 and see what this thread turned into , my opinion is that 99.9% of the people responding don't care what the naysayers think . People use this as a reference , and they were either born in Detroit or at one time lived in Detroit . You won't change people so put a cork in it .

[QuickWit]

Originally Posted by Wingnatic

People use this as a reference , and they were either born in Detroit or at one time lived in Detroit . You won't change people so put a cork in it .

I understand your point completely and do not really fault people who say they are from "Detroit" while vacationing in London, but it is annoying when people say it to try and appear "tough" because of Detroit's overall "gangster" image. I guess it comes down to the intent of the speaker. I just have no respect for my friends from Plymouth or Rochester who throw it out at the bar in their polo shirts attempting to impress somebody from out of town. It implies something that is not true, and clearly as demonstrated here, is disrespectful to some people who are actually from Detroit. You are right, people are not likely to stop saying it, especially given Detroit's recent heavy media coverage depicting it as notoriously as ever. Suburbanites will continue to ride the "coat-tails" of Detroit's self-destruction in an effort to bolster their own "tough guy" image. The sad effect of this nonsense is that it gives credibility to the belief that Detroit is ok, and in fact "cool" because it is so "hard core" such that people actually hope Detroit makes #1 on the Murder Rate list so that it doesn't loose its "bad boy" reputation. This is backward thinking and only exacerbates the City's current problems because it does not criticize Detroit for being a crumbling dump but rather praises it for the same. True Detroiters would do as "and the" did and tear it apart with criticisms. If more people took this approach, maybe the leaders would have no choice but to take some positive steps.