As if by some stroke of God, one day I'm writing about the schadenfreude of looking at Detroit's "feral neighborhoods" and how the city could be cashing in on a micro-niche of "ugly tourism." Today we are serendipitously greeted with this perspective on Detroit's slightly less corroded neighbor to the east, Cleveland.
Like Detroit, Cleveland has been shedding jobs and residents for decades, and there is little hope for its long-term economic future. But why be such a debbie downer about it? The upsides of economic decline are cheap (cheap!) housing, affordable bars and restaurants, and an unpretentious, no-frills attitude towards life. Why stress out about which college you'll go to when there are no jobs for college grads in your city anyway? Poverty is simple and low-maintenance, argues Mike Polk in the video below:
"Come and look at both of our buildings"
"Watch poor people all wait for buses"
"Here's the place where there used to be industry"
Can you make a rap like this about your city?
Come on, Tacoma, you know you want to :)
Via: GOOD magazine
Don't know if I should laugh or cry.
ReplyDeleteIt could take off like ecotourism did in the 90s: "Remember a simpler time in America before Starbucks, Chipotle, and chain grocery stores? A place where 'inner city' had a dangerous connotation? Come to Cleveland and relive the glory days!"
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