Tuesday, November 01, 2005
The Ruins Of His Hometown
Not an Iraqi, an Afghani, or a Sudani among burned out buildings, destroyed lives, and misery - it's Michael Moore, 17 years and 100 pounds ago, surveying the devastation that blighted Flint, Michigan, his hometown, when General Motors, which was born there, closed 11 factories, fired 30,000 people, and dealt a death blow to the city's economy and community from which it has never recovered. In his 1988 classic, "Roger and Me," with Roger being the then CEO of GM that wielded the ax, Moore finds the humor and absurdity, juxtaposing films and outtakes of GM in the era when a different social contract reigned that cast GM as father and provider of a town which returned this devotion, celebrated it. I could - and shall - write many posts on this film, which raised many thought-provoking issues. If these shutdowns were inevitable, did anyone see them coming far enough in advance to diversify Flint's economy? Could it have even been done? Attempts to build tourism and entertainment after GM pulled up stakes failed miserably - notably, 'AutoWorld,' a $100 million theme park that closed in 6 months, and a Hyatt Convention Center whose franchisor went bust in two years. Apparently economic tragedy isn't a big tourist draw (though Chernobyl pulls in big crowds, I hear..) And now, I must pack for Mexico.And since you asked, my 21st trip to Mexico (most for any foreign country), my 51st to Latin American, and my 94th trip overall. This trip will bring me just 4 days short of having spent 3 years (or 6.5% of my life) outside of the US of A.
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