In Fortune Magazine, famous for ripping Flint, Justin Fox pens a rambling yet slightly readable article of which roughly half is about Flint. It’s a response to Henry Kaufman and his musings about the terrible nature of the economy. Strange for him to try and refute the economic indicators then mix in a strange blurb about Flint. But, he did… go figure.
Anyway, his point is that the urban economies in the United States have literally collapsed and the suburban sprawls that surround these cities (such as Flint and Detroit) are now the new economic centers.
Wow, what insight.
With the odd Flint interlude, the difficult to understand structure of the piece, and the shifting nature of the main point, the article does mention Flint at some length. Of course, with the obligatory “Roger & Me” and Michael Moore reference. It’s amusing to me to read what non-residents write about Flint. It’s as though this city were some socio-economic experiment for them to study and lately, feel sorry for. Too bad there weren’t any pictures… the Flint that can be seen and studied in “Roger & Me” looks and is far, far worse today. In fact, it isn’t even close to being as nice as it is in the movie. Of course, Michael is from the suburbs! I keep forgetting.
Perhaps a new documentary would be in order, “Crack & Me” would hit the nail on the head. That’s what the “New Economy” means in Flint today… I’m quite sure that it also brings in more social capitol than G.M. did 30 years ago.