  Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4103 Registered: 02-2005 |
The Michigan Review is a libertarian-conservative newspaper at U-M, and in their current issue they objectively cover the reaction to rankings that call Detroit the most dangerous city: http://www.michiganreview.com/ media/storage/paper1232/news/2 007/12/04/News/Cq.Crime.Rankin gs.Draw.Ire.From.Detroit.Offic ials-3131751.shtml And they editorialized against the use of such rankings to form opinions, recommending that students visit the city, and suggesting that the direction of the city is not indicated by the negative rankings: http://media.www.michiganrevie w.com/media/storage/paper1232/ news/2007/12/04/Opinion/Studen t.Experience.Should.Determine. Detroits.Repuation-3131675.sht ml (each article is two pages) | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2966 Registered: 06-2006 |
whether it's the most dangerous or 2nd most or whatever, it's still a cesspool of crime and it's still really, really high on the overall crime list, so what difference does it really make? It's like the people who thought it was a big deal when Bill Gates was overtaken as the richest man in world recently, when in fact both he and the guy who overtook him are still both filthy stinkin' rich...so who cares? what difference does it really make? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4104 Registered: 02-2005 |
It's not about the ranking at this point, it's about what these often sloppily-constructed rankings should tell us. That editorial points out that a whole entire city gets trashed because of some crime-ridden neighborhoods. It's terrible that parts of Detroit have so much crime; it needs to be dealt with...and this is a priority for people who live in the city. But for outsiders, the fact is they would come to Detroit because of its cultural attractions, events, etc., and the crime in some neighborhoods wouldn't affect them, yet these sensationalized rankings don't mention that parts of the city are extremely safe, and thus the general populace is being misled. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2308 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Interesting. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 933 Registered: 12-2006 |
Like New York and Chicago and other cities that get lots of tourists, Detroit has areas that are relatively quite dangerous and areas that are relatively quite safe. The areas where we welcome tourists and local visitors are probably as safe as the "touristy" parts of any big city in America. The purpose of those rankings is to generate a profit for the company that produces the rankings, nothing more. It is senseless to use such information to make decisions. In this particular case, didn't I hear that even the FBI was complaining about this use of their data? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4105 Registered: 02-2005 |
Yeah that's mentioned in the Review story. The FBI actually had a strongly worded statement which mentioned the possibility to mislead through generalizations. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2310 Registered: 04-2006 |
I never liked the Michigan Review, and I can't say I'm impressed by their journalism skills in this article... But I'm glad they seem to be taking an objective look at this story. What did the Michigan Daily say on the subject? I leave you with this hilarious quote from the first link: quote: | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4108 Registered: 02-2005 |
Iheart, the Review is more of an actual newspaper these days and hardly the polemical outlet that it was a three-four years ago. It's not like the Daily puts up stiff competition with it's journalistic quality (lack thereof). It's a shame that UM doesn't have a journalism program. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2311 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Yeah, I only used the Daily to read the Boondocks. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4109 Registered: 02-2005 |
Haha. To my knowledge the Daily didn't produce any of their own work on this subject, let alone editorialize. It's a sign that concern about Detroit is penetrating to some non-traditional venues. | ||
Malcovemagnesia Member Username: Malcovemagnesia Post Number: 60 Registered: 12-2005 |
Thanks for the Michigan Review link. I used to search high & lo on campus for that paper (I can't remember if it was published bi weekly or only monthly), and appreciated its politics more than the lefty Daily. Is the Gargoyle still published? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4112 Registered: 02-2005 |
Review is a biweekly. Gargoyle is still around. There's also the humor paper Every Three Weekly...did you have that when you were on campus? | ||
Detroitbill Member Username: Detroitbill Post Number: 393 Registered: 09-2006 |
I agree totally with comments above, there is no doubt there are some neighborhoods in the city ( many) that are horrific crime wise.. But there are also many that are good, and exciting to live in. ( Ours is one for example - Lafayette Park). To blanket the whole city by media and various individuals all the time does not only do a disservice to those areas but is not reflective of the total truth. I have lived in " safe" areas of the suburbs and have lived here. My life is much richer where I live now. Everytime I go back to visit my "safe" former suburban enclave it is indeed a nice place to go to but also lacks terribly in the excitement, diversity and lifestyle that I have now. Lifestyle really is about choices and for those that desire a suburban existence then good for them, that is their choice, There are many of us who do not find that existence fullfilling and in the same regard good for us. I dont think it would be proper of me to label all suburban areas a cultural wasteland yet that boils down to the same analogy and generalization people use on Detroit all the time. It just amazes many of us who live in these areas how people luv to generalize without even knowing the details. If the whole city was nothing but a "cesspool of crime" do you honestly think many of us would live here and enjoy it. It simply does not compute. |
