Five:forty-five, maybe 5:10, if I slept in, every morning for a year that spanned my 15th and 16th years, I’d peddle my Schwinn the two blocks to where the stack of Detroit Free Press newspapers waited for me. Mr. Kuthy, eight blocks over on Warwick, demanded that he find his copy in his milk-shoot no later than 5:30 every morning. But before I could manage that, I had to fold — rubber bands just were not used back then — the 60 or so that composed the fodder for my route, then stuff the weighty mass in the canvas bag that was slung across the handlebars.
One of the few reasons, I suppose, that I subscribe to the paper, now via the Internet.
With everything that is happening in and to what used to legitimately be called the Motor City, the Depression Era state of the entire State’s economy, the lurid national tales of fiscal mal – and misfeasance, the tragedy that — except for the media’s failing to fulfill its core mission (reporting) and report on it — never seems to abate in Iraq, a bouncing, freewheeling, out-of-control stock market, and so many other countless matters that would seem to demand the public’s attention, this morning I thought I’d check on what’s finding an audience in and around Detroit.
What I found completely answers why the Great Lake State is in the condition it’s in. I kid you not, in 100% copied fidelity (Even the horrible grammar is included “as is”) and in descending order, the following 10 stories composed what Michiganders were most worked up about this morning:
- “Why the Lions blew it taking Calvin Johnson”;
- “NFL Draft watch list: Possible Lions target RB dropping”;
- “Red alert at Michigan without Terrelle Pryor”;
- “Six inches on the ground, and more’s on the way”;
- “Contempt threats loom for law chief, official”;
- “Suspect in Troy couple’s deaths had lost their trust”;
- “Wolverines’ spring scrimmage location in question; Rodriguez: ‘We don’t have enough guys’ for a real game”;
- “U-M coach Rodriguez: On Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State trying to scout his offense and more”;
- “City council gains in effort to obtain secret documents”;
- “Leyland: ‘We don’t look like we’re ready’”.
Now, maybe the Detroit area rather mirrors a similar national level relative to the lack of interest in anything whatsoever that should be at least a little consequent to anyone with an intellect that hasn’t been impaired genetically, by accident, or disease. Maybe it doesn’t. Maybe Detroit is an anomaly. I don’t know.
The difference I insist is that, while I do not know whether Detroit is typical, I damned sure do care.
(Oh, by the way, for those in the Detroit area, an anomaly is a deviation from the statistical norm or rule. Given the fact of all those that the evidence demonstrates are giddily ill-informed, I didn’t think it prudent to assume they are anymore informed concerning what certain words mean.)
— Ed Tubbs
