The war on the market
I’ve been watching a war this summer. No, not that never ending Orwellian one; nor the nauseating rises and fall of the economy either. It’s a struggle of man dominating nature, nature struggling back, and some street artists stopping in to admire the view. It took place in what the artists refer to it as “the market”, others know it as the Dequindre Cut.
A rail line skirts the east edge of downtown Detroit. This rail line, long abandoned by humans to the vagaries of urban tolerant wildlife, cuts a deep swath. Nestled in its embrace is an urban canvas. Hobos, debris and the occasional dog walker all gathered on this pathway that ran from the Eastern Market to the Detroit river. That was until the MDOT, encouraged by the noble rails-to-trails, came up with something a wee bit more family friendly.
With a surprising quickness the construction crews toppled the foliage and replaced it with sterile woodchips and manicured rows of flowers. The artists stubbornly persevered. Each night every newly erected surface received a complementary coating of paint. Every day towering construction vehicles craft new surfaces and the spiraling dance goes on today. For a glimpse into the past of the cut, stand at the mouth of the Gratiot bridge and stare north.
stood there.
amazing.
i haven’t read this blog in a few years (since about when it first launched) and just now did i decide to give it a look to see the new author’s (if there were any) view of the local political situation. this site had always been a nice mix of all things Detroit whether they be entertainment, cultural or political and i’m amazed that there isn’t even a mention of this past weeks events concerning Mr. Kilpatrick and/or Mayor Cockrel. do you all just assume that the subject is so covered in all aspects that none of your veiws are warrented? okay then. but what really got me to sign up and post was when i read the bio for an author going by the name of "Sarcasm". within the first couple sentences he’s referenced (in what seems to be a mocking manner) "retards" then declared himself the King of the Fucktards, hippies and Hitler. way to ease in slowly. he then rants on about corporate America’s inability to accept him for who he is (which is the reason he can’t hold a job) and continues on to talk about lesbians, voyeurism, homelesness and skateboarding only to wrap it all up with a few well place name drops for credibilty. a few lines about where you’re from would have been enough, honestly. looks like i haven’t missed anything.
Shipwreck, you sound upset. As to your remarks about nothing on Kwame or Cockrel, I was asked to write on what I do. And since I spend most of my time wandering around abandonments that’s what I write about.
I am a sarcastic individual with an extremely strong streak of irony working through my veins. I am not for the feint of heart. I am not for the meek. I enjoy using words that make you uncomfortable. With that being said, you are taking what was a tongue-in-cheek bio I wrote years ago so out of context it makes me wonder of you actual read it.
Have you ever encountered satire before? I get the feeling you haven’t. That entire BIO is satire. It’s a joke. A joke you obviously missed. The "retard" line is actually from the Detroit Free Press article written about me 8 weeks after I was born. It was called "A bundle of Joy" and details the new baby (me) being brought in to a "Home for Retarded Adults."
The rest of your rant is so off I won’t even acknowledge it.
~Sarcasm, gainfully employed for the last five years as a Montessori Preschool teacher.