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Why The Lack Of Interest In What's Happening In Detroit?
I find it rather puzzling the apparent disinterest in the appointment of an "emergency manager" to take over the city government of Detroit. The union busting Republican governor has appointed a hand picked representative of capital to run one of what remains one of North America's larger cities.
I have to wonder if an equivalent situation had occur in a suitably exotic country what the response here would be. Let's say in a restive province of 700,000, -- where a rebellion that was put down with the assistance of elite government troops is still a living memory -- the central government has appointed what is essentially a "governor general" with a mandate to restructure the provincial government as they see fit, with power to negate any decisions by the provincial government. The "governor general" is tasked with whatever it takes -- slashing social spending, privatization of provincial assets, suspending of collective bargaining agreements --to impose austerity.
I can only assume RevLeft would be all over the developing story. But since the story is in reality occurring within the borders of the United States the silence is deafening.
Detroit emergency manager eyes end to union bargaining |Reuters
And the plant in Texas where a bunch of workers/people died (probably from the company owner chasing profits over safety) . I guess the Boston media frenzy has people a tad distracted.
they've been threatening this for a while, and i think they appointed this guy several weeks ago? it is odd if it's not been posted about here, but if you don't read leftist papers this kind of thing can get buried in the back of mainstream press.
detroit is the austerity/privatization front lines, and everything capital is doing there is the logical conclusion of a neoliberal response to crisis. it's hard not to see it as apocalyptic.
They installed him like a year ago I think and I'm pretty sure there was discussion here on it. I do that it's odd that it doesn't get talked about a bit more though.
Freedom before Peace
I can't quite believe that you are saying that. RefLeft, like the majority of the world's media, is obsessed by what goes on in America. Look at the pages, and pages of the treads on what was essentially a very small bomb in Boston if you need an example.
Devrim
Yeah America is gunna get a lot of attention, but the Detroit thing is only half as bad as the Nicaraguan dictatorships privatized city state plan and that hasn't received and attention recently. I mean lets face it, even as radical leftists, were saturated with America and its media, so even from us on a far left board you can expect us to be quite heavily impacted a lot of the time in the direction the media is going.
That's why you have to veer from mainstream media. Media distraction can be a big political tool as the "big" stories almost force you to focus on them.
Yeah but that's easier said then done, everything moves very fast now, there are a million different things going on and it's easy to fall prey to the dominant political sway.
Kevyn Orr was appointed Emergency Manager for the City of Detroit on March 21, 2013. He took seat at City Hall on March 25.
As far as I can see there has been exactly one post on the subject of an emergency manager being selected:
http://www.revleft.com/vb/michigan-a...77#post2595677
Well, you know you could've posted in my thread when it did come up
To the OP -- In the spirit of solidarity and struggle -- the way you are presenting the issue is an extremely unhelpful one. Trying to guilt a diverse collective for not addressing something you think is important and urgent is not effective in building interest, support or concern for an issue.
I'm going to close this & start one that's informative. Please contribute in constructive ways.
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