The Crier

Eastern Markets and Exoticism: The Detroit Orientalists

Why Ann Arbor is helping Detroit in the wrong way

Eli Walker · The Consul · Feb 05, 2007

Detroit is our little Orient. It’s a land of exotic markets, foreign culture and thrillingly sketchy adventures conveniently located on the eastbound highways.

Detroit is the focal point of student activism and urban studies for Ann Arbor and the University. Professors give tours in Michigan buses. Students demolish houses and paint murals on the weekends. In class, they’re indoctrinated with white, upper-middle class guilt — and maybe not without reason.

These efforts are important. They show that the University community cares about Detroit. The work they do is significant. But there’s a larger question that must be asked: Is Detroit the University’s social science project? Is Ann Arbor a city on a hill looking down on the rest of a downtrodden state?

Academia converts real life into statistics and demographic trends. It drains away emotions.

We’re Orientalist toward Detroit.

First of all, academia converts real life into statistics and demographic trends. It drains away emotions. When you write an essay about the problems of Detroit, it’s easy to forget you are writing about the home of just under one million people.

Ann Arborites pride themselves on their culture. They set their home apart from the rest of the region. People here are informed and conscious. There is “true” socio-economic and racial diversity. It is a small community, free of the isolation and tension that defines the metro Detroit area. But is it the right attitude for Ann Arbor to stick up her nose and take out her wallet when it comes to Detroit?

We need to reconsider and cultivate change in a way that doesn’t condescend. The four-year limit on activism is a problem all students face.

The most tangible evidence of Detroit Orientalism is the Detroit Project. The fact that a major student organization refers to one of the largest cities in the country as a project is unnerving. The group’s heart may be in the right place, but the word “project” is insulting. The connection to public housing is unavoidable and slightly ironic. Furthermore, it’s outrageous that a group of mainly upper-middle class, suburban and out-of-state students should call their once-a-year parade through Detroit a “project.”

The Detroit Project is evidence of a greater mentality at the University. “They” are backward, stuck in their own ways. “We” know the answers. “We” are educated.

We need to reconsider and cultivate change in a way that doesn’t condescend. The four-year limit on activism is a problem all students face. If students care about Detroit, they shouldn’t abandon it after graduation. They should become teachers in the area, or start business and invest there. They should demand that a light-rail system be built between Ann Arbor and the city. Or maybe just move there. After all, real life in Detroit is a lot different than an afternoon bus ride.