Cleveland: not a city you can pretend to know
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“My favorite U.S. cities, in no particular order: Savannah, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco. They’re the inverse proposition to places like Buffalo, Detroit, and Cleveland, which are in ruins and left to die.” Bernard-Henri Levy
This quote appeared in the magazine, Departures, a publication of American Express that began to arrive at my house maybe three or so years ago. I don’t know what milestone my husband reached in order to trigger the free subscription, but have no fear: it seeks to induce the recipient - via advertisements or articles or otherwise detected advertisements, to indulge in only the most expensive, exclusive opportunities that will then trigger some other higher milestone. I can’t imagine the name of the next milestone’s publication - but then again, neither can American Express, or what pricier items could be included, but then, I’m not the type who aspires, in general, to more and bigger and more, bigger, expensive possessions anyway.
I’ve passed the quote in front of a couple of level-headed local bloggers and one of them seemed to think that Levy had it, more or less, right. At least as far as the "in ruins and left to die" part.
But to me, the content of this self- and otherwise professed uber intellectual wasn’t new or shocking or enlightening or affirming.
What made me notice this quote, by this person, in this magazine, was the publisher’s or editor’s decision to include this quote.
Departures’ demographics, according to its media kit, include moneyed, traveling, spender types. Some of whom live in the NEO area. Those folks probably have second maybe even third and fourth homes, outside of Cleveland. Who can even guess as to how much time they spend on the North Coast each year.
So its not even myself or other Clevelanders for whom this quote disturbs me.
I’m disturbed by this quote on behalf of all the people who’ve never stepped foot in Cleveland, or, like Levy, have barely experienced Cleveland.
Cleveland is not a place that seduces you with its skyline, uniqueness, immensity, antiquity or any other easily recognizable but also easily mimicked or one-upped attraction. To love Cleveland is a process, a process that involves everything about the city. Including all that it possesses and lacks.
And yet Departures is a magazine seen by whom? People who want to be seduced easily and visually. And yet, who have the publishers allowed to speak to these wealthy and tony folks? A person who is supposed to be an intellectual but who, nonetheless, criticizes cities for failing to seduce him quickly, easily and predictably, the way the other very excellent cities - Seattle, San Fran, Chicago and Boston, all cities I’ve visited and know to greater and lesser degrees - can seduce, without question. This is not their fault, but to then judge other cities - such as Detroit and Cleveland - by the same standards?
Shallow. And lazy.
Learning to love, like and live in Cleveland is a process. And for truly, sincerely, soulful individuals - not just those who pose as such or write as such or seek to make others think they are such - Cleveland is rewarding beyond the attempted reduction to a single sentence quote in a magazine that only people who charge a lot of purchases on their credit cards read.
This quote appeared in the magazine, Departures, a publication of American Express that began to arrive at my house maybe three or so years ago. I don’t know what milestone my husband reached in order to trigger the free subscription, but have no fear: it seeks to induce the recipient - via advertisements or articles or otherwise detected advertisements, to indulge in only the most expensive, exclusive opportunities that will then trigger some other higher milestone. I can’t imagine the name of the next milestone’s publication - but then again, neither can American Express, or what pricier items could be included, but then, I’m not the type who aspires, in general, to more and bigger and more, bigger, expensive possessions anyway.
I’ve passed the quote in front of a couple of level-headed local bloggers and one of them seemed to think that Levy had it, more or less, right. At least as far as the "in ruins and left to die" part.
But to me, the content of this self- and otherwise professed uber intellectual wasn’t new or shocking or enlightening or affirming.
What made me notice this quote, by this person, in this magazine, was the publisher’s or editor’s decision to include this quote.
Departures’ demographics, according to its media kit, include moneyed, traveling, spender types. Some of whom live in the NEO area. Those folks probably have second maybe even third and fourth homes, outside of Cleveland. Who can even guess as to how much time they spend on the North Coast each year.
So its not even myself or other Clevelanders for whom this quote disturbs me.
I’m disturbed by this quote on behalf of all the people who’ve never stepped foot in Cleveland, or, like Levy, have barely experienced Cleveland.
Cleveland is not a place that seduces you with its skyline, uniqueness, immensity, antiquity or any other easily recognizable but also easily mimicked or one-upped attraction. To love Cleveland is a process, a process that involves everything about the city. Including all that it possesses and lacks.
And yet Departures is a magazine seen by whom? People who want to be seduced easily and visually. And yet, who have the publishers allowed to speak to these wealthy and tony folks? A person who is supposed to be an intellectual but who, nonetheless, criticizes cities for failing to seduce him quickly, easily and predictably, the way the other very excellent cities - Seattle, San Fran, Chicago and Boston, all cities I’ve visited and know to greater and lesser degrees - can seduce, without question. This is not their fault, but to then judge other cities - such as Detroit and Cleveland - by the same standards?
Shallow. And lazy.
Learning to love, like and live in Cleveland is a process. And for truly, sincerely, soulful individuals - not just those who pose as such or write as such or seek to make others think they are such - Cleveland is rewarding beyond the attempted reduction to a single sentence quote in a magazine that only people who charge a lot of purchases on their credit cards read.
JBlog Me
5 Comments:
Levy did a whole series of articles for the Atlantic last year, sort of retracing the footsteps of Tocqueville. They were interesting reads because they were a look at America's cites from the point of view of an outsider. And a Frenchman at that...
His assessment of the rustbelt was pretty dead on. But even better was seeing him wrestle with the practice of "dry" towns in the west (Utah, I believe).
Hi Miles -
Yes, I'm familiar with American Vertigo, the book he wrote and remember when the media was all over it, or rather, he was all over the media. I have to say, I felt the same way then.
But my issue is more with the publication taking these words of his and re-printing them this way. Out of the hundreds of observations that he made, why on earth did the publication feel compelled to use that statement?
This is why I say that editorially, it's very curious to me.
You're right, that is the issue. My view is that "big-time" magazine editors cite cities like Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo and similar places as shorthand for decaying backwaters. Which, as you say, is curious, but also unenlightened.
Then again, many of those editors seem to come from such places so maybe this is a way for them to throw eggs at their old home towns for whatever personal reasons.
Thoughts?
I actually followed a link here to your thoughts, and I thought, if it is all right, I might jump in.
I think you both have been spot on about this quote. I also think Miles brought up a very interesting point about big-time editors ragging on their hometowns. I think that people for some reason have an inferiority complex about being from the Midwest. In a way, our existence is almost antique. This might sound weird, but kids growing up were always embarrassed of their parents, and I wonder if they are running away from their own personal stories by moving to big, "glamorous" cities.
Right now I'm 24 years old, and I grew up in Northeast Ohio. So far, I've bounced from NE Ohio to Boston to New York to Detroit and back to Cleveland, and I'd like to think I've seen a little bit of the country -- at least the Northeast part.
I can't really say why people feel the need to say rude and insulting things. Everytime I go somewhere, I get put in the position of defending Ohio. In New York, I got in a fight with my building's security man because I was wearing an Indians shirt. I explained that I was from Cleveland and I liked the Indians. He said I had to wear Yankees in New York. This could have been a funny exchange, but it actually was sort of heated. I never really liked it in New York.
What I find most interesting about these comments is my own reaction. In all honesty, I am relatively content living in Northeast Ohio, but when I read mean quotes or see articles about how awful the Midwest is, I get a subtle, nagging feeling like I need to get out of here fast -- all because they planted a seed of doubt in my head.
They could always send you an American Express Black Card...
But, the Rust Belt cities have been left to die. The infrastructure is crumbling, the citizens who lost their jobs find nothing but menial labor to replace their comfortable salary.
This is the cost of the conceit that the salad days of manufacturing would last forever. A city on life support...
I was born and raised in Cleveland and there are things I greatly appreciate and love about Cleveland. One thing I don't love:
Cleveland doesn't love Clevelanders.
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