Detroit: A Public Rorschach Test
The whole Detroit automaker bailout
has my head spinning, and there’s no easy
answer in sight. The people I talk with seem as
torn about what to do as I am. The current
debate raises fundamental questions about how
we see critical public issues, what we value
most, and the inherent conflicts we’re trying
to work out. Detroit, and its ailments, is a
public Rorschach test. So, please, pull up a
chair, and let’s see what we think.
It’s hard to talk about Detroit without mentioning two vital pieces of context. First, the $700 billion bailout of the financial markets, which to date seems to have produced far less benefit than anyone expected. For many of us, this situation undermines our confidence that yet another set of loans will produce any better results.
Second, Katrina, where our government’s response only deepened what was an unforgiving disaster. The nasty taste left from government’s ill-conceived and incompetent response still lingers. Even after all this time, much of New Orleans remains in a state of disrepair, and many people’s lives remain broken.
So what do you see when you look at the Detroit Rorschach? Is it simply a matter of making a decision about government loans to help revitalize three key American companies? Is it about holding auto makers accountable for decades of poor choices? Is it about saving a so-called dying city and region? Is it about propping up these companies because the domino effect from them declaring bankruptcy is too great to risk?
But our Rorschach test doesn’t end with these questions. There’s more. I highlighted the financial bailout and Katrina episodes because they help us to see and confront even larger issues about our intentions and purpose in taking public-spirited action.
There are technical fixes for some problems, which may even include making sure our financial markets are working, levies get built, and car companies stay afloat. But, if we are truly willing to look at Detroit, we’ll see something much more complex, fragile, and rooted in the daily lives of people. Making loans is the easy part. Repairing breaches is something else.
It’s hard to talk about Detroit without mentioning two vital pieces of context. First, the $700 billion bailout of the financial markets, which to date seems to have produced far less benefit than anyone expected. For many of us, this situation undermines our confidence that yet another set of loans will produce any better results.
Second, Katrina, where our government’s response only deepened what was an unforgiving disaster. The nasty taste left from government’s ill-conceived and incompetent response still lingers. Even after all this time, much of New Orleans remains in a state of disrepair, and many people’s lives remain broken.
So what do you see when you look at the Detroit Rorschach? Is it simply a matter of making a decision about government loans to help revitalize three key American companies? Is it about holding auto makers accountable for decades of poor choices? Is it about saving a so-called dying city and region? Is it about propping up these companies because the domino effect from them declaring bankruptcy is too great to risk?
But our Rorschach test doesn’t end with these questions. There’s more. I highlighted the financial bailout and Katrina episodes because they help us to see and confront even larger issues about our intentions and purpose in taking public-spirited action.
- - Will a government response, no matter how well thought out, reach the people in need?
- - In what ways is government capable of responding to such systemic, complex issues, and where is it not, and what’s the alternative?
- - What responsibility do individuals hold for making their lives better and adjusting to changing conditions?
- - What
non-governmental responses are required to
rebuild communities and people’s lives, and
how do we marshal these
resources?
There are technical fixes for some problems, which may even include making sure our financial markets are working, levies get built, and car companies stay afloat. But, if we are truly willing to look at Detroit, we’ll see something much more complex, fragile, and rooted in the daily lives of people. Making loans is the easy part. Repairing breaches is something else.