Salon: Detroit is Bankrupt Because Racists Like Sean Hannity Hate Motown Music

NewsBusters ^

[chessplayer]

Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir has fingered the main culprits behind Detroit’s bankruptcy. According to him, it’s none other than Fox News host Sean Hannity and all his fellow racist conservatives who were threatened by Smokey Robinson.

In his July 27 screed for Salon headlined “Why the Right Hates Detroit” O’Hehir claimed the fall of big cities like Detroit and New Orleans had less to do with longtime Democratic rule and more to do with the right’s desire, as seen in the “coded racism of Sean Hannity” to punish the cities that spawned “the worldwide revolution symbolized by hot jazz, Smokey Robinson dancin’ to keep from cryin’ and Eminem trading verses with Rihanna.”

The following is the relevant excerpt from the July 27 Salon article:

Is it pure coincidence that these two landmark cities, known around the world as fountainheads of the most vibrant and creative aspects of American culture, have become our two direst examples of urban failure and collapse? If so, it’s an awfully strange one.

I’m tempted to propose a conspiracy theory: As centers of African-American cultural and political power and engines of a worldwide multiracial pop culture that was egalitarian, hedonistic and anti-authoritarian, these cities posed a psychic threat to the most reactionary and racist strains in American life. I mean the strain represented by Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby” (imagine what he’d have to say about New Orleans jazz) or by the slightly more coded racism of Sean Hannity today. As payback for the worldwide revolution symbolized by hot jazz, Smokey Robinson dancin’ to keep from cryin’ and Eminem trading verses with Rihanna, New Orleans and Detroit had to be punished. Specifically, they had to be isolated, impoverished and almost literally destroyed, so they could be held up as examples of what happens when black people are allowed to govern themselves.

[WorkingClassFilth]

I grew up with Motown and have a rather large collection of the stuff. In fact, I can synch with most songs, even in falsetto, and can kick-ass with finger snaps and back-up motions. That said, I am a racist by WH and race monger definitions.

Who am I?

[a fool in paradise]

One of the musicians behind Motown's sound.

[cripplecreek]

Modern Detroit Music is surprisingly good.

Kid Rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu3rsha1ZtI

Uncle Kracker (snicker)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06WM8oLH87M

[Gator113]

I am Scots-Irish and I like Hannity, sometimes.

I also like some of the Motown music.

The author of this tripe is just another lib loon. I don’t know how some of these fools keep from drooling themselves dry.

[a fool in paradise]

Big Media squeezed out “independents” like Motown (moved it to LA then it got swallowed up by MCA) and Imperial, Ace, and other legendary local labels (Stax in Memphis, Chess in Chicago).

And with the big players being the only game in the media world (they effectively block any startup outsiders out of radio, television, magazine covers, film soundtracks, etc.) those young entrepreneurs who establish powerhouse local businesses heard around the world never get exposure.

Jack White/The White Stripes got mainstream exposure (he was out of Detroit as well) when Virgin reissued his independent catalog (released by Sympathy For The Record Industry on a handshake, no contract) and added the "hit single" to the reissue version of the LP.

Sympathy wasn't even small town, it was an LA label but still outsider.

[workerbee]

As centers of African-American cultural and political power and engines of a worldwide multiracial pop culture that was egalitarian, hedonistic and anti-authoritarian, these cities posed a psychic threat to the most reactionary and racist strains in American life.

REV. SHARPTON: COMMITTED OF MAKING SENSE. OF AND BY TO THE SENSELESS. MUCH.

[Bringbackthedraft]

I think the real music left Detroit on purpose. Its what they turned it into, and if Hannity doesn’t like today’s what passes as music, he can join millions of others. To me Rap is Crap and annoying. Give me back the Ink Spots and the Temptations.

[Robert357]

“... these cities posed a psychic threat to the most reactionary and racist strains in American life...”

That is just BS, pure and simple. Anyone who would say that is mentally lacking.

[jiggyboy]

No mention of Memphis. As the song (not from any of those cities) goes, I guess two out of three ain’t bad.

[Vince Ferrer]

One could plot Detroit’s rise and fall through its music. Motown was definitely the peak, then a long downhill slide into rap. The musical eras coincide pretty well with peak and decline of the culture.

[Steve_Seattle]

"As centers of African-American cultural and political power and engines of a worldwide multiracial pop culture that was egalitarian, hedonistic and anti-authoritarian, these cities posed a psychic threat to the most reactionary and racist strains in American life. I mean the strain represented by Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby” (imagine what he’d have to say about New Orleans jazz) or by the slightly more coded racism of Sean Hannity today."

As a kid, my favorite musicians were The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, The Doors, The Ronettes, and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others. Most of these acts were "hedonistic" and "anti-authoritarian," and were either black or heavily influenced by black music. I don't even know what this moron means by "egalitarian" in music, and he probably doesn't either. He's just full of crap.

[chris37]

Alright, lemme give these a listen.

Also, I do not even know if the songs that I listed are actually Motown or not. I just kind of refer to all older black music as Motown, out of sheer ignorance on my part, but there is some very, very good music from that period of time.

[jiggyboy]

"I’m not exempting the Democratic political class of those cities from responsibility. Speaking broadly, those in city government there inherited an unsustainable situation in a downward-trending economy, pursued their own short-term objectives and only made things worse."

Apparently Sean Hannity's imagined demonic powers are far more powerful than the actual processes and motivations he documents himself here.

[A_Former_Democrat]

I’ve said this a hundred times on here, but it bears repeating:

“Just when you think the left can’t get any stupider . . . “

[bmwcyle]

Sean just can’t dance.

[chris37]

Damn I really enjoyed both of those tunes. That was some really good American flavor right there.

Thank you kindly for the links, cripplecreek^^

[newnhdad]

these people drive around in their foreign cars claiming to support American labor and blame the people that work and purchase US made products for the problems facing the city they ran into bankruptcy.

[kcvl]

Andrew O’Hehir - film critic

[onyx]

B T T T ! ! ! ©

[cripplecreek]

Uncle Kracker was on FOX and Friends this morning and Geraldo couldn’t resist commenting on the “unfortunate” name Kracker chose. UK said that its been “hard in the yard” for a long time in Detroit and everybody knew this bankruptcy was coming some day.

Kid Rock’s born free video sparked a mini tourism boom where he filmed the beach and cliff scenes in the upper peninsula.