The two articles assigned for this week’s reading show a huge difference in terms of their context, content, authors’ arguments, and audience. Due to this diversity, the articles are perfect for the learners’ analysis and critique. This paper reflects on these two articles’ main ideas and authors’ arguments and their significance. “The Post-Post-Apocalyptic Detroit – The New York Times” by Austen is a presentation of the state of economic affairs in Detroit city, New York. In this article, Austen presents the Detroit district as a capitalistic setting, where the economic drive is pioneered and controlled by a single business entity, the Quicken Loans Company, which is also a mortgage company. Quicken Loans Company, owned by a billionaire, Gilbert, has more than three-quarters of the properties in Detroit. The company, however, leases some of the properties but remains with the larger market share. As a result of this capitalist business venture, the public facilities are forced to move to the neighboring suburbs as the company plans to expand its entertainment wing southward.
One of the main ideas presented by Austen in this article is the need to restructure the economic state by allowing both public and private sectors to take an active role. For instance, ‘The men described the exhilaration of not only turning a profit but also owning a part of Detroit, their city, and housing other Detroiters’ (Austen, 2014, July 11). Most of the residents of Detroit were initially forced to move to the neighboring suburbs due to high taxes and the overall cost of living. However, in the post-post-apocalyptic phase, people are excited to move back to Detroit and own properties there. This reading resonates with the overall course themes since I can identify different writing styles and approaches used in this article. The use of dialogue in this piece is one of these approaches. Additionally, the reading builds on other course readings by sharing common ideas. These include the socio-economic and political perspectives and human interaction in all economic settings. The social class due to economic differences and people’s livelihoods are depicted in this article.
On the other hand, ‘Detroit on $1 Million a Day’ by Leary and Akers clarifies other course readings. In this article, Leary and Akers reflect on Austen’s sentiments regarding Detroit city while supporting and critiquing some of his ideas. While Austen supports the idea of shared economic responsibility, Leary and Akers seem to support economic capitalism. For instance, the authors explain how the government has little responsibility in ensuring security, as the capitalists pay for the surveillance cameras and have patrol police officers in place.
The significance of this reading is to clarify some of the ideas presented in the other course reading. For example, it provides new ideas for Detroit’s economic restructuring, thus allowing people to own and rent homes. One of the ways in which this reading relates to the overall course theme is by clearly pointing out socio-economic characteristics and disparities in a modern setting. Additionally, this article clarifies Austen’s sentiments in his article “The Post-Post-Apocalyptic Detroit – The New York Times.” It is important to mention that this reading not only targets people interested in understanding socio-economic dynamics but also sheds more light on business ideas and ventures such as real estate. Although this piece expounds more on Austen’s sentiments, most of its information is similar to what is already discussed by Austen. Hence some readers may think it lacks originality.
References
Austen, B. (2014). The post-post-apocalyptic Detroit. New York Times.
Leary, J. P., & Akers, J. (2014). Detroit on $1 Million a Day. 1–8.