Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Earlier this year, Newsweek featured a story on its web site called "America's Dying Cities: Cities With Bleak Futures Ahead." Three of the 10 were from Michigan and Grand Rapids was one of them. Now, it's hard to argue with some of the statistics in the piece, but man do I admire the way Grand Rapids responded.
The mayor immediately fought back, citing stats in his city's defense. But the rest of the city also refused to take the charge lying down. Two local filmmakers raised $40,000 to do this video. And it's now been watched by well over a million folks on YouTube.
It's easily the best music video of the year -- a lip-dub of a live version of "The Day The Music Died." You really get a feel for how vibrant the city is and how the individuals there are real people with hope for the future. Or as one of the comments to the video reads:
"Mission accomplished, guys! I will never again hear the words 'Grand Rapids' without thinking of this video and grinning. Fantastic."
The economy is bad everywhere, and there are some really hurting places in the rust belt. It makes me proud to be an American to see resilience like this. What do you think?
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May '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
I agree, Mollie. This was great and shows the spirit and pride of not only being Grand Rapids citizens, but Americans. This is the American spirit.
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Good for them! And the whole thing was just wonderfully moving, somehow. Andrea's right, I think. Grand Rapids just gave voice to something distinctively American.
Jun '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
I don't know what it had to do with Grand rapids, and I was skeptical of the hype but I was riveted to it. It is a truly amazing piece of film-making and direction. There should be an award created just for this.
Jun '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
The big advantage of living in a place like Grand Rapids is, your town's perpetual cynics and unrepentant narcissists will eventually move away to places like New York City, and Chicago, where they fit in better. Thank goodness they have a place to go.
Nov '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Now maybe this is just wishful thinking, but it seems to me that a whole lot of people - from Grand Rapids to the Palin bus tour - - are beginning to fight back against the notion of "You aren't good enough to do it on your own."
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Ditto.
I'm glad you found it moving too, Peter. I thought something was wrong with me when I started tearing up at around minute 3. This was an amazing film and filled me with pride in my fellow countrymen.
Feb '11
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids? Dying?
Granted, it's not as nice as Flint, but it's not all that bad.
The city's even got some things going for it. For one, the residents still go to the bother of having and raising kids. (Good thing, too, as they're having to pick up the East Coast's slack.) Got kids, you need hospitals, churches, and schools. The city has plenty. Medical school? Got it. Presidential library? Covered.
There's even a finishing school or two: Calvin, Aquinas, Ferris, Kendall, Grace, and GVSU. The city even used to have some famous philosophers, but the Papists stole them. On the plus side, in that there's no longer any point taking degrees in philosophy, graduates can go to work for Herman Miller, Steel Case, Konica Minolta, Smith's Aerospace, Meijer, or any of another couple dozen major corporations.
While Michigan's been hit hard economically, G.R.'s been able to keep the lights on. All it really lacks are a vibrant communist party, gridlock and crime, a unionized workforce, and rent control. Otherwise, it would definitely make my top-ten list of livable cities.
Did I mention the hunting and the fishing?
Dec '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Inspirational! It reminds me when I was applying for residencies coming out of medical school in 1984. I applied to about 15 programs in different cities, including Grand Rapids. Each program had their own brochure with information about their hospital, the departments, the medical school and the city. The Grand Rapids program stood out because in the program brochure, every page had at least one photo with one of the people wearing a fake Groucho Marx nose and moustache. It reflected a sense of perspective and good nature that clearly continues to live in that city. Good for them. My faith in the USA is strengthened.
Oct '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
This is how the REAL America looks at the future. We hear too much from the coasts about America, but here is where the future is made. God help us if I am wrong.
May '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids really is the heart of the GOP in Michigan. Did you check out the credits at the end? One of the major sponsors was the DeVos family, of Amway fame. Dick DeVos ran against Jennifer Granholm (and lost), his wife Betsy used to chair the Michigan Republican Party.
And of course, it was the long-time home of Gerald Ford. (Who, unlike Harry Truman and Independence, never went back to live there after the White House. I think that's to Ford's detriment.)
Aug '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Why lower taxes, reduce regulation, cut government spending, and boost the economy when you can simply blow $40 grand on a YouTube video and make everything alright?
Sorry folks, I ain't impressed.
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
How the heck did they do that? Really impressive video, and, like Peter, Diane and others, I found it oddly moving. Michigan has its problems, no doubt, but any state that contains Hillsdale College can't be all bad.
Sep '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
I live in Grand Rapids, but I didn't take part in the video. Too much work to do.
If you can endure the six months of overcast skies and wintry weather each year, you are rewarded with summers that are nothing short of idyllic: temperatures in the 70s and 80s, fairly low humidity, a season beginning with the sweet scent of honeysuckle on the breeze. People here are much more pleasant and polite than anywhere in the Northeast US (where I grew up).
John Lamoreaux writes: "There's even a finishing school or two: Calvin, Aquinas, Ferris, Kendall, Grace, and GVSU. The city even used to have some famous philosophers, but the Papists stole them." Well, some of these are more than just "finishing schools". Calvin and GVSU have some very good mathematicians on their faculty, and since John seems more interested in philosophy, Calvin's philosophy department is one of the best in the nation. (Incidentally, I've heard that Alvin Plantinga has returned to Calvin from Notre Dame.) Two of my students are off to graduate school at Berkeley (applied math) and MIT (chemistry) in the fall.
Edited on Jun 2, 2011 at 9:46amOct '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Misthiocracy: Why lower taxes, reduce regulation, cut government spending, and boost the economy when you can simply blow $40 grand on a YouTube video and make everything alright?
Sorry folks, I ain't impressed. · Jun 2 at 7:47am
Regrettably, your sense of the future seems to be limited by the nuts and bolts of government. The point of this video is that the inspiration and fortitude of commoners, ourselves included, is America. Your vision is clouded by pessimism. You will never get to experience things you cannot imagine.
Feb '11
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
@dogsbody: "John Lamoreaux writes: "There's even a finishing school or two."
The diminutive was a (lame) attempt at hyperbolic understatement.
Great schools in G.R., and a remarkable number of them -- and one had the sense not to hire me.
Also, no question, both Plantinga and Wolterstorff (formerly at Calvin) have done outstanding work in epistemology and philosophy of religion.
Sep '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
John Lamoreaux:
The diminutive was a (lame) attempt at hyperbolic understatement. · Jun 2 at 10:55am
John, given the context I was pretty sure that was tongue-in-cheek, but just in case, I had to take a stand for the adopted hometown and schools. I'm still surprised they hired me.
Aug '10
Re: Mission Accomplished, Grand Rapids
Mostly - the video is just wonderfully creative. And timed out to the last detail - and all in one continuous shot. Impressive. Kudos to its creators.