Fight snark with snark -- that's a Detroit-boosting organization's approach to dealing with TV comedian Stephen Colbert's "pot shots at our city," as it calls his "nasty little sound bites" on Comedy Central.
In a clever blog post, the Detroit Regional News Hub mocks Colbert for ignoring another local group's September invitation to see Detroit first-hand instead of just sniping at it from an 11th Avenue studio in Manhattan. "Take notice: You cannot ignore us forever," local journalist Karen Dybis warns in an open letter.
Colbert Does Detroit (And So Can You!) challenges him to "to put his ass where his mouth is and visit Detroit for himself." More than 4,200 people have "liked" the page so far, and the News Hub writer describes its goal in Friday's open letter:The massive reaction [is intended to] force you to come to Detroit, lead a march through the streets, see our great downtown, notice our resurgence and encourage you to find another whipping boy city.
Dybis, a business writer based in Grosse Pointe Woods, quotes Megan Deal of Little Things Labs, a Detroit design studio that started the Facebook page:
"Detroiters made (this campaign) what it is. For us, no matter if we hear from him or not it’s been successful in that we’ve had all of these people participate. . . . Some 4,000 fans took the time, sent in photos of themselves around favorite spots, showing people in the community that they are proud of Detroit."
The new post concludes by rebuking Colbert for perpetuating "a national myth that Detroit is dead" with his recurring "dumb joke" about the city. "We are not a punch line," Dybis writes, daring him to take a personal look at his target.
