THE FORD FUNERAL

With the passing of former president Gerald Ford and his burial here yesterday, our city did shine in the national spotlight.  Downtown G.R. may not be the big city, but it is pleasing to eye, especially under a rare break in the winter overcast that let the sun blaze away upon it.  The authorities did a good job of organizing the influx of 57,000 mourners downtown, so much so that anyone more than a one block or two away was oblivious to all the hub-bub.  As for those mourners, they were mostly area residents who graciously welcomed home to his final resting place a man who hadn't called Grand Rapids home for more than a half-century.  Kudos, River City.

Comments

[Dave VerSluis]

We could use more leaders like Jerry Ford today. Hopefully his passing will remind people of what it means to be an American, and will inspire some to rise to be their best.

[Steve Goulet]

I've never been more proud to be from West Michigan. President Ford embodied the values that make Grand Rapids different, and I think the nation needed a reminder of how those values are important in a leader. Honesty, humility, kindness, and integrity are not always easy to spot in real time, but the big picture is finally coming in to focus.

[Brandon]

I, too, was deeply moved and extraordinarily impressed with the events of last week, and in that regard I have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said (and said better) by a great many people in our community. The only quibble I have – and it’s both minor and respectfully offered – is with all this talk about “West Michigan values” being somehow special and unique. What is that supposed to mean, exactly?

[Steve Goulet]

That's a good question, Brandon. I wish I could answer it with a logical explanation that doesn't sound like a cliche. There's an intangible feeling that you get from this place. Maybe there's a higher concentration of kind, respectful people for some reason? Then again, it could be that my vantage point is skewed.

[Brandon]

Steve,

Thanks for the response. I truly wasn’t asking it rhetorically, so I appreciate the reply. And I can’t stress enough that my problem (if you can even call it that) with this issue is so minor that I hesitate to even continue the discussion. But for what it’s worth, here’s my two cents.

When people speak of West Michigan values – or, more broadly, Midwestern values – I don’t seriously think they mean to insult folks who live elsewhere (i.e., presumably those on the coasts or in big cities like Chicago). But on a certain level, it seems hard to deny that that’s the [unintended] effect, and I don’t know how anyone could realistically discern that we in Grand Rapids possess certain virtues that the average, say, Bostonian lacks (aside from our better taste in baseball teams, perhaps). In any event, it’s not something I would spend much time arguing about if not for one variable:

The tacit assumption, however seemingly benign, that we in the Midwest have been imbued with a higher sort of morality (define it how you wish) is the kind of thing that a lot of politicians have exploited in recent years by way of referring to the so-called Heartland. It’s a term I’ve heard our current president use on countless occasions as a way of justifying some of his policies (as in, maybe those folks in the liberal elite don’t think it’s a good idea to protect America from the terrorists, but you folks in the “Heartland” know what’s right). It’s a cheap rhetorical trick that helps to perpetuate the false notion that there are Red places and Blue places (and by George, we had all better pick a side!), when in fact the reality is that most of the country is an odd-looking patchwork of 20 shades of purple.

I guess maybe we all have skewed vantage points in the end; I certainly stake no claim on the truth. It’s just that I’ve been so taken by the poignant solidarity over the last week, and I can’t escape the strange feeling that any talk of the uniqueness of one region’s values over another’s tends to add a sour note to our shared grief over the passing of such a great man. I’m curious what others might think.