A new ad running in Arkansas, funded by the Conservative War Chest Super PAC, uses Detroit as a verb to express the idea of killing a place through taxes and debt and lack of jobs. It’s actually a very brief cameo by our fair city, visible at 1:42 for those who want to skip the right-wing scaremongering.
Our immediate reaction is typical of editors: an objection to verbing a noun. Especially a proper noun. That’s just illiterate. What’s next? Will we be New Yorking stuff? Or Houstoning something? Perhaps we’ll be struck with the urge to Baton Rouge something? Is there no end to ugly coinages emanating from marketing professionals and their focus groups?
Posted inNews & Views