The opening of the new Blockbuster video in Wyandotte is the final nail in the coffin for Wyandotte's craving to be something that it's not — cool. For years now Wyandotte has eyed the upscale and profitable downtown scene of Royal Oak and has inanely tried to copy it. Wyandotte's got a nice old theater, an over-priced and snooty compact disc store, and even its own Metro Music Cafe. The streets downtown are right on the water and relatively crime free. But what I failed to mention is the mentality. The difference between Wyandotte and Royal Oak is that there's no "Country Steppin'" night at the Royal Oak Metro Music Cafe. Yee-haw! No Fetish-wear stores, no resale shops, no good restaurants but plenty of line-dancing and pick-up trucks.
Not to say that Royal Oak is a wonderland, it's just that Wyandotte has always cast a watchful eye on the goings-on there.
So how does Blockbuster Video fit into all of this? It's not that there's a video store in downtown Royal Oak, Thomas Video is in Clawson, more than a stone's throw away from the main strip on Main Street.
Think of Blockbuster as a symbol. What does Blockbuster mean to me? A "Family Oriented" video store with plenty of "Family Values." Remember that term and all the insidious things it implies? You'll find all of them at Blockbuster Video, the fascist oriented video store. As annoying as the lead singer of the Offspring's hair, Blockbuster is an over-priced, under-paying store with limited selection and an urge to take over the world.
Am I being melodramatic? I really don't think so. The only reason other video stores exist at all anymore is because they can boast cheaper prices, more selection, or videos that appeal to the public's prurient interests. Pornography is the only thing that keeps Blockbuster from becoming a monopoly.
So when Blockbuster opened its door in late September at the corner of Biddle and Eureka, about half a block from where a man drove his car into the Detroit River to rid himself of his family, the remote possibility of any sort of cultural center rearing its ugly head over downriver have been put to rest. Feel safe, Country-Steppin' will continue until the cows come home.