Is Candler Park really "Diverse"? (Atlanta, College Park: renting, home)
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It was really interesting to see the points and counterpoints raised by one and all since my OP. My OP was meant to convey a simple message - let's call the proverbial "spade a spade". Candler park is not diverse (and let's not delude ourselves by passing staid caveats - we never said "ethnic" diversity when we used the term for Candler Park!). We all know that the word diversity, as used in the context of these blogs almost overwhelmingly assumes an ethnic/racial undertone.
Has anyone wondered why despite being such a so called "great neighborhood" , close to downtown, Emory, Gatech, GSU, shopping, entertainment etc. the community fails to attract non-whites? What drives non-whites (a lot of whom work in the downtown area) who would otherwise find this area so convenient, to live in the burbs and endure the crazy rush hour traffic of the highways? The aim of the OP was not to incite a rewiring of race/ethnic relations in CP. What it did try to argue for is a rejection of the myth that CP is diverse. Doing so will be the first meaningful step for any change. Peace to all...
I really want to be on your side, but you've made it impossible. Not only that, but as a white person, I'm wondering why my presence in a neighborhood somehow makes the place undesirable - if a white poster was saying the same thing about a majority black neighborhood, I think a lot of people would be motivated to call that person racist, classist, or any other number of terms that he or she might deserve. I don't see how this is any different.
Diversity means different things to different people. If you ask someone up north to point you to a "diverse" neighborhood, they might point you to one full of Italians, Irish, Jews, Greeks and Portuguese. Can you look at that neighborhood and say it's not diverse? I don't think that would be fair, even if those people all fall under the blanket category of "white people." If you wanted a neighborhood with a sizable black community, that's what you should have said when you were asking for advice - using a somewhat nebulous term like "diversity" is only going to skew your results. Ethnic statistics are readily available on any area of town in which you might be looking.
As far as asking what drives blacks to the suburbs instead of into Candler Park...are you kidding? The same things that drive white people and Asian people and Latinos into the suburbs. They probably find themselves wanting large yards, better schools, and less traffic around their houses. Maybe they feel like they can get more to their money. I'm not sure why having white people living inside the perimeter strikes you as such an affront to decency. Are we not allowed to move intown? Or are we only allowed to move intown in numbers that you deem acceptable?
People tend to cluster around people like themselves, and there are plenty of majority-black intown neighborhoods of all socioeconomic statuses if that's what you'd prefer. I don't think anyone would criticize you for that preference, but complaining about white people lousing up the place is not only racist, but it's stupid - they were already there when you moved in. You don't have any more right to that neighborhood than they do, and if you take the same kind of attitude to your neighbors in person that you do on here, I think it's pretty obvious why they don't like you. White people certainly aren't moving to Candler Park to avoid black people, if that's what you're insinuating - white people who don't want to be around black people move to Cumming, not Candler Park.
We're all free to make our homes wherever we like, no matter our race. If you asked a vague question and got an unhelpful answer, that's not our problem, and it's not your neighbors' problem. The information you wanted was very much available to you while you were making your decision, and if you decided not to take advantage of it, that's no one's fault but your own. I can't imagine why you'd take an anonymous person's opinion as the truth without doing your own background research on an area to see if it checks out to your liking. It's incredibly immature to blame the neighborhood for not being how you think it should be when you didn't even take the time to make sure it was what you wanted before you moved in. Own your decision.
And since you chose to not address anyone's questions about the details of the reception you've received in the neighborhood or what efforts you've made to meet your neighbors, I'm guessing that you probably haven't made any efforts and you're choosing to not socialize with the people around you...because they're white. I'll ask again - if a white poster came onto this forum and was having the same problem and choosing the same course of non-action, wouldn't they sound like an ignorant fool? I know I'd think they did. You're not sounding any better.
Last edited by WriterDawg85; 08-20-2010 at 08:58 AM..
And since you chose to not address anyone's questions about the details of the reception you've received in the neighborhood or what efforts you've made to meet your neighbors, I'm guessing that you probably haven't made any efforts and you're choosing to not socialize with the people around you...because they're white. I'll ask again - if a white poster came onto this forum and was having the same problem and choosing the same course of non-action, wouldn't they sound like an ignorant fool? I know I'd think they did. You're not sounding any better.
Well, that's the problem. Racial considerations exist just about everywhere, most likely including Candler Park. (Although I'd have to guess that folks over there are relatively mellow in that respect).
But unless we can talk about the details of specific events it's almost impossible to deal with those concerns. How can you even begin to overcome a problem until you can identify it? The solution might be easier than you think.
I am not sure what purpose does it serve WriterDawg85 to be abusive. Never once did I intend to malign the white community. I just made an observation about what people say about Candler Park's diversity. It is frankly unfair and somewhat of an ad hominem attack on the post writer by ascribing falsehoods that somewhere there is an intention to paint a bleak picture of the entire white community.
Regarding specific experiences...well what do you a young child (ours) coming home from school who says he wishes if he were fair-skinned so other kids would play more with him? Well that's what we faced a couple of days ago. We were astounded to hear this as our son generally is a very social kid and did not say any such thing in his previous school (a different city).
Regarding specific experiences...well what do you a young child (ours) coming home from school who says he wishes if he were fair-skinned so other kids would play more with him? Well that's what we faced a couple of days ago. We were astounded to hear this as our son generally is a very social kid and did not say any such thing in his previous school (a different city).
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I would ask him why he said it.
Did the kids say they will only play with fair-skinned children? If this was the case I would be speaking with the teacher, the school needs to know this is happening so it can be properly addressed.
If you are new to the neighborhood, is it possible the kids are not playing with your child right away because they do not know him? If the school has mostly white children, then yes it will appear as if only the white children are playing together.
I am not sure what purpose does it serve WriterDawg85 to be abusive. Never once did I intend to malign the white community. I just made an observation about what people say about Candler Park's diversity. It is frankly unfair and somewhat of an ad hominem attack on the post writer by ascribing falsehoods that somewhere there is an intention to paint a bleak picture of the entire white community.
Regarding specific experiences...well what do you a young child (ours) coming home from school who says he wishes if he were fair-skinned so other kids would play more with him? Well that's what we faced a couple of days ago. We were astounded to hear this as our son generally is a very social kid and did not say any such thing in his previous school (a different city).
I don't know where I was abusive - your post previous post was offensive and racist and, frankly, troll-like. If you're trying to make a valid point, you're not doing yourself any favors. A lot of people asked you very valid questions, and you completely ignored all of their good-faith offers of help or advice in order to reiterate how much you don't like living in a white neighborhood.
As for your second paragraph - that's something you have to get to the bottom of to see if it's racially motivated or not. Small children perceive things differently than adults do. If they're the new kids in town and don't know people yet, they may feel like the kids aren't as friendly as their old friends at their old school, and the most obvious difference might be skin color, and they may draw causation in their minds between the two when it's not really there. On the other hand, if the kids said they wouldn't play with kids who aren't white, that's a serious problem and you have every right to be upset.
Regarding specific experiences...well what do you a young child (ours) coming home from school who says he wishes if he were fair-skinned so other kids would play more with him? Well that's what we faced a couple of days ago. We were astounded to hear this as our son generally is a very social kid and did not say any such thing in his previous school (a different city).
I'd find out the rest of the story on that and discuss it with the teachers and principal. We had grandchildren at Mary Lin and it is by no means an all white affair. Black and white kids played together regularly and they were all active in school activities. Same with the soccer leagues around there.
And I'm sorry if your child got his feelings hurt. Is he new to the school? Check into it and see if you can figure out what's up, because that school has a remarkably cool environment.
Wow Nu2ATL, I am pretty surprised at these responses as I sense you are. I think the fundamental issue the OP is expressing is very simple. He/she was given the impression that Candler Park was diverse (and , as was very clear from the post, ethnically diverse), while from his/her experience it was not.
All I gathered from the OP was a question of why this discrepancy seemed to exist. Instead people started asserting the OP was racist and seemed more determined to prove him/her some kind of malcontent than just answering the question. And, in fact, more time has been spent spewing assumptions than anything else.
I'd like to know why all this anger is being generated. The OP clearly feels isolated, and they make it clear they wanted to live in a "diverse" neighborhood and not in a neighborhood where their race is the only race, so how racist could the OP be? So instead of just helping them out with some insight, the thread has become a bashing session.
Nu2ATL, I hope you can find some kind of home here in Atlanta. A lot of people of color experience what you do both in Atlanta neighborhoods and institutions and throughout the country. Yeah, it can be tough and isolating, but hopefully you can find somewhere in which you feel welcomed. I don't have any specific neighborhood recommendations, but I'd suggest posting a question with that in mind, and hopefully you can get more constructive responses.
Last edited by bizchick86; 08-21-2010 at 06:41 PM..
I was diasspointed by College Park's lack of diversity. WTF is up with the lack of white people there. Everywhere I went there were Blacks. This didn't seem representative of the population. If that wasn't bad enough I went to a place called Plaza Fiesta and all I saw were Hispanics! Not many blacks or non-Hispanic Whites. This is an outrage!
I would call my Congressman, but I'd hate to bother him when I'm pretty sure they are still trying to explain to him that Guam is an island it is not going to capsize and sink.
Wow Nu2ATL, I am pretty surprised at these responses as I sense you are. I think the fundamental issue the OP is expressing is very simple. He/she was given the impression that Candler Park was diverse (and , as was very clear from the post, ethnically diverse), while from his/her experience it was not.
All I gathered from the OP was a question of why this discrepancy seemed to exist. Instead people started asserting the OP was racist and seemed more determined to prove him/her some kind of malcontent than just answering the question. And, in fact, more time has been spent spewing assumptions than anything else.
I'd like to know why all this anger is being generated. The OP clearly feels isolated, and they make it clear they wanted to live in a "diverse" neighborhood and not in a neighborhood where their race is the only race, so how racist could the OP be? So instead of just helping them out with some insight, the thread has become a bashing session.
Nu2ATL, I hope you can find some kind of home here in Atlanta. A lot of people of color experience what you do both in Atlanta neighborhoods and institutions and throughout the country. Yeah, it can be tough and isolating, but hopefully you can find somewhere in which you feel welcomed. I don't have any specific neighborhood recommendations, but I'd suggest posting a question with that in mind, and hopefully you can get more constructive responses.
Well, I think the problem is that the OP didn't really seem to ask a question so much as blame society at large for tricking him into moving into a white neighborhood. If he had done his due diligence on the area before moving, just as anyone should do on any area before making that large of a decision, he would have found the information he wanted. Instead, it seems to be our fault or his neighbors' fault or whatever.
If it was a white poster talking about a black or Latino neighborhood, my reaction would be the same, although I can't speak for others. The onus is on the individual to investigate a neighborhood thoroughly, and statistics about ethnic makeup aren't difficult to find. I certainly can't blame him for wanting to live in a neighborhood populated with people with whom he identifies, but I take issue with his reaction to realizing that he's made the wrong decision for his needs. I also take issue with his characterization of his neighbors when he won't even make mention of what he's done to try to become part of his community. To me, that doesn't seem quite right, and it would strike me similarly if the ethnicities were switched.
I don't think anyone purposefully gave him false information in order to screw up his decision-making process, and "diversity" is clearly something that's up for debate - if you've only ever lived in a lily white suburb for your entire life, I'd imagine that any intown neighborhood seems diverse. If you're a black family looking for other black families, then diversity might have a different practical definition.
According to this link: The (Re)Segregation of Public Schools? - DivineCaroline Mary Lin Elementary is around 40% black. Because it's a public school, that means that the area surrounding probably has a similar percentage of African American residents. It's a little over 50% white too, but compared to most neighborhoods in the metro area, that's very "diverse" in the literal sense - it's pretty mixed. If by "diverse," he meant "majority black," it would have made things a lot clearer and easier if he had asked for that. Sure, a couple old white people might have criticized him for wanting a black neighborhood, but those same old white people criticize pretty much everyone for everything.
Like I said previously, I really want to be on the OP's side on this - he has every right to want a neighborhood that reflects his values and makes him feel comfortable and accepted. I just don't think it's anyone else's fault that he moved his family to Candler Park, and I don't think that anyone was wrong for saying he'd find a diverse school for his kids. Factually, it's an accurate statement.
I was diasspointed by College Park's lack of diversity. WTF is up with the lack of white people there. Everywhere I went there were Blacks. This didn't seem representative of the population. If that wasn't bad enough I went to a place called Plaza Fiesta and all I saw were Hispanics! Not many blacks or non-Hispanic Whites. This is an outrage!
I would call my Congressman, but I'd hate to bother him when I'm pretty sure they are still trying to explain to him that Guam is an island it is not going to capsize and sink.
Why the hell would you contact your congressional rep over this issue?
Next, no one is preventing the whites from being in College Park. It's 80% black, according to City Data stats. I'm sure its other lopsided cities in the metro area where they are more whites than blacks.
The name of the shopping center is Plaza Fiesta and you're shocked you didn't see any blacks or non hispanics whites?
Much ado over nothing...
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