Atlanta is still a good ole Southern Town with Rough Edges (Forsyth: appointed, real estate)

[darkone]

Why do I say this?

Because racism is always right around the corner in Atlanta, even in the heart of Midtown.

I'll give two recent examples:

One of my friends, who is african-american, was innocently jogging in the Midtown area on a weekend morning and had "White f..n power !" yelled at him by some white guys in a passing pickup truck.

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking with an asian guy, in the midtown area, and something along the lines of "..... monkey" were shouted by some white guys in a jeep.

I was shocked that this type of abuse still exists, even in the heart of Atlanta city. And even though nothing has been directed to me, it still angers and saddens me. How can this town be considered world class and sophistacted? - y'all can build all the towers you want, but my answer is no way.

And please don't give me some anecdotes from northern cities - I know about those too - my point is that the polluted air of the old south still blows across this town alive and well.

[atlantamoi]

Yeah, that's pretty crappy, no doubt. I've been a jogger for 25 years now and get yelled at once a year (happened just last week from someone in a van). People can be asshats no matter the race. I'm white and was jogging through a somewhat rough neighborhood last year and black kid told me I didn't belong there. It honestly stunned and disappointed me that someone would say that. Ignorant people exist.

Of course, I did get a catcall one time and enjoyed that!

[darkone]

I am not surprised - racism exists between majority and minority groups everywhere. But my point is that in Atlanta, just like in the rest of the South, one does not need to go looking for it in the "wrong" places.

[NorthmeetsSouth]

Originally Posted by darkone

I am not surprised - racism exists between majority and minority groups everywhere. But my point is that in Atlanta, just like in the rest of the South, one does not need to go looking for it in the "wrong" places.

When you refer to majority and minority groups is this what you are refering to?

Races in Atlanta:

Black (61.4%)
White Non-Hispanic (31.3%)
Hispanic (4.5%)
Other race (2.0%)
Two or more races (1.2%)
Asian Indian (0.6%)
American Indian (0.5%)

[melhr1206]

Hi
My husband and I are considering moving to Atlanta. We are Hispanic with Canadian Citizenship. Both of us have MBAs, over 10yr exp, and currently work in highly paid jobs (Real Estate and Management Consulting, respectively). We are moving to be closer to our parents.
Since Atlanta is one of the fastest growing cities in North America, there’s a lot of potential for young couples. However, following on previous posts we are wondering if there is discrimination / racism at professional levels.

Thanks for your feedback.

[GaBoy-n-Iraq]

Originally Posted by darkone

Why do I say this?

Because racism is always right around the corner in Atlanta, even in the heart of Midtown.

I'll give two recent examples:

One of my friends, who is african-american, was innocently jogging in the Midtown area on a weekend morning and had "White f..n power !" yelled at him by some white guys in a passing pickup truck.

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking with an asian guy, in the midtown area, and something along the lines of "..... monkey" were shouted by some white guys in a jeep.

I was shocked that this type of abuse still exists, even in the heart of Atlanta city. And even though nothing has been directed to me, it still angers and saddens me. How can this town be considered world class and sophistacted? - y'all can build all the towers you want, but my answer is no way.

And please don't give me some anecdotes from northern cities - I know about those too - my point is that the polluted air of the old south still blows across this town alive and well.

So...... im trying to figure out, when you were going to explain how it is a good'ole southern town? You explained the rough edges, no one will argue that ATL has rough edges......so whats the point in your thread?

[DisgustaTruth]

You really shouldn't have to worry about professional discrimination in Atlanta because of your race.. This may still be a factor in some of the smaller cities in Georgia... but Atlanta is a modern, cosmopolitan city with a major corporate presence..and racism and discrimination is bad for business. That's one of the reasons why Atlanta has been so successful whereas other southern cities have struggled. Atlanta tends to be a lot more tolerant than many cities in the South (one reason why Atlanta has one of the largest gay communities in the country). Instead of the black community and the business community having adversarial roles.. they have managed to form partnerships.. and all agree that racism and bigotry should be a relic of the past.
Another great thing about Atlanta is that it attracts people from all over..

[darkone]

Originally Posted by NorthmeetsSouth

When you refer to majority and minority groups is this what you are refering to?

Races in Atlanta:

Black (61.4%)
White Non-Hispanic (31.3%)
Hispanic (4.5%)
Other race (2.0%)
Two or more races (1.2%)
Asian Indian (0.6%)
American Indian (0.5%)

Why limit this just to the city of Atlanta? The pickup truck had a license plate registered from Cobb County. People can drive anywhere in the metro area. You know very well that the metro area as a whole is majority white.

Yes, there are places in the southside mainly and south of downtown, where blacks are the majority group, but I don't have experience with those places. I can only mention incidents in areas which are not majority black.

[darkone]

Originally Posted by GaBoy-n-Iraq

So...... im trying to figure out, when you were going to explain how it is a good'ole southern town? You explained the rough edges, no one will argue that ATL has rough edges......so whats the point in your thread?

Alright, pickup trucks passing by with white guys yelling slurs at coloreds, (sorry for the use of the term) is one of those stereotypical images, people elsewhere have of a good 'ole southern town. A lot WORSE used to occur to colored people in the South, including Atlanta, not so long ago.

What's my point?: Atlanta still has those historically southern "incidents" popping up from time to time, even in the heart of the city. Non-white newcomers need to hear about these incidents, because a lot of whites keep quiet about or are unaware of this inconvenient reality.

[neil0311]

I grew up in NYC, lived in Dekalb and Gwinnett Counties from '82 to '92, moved back north to New England in '92 until this past August when I moved to Cobb Cty with my family. I was in GA when the whole Forsyth Cty thing took place in the '80s and know a little about Atlanta then and now, as well as "blue state" parts of the country.

Racist acts of any kind are wrong, and I'm not going to say that a redneck in a pickup has never yelled a racial slur at someone. I'm sure it happens and will continue to happen. However, that kind of stuff can happen in South Boston or Brooklyn, NY just as much as it can in Midtown or Cobb Cty. The reality is that it happens very rarely in any of those places, and I would venture to assume that it's especially rare in the City of Atlanta where non-whites are the solid majority. This isn't the 1950's.

Even in the 1980's, except for the incidents in Forsyth Cty, I don't think I ever directly saw or heard of such an incident happening. The frequency of a racist act is probably no more in the Atlanta area than in some of the "blue" areas that I mentioned. "Darkone", you don't want to be reminded, but ever heard of Bensonhurst, NY?

I think some people on this forum tend to sensationalize things for effect and will forever see racisim around ever corner. Time to move forward. It's not 1950.