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No, seriously, those of you who know me here know what a big fan I am of racial diversity. You also know that I love to call shenanigans on people who use the term "diverse" when they really mean 90% black or other minority. That's not diverse, it just means minority majority. I prefer minority majority when no particular minority makes up the majority, it's an even spread.
Anyway, back to the point....
I decided the other day for the heck of it to take a drive through one of the neighborhoods on McGinnis Ferry Road on the Johns Creek side. This subdivision was called Blackstone. I just wanted to see what types of homes were available in this area. What I saw did not impress me, I saw flat land with barely any trees and rather uninspired homes, with decent facades on the front, but siding on the sides and back. This is not what I expected to see in a Northview high school feeding neighborhood.
But I also noticed something else, and this is what I want to talk about. I started looking around at the other people driving in this neighborhood, and was struck by something: This subdivision appeared not to be diverse at all. Of the 7 or 8 cars I saw, the drivers were 100% Indian.
Now, I know Johns Creek is not 100% Indian. So it got me thinking, why are Indians attracted to this particular subdivision? Are others like this as well? Is Johns Creek subdivision segregated? Is my random sample inaccurate and I just didn't get a good view of the real residents of Blackstone?
It was interesting and surprising. What do you think?
No, seriously, those of you who know me here know what a big fan I am of racial diversity. You also know that I love to call shenanigans on people who use the term "diverse" when they really mean 90% black or other minority. That's not diverse, it just means minority majority. I prefer minority majority when no particular minority makes up the majority, it's an even spread.
Anyway, back to the point....
I decided the other day for the heck of it to take a drive through one of the neighborhoods on McGinnis Ferry Road on the Johns Creek side. This subdivision was called Blackstone. I just wanted to see what types of homes were available in this area. What I saw did not impress me, I saw flat land with barely any trees and rather uninspired homes, with decent facades on the front, but siding on the sides and back. This is not what I expected to see in a Northview high school feeding neighborhood.
But I also noticed something else, and this is what I want to talk about. I started looking around at the other people driving in this neighborhood, and was struck by something: This subdivision appeared not to be diverse at all. Of the 7 or 8 cars I saw, the drivers were 100% Indian.
Now, I know Johns Creek is not 100% Indian. So it got me thinking, why are Indians attracted to this particular subdivision? Are others like this as well? Is Johns Creek subdivision segregated? Is my random sample inaccurate and I just didn't get a good view of the real residents of Blackstone?
It was interesting and surprising. What do you think?
I have lots of Indian friends and they pretty much all live in Alpharetta, John's Creek, Duluth, and Suwanee. As they are all affluent, it just seems that they area they all gravitate to because they feel it's the best area and want to live around other affluent Indians. They also think the city proper is an evil place to be. They live there because other Indians live there.
<p>How do you know they were all Indian? What if they were all different desis, would you consider that to be diverse?</p>
A lot of Americans don't know the term Desi and can't distinguish simply by looking. I know many Desis but all the ones I know living in that area are from India.
I live close to that area and yes, the majority of residents around here are Asian or Indian. I imagine Realtors steer them to this area. On the flip side, if I were offered a good paying job and needed to relocate to some foreign country like Korea or India, I'm sure I'd ask the Realtor, hey, where do most Americans live because I'd prefer to live among people that share my culture and beliefs.
2010 Johns Creek: 63.45% white, 23.36% Asian and 9.2% black.
Johns Creek is a socioeconomically affluent area..so "diversity" in their eyes means White flight. When URMS(underrepresented minorities) move into a neighborhood the perceived increase in crime, teen pregnancy, drop out races, a near guaranteed drop in the area's top public high school's SAT score results in Asian/White groups running away. So while diversity to URMS may mean a different thing, to other groups it means another. Asians, in general, flock to whatever area has the best school system. I don't need to pull out JSTOR to tell y'all that lol White people just happen to be in that area. Plus there are lots of Asian-owned businesses and grocery stores in that area.
It isn't fair or nice..but it's sociology. Just putting it out there. That being said, I don't know if black groups feel marginalized in Johns Creek. The friends I have in that area are just "Asian racist" (We Asians(Koreans, Viets, Chinese, Japanese, Indians) have a bad habit of looking down on certain races..) and not flat-out racist. I mean, it's not like Statesboro or anything insane like that with so many KKK groups.
The increased rate of apartment development in the area is resulting in higher black and hispanic populations.
I understand what you're saying, but the question I'm asking is if the area is 63.45% white and 23.36% Asian, how did the Indian population manage to make an entire subdivision virtually 100% Indian? Logic would dictate that the subdivision should at least be partially white if they make up more than 63% of the population.
I'm rather fascinated by this concept of microsegregation. Especially given the fact that any time I asked any realtor about racial make up, they all tensed up and said, "It's illegal for me to even talk about that."
So how does one racial group dominate a subdivision? Just word of mouth within that group?
I understand what you're saying, but the question I'm asking is if the area is 63.45% white and 23.36% Asian, how did the Indian population manage to make an entire subdivision virtually 100% Indian? Logic would dictate that the subdivision should at least be partially white if they make up more than 63% of the population.
I'm rather fascinated by this concept of microsegregation. Especially given the fact that any time I asked any realtor about racial make up, they all tensed up and said, "It's illegal for me to even talk about that."
So how does one racial group dominate a subdivision? Just word of mouth within that group?
The "diversity" in Johns Creek is not evenly spread. In general terms, the further east in Johns Creek one goes, the less white.
The Northview High Cluster, for example, which is basically the eastern triangle of Johns Creek is roughly half-Asian...maybe even more so now (I'm talking about the school populations). Several of the elementary schools in the Northview High Cluster are already majority-Asian or supermajority-Asian.
Johns Creek is whiter in the Johns Creek High Cluster and the part of Centennial High Cluster that is in Johns Creek. The Chattahoochee High Cluster has lot of Asians as well, but is definitely whiter than the Northview High Cluster.
I understand what you're saying, but the question I'm asking is if the area is 63.45% white and 23.36% Asian, how did the Indian population manage to make an entire subdivision virtually 100% Indian? Logic would dictate that the subdivision should at least be partially white if they make up more than 63% of the population.
I'm rather fascinated by this concept of microsegregation. Especially given the fact that any time I asked any realtor about racial make up, they all tensed up and said, "It's illegal for me to even talk about that."
So how does one racial group dominate a subdivision? Just word of mouth within that group?
Hmm I can actually shed some light on this. Viets operate in a very similar manner as Indians. Our food is better though, obviously.
It's pretty straight forward. Our communities are VERY close knit. From religion, to culture, to after school activities, family friends, colleges etc. it's partially word of mouth. Whenever an Indian or Viet or Korean person is talking about where to move it goes something like this: "Oh yes. Tam's brother got into Harvard. He went to Northview High School. You know Mr. Nguyen right? He lives in xxx next to the school."
We like to live with each other. It's just comforting. Everyone does this. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Koreans, Indians, Pakistani(don't like Indians and vice versa), Japanese, blacks(Oprahs and Obama type blacks vs Rich Homie Quan), whites(liberal whites vs conservative whites vs Jews)..people just like to keep to their own. It's also that "diversity" is very much an American concept. It's not like that back home. We have roots, customs, our homes blare with Viet/Indian/Korean TV, we have our own foods, religion, education customs...our own network. So it's a little different talking to say a black or white American, because in most cases they identity as "American." That's just that. It's just more comfortable for us to be with our own. We do better when we're with our own, and it feels safer I guess.
We're all scared ****less. We don't want to end up like Trayvon Martin's situation(his neighborhood was a lot like Johns Creek)
Affirmative action, white flight, "diversity", "urban life"..they're all elephant in the rooms to different groups. That explains your realtor experience.
It's awkward telling someone "Yes, we would prefer if we didn't live near you or your kind. We want to keep to ourself."
Like nobody can do that in America lol
EDIT: And yes, you do have some racism and colonial overtones. Conservative whites don't think so kindly of the liberal blacks. Skin bleaching and dying is very popular in Asia, especially Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, India, China and Japan. Asian families would be mortified if their child brought home a black bf/gf..but a white gf/bf would be seen as better. We follow "white is right" too. It's history as well, not just modern day socioeconomics and media. Back home, we look up to rich countries..not countries poorer than ours(South America, Africa)
I was taught not to associate with blacks when I was younger. We saw kids in our community who did ended up going to GPC or no college at all and becoming bums...so it scared us. Not all blacks/hispanics are like that, just as not all white and Asians are highly educated and rich. It's just a mix of averages, statistics, generalizations, stereotypes and history that molds Asian beliefs.
What you've said is interesting. And I think you're right, diversity is very much an American value.
What makes what you've said so fascinating is that some of what actually works best may go counterintuitive to what we perceive as right or politically correct. Maybe minorities do better when they stick with their own more often than not. It's a model that has worked very well for Jews, they tend to stick together and help each other out.
I don't know if I've been brainwashed by political correctness over the years, or if it's just how I was raised, or how I see myself, or whatever....but I think I would go crazy if I was surrounded by nothing but other white people. In fact, sometimes when I see nothing but other white people, it's actually a little bit creepy. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I would ever purposely move to an area where I'm the only white guy.
But you know, it has been an interesting journey. I remember when I first moved to Atlanta, I became very aware of how high the black population was. I felt nervous and out of place when I would find myself in places where I was the clear minority. Nowadays, I don't think anything of it....I walk through Greenbriar Mall or Underground Atlanta with impunity and I don't even feel that kind of special "we're in the same club" connection when I see another white person in these situations. It took me a long time to get there, though, and it's not like I purposely tried. After so many years of exposure, it just kind of rewired my brain.
Now diversity is something that I love and seek. Again, it's the real diversity I'm talking about, a nice mix of people. I wouldn't move to Cascade and be the only white guy on the street, just like I would probably be pretty upset to move to Blackstone and discover everybody else is Indian but me. It's just isolating. But when everybody is isolated and nobody is in the majority, I think the walls come down and people start seeing each other just as people and not outsiders.
I actually experienced overt racism for the first time in my life in Duluth. My girlfriend (who, btw, is Asian) and I walked into a Korean restaurant we passed by and she just asked to see the menu to see if it was something we might come back to. The hostess just said, "This Korean food, you no like." and didn't even show us a menu. WTF? It was quite odd, and I find that intolerable. Of course, we eat at ethnic restaurants all the time, and usually have tremendously great experiences, but this did happen. I don't know what in the world this was all about, but a friend of mine postulated that they were being racist against her, because it's common in Asian culture to be racist toward blacks and other Asians, but they tend to generally tolerate whites. I don't know about all that, but it was certainly most odd.
But back to the point, for whatever reason, I have been conditioned or learned that diversity is good so long and so much that I actually feel it and believe it. So it's really kind of interesting to consider the other side of the coin, that maybe there is a time and place for self segregation. I know if I found myself in a strange country where I didn't understand the customs and didn't speak the language well or at all, the first thing I would want to find out is where the American ex-patriots live. I guess that's what is happening here, too, I'm just surprised to see how successful they are at it!
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