Atlanta, Grow Up!! (Roswell, Alpharetta, Boston: how much, house, neighborhoods)

[mceis]

I'm so sick of this. Stop with all of this race BS! Take a look at some of the other forums here on city-data. Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, DC, Houston...they're not littered with race conflict. However, every time I look on Atlanta's forum there are race complaints. It's ridiculous. These other cities have diverse populations, but they seem to fair a lot better.

A post on another thread mentioned that because Atlanta is diverse that it naturally leads to conflict. I've lived in several of the cities I mentioned above. I also in NYC for a while, and let me tell you, there's diversity. People didn't give a rat's behind what you were.

Whites, stop assuming the worst of blacks. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Most want to work hard and provide for their families like you.

Blacks, most whites have nothing against you. Most of us want to see as many people succeed as possible. A rising tide floats all boats.

Whites and blacks, just because someone disagrees with you, or calls you out for acting like an idiot, it doesn't mean it's because of your race.

Atlanta, get your freakin' act together!

[VJP]

"I also in NYC for a while, and let me tell you, there's diversity."

Discovery of the century. What do you have to say about us Indian folk who are born and bred in NYC and live in ATL?

Have you ever lived here? What are you complaining about....I can't even begin to waste my energy typing. The layout of various neighborhoods and their income/status/whatever discrepancies as they are interspersed yields to a certain amount of inherent racial divisiveness. I find your poor attempt to try and change perception of large demographics in a city like Atlanta laughable.

To be honest, as an Indian I get the familiar nod, wave, "what's up", "whats happenin'" from everyone. When I bring my black friends out to suwannee there is no hatred or racial bias. When I bring my white friends to the corner store in So' Dekalb where I live there is no issue. I perceive people like you to further/foster an environment which really doesn't exist..

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by mceis

I also in NYC for a while, and let me tell you, there's diversity. People didn't give a rat's behind what you were.

I'm a native NYer...grew up in Queens...in a place called Howard Beach, NY which is near a place called Ozone Park, NY. Ever hear of them? How about Bensonhurst?

Now I'm not saying that NYers are or NYC is any worse than anywhere else when it comes to race relations, but to hold up NYC as some kind of race relations model is a bit silly. I have actually seen less racial tension here in Atlanta than in some parts of Boston or NY.

[jillmaican]

Good idea for people to "grow up" but yeah thats not really going to happen. I have lived in NY, Ft. Lauderdale, Baltimore, and Delaware. One thing that I can tell you about Atlanta that I have never seen before is the fact that black people are EVERYWHERE. NYC might be diverse but the suburbs can be as segregated as anywhere in the South. Atlanta is the one place that I have lived where it is almost guarenteed that every neighborhood will have black people in it. That can be for neighborhoods that go for $150,000 or neighborhoods that go for $1Million.

There are black people everywhere you go....they run cities, they run government offices, and they clean bathrooms. In Atlanta YOU DONT HAVE CHOICE but to co-exist (at least when you are outside your house). In many other cities blacks are not making decisions, here they are (granted these decisions are not always the best ones...but that happens regardless of a decision's makers race).

Many people in Atlanta are forced to face the stereotypes that they have about other races. In other cities that are less "heated" you may see blacks but they are not making decisions about the towns where you work, or holidng high powered offices in your districts. Your paths don't really have to cross...here they do.

So that's going to cause some issues....my family has lived in NY their whole lives and take a trip outside of Manhattan and you'll see how much people really "enjoy diversity". It might not be as on the surface as here but its there...and its real.

[jillmaican]

I just had to add one more thing...as much as I appreciate the information that is passed on these forums I really think its important for people to not make their decisions about places based on whats here.

I had a bit of informaiton overload from this page and had to stop coming on here for a while. You are dealing with the perceptions and opinions on such a small percentage of the population. Its usually the same posters giving the same opinions on different areas (many of those areas being places they have never lived or really visited).

Once you log off of your computer and actually enjoy what the City has to offer you can see what a small percentage of the population is talking on these forums.

I've looked at forums of some of the other places that I've lived and the topics that are dicsussed are things that I NEVER ONCE EXPERIENCED. There is something to be said about talking about where you live and actually get out from in front of your computer and living there.

Based on this forum you would expect Atlanta some horrible town where people hate each other, blacks don't talk to whites and so on. I've met some of the friendliest people in my life in Atlanta. People in my neighborhood that I didn't know stopped by to introduce themselves when we moved in, helped us fix our sprinkler system, helped us fix siding on our house etc. And I've gotten more smiles from 70 year old white men, while holding the door open for me at the drug store, then I would have ever expected. Maybe we should all get off the computers and go out there and change the things about this City that we don't like...just a thought

[LahdeeDahdee]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I'm a native NYer...grew up in Queens...in a place called Howard Beach, NY which is near a place called Ozone Park, NY. Ever hear of them? How about Bensonhurst?

Now I'm not saying that NYers are or NYC is any worse than anywhere else when it comes to race relations, but to hold up NYC as some kind of race relations model is a bit silly. I have actually seen less racial tension here in Atlanta than in some parts of Boston or NY.

Can't get any more racist than Howard Beach and Bensonhurst, that's for sure!

[atlantagreg30127]

mceis,

I think you should also try to separate the difference between racism, and people talking about race.

People in this area TALK about race more openly and sometimes more often than they do in other regions of the country. People in the Northeast (in general) tend to bottle it up unless it's more of an argument. People on the West Coast think it's politically incorrect to talk about race issues at ALL (again, in general). The Southeast is different from any other region, and yes, race has and probably will for some time, be a topic that people discuss (and sometimes argue) about.

It doesn't mean all whites or all blacks are racist because it's discussed - or even if the discussions are somewhat heated. I think you'll find that in regions where it's not discussed, it's just quiet - people still THINK about the things that people here SAY. Which is better or worse? To discuss it, or bottle it up and pretend you never think about it?

[Roswell/Alpharetta Homes]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

mceis,

I think you should also try to separate the difference between racism, and people talking about race.

People in this area TALK about race more openly and sometimes more often than they do in other regions of the country. People in the Northeast (in general) tend to bottle it up unless it's more of an argument. People on the West Coast think it's politically incorrect to talk about race issues at ALL (again, in general). The Southeast is different from any other region, and yes, race has and probably will for some time, be a topic that people discuss (and sometimes argue) about.

It doesn't mean all whites or all blacks are racist because it's discussed - or even if the discussions are somewhat heated. I think you'll find that in regions where it's not discussed, it's just quiet - people still THINK about the things that people here SAY. Which is better or worse? To discuss it, or bottle it up and pretend you never think about it?

Greg just nailed it.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Roswell/Alpharetta Homes

Greg just nailed it.

Dr. Phil, eat your heart out.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by mceis

I'm so sick of this. Stop with all of this race BS! Take a look at some of the other forums here on city-data. Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, DC, Houston...they're not littered with race conflict. However, every time I look on Atlanta's forum there are race complaints. It's ridiculous. These other cities have diverse populations, but they seem to fair a lot better.

A post on another thread mentioned that because Atlanta is diverse that it naturally leads to conflict. I've lived in several of the cities I mentioned above. I also in NYC for a while, and let me tell you, there's diversity. People didn't give a rat's behind what you were.

Whites, stop assuming the worst of blacks. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Most want to work hard and provide for their families like you.

Blacks, most whites have nothing against you. Most of us want to see as many people succeed as possible. A rising tide floats all boats.

Whites and blacks, just because someone disagrees with you, or calls you out for acting like an idiot, it doesn't mean it's because of your race.

Atlanta, get your freakin' act together!

(See highlighted above)
But, these are good points he/she is making.