Is Boston racist?!?!?!? (dental, areas, place)

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by sportsfangal

oh-I should have posted here, but under a different post about before you move to Boston, I was wondering what the conditions are like in South Boston for Blacks? Forgive me if this has already been answered-But I am not orginally from Boston, and I would like to go to new restaurants/bars in S Boston, just wondering if I will be called the "n" word as I walk down the street? will I get harassed at night? It's too bad I have to worry about this in 2008, but blatant and undercover racism exists everywhere, unfortunately. I just want to have a peaceful drink/meal at new places in town.

Legally, you are allowed to venture into South Boston and you should be able to do so if that is what you want to do. At the same time, I can't guarantee you will be received well or even if the police won't ask questions.

[vivabigpapi]

Originally Posted by sportsfangal

oh-I should have posted here, but under a different post about before you move to Boston, I was wondering what the conditions are like in South Boston for Blacks? Forgive me if this has already been answered-But I am not orginally from Boston, and I would like to go to new restaurants/bars in S Boston, just wondering if I will be called the "n" word as I walk down the street? will I get harassed at night? It's too bad I have to worry about this in 2008, but blatant and undercover racism exists everywhere, unfortunately. I just want to have a peaceful drink/meal at new places in town.

You'll be fine.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by miu

I honestly have never seen young people (teens and early 20's) of any other race ever shuffling slowly across the street making the oncoming cars wait for them to slowly finish crossing. It seems to be a black thing and my other friends (that I can be honest and not pc about it) fully agree with me.

Obviously, not all blacks do this, but the slow street crossers (the ones that are healthy and young enough to be able to walk quickly or even run) are black people, mostly black males and doing the ghetto walk. If they would stop doing that, it would help race relations A LOT!

And of of, people of all races don't always use the crosswalk or wait for the walk signal, but at least those people hurry across the street and don't make the cars stop. Other people also tend to look over at the oncoming car traffic and will hold up their hand in an apologetic way as they hustle across. The black people refuse to look at the car drivers and seem to be in their own little bubble of entitlement, like they have some extra pedestrian rights that no other race has. Or it's that they don't have to hurry and it's okay to make others wait for them, even if the the cars have the right of way.

Two white kids in Lynn did this to me today. I don't care who does it...it's really annoying.

[Sandpointian]

A rare troll on my part. I used to do this when I was a kid of 12 or 13. Hell one time I even stopped to "tie" my shoelaces on a bumper. I did it to be funny to my friends (would never do it on my own). It worked! I also did it because I had a 13 year-old's view of pedestrian walking rights. So it is in part kids being kids. Not proud of it now 30 years later, but I can see this from a kids' POV).

In terms of this slow crosswalking being a black thing, I personally agre with Miu on the observation. However, I think it is important to try to understand why. . since I feel this happens in a lot of different arenas.

Here is my take: it is assertion of manufactured power in a world where many American Blacks have little to none. So kids when walking across the crosswalk KNOW you must halt...While their actions violate unwritten codes of counduct, they know there is nothing you can do about it!

Black civil servants...are protected by public sector hiring practices and some move like glaciers. Cannot be fired and since most civil servants stretch three hours into eight, they know they are well within a comfort zone to exert their power. In the private sector almost anywhere in the world, you would be barked at, warned, etc. Same goes for adult blacks in their 20s and 30s in the middle of streets.

And note among my African-born friends, this is not the case at all. It is a largely an African-American issue, and one that specific to age, education and wealth.

But the closer you get to the "heart of the lion's den" in the marketplace, the less you will see this. EVERYONE gets barked at. Markets are moving quickly. Kill or be killed. No place for debates on racial history, political correctness, or payback.

Therefore, for the least powerful, it is a subtle way to control the confrontation with "The Man."

As for the question of whether this is an issue across all races. I would say "not really." Hispanics and Asians? Never once have I see this? Why not, these two groups are too busy trying to survive in a new environment for fear of being sent back or failing. How about among Whites? Yes, I have seen somewhat similar behavior...but usually only with heavy middle age women and men. Again the issue is one of exercising power.

OK, go head and flame me...but when one experiences something 20, 30, 50 times, it is no longer a "inappropriate generalisation." In these instances, we should try to udnerstand it. In this case, it is not "a black thing," but rather something that some blacks do and something that few other races do. So here we need to think about the underlying cause until we feel we are convinced we have something.

So the policy implication?: unlock the potential of the African-American child; equip him/her to compete in a global marketplace and to shine academically; give the kdis hope; engender their resepct for a system of laws that quite frankly developed the roots for their current day impoverishment. Do these things and silly antics will be confined to the past.

You'll notice that among rich yuppie American blacks, they would never do these things...they are too busy on their BlackBerry!

[sportsfangal]

Black people are called the "n" word EVERYWHERE, in EVERY STATE. SO it really doesn't matter about Boston being more or less racist than GA, and vice versa. I feel that some (or most) whites can be nice to your face, then call you the "n" behind your back.
It's just a sad, unfortunate part of life. And it doesn't matter if you are Michael Jordan, Oprah, or a homeless guy or a gang member, whites will think the same about each of them.

[CBanderas]

Everyone CALM DOWN. I am a minority that has been living in South Boston for 3 years. I have not once felt unsafe while walking around the streets, shopping, bar hopping or anything else. South Boston is now full of Yuppies and Gays. Trust me, if it was racist I would not be living here.

[Youseemepostin]

Not racist, it could even be called well integrated. I'm only going on my experiences as a college student, so I may be skewed in that regard, but inter-racial couples seem fairly common. Anyway, no one's going to lynch you.

[miu]

Originally Posted by sportsfangal

Black people are called the "n" word EVERYWHERE, in EVERY STATE. SO it really doesn't matter about Boston being more or less racist than GA, and vice versa. I feel that some (or most) whites can be nice to your face, then call you the "n" behind your back.
It's just a sad, unfortunate part of life. And it doesn't matter if you are Michael Jordan, Oprah, or a homeless guy or a gang member, whites will think the same about each of them.

And thanks in part to that dreadful black gangsta rap music, the "n" word is alive an well in America. Just like walking slowly while crossing the street against traffic, blacks use the "n" word among themselves like it was some special word only they are allowed to use. From there, their close buddies of other races are also allowed to use the secret club word. Eventually, it is once again used by everyone. If blacks don't like the "n" word, then they must stop using it themselves. Everyone knows the "n" and it's never going away, not until the AA stop using it themselves.

Otherwise, the "n" word is only a word, like f*ck. And if the blacks stop overreacting to hearing it, it will lose its appeal and power.

[joebaldknobber]

There are not many Blacks in Boston compared to the southern states.

[NEastBound]

Uh...What part of GA do you live in???? I live in GA and have NEVER witnessed this!! Perhaps in the sticks??? As much as I dislike GA, I must say that this post gives a really sh...crappy perception of GA.

Originally Posted by CrissyLynn

You people should call consider yourselves Lucky! I live in GA ;where black people are ALWAYS considered "N-Words" and my little sisters still have to deal with school segregation as if it was the 1950z. At the football games the white people sit on one side of the field and the black people have to sit on the other. There is a separate black-basketball cheerleading squad from the white-football cheerleading squad. If I WERE to look past the ignorant views of the people in this town and date a black, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity than my own; my family would disown me and I would be considered "white-trash"

Im moving to BOSTON... were its not so bad!