which counts more in chicago, race or class? (Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park: renting, how much)

[citylove101]

yeah, i know its a broad question, but i meanwhat counts more in your everyday living--going to the supermarket, at school, in politics, at work, renting or buying a place, how other perople perceive and react to you (or how you THINK they're reacting to you) even just random stuff waliking down the street.

its a wide open thing, but i ask 'cause I split my time between NY and Chitown and a bunch of friends in new york were discussing this. we decided new york is more class conscious, overall, and chicago more race conscious. you got enough money in NYC and you can be insulated from, or manage to do, just about anything. can you say the same in chicago? we figured, looking at the radio guy who got dissed for wanting to spend millions on a house in bridgeport that its tougher there if you're black, and maybe even if you're hispanic.

Both cities have problems with both class and race--neither is pure. (repeat that just so you know Im not picking on anybody. I love both places.) but I'm in chicago a lot, and thought asking chicagoans might help settle the argument. what counts more here, race or class?

[mas23]

race IMHO. but class and way of life is still a huge factor though.

[Drover]

On the extremes, class. In the middle, race. Sort of. What really makes the difference is culture. If you look/talk/act like ghetto trash, you'll generally be regarded as such whatever your economic class is. If you look/talk/act like a mainstream citizen, you'll generally be treated accordingly. If you're a jerk, nobody cares how much money you have. I take that back, if you're a jerk with money, you'll probably be hated even more than a workaday jerk.

[chitown85]

I think ethnicity is a better term than race. In Chicago as in most East Coast/Midwest cities, ethnicity is far more important. One is not "white," but Italian, Jewish, Irish, Greek, Serbian, etc. I think the ethnic cultures, which include black and Hispanic (further subdivided into Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc) are far more important than race. Between ethnicity and class, ethnicity is more important, but class is not far behind.

[Drover]

The white ethnic distinctions don't matter nearly as much as they used to, though it certainly does to new arrivals primarily from Poland and certain Balkan countries. While certain legacy ethnicities still have their enclaves, most of those enclaves are former shells of themselves and the "ethnic" flavor is on the surface only: see Greektown, Little Italy, Andersonville, et cetera. The only white enclave where the population is generations removed from its European ancestry and where ethnicity still holds substantial sway are the Irish section on the South side -- Beverly, Mount Greenwood, western Morgan Park, Evergreen Park, parts of Oak Lawn.

[Avengerfire]

"which counts more in chicago, race or class?"

Neither.

Money and/or clout counts the most.

[linicx]

Well said. I don't think America has developed a caste system quite yet.

I think class has more influence on how one comports him/herself than how much money he/she has in the bank. I've met more than my share of people whom I perceived to be classy, when infact they were reverse snobs. I simply do not think money or title creates true class.

I think money affords a better standard of living. By the same token I do not think lack of money immedicately translates to lack of class. Nor do I think the color of one's skin translates to anything more or less than the ethnicity of our parents. It is only by the accident of birth that I am an American of eight generations thanks to the ancestral grandfather and his father who fought in the American Revolution. .

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

"which counts more in chicago, race or class?"

Neither.

Money and/or clout counts the most.

[Humboldt1]

Money and class ultimately matter more. Race is something people perceive only when they first meet you. It is what comes out of your mouth and how you think and act that ultimately determines how you are perceived in Chicago.

If you look and act like a thug you will be treated as such.

[mas23]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Money and class ultimately matter more. Race is something people perceive only when they first meet you. It is what comes out of your mouth and how you think and act that ultimately determines how you are perceived in Chicago.

If you look and act like a thug you will be treated as such.

Probably one of the first times I've agreed with you. lol.

I still do think its race first, then whe all things fall into play it becomes irrelevant and mostly focused on the individual.

I dont see how money is important though. Can anyone give me a reason?

[AmosBanks]

Originally Posted by mas23

I dont see how money is important though. Can anyone give me a reason?

From a retail perspective, a person who is thought to have money will get a fairer shake than a person who doesn't appear to have money. For example, when I need to return something to a store I always make sure I am in my suit from work as opposed to one of my sports jerseys.