More immigrants leaving south florida (Weston, Bell: work, home, wealthy)

[casualobserver]

This discussion group will need to decide whether economic status is also being attached to the definition or not. The classic definition was no more than "neighborhood", wherein the residents were culturally, religiously and socially tight knit. The Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago is this classic definition...not necessarily affluent, but also well-kept and relatively crime free. Barrio, is indeed, originally just the Spanish word for this.

However, modern day connotation has morphed this into mostly a perjorative term reflective of ethnicity and economic status. Not surprisingly, though, because prior to phenomenons like Weston, wealthy immigrants were few and scattered about.

The Irish and Italians enclaves of 19th century Boston and New York were also economic barrios before anyone heard the Spanish word and so these were called ghettos.

'Hood on the other hand is clearly a modern day invention by the African American underclass by themselves. It does not lend itself to transportation to other groups.

[jbravo]

Interesting thread.
Miami feels "barrio" to me.
Was really nice in the 70s.
There are sections of Miami with few Cubans that are barrio.
Some time back ago I posted a thread titled: "Miami, it's not just for Cubans anymore."
I left Coral Gables in early 05 and I did feel pushed out.
Maybe it was the same feeling that anglos felt in the 60s when my brethren came over.
_

[Cane Fan]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Lake Worth must have really changed dramatically in the last 8 years or so because I don't remember it being like the hood at all; it seemed to be like Homestead (which, despite its high crime rate, doesn't "feel" that unsafe in general). It's really funny that people call it South Florida's Compton because it seemed so normal and middle class to me back then!

Edit: you know I like the SoCal analogies You speak in code to me about that and I speak in code to you about Miami's non-English speaking Hispanic population Speaking of that, isn't it pretty much common knowledge now that Weston's Savannah and all those neighborhoods in northern Weston fronting Alligator Alley / I-75 are just a giant barrio nowadays anyway?

The Hispanics in Weston are overwhelmingly educated and upscale so no that would not be considered a "barrio" ... in fact I know many white Mexican professionals in Weston who would be offended and horrified if you called any of the sub divisions in Weston a "barrio"

Having been born and raised in Texas ... the word "barrio" refers to a Mexican American area or enclave with working class or poorer residents . If it were an upper middle class or wealthy neighborhood with Mexican or Mexican American residents like you find in San Diego then it would not be considered a "barrio" ... we Americans are very ignorant as to the different Hispanic nationalities , customs and cultures ... A Venezuelan friend of mine , just the other day was called a "taco muncher" by an old white guy at a Home Depot because he was speaking Spanish to his 57 year old Mom who was visiting from Caracas ... and he claims he had never even seen a taco until he had one at the Taco Bell in Weston off Indian Trace a couple of years ago ... LOL

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by Cane Fan

The Hispanics in Weston are overwhelmingly educated and upscale so no that would not be considered a "barrio" ... in fact I know many white Mexican professionals in Weston who would be offended and horrified if you called any of the sub divisions in Weston a "barrio"

Having been born and raised in Texas ... the word "barrio" refers to a Mexican American area or enclave with working class or poorer residents . If it were an upper middle class or wealthy neighborhood with Mexican or Mexican American residents like you find in San Diego then it would not be considered a "barrio" ... we Americans are very ignorant as to the different Hispanic nationalities , customs and cultures ... A Venezuelan friend of mine , just the other day was called a "taco muncher" by an old white guy at a Home Depot because he was speaking Spanish to his 57 year old Mom who was visiting from Caracas ... and he claims he had never even seen a taco until he had one at the Taco Bell in Weston off Indian Trace a couple of years ago ... LOL

annnnd queue the welcome to Florida theme music in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

[compelled to reply]

I'm sure it would never happen in NY though. Especially the guy who deliberately called me a "stupid guinea" just a little upstate after giving him business at a store (I wasn't even at Poughkeepsie yet!). Racism exists everywhere but people seem to be less forgiving of it when it happens south of the Mason/Dixon line, although I would argue that there seems to be less of it south nowadays...

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

I'm sure it would never happen in NY though. Especially the guy who deliberately called me a "stupid guinea" just a little upstate after giving him business at a store (I wasn't even at Poughkeepsie yet!). Racism exists everywhere but people seem to be less forgiving of it when it happens south of the Mason/Dixon line, although I would argue that there seems to be less of it south nowadays...

Think you tried to bring up NY because I am from there. let's be very ,as someone who grew up in NY. NYC and NY State are about a dissimilar as cold versus heat.

Regardless of how much it hurts peoples feelings, Florida is far more ignorant about other cultures than many other metro areas. Does that mean that Chicago or even a NYC is free from racism? Of course not, there are racist every where but, my years here in Florida (I have lived in three cities in Florida) have been met with far more ignorance than I ever encountered in other places I have lived. So that story she told doesn't shock me one bit.

[PBCboy]

I have experienced racism from a New Yorker just yesterday. At the place I work at a Puerto Rican guy from New York called me "white boy" and made a derogatory statement towards me.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Lake Worth must have really changed dramatically in the last 8 years or so because I don't remember it being like the hood at all; it seemed to be like Homestead (which, despite its high crime rate, doesn't "feel" that unsafe in general). It's really funny that people call it South Florida's Compton because it seemed so normal and middle class to me back then!

Edit: you know I like the SoCal analogies You speak in code to me about that and I speak in code to you about Miami's non-English speaking Hispanic population Speaking of that, isn't it pretty much common knowledge now that Weston's Savannah and all those neighborhoods in northern Weston fronting Alligator Alley / I-75 are just a giant barrio nowadays anyway?

2000 Lake Worth = mostly rednecks (of the Florida cracker variety) with a small percentage of Hispanics.

2008 Lake Worth - mostly Hispanics (of the poor Mexican/Guatemalan variety) with a very small percentage of old timers still in there.

Most Lake Worth neighborhoods are over 60% Hispanic now.

As for crime, it seems like every week some gang shootings occur there.

[Cane Fan]

Originally Posted by PBCboy

2000 Lake Worth = mostly rednecks (of the Florida cracker variety) with a small percentage of Hispanics.

2008 Lake Worth - mostly Hispanics (of the poor Mexican/Guatemalan variety) with a very small percentage of old timers still in there.

Most Lake Worth neighborhoods are over 60% Hispanic now.

As for crime, it seems like every week some gang shootings occur there.

Lake Worth is amazingly like East Los Angeles , even the look and feel .. nothing like Broward County .

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

Think you tried to bring up NY because I am from there. let's be very ,as someone who grew up in NY. NYC and NY State are about a dissimilar as cold versus heat.

Regardless of how much it hurts peoples feelings, Florida is far more ignorant about other cultures than many other metro areas. Does that mean that Chicago or even a NYC is free from racism? Of course not, there are racist every where but, my years here in Florida (I have lived in three cities in Florida) have been met with far more ignorance than I ever encountered in other places I have lived. So that story she told doesn't shock me one bit.

How would someone even know if people in Chicago are racist? People tend to avoid leaving your own little enclave after work. The difference between here and there is that there is more of a tendency for an actual mixed neighborhoods, and that happens with mixed results...

I mentioned NY because that's supposed to be the epitome of acceptance and I happened to remember an experience there (it wasn't really a big deal). Had I been somewhere in Long Island or Jersey, it wouldn't have mattered in the first place because us [ethnic slur for Italians] own the place. See what I mean? Speaking of which, us [ethnic slur for Italians] had a reputation for beating up blacks in Queens and Staten Island, especially Howard Beach. How often are people beat up over race or lifestyle in Florida? There was a high profile incident a couple of months ago, but it's not something that is common. It hasn't been widespread since the mid 80s. St. Petersburg is kind of boiling like that but also unlike most of Florida, it has ethnic lines that people don't cross.