Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I notice that most Americans glorify crime and brag about how dangerous his or her's city is. I even see a lot of educated people on this forum that say stuff like "My city is so dangerous, our murder rate is so high." Like wow, your such a hardass, you live in a dangerous area.
Also, it's obvious that most crime in America is black youths killing or dealing drugs in dumb gang warfare, but people that never even killed a fly brag about how hard there city is. Some people can just be so fake. It puzzles me and annoys me how Americans act like this.
I notice that most Americans glorify crime and brag about how dangerous his or her's city is. I even see a lot of educated people on this forum that say stuff like "My city is so dangerous, our murder rate is so high." Like wow, your such a hardass, you live in a dangerous area.
I find that your claim is generally false, in my experience.
There are subcultures in America that will glorify some crimes, but this is hardly common. Only idiots brag about a high murder rate or crime rate. Yes, some Americans are plain old idiots
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southeasterner
Also, it's obvious that most crime in America is black youths killing or dealing drugs in dumb gang warfare, but people that never even killed a fly brag about how hard there city is. Some people can just be so fake. It puzzles me and annoys me how Americans act like this.
If someone comes from a dangerous area, even if they have never harmed a fly, their experiences in that dangerous area shape their personality and behavior. They will carry the memory of that place with them, thus affecting their future. A high crime rate in an area affects the behavior of all local citizens, not just the ones actually committing the crime. What I find interesting about crime is that it can continue affecting an area for years into the future, even in the absence or reduction of crime in the present...
I think you're treating this issue rather lightly considering the complexity of the problem. It's almost as if you're saying that you're angry about hearing people talk about crime, and you're not necessarily angry about the crime itself! Your perception of other peoples' perception is clouding the issue for you.
I notice that most Americans glorify crime and brag about how dangerous his or her's city is. I even see a lot of educated people on this forum that say stuff like "My city is so dangerous, our murder rate is so high." Like wow, your such a hardass, you live in a dangerous area.
Also, it's obvious that most crime in America is black youths killing or dealing drugs in dumb gang warfare, but people that never even killed a fly brag about how hard there city is. Some people can just be so fake. It puzzles me and annoys me how Americans act like this.
I hate to say this being from Atlanta myself, but it is more of local Atlanta thing than a national thing. Maybe back in the 90's there were more cities where people acted like that, such as Los Angeles and even New York, but those cities have become peaceful. Now it's just Atlanta, Detroit, and a few other cities where people still glorify crime. The rest have become peaceful and see crime as a thing of the past, and its "out of style". In San Diego, people have pride in their city being safe, and high class. They look down their noses at cities like Atlanta and Detroit. That is why I don't really care for San Diego since I'm from ATL they treat me like I'm some ghetto scum, and that city cramps my style.
I think the media is somewhat to blame. Local TV news especially glorifies crime. "If it bleeds, it leads" is a common expression in the TV biz. Of course, viewers are also to blame as many times stations that focus on crime win in the ratings. Perhaps some think their city "has made it into the big time" if there is a lot of crime, but I think they tend to be in the minority and are certainly uninformed.
I think the media is somewhat to blame. Local TV news especially glorifies crime. "If it bleeds, it leads" is a common expression in the TV biz. Of course, viewers are also to blame as many times stations that focus on crime win in the ratings. Perhaps some think their city "has made it into the big time" if there is a lot of crime, but I think they tend to be in the minority and are certainly uninformed.
Most of the times those who glorifies crime are the younger people. The educated people want to stay out of those places. This way, they can have a nice car or dress nice without thinking that their car is going to be vandalized. So yeah I think is just the younger people. The older people wants to get out where there are crime.
I don't agree with much of how you put it, particularly the klutzy racial element. However I think there is a tendency in America folklore to elevate criminals and to speak romantically of a town being "hardcore."
On the first thing elevating criminals isn't entirely unique to the US. Robin Hood is basically a thief and certainly doesn't originate in America. The French had their "loveable rogues" too and I think even the orderly Chinese did. Perhaps they represent a dissatisfaction of society or the excitement of "breaking the rules." Like in the Great Depression many bank-robbers became folk-heroes because people were angry at the banking system. In the 1800s there was a certain anger at the power of the railroad lines so train robbers developed a certain cache.
The admiring of a town being "hardcore" I think might be more about admiring the people for surviving a difficult situation and an odd view of "authenticity." Stories of people from abusive childhoods who "make it" often have more appeal than those from loving middle-class homes. It took more to get where you got. There's also a generalized admiration of surviving danger that is common across cultures. On authenticity I saw a show on country musicians and the one, Vince Gill I think, who had a fairly normal middle-class childhood felt inferior in an odd way. It's like the others going through extreme poverty, drugs, alcoholism of a parent, etc made their music more "authentic." Saying "my city's hardcore" may be like saying "my city is more like a city is supposed to be, yours is like a suburb."
Well I've actually took time to think about this in the past and it's a little deeper than it may seem.
Crime and criminals have been glorified for centuries. Think about Jesse James or Dodge City, and it goes back much further than that. A little more modern you have the Mafia and Wild Western films of the early-mid 1900s. Then you have the gangs that were glorified and these horrible places that were exposed by the media. Now we have films that come out all the time and glorify crime.
Another thing that has further glorified it is Rap music and the urban gang culture of the past few decades. Rap music made it "cool" to be from a bad area when they rap about it and make it seem right with everything that goes on in the hood. If you're from a rough city it's like you've been through something and survived through all of your struggles and if you're from a safe area some people may look at you like you're "soft" and haven't been through anything. I don't spend that much time on the internet, but comments on different sites (even on city-data) there is people calling other people and their cities "soft".
I'm personally from these high crime areas (Cleveland and the area) and stayed in those type of areas exclusively growing up, I've lived and been to ghettos around the US. I've had many friends and family members killed, others who are serving long prison sentences. I've had many crimes committed against me including being robbed, jumped, stabbed, and shot at 3 times. I grew up in poverty had to commit crimes and drop out of school to support myself. That's only a tiny little fraction of my story. So I know how it really is and although it was overall a bad experience there's some pride that comes along with coming from places like that and going through what I've been through. Knowing how those areas and cities are it's only right that I consider them "hard" and "tough", coming from there and someone calling your city "soft" is pretty offensive. I don't mean to glorify the crime but sometimes I might end up doing it anyway.
Well, I went on a little rant but you get the point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
