Long Islanders are racist (New York, York: sale, buy, top schools)

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

What I say is: you're welcome to come to America...to be an American. If you're looking to make my country into Mexico, China, India, or whereever....then go the f--- back where you came from.

Sums it up perfectly.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

But that's exactly my point.

Why should she "pay the price?"

Again we go back to stereotyping and how unfair it is. But yet, many of you defend stereotyping as inevitable.

Stereotyping is inevitable. Houses cost just too much in LI to not be worried that you will somehow lose desirablity for a sale.

Here is a story for you...typical of many I have heard. My cousins bought a house in Westbury (salisbury, mainly white area that has been changing). The house next door went for sale. Guyanese (sp?) people bought the house. There are so many people "Living" in the house and now they are illegally renting the top floor. It happens all too often with the illegal rentals, probably to illegals, which is another whole issue. Never "knowing" your neighbor, who is coming or going etc, who may be lurking in the area who is up to no good, very hard to know when you live next to people who "arent looking to assimlate" with their other neighbors, only their own kind. It goes both ways.

What would you do and think if you LIVED in these areas? I am seriously asking you a question. How would you rationalize to yourself that it is ok, unfair, etc? How is it stereotyping when most of these people live UP TO THEIR stereotypes? Then it is truth.

If you lived in any towns which have become "another country" almost, or you live in a neighboring town and you gradually see your own neighborhood change (and you know that eventually it will become Little India as well), you will know what we mean. When you feel that what has become India in the next town might come right next door to you, it's pretty impossible to just say "Oh, I have to give these guys a chance, etc". When you see the 3 bedroom house next door to you have families of 10 people (Indian parents, grandparents, children, etc) come to an open house to consider buying, I simply find it hard to believe that the "general" white American public can just say

"I better not be stereotypical here." The proof is in the pudding. I can guarantee you, the majority of people from other countries who gravitate towards areas where their own "culture" and nationality is here, are not looking to assimlate and be American. They are not looking to be neighborly. They probably might just let the door slam in my face again. There is no other way to see it.

[Joe L]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

What I say is: you're welcome to come to America...to be an American. If you're looking to make my country into Mexico, China, India, or whereever....then go the f--- back where you came from.

Friggan A --- Dedalus hits the nail right on the head again !
Exactly !!
-J

[Joe L]

Originally Posted by Glad2bhere

If you lived in any towns which have become "another country"

Ive seen it as a musician and traveling audio engineer.
Hell yeah its shocking !
In parts of S California everthing is in Spanish and they only take pesos, you can hear shots firing all night, raw sewage, Chickens, goats, gardens run behind these overcrowded houses.

On Union street in Flushing the price tags, EVERYTHING on and inside the store's are in Chinese (or is it Korean ?) letters. Even price tags, you cant even pay for anything ask for a cup of coffie nobody speaks English they take "funny looking money". They give you nasty looks and point you out the door, they dont want Americans in the store !

Do long Islanders want this to happen here ?...NO WAY !!

-Joe

[scirocco22]

This is so ridiculous because I don't disagree with most of what you guys are saying! You, Dedalus, Joe, GC, et al.

The only thing I'm having a problem with is when sterotyping becomes "everybody." Because it doesn't mean everybody in that group will behave that way or take on those characteristics.

Again, just because somebody is Asian, you can't paint them as being a Kim follower, or a builder of big ugly houses, or good at math, or a straight A student, etc., etc., etc.

One of my best friends is an Asian guy who was born in the U.S., his parents were born in the U.S., his grandparents were born in the U.S., he speaks only English (without an accent), he fully assimilated into American culture. He's just like any other White dude walking down the street but has different physical features. He lives in a White neighborhood and has friends of all colors and creeds. He gets irritated when somebody assumes he's good at math because he isn't. However, I don't get the feeling he's ashamed to be something other than Caucasian so I'm assuming he's proud of his heritage.

So this guy moves in next door to you and as you see him moving his belongins in but before you meet him, you're cursing to yourself "damn FOB Asian dude moving in next door, he's going to ruin our nice, well manicured, White neighborhood ...F***!!! Can't he move somewhere else amongst his own kind?!!!"

Is this you?

If it is, THEN I have a problem assessing your character as not being bigoted.

You see, this guy can't control, just as you can't control, how all these other Asian immigrants who are arriving in this country daily behave or act. He can only control his own actions.

But yet there are people who the minute they see him, prejudge the guy just because he's Asian.

That's the problem I have with stereotyping!

Ok, stick a fork in me, I'm done.


Thanks.

--'rocco

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by Joe L

Ive seen it as a musician and traveling audio engineer.
Hell yeah its shocking !
In parts of S California everthing is in Spanish and they only take pesos, you can hear shots firing all night, raw sewage, Chickens, goats, gardens run behind these overcrowded houses.

On Union street in Flushing the price tags, EVERYTHING on and inside the store's are in Chinese (or is it Korean ?) letters. Even price tags, you cant even pay for anything ask for a cup of coffie nobody speaks English they take "funny looking money". They give you nasty looks and point you out the door, they dont want Americans in the store !

Do long Islanders want this to happen here ?...NO WAY !!

-Joe

Thanks for the compliment.

I will say this about Flushing, Main Street. In the late seventies I used to pass through it on my way back from high school, and it was nasty. Dirty, full of scary looking punks, not a place where I liked to be after dark.

The Asians have taken it over in a big way, as you say, but it's a lot cleaner and safer now. I'd prefer it if it weren't so...foreign, but I think they improved the place.

[CrazyJerzyKidUNO]

Originally Posted by Joe L

Ive seen it as a musician and traveling audio engineer.
Hell yeah its shocking !
In parts of S California everthing is in Spanish and they only take pesos, you can hear shots firing all night, raw sewage, Chickens, goats, gardens run behind these overcrowded houses.

On Union street in Flushing the price tags, EVERYTHING on and inside the store's are in Chinese (or is it Korean ?) letters. Even price tags, you cant even pay for anything ask for a cup of coffie nobody speaks English they take "funny looking money". They give you nasty looks and point you out the door, they dont want Americans in the store !

Do long Islanders want this to happen here ?...NO WAY !!

-Joe

Go To Union City,NJ almost every single sign is in Spanish. Its like you stepped outa Jersey into Cuba. And the people there get mad at you when you dont know spanish.

[mom2gurls]

Originally Posted by Glad2bhere

Stereotyping is inevitable. Houses cost just too much in LI to not be worried that you will somehow lose desirablity for a sale.

Here is a story for you...typical of many I have heard. My cousins bought a house in Westbury (salisbury, mainly white area that has been changing). The house next door went for sale. Guyanese (sp?) people bought the house. There are so many people "Living" in the house and now they are illegally renting the top floor. It happens all too often with the illegal rentals, probably to illegals, which is another whole issue. Never "knowing" your neighbor, who is coming or going etc, who may be lurking in the area who is up to no good, very hard to know when you live next to people who "arent looking to assimlate" with their other neighbors, only their own kind. It goes both ways.

What would you do and think if you LIVED in these areas? I am seriously asking you a question. How would you rationalize to yourself that it is ok, unfair, etc? How is it stereotyping when most of these people live UP TO THEIR stereotypes? Then it is truth.

If you lived in any towns which have become "another country" almost, or you live in a neighboring town and you gradually see your own neighborhood change (and you know that eventually it will become Little India as well), you will know what we mean. When you feel that what has become India in the next town might come right next door to you, it's pretty impossible to just say "Oh, I have to give these guys a chance, etc". When you see the 3 bedroom house next door to you have families of 10 people (Indian parents, grandparents, children, etc) come to an open house to consider buying, I simply find it hard to believe that the "general" white American public can just say

"I better not be stereotypical here." The proof is in the pudding. I can guarantee you, the majority of people from other countries who gravitate towards areas where their own "culture" and nationality is here, are not looking to assimlate and be American. They are not looking to be neighborly. They probably might just let the door slam in my face again. There is no other way to see it.

I agree with you 99.9%..the only other .1% is where I disagree is because I am the corny like that in that I wanted to show my folks the house we were buying to get a second opinion and when we go to visit, we toured subdivisions...but believe me made it clear we were just tagging along to give decorating ideas!

And yes I am indian....so I hear what you are talking about..which is why I knew right after moving to NY..I couldnt live out on the island..even though my dh has his family there..he knew that I couldnt "assimilate" to that lifestyle....I am sure that they think I am snobby, but I come from a different architectural landscape....where one family, lives in one house....I have many friends...due to cultural reasons live with their in-laws has extended family..but they buy a bigger home to support that...5 bedrooms instead of 4, it is a old school tradition that parents live with the oldest son...but most "modernized" (not I didnt say americanized) indians and their folks dont...simply because you just cant have two women (mother in law and daughter in law in the same kitchen....too many cooks stirring the pot!).

[movinquick]

america offers business opportunities. so people from other countries come here for that but choose to still embrace their own culture (temples, foreign writing on signs). whats wrong with that? you say that if you come to america, you have to speak english and eat hot dogs and apple pies? flushings population does not speak for the asian community in a whole.

maybe you guys are talking about older asians. the few young asians i know are divided. some embrace the hip-hop urban culture (such as myself), some hang out with the whites and drink and party like them, some stick to their own people.

in the end, no matter what race you are, we are ALL playing by the white man's law.

[movinquick]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

What I say is: you're welcome to come to America...to be an American. If you're looking to make my country into Mexico, China, India, or whereever....then go the f--- back where you came from.

isnt america about freedom? the freedom to be a d*ck and not say hello to your neighbor. the freedom to start your own religion or bring your own from wherever you came from. the freedom to talk to who you want to and who you don't. the pilgrims didn't adapt to the native american culture, why should any other immigrant?

america is built darwin's theory: the strong will survive. the white people proved this to the native americans with their fancy guns and other cool projectile weapons.

america is also about money. money talks, if that rich guy can buy your house and increase your property value to the point where you can't live there, the only thing you can do is make more money to compete.

so when you say that they should become american, what do you mean by american? it seems to me that all these races: the mid eastern doctor, the indian guy at 7eleven, the asian who tears down 200 year old house to build 3 family monsters are getting their piece of the american dream. just because its not the same dream as you doesn't mean their not american or embracing the america culture.