Black prosperity not true on the eastern shore!!! (Somerset: appointed, crime)

[westsideboy]

Brain drain affects rural areas throughout the country, especially Maryland, where a 2 hour drive gets you into one of the wealthiest places in the country. Young, intelligent, educated whites and blacks tend to leave for better prospects as soon as they are able. I assume this is even more true for educated blacks who would find very very few people like them in rural areas, because everyone like them already left for somewhere else.

It is a big problem we are battling in rural areas. How to keep our best and brighest around to rebuild and improve our communities, rather than running away for spec pressboard housing and higher salaries, is key to improving the rural areas of our state, and that extends to both races.

[pcity]

you can still find large swaths of what were described above as "Wal-Mart people". That's offensive, by the way.

And meaningless for that matter. Pretty much all income groups (except for the extreme upper echelon) shop at Walmart.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by pcity

And meaningless for that matter. Pretty much all income groups (except for the extreme upper echelon) shop at Walmart.

Oh I don't know. I don't go to Wal-Mart often, maybe once a month at most, but I almost always see one or another of the "Calvert County Elite" there.

But then again, when the K-Mart opened had its grand opening back around 1988 or so, it was an invitation only black tie event. I didn't have a tux, nor did I want to rent one, so I didn't go (true story).

[westsideboy]

In rural areas, where else are you going to shop? The only other businesses are normally specialty stores, or hobby owners (meaning owning the business is a hobby and not a necessary money maker.)

True story, my wife went out after work to pick up some presents for a shower. She went to Cumberland's old commerical district at 5:30 and the local toy store, the local book store, and a local speciality shop she wanted to purchase from were all CLOSED. She works for a living, and these "local businesses" don't have hours to accomidate people that work, because the businesses don't need to make money to survive. Whenever the retiree couple that owns it feels like going home, they just close up with no regard to the customer. So where did she end up having to go.....Walmart.

[North Beach Person]

I deal with these "hobbyist" business people all the time. They open when they feel like it, close at odd times and mostly carry what they like and not what people might want to buy. These are generally gift/knick-knack places. Then they want the Town to spend tax funds to promote them and hold and arrange events to bring people to Town.

Couple of items here: Summer holidays are big here because of the beach-Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day. The businesses are closed because they "deserve" a day off, too. This include one of them that sells stuff like drinks someone at a beach would buy. Monday holidays most of them are closed (like in the above sentences a couple of the newer, smarter ones are open), again because of the day off scenario and because "that's just how we do things here. Mondays are slow.".

We have Movies on the Beach in the summer. Had one store come to me last year just raising Holy Hell that no movie goers were in her store. I asked her if she was there to watch the movie. Of course she was. She'd closed her store to come and watch. She couldn't figure out she won't sell anything while the store is closed.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I deal with these "hobbyist" business people all the time. They open when they feel like it, close at odd times and mostly carry what they like and not what people might want to buy. These are generally gift/knick-knack places. Then they want the Town to spend tax funds to promote them and hold and arrange events to bring people to Town.

Couple of items here: Summer holidays are big here because of the beach-Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day. The businesses are closed because they "deserve" a day off, too. This include one of them that sells stuff like drinks someone at a beach would buy. Monday holidays most of them are closed (like in the above sentences a couple of the newer, smarter ones are open), again because of the day off scenario and because "that's just how we do things here. Mondays are slow.".

We have Movies on the Beach in the summer. Had one store come to me last year just raising Holy Hell that no movie goers were in her store. I asked her if she was there to watch the movie. Of course she was. She'd closed her store to come and watch. She couldn't figure out she won't sell anything while the store is closed.

Are you sure you don't live in Cumberland? This is exactly what happens here. We find a little sandwich shop we like, we show up when they are "supposed" to be open and they aren't. Then they close all winter.

So many of our downtown businesses are like this. The city is trying mightly to create a "critical mass" of businesses to attract the locals to come downtown to shop, but the businesses themselves either make excuses like the ones you describe above, or just don't care because they aren't there to serve the customers nor do they need to line their own pocketbooks. They own the business because they have already made it in life "and always dreamed of owning a little widget shop once we retired."

At one point I had found a Youtube video of two tourists from Britain that ended up in Cumberland and spent 20 minutes walking around our "tourism destination" of downtown Cumberland on a Sunday and couldn't find a single local business that was open to eat lunch. The video was them walking from place to place wise-cracking and wondering "if a giant spider" they didn't know about was threatening the town because everything was closed in the middle of a weekend afternoon. The situation has improved some since then, but it leaves much to be desired.

[North Beach Person]

Don't forget the restaurants that open Sunday at 3 for Brunch, especially on Mother's Day.

[opalminor]

Oh please,,, quit whining about how all the poor innocent blacks are still being kept down by the big bad white man. We've heard enough. If you're successful, that's great-- now go tell the others to take some responsibility for themselves. And how about the way whites are treated by all the black thugs (and many if not most blacks in general) on the Eastern shore? And, everywhere, for that matter? The automatic hatred, the prejudice, the violence, etc.....??? Yeah... no one wants to talk about THAT, do they........??
P.S. And if blacks hate it so much there, they are certainly free to leave and go wherever they wish. No one's forcing them to stay there.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by pcity

And meaningless for that matter. Pretty much all income groups (except for the extreme upper echelon) shop at Walmart.

Well, pretty much everyone shops at Wal-Mart. But, the word 'Wal-Mart people' takes on another meaning. Basically it's kind of equivalent to 'average joe'. More or less.

Wealth in America...is something at 1% of the population? I don't know the statistics of college degree holders, but maybe something like 23%? Something like that.

It's one of my biggest pet peeves about American TV. You see all these 'FRIENDS' shows of prosperous white yuppies at 23 living in Manhattan working as waitresses and actors. The real America is filled with a ton of white people without college degrees living in small towns across America, working at minimum wage, and stretching their income out at Wal-Marts.

I grew up in that America...and worked at $3.35 hour (about $100) week for almost 8-9 years (late 80s/early 90s), that's from 16-25 years old, and I had my college degree at 23 and still making low wages. When I hit 25, I found a job at $9. lol. I was shocked when I later moved to NYC and met teenagers making $25/hour at their parttime jobs.

Obviously, since seeing how you're suppose to do it from seeing real cities, I put a lot of effort into trying to get a lot further educated past just a BA, as even those are almost irrelevant these days.

In short, Eastern Shore just sounds like 'typical America', the 'real America'. Places where no one has much money, wages are low, and prosperity is something you only see on TV - regardless of the races of the people there, it's the same thing for them.

[bmorefella]

Originally Posted by opalminor

oh please,,, quit whining about how all the poor innocent blacks are still being kept down by the big bad white man. We've heard enough. If you're successful, that's great-- now go tell the others to take some responsibility for themselves. And how about the way whites are treated by all the black thugs (and many if not most blacks in general) on the eastern shore? And, everywhere, for that matter? The automatic hatred, the prejudice, the violence, etc.....??? Yeah... No one wants to talk about that, do they........??
P.s. And if blacks hate it so much there, they are certainly free to leave and go wherever they wish. No one's forcing them to stay there.

first of all no ones blaming anything on the big bad white man, if you thoroughly read my comment you'll notice i even mentioned the issues among african americans!!! This was posted by an african american regarding issues other african americans are facing, no ones playing the race card here!! If you cant relate then don't comment!!

Also to let it be known the white people i deal with on a daily basis in the baltimore-washington area are friendly and open minded individuals, mostly because they grew up in a diverse environment!!

Not all but a large percentage of white people on the eastern shore are still very closed minded to racial diversity, and the advancement of women!! Strong deep rooted southern values!!
Its obvious by your comment you probably share the same views, and i'm not going to get into a racial debate with you, keep your narrow minded comments to yourself!!!