safe areas in Mass to live? least amt of racism (Cambridge: renting, crime rates)

[carolinajack]

racism is the heritage of the northeast too and not just busing. if you know the history of the state from natives to blacks, racism has happened here. Racism is not just the history of the South, I am a Southerner born and raised and have suffer as much racism in the North as I did in the South, I am not sure what you are talking about.

SPLC does hatewatch all the time and MA has just as many incidences of racism as the other places. If you dont wish to answer the initial question, fine but telling a southerner who has also lived in the Northeast that we only suffer from negative looks, is just nonsense. The N word was used as much or more in my 17 years in New York and New England as it ever was back home.

[carolinajack]

hmmm on the hate watch list there were 11 reported incidences of racism in MA in 2006 and only 1 in SC. the point being, there is enough of it in New England going on that it is not exclusive to the south,(of the 60s and earlier) and enough to warrant asking the original question.

also, not just talking about stares, or discrimination I was asking about racism--but i guess this is not the audience to ask this question but rather the people who are actually tracking it, the Hatewatch group.

thanks anyway folks.

[Woof]

That's funny, when i lived in Massachusetts I only heard blacks use the N word. But as a white guy, I experienced plenty of racism from blacks .... in fact I've seen way more racism displayed by blacks against whites than the reverse, everywhere in the country that I've lived. Sometimes violent racism.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by carolinajack

hmmm on the hate watch list there were 11 reported incidences of racism in MA in 2006 and only 1 in SC. the point being, there is enough of it in New England going on that it is not exclusive to the south,(of the 60s and earlier) and enough to warrant asking the original question.

also, not just talking about stares, or discrimination I was asking about racism--but i guess this is not the audience to ask this question but rather the people who are actually tracking it, the Hatewatch group.

thanks anyway folks.

Carolinajack,

Most of us do feel safe living in MA. The 11 incidents that you mentioned are mostly vandalism and Leafletting. The incident in SC is a much more serious crime (rape, kidnapping and battery with intent to kill). Of course, if you are a victim of the any crime, it is never good. However, the fact that they are reported shows we do not tolerate those crime. The school and police do take it seriously. People in other states may not have the courage to report it. Hence, the lower number in other states. Just beware of statistics.

Just to put the numbers in perspective, city of Boston has an average of 100 murders a year. I do not see any murder due to racism. There are thousands more vandalism and rape in the state. Does it mean we should live in fear regardless of race? Btw... not all the victims are blacks. Many crimes are committed to Jews and Middle-Eastern.

As I see it, regardless of the community, there are always people not tolerant of something. Are you giving in already? Why should they have more rights than you? I suggest you move to the whitest town.

As to your private school question, MA is probably the Independent school capital. From Phillips Academy and Deerfield to local Catholic school, there are so many to choose from. Why dont you decide what town to live in first? I'm sure your kid is as smart as George Bush.

[ontheroad]

I actually take objection to your reference to "this audience" as I generally agreed that racism exists in Massachusetts, elsewhere and have experienced it myself. Now, is racism more prevalent in the North than the South? Hard to say, as the cultures are different and as one of the posters suggested Southerns are surely more polite or disingenuous. Racism is nearly endemic to the United States. I have not been in one city or town where prejudice didn't exist. It may be prejudice against Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Asians, now Muslims. It is always against "the other" whoever they may be and is a mentality that doesn't seem to dissipate with time but just changes course.

So, what audience do you want? And what as the true object of the question.

Originally Posted by carolinajack

hmmm on the hate watch list there were 11 reported incidences of racism in MA in 2006 and only 1 in SC. the point being, there is enough of it in New England going on that it is not exclusive to the south,(of the 60s and earlier) and enough to warrant asking the original question.

also, not just talking about stares, or discrimination I was asking about racism--but i guess this is not the audience to ask this question but rather the people who are actually tracking it, the Hatewatch group.

thanks anyway folks.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

I actually take objection to your reference to "this audience" as I generally agreed that racism exists in Massachusetts, elsewhere and have experienced it myself. Now, is racism more prevalent in the North than the South? Hard to say, as the cultures are different and as one of the posters suggested Southerns are surely more polite or disingenuous. Racism is nearly endemic to the United States. I have not been in one city or town where prejudice didn't exist. It may be prejudice against Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Asians, now Muslims. It is always against "the other" whoever they may be and is a mentality that doesn't seem to dissipate with time but just changes course.

So, what audience do you want? And what as the true object of the question.

I agree with ontheroad.

It is hard to be objective on matters like this. People look at the same situation (or statistic) and see totally different. Just like housing cost, $1million condo can be viewed as cheap or expensive depend on what background and $$$ you have. The same area or town can be viewed as safe or unsafe. If you have preconceived idea that an area is unsafe, then you got your answer already.

[mb1197]

Carolinajack, you seem to have made up your mind about MA so I'm really wondering why you and your husband are "thinking" (as stated in your first post) about moving there.

Personally, I was born and raised in MA. I now live in the south and I can tell you that I have seen and experienced more racism here in the south than I ever did in MA. People who are determined to refer to MA as a racist state should simply choose another state to live in.

[holden125]

Whatever. This thread was from 2006.

[deborahk]

I would caution you to take people's replies with a grain of sand. There seem to be many people on these forums that have a lot to say about issues that they don't have any personal experience of. For instance, the fact that a white poster has never experienced racism in Boston or any particular MA town doesn't mean much!

If you are planning on private school for your kids, have you considered Providence RI? It's much cheaper than the Boston area, easy to get around town, plenty of fun cultural things for both kids and adults, and very open to multiracial families (we are one, and have never once in 10 years here experienced any racism, or even odd glances). It's 1 hour to Boston and 3 hours to NYC, and 30 minutes to the beach. You might want to check it out! African American friends who've lived in both Providence and Boston (albeit some years ago) have told me that Providence is much more tolerant.

Good luck!

[miu]

Originally Posted by deborahk

I would caution you to take people's replies with a grain of sand. There seem to be many people on these forums that have a lot to say about issues that they don't have any personal experience of. For instance, the fact that a white poster has never experienced racism in Boston or any particular MA town doesn't mean much!

What if that white or non-black poster has close friends that are black? I don't think that you have to be black in order to have a valid opinion on racism in a particular area.

And it's not only black people that can experience the wrong end of racial or cultural prejudice. One of my boyfriend's best buddies lives in NC and he is the only Jewish person in his all Christian neighborhood. Sure, sometimes he feels a little out of place, but it's because he knows he's in the minority. Otherwise, everyone has been very friendly to him down there. Sometimes, these feelings of being out of place, are more in our heads than being reality.

I find that most nice neighborhoods are very accepting of racial diversity. It's mostly a matter of making an effort to meet your new neighbors and being friendly, rather than having a chip on ones shoulder and keeping away from them. I think that those already living in a neighborhood are willing to be friendly and at the same time, they will also respect the privacy of the newcomers if they don't want to mingle. So it's all a matter of at least meeting your neighbors halfway if you want to fit in. Don't assume that having a different skin colour will cause your neighbors to avoid you.

With everyone's busy work and family schedules, it's all too easy to forget to get to know the people living around you. In my neighborhood, our major bonding time comes in the wintertime as we all dig out from under the snowfall.