New to Tennessee (Knoxville, Cookeville, Pleasant View: school, university, living)

[mad fiddler]

This thread is getting very weird.

Wanting to live in a diverse neighborhood is not racist.

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by mad fiddler

This thread is getting very weird.

Wanting to live in a diverse neighborhood is not racist.

Go back and re-read my last post, then answer this question directly:

Why is it socially acceptable to criticize a neighborhood or a town for being "too white," like several on this board have done with Brentwood and Hendersonville, yet stating an area is "too [insert any other race besides white]" is considered racist.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

Go back and re-read my last post, then answer this question directly:

Why is it socially acceptable to criticize a neighborhood or a town for being "too white," like several on this board have done with Brentwood and Hendersonville, yet stating an area is "too [insert any other race besides white]" is considered racist.

Because white people and black people are _not_ treated equally in this society. There's history involved in how towns get to be overwhelmingly white in areas where there are plenty of people of color.

Wanting more diversity than that provided by a white neighborhood is not the same thing as wanting less diversity by staying away from minority neighborhoods.

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by mad fiddler

Because white people and black people are _not_ treated equally in this society. There's history involved in how towns get to be overwhelmingly white in areas where there are plenty of people of color.

Wanting more diversity than that provided by a white neighborhood is not the same thing as wanting less diversity by staying away from minority neighborhoods.

A "minority" neighborhood that is 90% black is no more diverse than a neighborhood that is 90% white. Yet it is "politically correct" to state your distaste for one and not the other.

You guys keep proving my point with every reply.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

A "minority" neighborhood that is 90% black is no more diverse than a neighborhood that is 90% white. Yet it is "politically correct" to state your distaste for one and not the other.

You guys keep proving my point with every reply.

It is when you're white.

A white person moving to a white neighborhood is still in the overwhelming majority. A white person moving to a black, or ethnically diverse, neighborhood is not.

And there's a whole lot more of the former than there is of the latter.

There's a big difference.

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by mad fiddler

It is when you're white.

A white person moving to a white neighborhood is still in the overwhelming majority. A white person moving to a black, or ethnically diverse, neighborhood is not.

And there's a whole lot more of the former than there is of the latter.

There's a big difference.

There is nothing wrong with either situation. If a person, white or black, wants to move to a white neighborhood, that is their choice and we should respect that. The same goes for if the choose to live in a black neighborhood. Different strokes for different folks.

What concerns me is the stark contrast between the way people are viewed when they say they want to avoid a predominately white area versus the way they are viewed when they say they want to avoid a predominately black or Hispanic area.

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by mad fiddler

It is when you're white.

A white person moving to a white neighborhood is still in the overwhelming majority. A white person moving to a black, or ethnically diverse, neighborhood is not.

And there's a whole lot more of the former than there is of the latter.

There's a big difference.

Also, you being white or black has no bearing on whether a neighborhood as a whole is diverse. Diversity is defined by Webster as "noticeable heterogeneity."

There is nothing heterogeneous about a neighborhood being over 90% black (or 90% white), no matter what race you happen to be.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

There is nothing wrong with either situation. If a person, white or black, wants to move to a white neighborhood, that is their choice and we should respect that. The same goes for if the choose to live in a black neighborhood. Different strokes for different folks.

What concerns me is the stark contrast between the way people are viewed when they say they want to avoid a predominately white area versus the way they are viewed when they say they want to avoid a predominately black or Hispanic area.

I don't have a lot of respect for white people who consciously want to avoid dealing with people of color. Sorry. They're free to ignore my opinion, of course, but that's the way I feel.

It's not the same thing when 1) a white person wants to avoid a predominantly white area and 2) a white person wants to avoid an ethnically diverse area.

If we can't agree on that, then we need to let this discussion go.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by Pimpy

Also, you being white or black has no bearing on whether a neighborhood as a whole is diverse. Diversity is defined by Webster as "noticeable heterogeneity."

There is nothing heterogeneous about a neighborhood being over 90% black (or 90% white), no matter what race you happen to be.

The experience of the person moving there will be different. A white person moving to a white neighborhood will have a different experience than a white person moving to an integrated neighborhood. The heterogeneity is between the white person and his/her neighbors.

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by mad fiddler

I don't have a lot of respect for white people who consciously want to avoid dealing with people of color. Sorry. They're free to ignore my opinion, of course, but that's the way I feel.

It's not the same thing when 1) a white person wants to avoid a predominantly white area and 2) a white person wants to avoid an ethnically diverse area.

If we can't agree on that, then we need to let this discussion go.

It is the same thing. In both situations, it is a person choosing not to live in an area because of the presence of a certain ethnic group. Which ethnic group that happens to be has no bearing on whether or not that person is right or wrong.

The reason that racial tensions still exist in this country is liberals like you who continue to insist that different races be treated differently by society. If everyone adopted a viewpoint like mine and resolved to view and treat all races the same, race would not be nearly as big of an issue as it is today.