Blue-Collar and Working Class areas. They really aren't bad. (crime, house)

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by STrapani1105

where I come from, blue collar towns are perceived negatively.

Indeed, that seems to be the case in this forum.

[Jerseyt719]

I pick up this vibe from some on here as well. There's nothing wrong with them. If you don't like them, don't live there.

I've also heard people just say, "it's a blue collar" or "working class" town. I like when people say that and leave it at that.

[clevedark]

During my childhood in Morris County is was very common for other kids to remark that this town wasn't nice, or that town was a slum. It's pretty much the linchpin of suburban snobbery, and I'm sure it's common to every upscale suburban area in the nation.

[Caro257]

Originally Posted by STrapani1105

I've yet to have children, and I thought to myself that when I have kids, I don't want them to grow up in a "bubble", like the town I grew up in. I want them to grow up in a diverse area, with people of many backgrounds (race, ethnicity, class, etc.) I think it's good for children growing up to see all walks of life, I wish I had seen more of that growing up. I think it's a good thing, but am I crazy? I honestly don't know. Because my parent's grew up in blue-collar areas, and they chose to live and have me grow up in an area that is very socio-economically and culturally homogeneous.

So am I crazy? Is there something wrong with working class areas? Because I could probably name off some New Jersey towns that are considered to be blue-collar, but they are relatively safe. It sounds to me like an area that offers a lot of diversity and is fairly safe (if not very safe) sounds to me like a good thing. I guess it just depends on people's preferences. People tell me I'm fortunate to grow up where I did, and they are right. I grew up in a great community, with great schools, but I don't think that many people growing up in the same environment I did have an accurate perspective on people outside of town. I think that in the future they will be unable to connect with people of different backgrounds.

[SIZE=3]Well, that isn’t necessary the case. I grew up in a good neighborhood, my husband didn’t. However, after living in many neighborhoods together we both decided to move to one of those “better ones”. Why? The noise bothers us, the risk of my home, or apartment being invaded, or my car stolen. And those things don’t just happen in very bad neighborhoods but also those diversified. Working hard on something and than become a victim of a crime is just not my cup of tea. I’m not saying protect your kids from the society but let them make their own choice later. They will have plenty of time to explore that when they go to college, for now, I like my kids to be safe.[/SIZE]

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by Caro257

[SIZE=3]Well, that isn’t necessary the case. I grew up in a good neighborhood, my husband didn’t. However, after living in many neighborhoods together we both decided to move to one of those “better ones”. Why? The noise bothers us, the risk of my home, or apartment being invaded, or my car stolen. And those things don’t just happen in very bad neighborhoods but also those diversified. Working hard on something and than become a victim of a crime is just not my cup of tea. I’m not saying protect your kids from the society but let them make their own choice later. They will have plenty of time to explore that when they go to college, for now, I like my kids to be safe.[/SIZE]

What are the "home invasion" rates in Belleville, Bloomfield, and Bayonne ? Some of these blue collar towns have fairly low crime rates, at least according to published crime stats.

People here are so obsessive about "safety" that there are questions about whether or not parts of Summit are safe. Makes me wonder how some of these people ever manage to get out of their basement without wearing body armour and a military grade helmet.

[STrapani1105]

I'm not saying blue-collar areas have crime. Some working class neighborhoods are filled with crime, but most of them have relatively low crime. Safety is still a priority as always, but so is exposure to people coming from different backgrounds and different walks of life.

The fact of the matter is though, and this is a fact: The less diverse an area is, the less crime there is.

However! That doesn't mean the area is crime-ridden. The crime increase can be slight. I'm not sure if I should compare the demographics and crime-rates between a white collar and a blue collar town and post it on this thread. It might be too controversial, and cause an uproar. I wouldn't be surprised, I have offended lots of people on this forum (not intentionally).

[clevedark]

Here's an interesting statistic: did you know that Newark and Short Hills each have the same percentage of stay at home moms?

One example of why simplistic axioms like "the less diverse and area is, the less crime there is."

[clevedark]

Strapani, I think you've found a good area of study to pursue--can you talk to your guidance counselor and see if you can put together an independent study course about NJ social trends across towns and cities?

[cyntmac]

Guidance Counselor? Since when does a middle-aged man have one of those?
Please.
Anyone old enough to post here should be able to figure out that generalizing in thread after thread does not offer any real revelations.

[STrapani1105]

Originally Posted by cyntmac

Guidance Counselor? Since when does a middle-aged man have one of those?
Please.
Anyone old enough to post here should be able to figure out that generalizing in thread after thread does not offer any real revelations.

I'm still in high school. I kinda beat around the bush and I didn't openly express that, because people don't like it. So when I said "I grew up with these type of kids." technically, I still am. but I'm almost at the finish line of high school, I'll be outta here soon. so it's not 100% false.

For college I think I'm going to major in criminal justice and minor is sociology.