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

[cyntmac]

I don't know who you are. You could be any background or any age/generation. So could I. This is the internet.

Some middle range performing schools could be in either type of area and graduate very similar students. The ones from lower income background obviously have less prospects. There are other factors other than the school itself obviously. What you do in your free time affects your prospects also. That is probably more true today than it was a generation ago.

[njkate]

[quote=STrapani1105;8158074]Funny you mention Snyder High. They came out here to my high school for an invitational basketball game. They were so unhappy about coming to a school that was 95% white.

Now I hate to bring up this stereotype, but black people really are good at sports. It was an all-black team vs. an all-white team, and they beat us 30-0.



And now after reading all you're posts, it sounds to me that a white-collar town is actually a better place for kids. Unfortunately, the way I'm heading down, I don't think I will have much of a choice of where to live. I might be stuck in a blue-collar area. I highly doubt I'm going to be successful enough to live in a nice, affluent area with good schools that are not as diverse.


and by the way, what do the Snyder kids do that's so bad that creates sheer bedlam on the streets? How much worse can it be that what the kids do when my high school is let out?[/QUOTE]

Are you in some kind of bubble
Hmm lets see do the students at your high school have shoot em ups at the local park???
Not all Snyder students are little hoodlums but there are enough of them to cause serious problems as well as Lincoln, Ferris & Dickinson high schools...
Jersey city also has the "wolf packs" bands of roaming kids that beat up people for no reason at all..just because they want to..some as young as 14
The last victim from one of these roaming "wolf packs" died from the injuries he suffered from the beating.

[Bill Keegan]

I forget the author or publisher of the study, but I remember reading that the single most important corollary to school performance is, wait for it.....PARENTAL INVOLVMENT. Kids do better in school if their parents care how well they do in school, and actually take action to show they care. Action like making sure they do their homework, going to the school to meet the teachers & see what is being taught, asking questions about school, keeping aware of grades & work being done.

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by STrapani1105

And now after reading all you're posts, it sounds to me that a white-collar town is actually a better place for kids.

You're confusing blue collar/white collar with dense urban/suburban.

The poorer parts of Jersey City are not just "blue collar". They are dense urban areas. Many of the kids there are not from stable two parent families where dad is a construction worker, police officer, etc. They are part of an "urban underclass".

For example, it is misleading to label both Bayonne and Greenville as "blue collar" as if there was no difference between the two.

Unfortunately, the way I'm heading down, I don't think I will have much of a choice of where to live. I might be stuck in a blue-collar area. I

Rentals in blue collar areas aren't any more expensive than those in Jersey City. The main reason people live in more dense areas is that it is often more convenient. My rent in Jersey City (not "downtown") is $1300. For that, I could rent in some much "safer" towns, but my commute would be twice as long. If you don't have a family to think of, you may be comfortable living in a sketchy neighborhood. If you do have small children, you will probably want to move to somewhere a bit less convenient, but also a bit safer.

highly doubt I'm going to be successful enough to live in a nice, affluent area with good schools that are not as diverse.

Maybe you won't want to live there anywhere. But I doubt you'd choose Greenville as a place to raise a family.

[njkate]

Originally Posted by elflord1973

You're confusing blue collar/white collar with dense urban/suburban.

The poorer parts of Jersey City are not just "blue collar". They are dense urban areas. Many of the kids there are not from stable two parent families where dad is a construction worker, police officer, etc. They are part of an "urban underclass".
For example, it is misleading to label both Bayonne and Greenville as "blue collar" as if there was no difference between the two.



Rentals in blue collar areas aren't any more expensive than those in Jersey City. The main reason people live in more dense areas is that it is often more convenient. My rent in Jersey City (not "downtown") is $1300. For that, I could rent in some much "safer" towns, but my commute would be twice as long. If you don't have a family to think of, you may be comfortable living in a sketchy neighborhood. If you do have small children, you will probably want to move to somewhere a bit less convenient, but also a bit safer.



Maybe you won't want to live there anywhere. But I doubt you'd choose Greenville as a place to raise a family.

Well said!! That's it in a nutshell

[STrapani1105]

I'm not confusing blue collar areas with urban areas. Somehow it just got twisted somewhere off in this thread. People started mentioning Jersey City which is not a blue collar town, but it has blue collar neighborhoods within the city. After all, it is the 2nd largest city in Jersey I think. When I mention blue collar towns, I'm talking about towns like Union, Lyndhurst, Lodi, Clifton, Bayonne, Belleville, Dover, Phillipsburg, and wherever else you can think of. Working towns! Hard working people. And not the same homogenous affluent towns. I'm talking about more diversified blue-collar, hard working towns. Not whatever the hell you said I was talking about.

[cyntmac]

Originally Posted by STrapani1105

Unfortunately, the way I'm heading down, I don't think I will have much of a choice of where to live. I might be stuck in a blue-collar area. I highly doubt I'm going to be successful enough to live in a nice, affluent area with good schools that are not as diverse.

LOL.

The problem is you don't know what you are talking about.

Blue collar or any other community will have hard working people as well as just the opposite. In one place the schools might just be o.k. but with little to offer otherwise. Another place may have numerous problems but more of a community feel.
A large urban area is a great place for a young person starting out because it offers a little of everything. Nobody would rec just a few small communties (blue or not) and say this is all you have in your future. Not for someone just starting out.

You generalize so much- too obvious.

[STrapani1105]

you know what, the hell with this. this is an interesting site, but i really have got to do something better with my time. rather than post on here. seriously, I can't say anything without being corrected or contradicted, and then never happens to me when I speak in real life. only on here. and i talk the same way on here as I do in real life. the hell with it. I'm abandoning this thread, and perhaps posting all together.

say what you will. "good riddance" or whatever else you want to say. i don't really care anymore. if there's a question, I'll ask it. but other than that, I'm not going to say anything on this forum anymore. most of you probably don't care that I'm going to leave. I'm only announcing it because I don't want anyone to respond to my posts anymore.

well that's gonna be the end of it for a while. so until then... peace.

[Jerseyt719]

Originally Posted by STrapani1105

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.

Awesome major, it was mine and I really loved school because I was always so interested. If I had to take a course in anything other than criminal justice or sociology, I couldn't wait for it to be over.
It really sounds like you would be good at social research. It's a fascinating area to study. Not too much call for it, but if you land in it right, you'll have enough work to last you forever. I had a professor that landed perfectly and gets grant money from the government to go to the Golden Triangle every year and study smuggling, human and otherwise. It's really interesting.
What schools are you thinking of? I can tell you which are better for your area of interest.
Best of luck to you.

[dhanu86]

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.

It's less likely for someone to grow up in a bluecollar environment and work on wall street than for someone who grows up in an upscale city. Kids who grow up sheltered are either spoiled or develop high-expectations for themself - ivyleague, etc. Most people I know who grew up in a sheltered upscale communities, are no brighter than my other peers, infact some are completely white-washed zombies regardless of what ethnicity they belong to. The more people have, the bigger house they want and nicer town they want and there is nothing wrong with that. It's about what u can afford. These days it cost a fortune to even live in a blue town. If u prefer substance over status go for it, but don't rule out status, status is power these days.