The future of Washington Heights (New York, Cuba: military, wealthy, population)

[nyc0127]

''There is another recent thread where a poster asked for neighborhoods that had predominate ethnic groups that the posters relative could relate to. Others replied. No one said anything about being an individual, and not being part of your group. The thread never went into criticizing the use of other languages on business signs, and the speaking of other languages other than english around the neighborhood.''

I'll try to check out that forum when I get a little more time. Usually, I'm a lot busier from Fri-Mon than Tues-Thurs. I think you might be getting which forum I wrote on confused. I probably did off-tract a little, but I was referring to all of that because people were ''angered'' by the use of a Mexican flag on the top of a business.

Obviously, I know people do interpret things differently out there as opposed to the part of the country I live in, but one actually said it was an insult to veterans for someone to be doing that. This was referring to the southwest. If an American were doing that, maybe they'd have a case. Most aren't American though. If you are foreign, obviously it is not an obligation to waving an American flag. The topic was illegal immigration and everyone was buying into all the crap the media is feeding them.

Basically, I kind of told them off. They shouldn't be attacking vulnerable immigrant's who aren't doing that to insult anybody. However, if those immigrant's knew this country (and especially that part of the country) culture better, they'd know they'd basically be a cry-baby looking for attention. It isn't right for someone to belittle someone else just to feel like a bigger man. I told them that if they're going to get upset for something as stupid as a flag anyway, than they should get a new hobby or actually learn about their lineal heritage more and realize that most of they're ancestors weren't socially treated so kindly in the beginning either.

''You made a statement in one of your post that you woke this thread up from the dead or something like that.''

I wasn't saying that to look like a hot shot or anything like that. No one had written on this forum for like five or six months. Usually, when no one writes on a thread for that long, no one checks either. I got people to immediately get integrated into the discussion. You're right, upper Manhattan is a hot topic. I don't think it would have been on this discussion would have been on this thread though. Someone would have likely created another one.

And for that matter, someone probably already has. We discussed some thing's about Washington Heights, but it's like everyone's head was glued to believing ethnicity surpasses anything else that's important. Look at the title of this thread. Where is the word Dominican in there? Yes, Dominican immigrants and first-generation Dominican-Americans are much of Washington Height's present-day culture, but that isn't the title. It's a geographical spot in Manhattan. It has cheaper rent than most of Manhattan. That should have been the discussion.

The fact that when so many of you hear Washington Heights means your brain is immediately thinking Dominicans, immigrants or something like that is pure bigoted. It's not your fault, because racist is a big part of this city's culture. That is why I went into detail about how even if a sane person is thinking about ethnicity
and race, it's much more volatile than a racist who doesn't have this idea at every waking moment. I had to describe this city's culture in order for other's to understand it. That is why the guy from Miami was a little confused at first. I also needed to describe in detail about how assimilation happens in this city. The level of expense and assimilation is greater, which means losing your culture happens quicker.

What got me irritated me though was when people are giving of scents to people that just aren't true. For example, one person said ''ricans.'' I know in the way he was talking, he wasn't talking about people over the ages of 25-30. If you are under the ages of 45-50, it's probable that if you are of Puerto Rican descent that you weren't born there. If you are in the 25-30 bracket too, the populous would have been to be the tip end of the end of the first generation and beginning of the second. In other words, you might have a parent who was born there and moved at like 3, but that doesn't mean you are any more cultured than if they hadn't been born there to begin with.

The way how he said it was disrespectful to people in Puerto Rico who don't deserve that either. It'd be equally disrespectful to acknowledge their uncultured young ancestors who now live in the New York City as well. Puerto Rico has a great culture and it's not their fault that some of their descendants in this city feel the need to disgrace it. Just because you want your own bias mind set to configure with your every-day life doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Especially if it's climaxed into a racial identification questioning tone.

The other thing that really jetted up this argument was when BXGRL said that her mother cries when she goes through a neighborhood that isn't even all that bad. No one told her to leave and no one believes the reasoning for why she left was even socially acceptable. It's not just her, but everyone. If you couldn't handle living around people who didn't look like you, than you deserve to go down in pity. No one should give her or people Mead described in his stories any sympathy.

Basically, as things went along, new sub-topics came about. It isn't easy telling people negative societal aspects with the most smiley tone. I'm sorry if it's appeared that I've off-tract or come off nasty or anything like that. That isn't my intention.

[SuperMario]

OMG but how can they be Dominican? They're white!

And we all know that Dominicans are black

[nyc0127]

Well - I guess we all know what the Dominican Republic considers ''beautiful''.. My favorite on there probably was the darkest out of all of them Miss ada lol

[KRISTINsf]

Well I do not know too much about New York Dominicans, but I went to school with a good number of them and they really range. Some can look completely white and others can look completely black. This also goes for Puerto Ricans.

[Guywithacause]

That was a dumb example of Dominicans.....lets not look at the exceptions..which of course they are. Lets look at the MAJORITY...and if you assert that these women (where are the men anyway?) are the average Dominican..then you have lost any and all credibility on this board. Yes there is a small minority of whites in the Dominican Republic but who cares? The reality is the VAST MAJORITY are GREATLY mixed..why is this a problem or somehow wrong/unacceptable? Dominicans are NOT white just because you can find 10% of the population that LOOK white (and they also can be mixed as well)...the whoe argument is absurd. I believe Milli Vanilli was from Germany...so I guess all Germans are black and/or black mixed? Great logic!

[NooYowkur81]

Who's saying most Dominicans are White? Some posters are just pointing out that there are indeed White Dominicans. But if anyone thinks those pics are what an average Dominican looks like they are just crazy or are on drugs.

The White beauty queen thing comes from an ingrained ignorant cultural grain stemming from before Trujillo but strengthened moreso after. Basically a lot of Dominicans think White is more beautiful. So a lot of the beauty queens don't really fully represent Dominican feminine beauty.

Ada for example is a little more representative. What a mami!

[Ogden Assassin]

Originally Posted by SuperMario

OMG but how can they be Dominican? They're white!

And we all know that Dominicans are black

i think you miss the point. the relationship of women like this to the broader dominican nation is no deeper than that of zola budd, amanda, coetzer and charlize theron to the children of soweto!

[SuperMario]

Yeah but some of you make it seem like Dominicans are generally black. I agree that these ladies are exceptions rather than the norm. As the MAJORITY of Dominicans are mixed.

BTW, the girl in the blue standing up is banging.

[Guywithacause]

We do not make it seem like the Dominicans are generally black....but they do have a substantial amount of african blood due to the importation of Black slaves (which occured on all caribbean islands) as well as the movement of those from Haiti (friendly, illegal, and not-so friendly invasion at times). What's the big deal? Why is this viewed as wrong, inaccurate or a problem? I would have posted the more representative and just as beautiful women of color, black, beige, and brown, that ARE an accurate portrait of DR and beauty on that island rather than painting this false picture with these few exceptions of "white" women in DR.

[SuperMario]

Originally Posted by Guywithacause

We do not make it seem like the Dominicans are generally black....but they do have a substantial amount of african blood due to the importation of Black slaves (which occured on all caribbean islands) as well as the movement of those from Haiti (friendly, illegal, and not-so friendly invasion at times). What's the big deal? Why is this viewed as wrong, inaccurate or a problem? I would have posted the more representative and just as beautiful women of color, black, beige, and brown, that ARE an accurate portrait of DR and beauty on that island rather than painting this false picture with these few exceptions of "white" women in DR.

But they have MORE Spaniard blood than African. This is a fact. If you trust the census, 16% Dominicans chose white while only 11% chose black. The 73% has both Spanish and African blood. So to get the percentage of them with ANY trace of spanish we get 16+73= 89% with any drop of Spanish blood. For African blood this number is 84%.

The Spanish trace still comes out on top despite the years under Haitian rule and the importation of Africans. Also recent mixing with Haitians. This leads me to believe that the DR was more white in prior centuries.

Just because the media shows little black Dominican kids living in poverty is not indicative of the whole race. Most people are brainwashed into thinking that all Dominicans are like those who live in the pueblo. They never show Dominicans from San Fransisco, Tenares, Jarabacoa etc where the majority is white.

I certainly as hell am not black. I am mixed. But my skin color is light indian as they call it in DR. However my great great grandmother was spaniard, so in my mother's half of the family they have BLUE EYES and white skin. Most of the people from my block are Dominican and they are white. That is why I take offense to this whole African thing. I just dont see it.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that African blood tends to show more than white. Be it a darker tone, nose, lips, hairs etc.......but that does not me that one has more of that. I could bet that many mixed Dominicans have a higher percentage of Spaniard blood than African but yet seem to be darker.

There is nothing wrong with that however. It is false though to say that most Dominicans are of African descent.