Being white in Philly: A Discussion of the Philadelphia Magazine article (apartment, middle school)

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by alphamale

I'm white and I'm often asked for ID when paying with a card.....especially if it's only for a buck.

I'm white as well. I've always been asked to show my ID. I thought it was required by law.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I'm white as well. I've always been asked to show my ID. I thought it was required by law.

Well it was a issue because the black cashier never asked me, only the.....................WHITE CASHIERS

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by WestPhillyDude75

Well it was a issue because the black cashier never asked me, only the.....................WHITE CASHIERS

Well, the white cashiers ask everyone. I've been asked by plenty of black cashiers as well.

Must be some unwritten code that black cashiers don't ask black people? I don't know.

But I've been asked for ID seemingly everytime, and even been denied once because my signature apparently didn't look quite right. I've also had my signature rub away, and had to resign it there on the spot, as they'd fine-tooth comb it.

[FindingZen]

Ideally, if it is standard procedure for cashiers to check IDs then it should be applied to everyone for particular transactions. I can see how a black person might feel more sensitive if, all other things presumed equal, the only difference between him and the cashier or previous customer happens to be ethnicity. It doesn't necessarily mean that the cashier is consciously doing it...but I can see how some might interpret it that way.

[FBJ]

If a black persons ask it still a little irritating because it still gives off the vibe.........."I don't believe this card is yours and I need proof"


So either way I don't like the question.

[slumcat]

I'm black and I work for the city, with lower middle class whites and blacks. Few of us make over $50,000 a year. I don't know ANYONE who reads Philadelphia magazine. It's mainly for a relatively small number of rich suburbanites and and their counterparts in Chestnut Hill, Rittenhouse Square, etc. So who really cares what they think or say?

BTW, I live in Northeast Philadelphia, near Franklin Mills. People think of the Northeast as some vast wasteland full of racism, but my neighborhood has blacks, whites, Asians, and a few Latinos. I've lived there for eight years and haven't seen my white neighbors starting to move. It's quiet, neat, and despite the presence of black people, basically crime free. At least in my opinion, the city is becoming more diverse. Yet the media and that rag of a magazine acts like neighborhoods like mine don't exist.

[jazzy jeff]

Originally Posted by slumcat

I'm black and I work for the city, with lower middle class whites and blacks. Few of us make over $50,000 a year. I don't know ANYONE who reads Philadelphia magazine. It's mainly for a relatively small number of rich suburbanites and and their counterparts in Chestnut Hill, Rittenhouse Square, etc. So who really cares what they think or say?

BTW, I live in Northeast Philadelphia, near Franklin Mills. People think of the Northeast as some vast wasteland full of racism, but my neighborhood has blacks, whites, Asians, and a few Latinos. I've lived there for eight years and haven't seen my white neighbors starting to move. It's quiet, neat, and despite the presence of black people, basically crime free. At least in my opinion, the city is becoming more diverse. Yet the media and that rag of a magazine acts like neighborhoods like mine don't exist.

The area you live is not a bad area at all, but when you say crime free, that is a stretch, especially around the mall. Those that patronize the LA Fitness (former Ballys) there are getting ripped off left and right, and of course it is by fellow members. It is a disgrace to have to worry about your belongings when going to a gym.

[Outofthematrix]

To quote Morgan Freeman "How do you end racism? Don't talk about it"
Personally I could give a rats As@ what anyone thinks of me or what anyone's race is,black,white,Hispanic,purple,yellow,green.... Its all about respect. There are all bad apples in every single race,culture,creed or religions, One cannot( but yet in todays time still do) alienate any particular race... That's bs.....Every human has he's or her's own individuality and choose to act and say how they want..its all free will......and mayor nutter is retarded but then again isnt most of the political world and government mostly corrupted? come on people we all know this .....or we should by now....and its not really 2013 more like 5013

[tintin19119]

Originally Posted by Outofthematrix

To quote Morgan Freeman "How do you end racism? Don't talk about it"
Personally I could give a rats As@ what anyone thinks of me or what anyone's race is,black,white,Hispanic,purple,yellow,green.... Its all about respect. There are all bad apples in every single race,culture,creed or religions, One cannot( but yet in todays time still do) alienate any particular race... That's bs.....Every human has he's or her's own individuality and choose to act and say how they want..its all free will......and mayor nutter is retarded but then again isnt most of the political world and government mostly corrupted? come on people we all know this .....or we should by now....and its not really 2013 more like 5013

That sounds great and I wish everyone felt that way, but that is not the case. There is not a day that doesn't go by, that I am not reminded that I'm a person of color in this country. I have a nice family and house. A good job , active in my community, never been in trouble.Yet everytime I go food shopping, when a white woman leaves her purse in her cart.She will break her neck trying to get back to her cart when she sees me in the same aisle. When I go to the mall and some rent a cop, who could not get on the police force,Follows me around. Coming from a biracial family, my father would let us know how some people would talk when they thought no black or Hispanics were around. Lets not forget when I'm driving in some suburbs and the cops always seem to be going the same way I am. I wish the guy who wrote that article , would wakeup black or Hispanic for a year, then he would rethink the crap he wrote.

[MikeNigh]

I think racism could end pretty quick if they stop teaching about slavery in the public schools. There are so many evils the US did in it's history that they don't teach. If they stopped teaching it what would happen is everyone would still know about it but it would stop being an active topic and instead be one that was just bad history.

For instance the Japanese were treated very poorly during WW2 but I doubt it is anything more to them then some bad patch of time that is clearly history at this point. If they choose to teach everyone on the west coast about it though I'm sure every 2nd generation japanese person would hate white people and in turn every white person there would know exactly why they are hated. There wouldn't be the frequent person who didn't actually happen to know much about it who could give the current perspective of "dude that is long in the past, it has nothing to do with today, get over it".