I Hate San Francisco (Hayward, Beverly Hills: transplants, public school, college)

[UrbanQuest]

Originally Posted by BayDude

I wouldn't say its the "entire" Bay Area. Mainly just SF and possibly the surrounding area. Even parts of Oakland. I agree that overall, there are other areas that are much more tolerant and accepting of blacks such as New York. Even when I lived in the south in Texas and Georgia it seemed to be more tolerant.

It might have alot to do with class though. There is'nt a large black middle class, business owners, etc here and most blacks are thought to be lower class and "ghetto" and the perceptions that go along with that. There is a large black middle class in the south and northeast to balance out the welfare-lower class types.

In my opinion the type of liberalism you see in the Bay Area creates racism. It forces you to look at people in terms of groups instead of individuals. The result is that people don't even realize they are being racist and eventually develop a PC, passive aggressive hatred of certain groups such as blacks. They will claim not to be racist but will not associate with blacks at all due to their passive aggressive prejudices.

Check the Bay Area Craigslist personals listings. You'll see what I mean. "I'm not racist but I don't like black guys/girls" and variations on that theme.

You hit the nail.....

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by Amelia12345678910

Read this Adventures in Capitalism: Why I Hate San Francisco

In your opinion ... what do you think ? True or not ? Has this been your case ?

Or do you love San Francisco ?
What is your opinion ?

I don't understand what Capitalism has to do with any of his gripes.
If I could afford to buy there I would.
I love San Francisco
The author can leave if he is unhappy there are plenty of people who want to live there

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by UrbanQuest

Yes, you're right. I lived in Oakland from 2001-2004 for school and it was in full swing by then. I moved from there to Seattle and then finally back to the NE where I was raised. The catch is, in uber trendy, educated and liberal Seattle it was way more racially tolerant (in all directions) then the Bay Area by a million miles. I'm in the suburbs of New York now and although not perfect, NY and it's suburbs are eons ahead of the Bay Area in it's treatment of blacks, the poor and your regular joe schmo for that matter.
WTF is up with the Bay Area? Makes no sense to a person whose lived in other places.

I think you have to look at it in the historical sense too. The black community out east is larger and more established. The Harlem renaissance was in full swing in the 1930's for example.

Where I am from in Chicago there is a large black underclass, but the black middle class is considerably larger by and large due to the fact that blacks have been established in the area for quite sometime. many have been able to achieve upward mobility, particularly now that many constraints of the past are gone.

The black community in California by and large Migrated during world war two and the subsequent boom years after primarily from the south for blue collar jobs and to escape jim crow laws of the south. Good jobs were to be had for about 40 years or so but by the late 70's and early 80's a good amount of those jobs had dried up many blacks were resigned to the lower classes, same story all over countless cities.

Though blacks in California were considerably less established as residents and many were fairly new to the state. which as a result led to less long term ties amongst community leaders with residents that you have in more established communities, less long term residents and business owners and less unity on a whole with many neighborhoods. When you add that with the violent history many police departments such as LA and Oakland had with its black residents as well as the birth and flourishing of the black panthers, who though did many good things for the black community, did many questionable things as well. In some instances it has created a hostility towards things seen as 'white', like getting an education.

These things in my opinion have created an enviornment where it has been very hard for a black middle class to grow and flourish as it has in other states like say Maryland , North Carolina, or Georgia or Texas.

[matt345]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

These things in my opinion have created an enviornment where it has been very hard for a black middle class to grow and flourish as it has in other states like say Maryland , North Carolina, or Georgia or Texas.

Being from Maryland, I have bring up a few points. Maryland has a large black middle class population, however a great deal of racism still exists. Prince George's County is the wealthiest county in the nation with an black majority (it's 63% African American). However, Marylanders constantly refer to PG county as being "ghetto, dangerous, or just not a safe area". In the Baltimore area, residents complain that suburbs such as Owings Mills, White Marsh, and Columbia are "going downhill" (really the only change I can see is that there are more black people at the shopping malls).

Washington, DC is divided into quadrants (Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest). You'll always hear the rich yuppies from Dupont and Georgetown talking up the superiority of Northwest and the "ghetto-ness' of Northeast and Southeast....the sections of the city where you find more black people. I've heard people arrogantly deride certain restaurants, bars, or neighborhoods as being "so Northeast". I don't know about you, but to me this condemnation of entire quadrants of the city has racial undertones, whether people realize it or not. Northeast and Southeast are the black sections of DC, therefore it's okay to openly ridicule them in comparison to the white Northwest.

[NorCal Dude]

I know area very well. I have a good deal of family from Baltimore all the way to Vienna. My grandfather lived off of 18th street nw dc in a well to do black upper middle class area. Now the area is dang near all white. I remember in the early 90s the first white person a judge moved across the street with his family lol. Any who yea racism still exists out there for sure, and the area is not with out issue. but there is no denying the black middle class flourishes out there (heck my dads side of the family are members of it over there) in a way that it does not in California.

[matt345]

I'm not saying it doesn't flourish out there. Quite the contrary, I was pointing out that even though there's a large middle class black population, there's still a lot of racist attitudes among every day people (ie, the popular perception of PG county as being a large ghetto of undesirable communities).

[NorCal Dude]

Yea thats always been an interesting issue. Though the bay area is a lot less in your face with the racism, it is quite prevalent through various forms of economic segregation. Where as out east the racism is a lot more open but there is also a lot of integration and flourishment amont blacks. Thats why I love sac so much, its small but we have a black middle class and the area is quite integrated. And the racism is still not in your face so to speak like the rest of the west coast.

[matt345]

I've heard quite a few people say that the South has actually become the least racist part of the country. As ironic as it sounds, I can see how that might be the case.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by matt345

I've heard quite a few people say that the South has actually become the least racist part of the country. As ironic as it sounds, I can see how that might be the case.

Its because it is true, Atlanta once a major confederate city, is the number one place for blacks. Dallas is not far behind. Even Maryland was a slave state though they did not join the confederates. Ironic but excellent, its good those states have shaken than image.

[BayDude]

Originally Posted by matt345

I've heard quite a few people say that the South has actually become the least racist part of the country. As ironic as it sounds, I can see how that might be the case.

I can't speak for all of the south because I haven't lived in every state, but in Georgia and Texas, two states with probably the biggest southern populations besides Florida, its really integrated and not racist or segregated at all in my experience.

It came as quite a shock because all my life I've been told of all the racism that went on in the south but everybody is really cool, laidback and there's alot of intelligent people there. It was also refreshing to see so much patriotism and love of America which I almost never saw in the Bay Area.

Its almost like the country has been turned upside down with the most "tolerant" "liberal" areas being the most racist and the "conservative" areas being the least.

Whites and blacks in the south sound exactly the same, live in the same neighborhoods etc. In the Bay its almost like blacks are seen as a separate species. Blacks are mostly relegated to certain areas where its more affordable/tolerant to live but are crime infested. The result is segregation and economic misery. Maybe poor blacks should think about moving back to the south where atleast its more affordable.