Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you are white and go to a black area...you'll be targeted as a hardcore drug user by both the police and the dealers themselves. The police will quickly pull you over, ask you if you know where you're at...and if you passed their test as 'not drug user', they'll quickly escort you out of there.
Seriously? Where do people come up with this BS? I'm white and I go to black areas all the time. No one thinks I'm a drug dealer. I used to live in a predominantly black/Hispanic area in NC and no one thought I was a drug dealer there either.
Seriously? Where do people come up with this BS? I'm white and I go to black areas all the time. No one thinks I'm a drug dealer. I used to live in a predominantly black/Hispanic area in NC and no one thought I was a drug dealer there either.
I think Tiger Beer was implying that that would be the case in the Midwest. I have no idea whether it's true or not, but I completely agree with you that nobody in the South would react that way (partially because I think race relations are better in the South than the Midwest, but that's another thread altogether).
It actually was, Big Mama Thornton sang hound dog first. I know most people know that but just saying. And *looking sheepishly around the room* I absolutely LOVE rock and roll.
lol. yeah i like the way that she does it. i have heard both renditions, and she rocks; more soul in the way that she performs it.
As a white person from Michigan originally. SO TRUE.
If you are white and go to a black area...you'll be targeted as a hardcore drug user by both the police and the dealers themselves. The police will quickly pull you over, ask you if you know where you're at...and if you passed their test as 'not drug user', they'll quickly escort you out of there.
I also lived in NYC, and went to Harlem and Brooklyn and everywhere else...lived just north of Harlem in Washington Heights, so went through there all the time on the train, and a few times got off, etc. I found black and white relations pretty relaxed compared to MI. Not perfect, tons of misconceptions, etc. But at least nowhere as bad as the Midwest.
Actually you mentioned Virginia and if it would be similar to the MIdwest. I have no idea myself, but I certainly noticed that when I've driven around in the South, I DO see the strange thing of a black guy and a white guy walking down the street talking with each other, or in the same car together. (Interracial dating happens all the time in the Midwest and even moreso everywhere else, but when you get two guys of different races regularly hanging out together as good friends, that seems more unusual to me).
to be fair I don't know what to make of the Southeast. Military guys call me "bro" all the time. At first I took offense to it, like they were calling me the n word or something but I don't think it is like that at all. Interracial dating is everywhere, regardless of if it is Blacks or Whites that are the minority just the way that it is. I see a lot of Black women with White men these days, even moreso than I used to see Black men with White women. I think that is the same thing now that the latter used to be back in the 80s and 90s.
On the other hand once you leave the more culturally mixed areas, like NoVa or Hampton Roads, things get weird. People are more xenophobic it seems. Not even sure if you can call it racism or not but it just seems more xenophobic than anything else. I chalk it up to the idea that the Midwest is both culturally and physically isolated from either coast, and that people tend to be more conservative, even on the surface they want to appear as though they are really liberal. Midwest has a racist, xenophobic, homophobic, just not sure about anything that is different, vibe to it, in general, because Midwesterners tend to be down to earth, laid back people. The irony of this is that people from the Midwest have made some serious cultural contributions in the 20th century, particularly with respect to music. I often wonder if those contributions are a response to the conservative nature of the place though.
Northeast, few times I've been up there, or the people from there I've met over the years; people are just real aggressive and in your face, if they are going to talk to you, and have no reservations or won't hold anything back what they have to tell you. Some people might take offense or don't know what to do with it but I think its refreshing. Just makes it easier to talk to people by getting the formalities out of the way.
I think Tiger Beer was implying that that would be the case in the Midwest. I have no idea whether it's true or not, but I completely agree with you that nobody in the South would react that way (partially because I think race relations are better in the South than the Midwest, but that's another thread altogether).
Race relations are better in the South because it is more in the open due to what happened during slavery. In the Midwest there has always this been this polite, politically correct, institutionalized, covert operation type of racism, which really gets under your skin. People would rather just avoid you altogether than be polite and play games with you in the South whereas in the Midwest everyone has their poker face on, and that includes Blacks and Whites.
As a white person from Michigan originally. SO TRUE.
If you are white and go to a black area...you'll be targeted as a hardcore drug user by both the police and the dealers themselves. The police will quickly pull you over, ask you if you know where you're at...and if you passed their test as 'not drug user', they'll quickly escort you out of there.
I also lived in NYC, and went to Harlem and Brooklyn and everywhere else...lived just north of Harlem in Washington Heights, so went through there all the time on the train, and a few times got off, etc. I found black and white relations pretty relaxed compared to MI. Not perfect, tons of misconceptions, etc. But at least nowhere as bad as the Midwest.
Actually you mentioned Virginia and if it would be similar to the MIdwest. I have no idea myself, but I certainly noticed that when I've driven around in the South, I DO see the strange thing of a black guy and a white guy walking down the street talking with each other, or in the same car together. (Interracial dating happens all the time in the Midwest and even moreso everywhere else, but when you get two guys of different races regularly hanging out together as good friends, that seems more unusual to me).
What you describe in the Midwest is exactly what happens in Baltimore and Philly. It's definitely that way in many Southern cities as well. NYC is a bit of an outlier in this regard, so I wouldn't try to cast this as a Midwest versus Northeast versus South issue.
It's quite widespread behavior in the eastern half of our country.
I'm white and I go to black areas all the time. No one thinks I'm a drug dealer. I used to live in a predominantly black/Hispanic area in NC and no one thought I was a drug dealer there either.
Not drug dealer, but drug user - looking for drugs.
I'm actually thinking of DETROIT in particular. If you are a white guy driving around in large swaths of that city, the police will assume you are looking for drugs and pull you over and ask you what you are doing. It was more during the crack-epidemic 1980s and 90s though. Whenever I get back to MI, I drive around Detroit, and it's changing quickly. Artists moving in, etc. You see your random white person throughout all kinds of predominately black neighborhoods now - a very recent change. It wasn't like that in the 80s and 90s though.
On the other hand, later I lived in generally white Minneapolis with pockets of black neighborhoods...and I lived in a very poor and mixed neighborhood, and I didn't have any problems with people assuming I was looking for something. But MPLS is generally a white city with small black neighborhoods. So, its more likely you are just passing through, than Detroit where most of the neighborhoods are black - and white people look lost or suspicious driving around in them.
So, maybe not ALL of the Midwest...but there are certainly cities with that element.
Anyways, more than anything. I just noticed that in the Midwest, the races are divided. I can't recall ever seeing a black farmer in Michigan. Never. (Although I heard Muhammad Ali has a farm in southwest MI, but it's generally very, very unusual).
On the other hand, driving around the South, almost every small town has black populations all over the place in them. In the Midwest, you pretty much only see black people in the cities, and almost never in small towns.
Back to this thread. "Why do people say DC has no character". I like cities with 'character'. Others see 'character' as dirty or old or whatever else. But I think for people who 'know' character, would all agree, black or white, that DC does have character. But, there are tons of people who don't appreciate character whatsoever, so it doesn't have any meaning to them.
Last edited by Tiger Beer; 08-18-2011 at 07:24 AM..
Not drug dealer, but drug user - looking for drugs.
I'm actually thinking of DETROIT in particular. If you are a white guy driving around in large swaths of that city, the police will assume you are looking for drugs and pull you over and ask you what you are doing. It was more during the crack-epidemic 1980s and 90s though. Whenever I get back to MI, I drive around Detroit, and it's changing quickly. Artists moving in, etc. You see your random white person throughout all kinds of predominately black neighborhoods now - a very recent change. It wasn't like that in the 80s and 90s though.
On the other hand, later I lived in generally white Minneapolis with pockets of black neighborhoods...and I lived in a very poor and mixed neighborhood, and I didn't have any problems with people assuming I was looking for something. But MPLS is generally a white city with small black neighborhoods. So, its more likely you are just passing through, than Detroit where most of the neighborhoods are black - and white people look lost or suspicious driving around in them.
So, maybe not ALL of the Midwest...but there are certainly cities with that element.
Anyways, more than anything. I just noticed that in the Midwest, the races are divided. I can't recall ever seeing a black farmer in Michigan. Never. (Although I heard Muhammad Ali has a farm in southwest MI, but it's generally very, very unusual).
On the other hand, driving around the South, almost every small town has black populations all over the place in them. In the Midwest, you pretty much only see black people in the cities, and almost never in small towns.
Back to this thread. "Why do people say DC has no character". I like cities with 'character'. Others see 'character' as dirty or old or whatever else. But I think for people who 'know' character, would all agree, black or white, that DC does have character. But, there are tons of people who don't appreciate character whatsoever, so it doesn't have any meaning to them.
Good points. The lack of black folks in rural areas outside the south is something I've heard of but seems so foreign and fictional at the same time since almost all of my family comes from rural Georgia. I'd say my hometown is about the size of Kalamazoo to give you a point of reference. Me and my mother were considered the city slickers for sure.
Although I have met a guy from Benton Harbor, MI and from my understanding that's a pretty small but predominately black town.
But yeah as far as character is concerned DC is overflowing with it. Those that say different need to head east of Rock Creek and explore some more.
Not drug dealer, but drug user - looking for drugs.
I'm actually thinking of DETROIT in particular. If you are a white guy driving around in large swaths of that city, the police will assume you are looking for drugs and pull you over and ask you what you are doing. It was more during the crack-epidemic 1980s and 90s though. Whenever I get back to MI, I drive around Detroit, and it's changing quickly. Artists moving in, etc. You see your random white person throughout all kinds of predominately black neighborhoods now - a very recent change. It wasn't like that in the 80s and 90s though.
Again, though, I've had the same experience in many parts of Baltimore and Philly. You can still experience it in certain parts east of the river in DC. DC only had white people moving around outside of downtown and east of the park in the last 15 years or so. 80s and 90s were pretty universally divided.
Not drug dealer, but drug user - looking for drugs.
I'm actually thinking of DETROIT in particular. If you are a white guy driving around in large swaths of that city, the police will assume you are looking for drugs and pull you over and ask you what you are doing. It was more during the crack-epidemic 1980s and 90s though. Whenever I get back to MI, I drive around Detroit, and it's changing quickly. Artists moving in, etc. You see your random white person throughout all kinds of predominately black neighborhoods now - a very recent change. It wasn't like that in the 80s and 90s though.
On the other hand, later I lived in generally white Minneapolis with pockets of black neighborhoods...and I lived in a very poor and mixed neighborhood, and I didn't have any problems with people assuming I was looking for something. But MPLS is generally a white city with small black neighborhoods. So, its more likely you are just passing through, than Detroit where most of the neighborhoods are black - and white people look lost or suspicious driving around in them.
So, maybe not ALL of the Midwest...but there are certainly cities with that element.
Anyways, more than anything. I just noticed that in the Midwest, the races are divided. I can't recall ever seeing a black farmer in Michigan. Never. (Although I heard Muhammad Ali has a farm in southwest MI, but it's generally very, very unusual).
On the other hand, driving around the South, almost every small town has black populations all over the place in them. In the Midwest, you pretty much only see black people in the cities, and almost never in small towns.
Back to this thread. "Why do people say DC has no character". I like cities with 'character'. Others see 'character' as dirty or old or whatever else. But I think for people who 'know' character, would all agree, black or white, that DC does have character. But, there are tons of people who don't appreciate character whatsoever, so it doesn't have any meaning to them.
Never been pegged as a drug user in DC or NC either, even when I was the only white person around. Maybe it's different in other regions--I don't know. Though, I thought that comment was in relation to DC. Has that happened to people in DC?
I also think the idea that DC has no character is BS. You just have to know where to look. DC has a lot of subcultures within it that are very alive and well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It actually was, Big Mama Thornton sang hound dog first. I know most people know that but just saying. And *looking sheepishly around the room* I absolutely LOVE rock and roll. 
