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ACTUALLY SIR OR MAAM....i love all people, im not arguing from the standpoint of an angry black man so dont put me in a box, im saying that gentrification is causing d.c. to loose its character. That is my opinion. Its not me saying I hate white people because I dont. I just think there are pros and cons to gentrification.
I wasn't putting you in any box. Your argument just said that DC lost its character when the black people got pushed out by yuppie gentrifiers. I was simply pointing out that many of those gentrifiers are black. So, there's a disconnect in logic.
I wasn't putting you in any box. Your argument just said that DC lost its character when the black people got pushed out by yuppie gentrifiers. I was simply pointing out that many of those gentrifiers are black. So, there's a disconnect in logic.
Gotta agree on this one. I really dont want to get in the middle but from an outsiders perspective, I've seen just as many BUPPIES as I've seen YUPPIES!! Okay, I'm outta this!
I could have phrased it better, but as I'm sure you know there is not a large black community in Pentagon City for our Marine to get to know (as evidenced by your referencing a daytime population mostly secured in the largest building in the world as your only evidence).
Anyway - small, minor tangent. Let's move on. Perhaps you'll win the next round.
The number of times that you declare yourself the "winner" of discussions on C-D is staggering. It is a far better testament to your sense of self-worth than to any actual powers of persuasion you possess.
Apart from the large numbers of Blacks working at the Pentagon, the largest number of Black residents in Arlington live in the Nauck neighborhood, which is close by. Your suggestion that the other poster needed to leave Arlington and come to your gentrified or semi-gentrified patch of DC to encounter typical, hard-working Black residents was ridiculous (not to mention at odds with recent studies confirming again that there is more residential segregation in DC proper than the surrounding region).
The number of times that you declare yourself the "winner" of discussions on C-D is staggering. It is a far better testament to your sense of self-worth than to any actual powers of persuasion you possess.
If you were ever the winner with irrefutable logic, I'd declare that as well. I'm an equal opportunity braggart.
Quote:
Apart from the large numbers of Blacks working at the Pentagon, the largest number of Black residents in Arlington live in the Nauck neighborhood, which is close by. Your suggestion that the other poster needed to leave Arlington and come to your gentrified or semi-gentrified patch of DC to encounter typical, hard-working Black residents was ridiculous (not to mention at odds with recent studies confirming again that there is more residential segregation in DC proper than the surrounding region).
My simple point was that people should experience a culture before judging. I get that you've got a bee in your bonnet over teaching all us self-righteous city-dwellers how ignorant we are about the vast riches of northern Virginia, but I don't live with such perceived barriers or self-righteousness. I've spent ample time in Arlington, including yesterday, and know what it offers and what it does not offer.
I appreciate your suggestion, but I'm not convinced that touting a relatively small, isolated low-income neighborhood being gentrified, as Nauck is, would fulfill my stated objective of changing his perception of black communities. That is why I believe there are better and larger examples in DC and PG (especially the wealthier towns in upper PG). I never said the individual should or shouldn't come to my neighborhood, but thank you for your help.
If you were ever the winner with irrefutable logic, I'd declare that as well. I'm an equal opportunity braggart.
My simple point was that people should experience a culture before judging. I get that you've got a bee in your bonnet over teaching all us self-righteous city-dwellers how ignorant we are about the vast riches of northern Virginia, but I don't live with such perceived barriers or self-righteousness. I've spent ample time in Arlington, including yesterday, and know what it offers and what it does not offer.
I appreciate your suggestion, but I'm not convinced that touting a relatively small, isolated low-income neighborhood being gentrified, as Nauck is, would fulfill my stated objective of changing his perception of black communities. That is why I believe there are better and larger examples in DC and PG (especially the wealthier towns in upper PG). I never said the individual should or shouldn't come to my neighborhood, but thank you for your help.
Just as you typically declare yourself the winner of every debate in which you participate, rather than see if others actually agree with, you are incapable of not having the last word on any topic. There have been dozens of times recently where you assert that you have made your point and don't intend to post again only to do just that, even when you've said nothing new, because you simply cannot stand the idea that someone else might chime in later.
Your latest post is a prime example. I - and others as well - understood your "simple" ("simplistic" would be a better adjective), but it's based on one of the handful of false pretenses that inform many of your posts, namely that if others spent more time where you do, they would come around to sharing your own viewpoint.
It's generally a bogus premise, and certainly so in the context of this thread. There's no reason to think that jmusmc85 hasn't spent plenty of time around AAs in both Virginia and DC, so suggesting that his views - which on many occasions I find myself repudiating - would change if he spent more time away from the Pentagon area is simply another exercise in patting yourself on the back.
Similarly, in this thread, quite a few AA posters have expressed their own perspective that DC has lost some of its character in recent years. For them, it's as if a lush Marvin Gaye soundtrack that they used to associate with DC got replaced with some banal elevator Musak. You may disagree with their view, but telling them that they'd largely get over it if they came to your neighborhood and saw that there are some real, live Buppies there, too, misses the point. You're so hung up on the idea that DC is getting better and better that you can't acknowledge their point of view, or at least recognize that nostalgia is an entirely legitimate emotion.
Just as you typically declare yourself the winner of every debate in which you participate, rather than see if others actually agree with, you are incapable of not having the last word on any topic. There have been dozens of times recently where you assert that you have made your point and don't intend to post again only to do just that, even when you've said nothing new, because you simply cannot stand the idea that someone else might chime in later.
Your latest post is a prime example. I - and others as well - understood your "simple" ("simplistic" would be a better adjective), but it's based on one of the handful of false pretenses that inform many of your posts, namely that if others spent more time where you do, they would come around to sharing your own viewpoint.
It's generally a bogus premise, and certainly so in the context of this thread. There's no reason to think that jmusmc85 hasn't spent plenty of time around AAs in both Virginia and DC, so suggesting that his views - which on many occasions I find myself repudiating - would change if he spent more time away from the Pentagon area is simply another exercise in patting yourself on the back.
Similarly, in this thread, quite a few AA posters have expressed their own perspective that DC has lost some of its character in recent years. For them, it's as if a lush Marvin Gaye soundtrack that they used to associate with DC got replaced with some banal elevator Musak. You may disagree with their view, but telling them that they'd largely get over it if they came to your neighborhood and saw that there are some real, live Buppies there, too, misses the point. You're so hung up on the idea that DC is getting better and better that you can't acknowledge their point of view, or at least recognize that nostalgia is an entirely legitimate emotion.
Wow. This is way too many words for an offhanded side comment I made to someone else, who subsequently clarified his position and declared himself the winner of this thread. You always infer a great deal beyond what I actually state. I'm going to try and articulate it here and then hopefully we can drop it:
1. I never said he should go where I live., It's not a representative black community (never was) and I don't know why you keep harping on me about where I live. You do realize non-black people have lived in this city throughout, no?
2. I never said he would share my view. I simply encourage people to be informed before making a judgment about an entire culture or race, whatever they may believe. I would also say to someone with a dislike of Islamic people to look past the news headlines and get to know the real culture before critiquing it, even though I've never lived immersed in an Islamic community.
3. I never denied that DC has lost some (or even a good deal) of its 1960-2000 predominantly black culture as various races and immigrant populations have moved into cities nationwide. Unrepentent redevelopment of cities is a very mixed bag, as we can witness happening in Harlem right now with the decline of that area's 20th century identity as property-values rise and newcomers move in.
Knowing the depth and contributions of the local black culture here, I simply pointed out that people can do better than list the wearing of Nikes and North Face as hallmarks of that culture. It would be like ignoring all the artistic and business contributions of AAs in Atlanta to focus on a preference for Hanes underwear in the mid-90s. As MDAllStar pointed out in agreement with my point, people used to wear local DC designers before global trends took root. I'm quite exposed to the black community here, from the Howard experience to people in go-go bands to great restaurants and neighborhood events. So, please stop with this line of attack.
I could argue just as accurately that the culture that embodied my family was lost when it moved out of the city decades ago. Many AA raised in the city have voluntarily moved to the suburbs recently. Cities change, for better and worse.
I really wish you'd just leave me alone. I'm not the caricature you seem to think I am and I'm not even sure what your point is. Thank you.
Wow. This is way too many words for an offhanded side comment I made to someone else, who subsequently clarified his position and declared himself the winner of this thread. You always infer a great deal beyond what I actually state. I'm going to try and articulate it here and then hopefully we can drop it:
1. I never said he should go where I live., It's not a representative black community (never was) and I don't know why you keep harping on me about where I live. You do realize non-black people have lived in this city throughout, no?
2. I never said he would share my view. I simply encourage people to be informed before making a judgment about an entire culture or race, whatever they may believe. I would also say to someone with a dislike of Islamic people to look past the news headlines and get to know the real culture before critiquing it, even though I've never lived immersed in an Islamic community.
3. I never denied that DC has lost some (or even a good deal) of its 1960-2000 predominantly black culture as various races and immigrant populations have moved into cities nationwide. Unrepentent redevelopment of cities is a very mixed bag, as we can witness happening in Harlem right now with the decline of that area's 20th century identity as property-values rise and newcomers move in.
Knowing the depth and contributions of the local black culture here, I simply pointed out that people can do better than list the wearing of Nikes and North Face as hallmarks of that culture. It would be like ignoring all the artistic and business contributions of AAs in Atlanta to focus on a preference for Hanes underwear in the mid-90s. As MDAllStar pointed out in agreement with my point, people used to wear local DC designers before global trends took root. I'm quite exposed to the black community here, from the Howard experience to people in go-go bands to great restaurants and neighborhood events. So, please stop with this line of attack.
I could argue just as accurately that the culture that embodied my family was lost when it moved out of the city decades ago. Many AA raised in the city have voluntarily moved to the suburbs recently. Cities change, for better and worse.
I really wish you'd just leave me alone. I'm not the caricature you seem to think I am and I'm not even sure what your point is. Thank you.
wow this thread is deep- i think the original poster wanted to know about dc and it has no character?
To me its full of our countries past , present and future
Been thru there once and really enjoyed it all
its our nations capital how can it be lacking anything
espicially in light of how interesting our fellow elected officials are these days
DC is okay in my book!@
So lets start with go go
Now the place that created go-go is shoving it aside.
The U Street NW and H Street NE corridors have gone upscale, pushing out the places where you could buy tickets, hear go-go music live and purchase your neighborhood’s unique brand of embroidered sweats. Ibex, a popular Georgia Avenue NW go-go club, has been transformed into luxury condos. The flagship store for local urbanwear designer We R One on Florida Avenue NW went out of business a couple of summers ago. I-Hip-Hop and Go-Go, a store on H Street NE, has been shuttered. The flagship location of P.A. Palace, a chain of go-go stores, has been bulldozed to make way for a Wal-Mart in Landover Hills.
My point is that you can walk up to someone here in Atlanta and ask them have they ever been to D.C. If they havent and you ask them what do you know about D.C they will say monuments, The white House, maybe the Pentagon, things of that nature. If you ask someone black in atlanta about d.c. they will tell you all of those things and go go. Go go is a big part of d.c. culture . To take it away is taking away what was built by Duke Ellington, and transformed by George Clinton coming to D.C. and declaring it Chocolate City, or Chuck Brown the godfather of go go. Go go is a culprit of gentrification. Go go defined how people dressed in the 80s and 90s with the start up labels like We R One. Music is a big part of D.C. period, and gentrification has taken a toll on the people who make the music.
So lets start with go go
Now the place that created go-go is shoving it aside.
The U Street NW and H Street NE corridors have gone upscale, pushing out the places where you could buy tickets, hear go-go music live and purchase your neighborhood’s unique brand of embroidered sweats. Ibex, a popular Georgia Avenue NW go-go club, has been transformed into luxury condos. The flagship store for local urbanwear designer We R One on Florida Avenue NW went out of business a couple of summers ago. I-Hip-Hop and Go-Go, a store on H Street NE, has been shuttered. The flagship location of P.A. Palace, a chain of go-go stores, has been bulldozed to make way for a Wal-Mart in Landover Hills.
My point is that you can walk up to someone here in Atlanta and ask them have they ever been to D.C. If they havent and you ask them what do you know about D.C they will say monuments, The white House, maybe the Pentagon, things of that nature. If you ask someone black in atlanta about d.c. they will tell you all of those things and go go. Go go is a big part of d.c. culture . To take it away is taking away what was built by Duke Ellington, and transformed by George Clinton coming to D.C. and declaring it Chocolate City, or Chuck Brown the godfather of go go. Go go is a culprit of gentrification. Go go defined how people dressed in the 80s and 90s with the start up labels like We R One. Music is a big part of D.C. period, and gentrification has taken a toll on the people who make the music.
Gentrification didn't kill DC's fashion. The younger generation didn't adopt the style. After 2004-2005, the young kids stopped wearing DC brands. The shops were mainly in SE, NE, and PG anyway. City life, Shooters, Madness, Hobo, Abstract, After Dark etc. was not adopted by the kids of the 2000's so the local boutiques went out of business. Actually, DC's local brands went out of style for the kids when bounce beat GoGo came in for the kids if you think about it right around 2004. Traditional GoGo's crowd are the ones that supported DC's local brands. The kids have abandoned the city brands and it has nothing to do with Gentrification.
Also, GoGo is alive and well in DC. There are more GoGo bands now than ever before. There are more genres of GoGo than ever before. GoGo has never been stronger than it is now. GoGo also helped put out DC's first rap artist and Wale always puts GoGo on in his music. The biggest difference is what you see walking on the streets in DC, not the heart beat of the city. Only residents can show you DC though which is the case for most places. The DMV is the new DC and we can't look at the region in such a small way like the past. NYC has 20 million people in the MSA and the culture spreads across the MSA. DC has 5.5 million people MSA wide and the culture spreads across the region now. It's a new day and cities are defined by metro area now anywhere you go.
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