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Yeah because you came on here with a bunch of rash and baseless generalizations.
Nothing that I have said is baseless. Absolutely nothing. You cannot tell me that many native Washingtonians do not exhibit unruly behavior. You simply CANNOT. Just about every thread about DC talks about the crime, the uneducated atmosphere of some of the residents.
Accept that the way some Washingtonians act is not ok, and due to this, people (black and otherwise) want to see it out of the city.
If you don't like it, make an effort to change it, but don't tell me my observations are baseless. They are things I have seen and heard after living in this city.
Your defensiveness is part of the problem, to be honest. Accept that the actions of some Washingtonians are deplorable, and if they hope to get more sympathy from anyone (including "uppity," "bougie" blacks) they had better shape up. People tend to not have sympathy for someone yelling the n-word up and down the metro.
Especially me. I hate that word, from whomever it comes.
And that's where you are completely missing the point. You all keep implying/saying that myself and other better-off blacks are essentially trying to "be white," a term I have never understood and one that sounds, quite frankly, self-hating. I have already said that better-off blacks want to be in predominantly black areas, meaning we also segregate ourselves. We do not want to "be white," we want to FEEL SAFE, like everyone else. If that means that the loud, belligerent hooligans have to go, I can't understand why youj would be against that.
Your irritation with better-off blacks is unfounded and makes little sense. I don't care what race you are, if you act like how I've seen many people in L'Enfant Plaza act, I want you OUT of my city.
Doesn't matter how many generation your family has been here. That doesn't give you any right to act in such a way as to give my city and my race a bad name.
On another note, we have just proven one of my predictions right
This class divide within the DMV black community will grow. I am sure of it. You may see it as a divide and conquer situation, but myself and other buppies simply see it as we do not want to feel unsafe, and after decades of progress for the black community, the actions of some poorer blacks is simply embarrassing and inexcusable. Call me what you want, but neither you nor anyone else can tell me that ratchet behavior is something that you would choose over an orderly.
It is very possible for more non-blacks to come into the city, and the city to still have a black cultural base at its heart. Look at the South. It can and probably will happen. You can't get rid of all of this culture without wiping out the entire city and starting over.
I think your approach needs a little bit of fine tuning. I am an educated, single black guy from DC. Contrary to what your perception is about the locals, a lot of us are very happy with the changes that gentrification has brought in. We like the restaurants and shops popping up all over but we have not lost sight of the culture that we grew up in. One thing that outsiders have a hard time understanding when they come here is the attitude of black people who are from here. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor or from Anacostia or Uptown, blacks in DC have a huge chip on their shoulder that will never ever go away. You can't change us or the culture. We don't care what you (white or buppies) think about us. Most of you are from backwater places where you have never really seen blacks prosper. How can you come here and tell us anything? DC has always been a place where blacks have had more opportunity because of the government. My grandmother worked 30 years as a typist in the State Department making less money than her white counterparts but much more than blacks in other cities doing menial labor. I meet blacks from all over the country here and they can't tell me anything about culture or sophistication because blacks in DC have always been much more well off than blacks in every city in America. So thanks for your synopsis but we are good.
Nothing that I have said is baseless. Absolutely nothing. You cannot tell me that many native Washingtonians do not exhibit unruly behavior. You simply CANNOT. Just about every thread about DC talks about the crime, the uneducated atmosphere of some of the residents.
Accept that the way some Washingtonians act is not ok, and due to this, people (black and otherwise) want to see it out of the city.
If you don't like it, make an effort to change it, but don't tell me my observations are baseless. They are things I have seen and heard after living in this city.
Your defensiveness is part of the problem, to be honest. Accept that the actions of some Washingtonians are deplorable, and if they hope to get more sympathy from anyone (including "uppity," "bougie" blacks) they had better shape up. People tend to not have sympathy for someone yelling the n-word up and down the metro.
Especially me. I hate that word, from whomever it comes.
You are creating a huge generalization. Plus, you are acting like this is a DC thing. Have you ever been to NYC, Detroit, Chicago, LA? The same issues exist everywhere. Some New Yorkers are deplorable. OK!
What was supposed to be a thread about the future of DC has become a thread essentially about how more well-to-do blacks do not "respect" less well off blacks.
That sounds like hijacking to me, to be honest with you.
So you make a thread posting your ideas, people criticize the lack of depth and analysis to your ideas along with the blatant stereotyping, and you can't stand the criticism. No one is going to give you a pat on the back, criticism is how we refine our ideas. Going around stereotyping people because of what you see on the street and 5 o'clock news and applying it to a population(from post 1, you're coding in blacks despite your attempts to sound like you're colorblind), isn't going to get you anywhere if you're looking for any type of serious discussion.
I think your approach needs a little bit of fine tuning. I am an educated, single black guy from DC. Contrary to what your perception is about the locals, a lot of us are very happy with the changes that gentrification has brought in. We like the restaurants and shops popping up all over but we have not lost sight of the culture that we grew up in. One thing that outsiders have a hard time understanding when they come here is the attitude of black people who are from here. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor or from Anacostia or Uptown, blacks in DC have a huge chip on their shoulder that will never ever go away. You can't change us or the culture. We don't care what you (white or buppies) think about us. Most of you are from backwater places where you have never really seen blacks prosper. How can you come here and tell us anything? DC has always been a place where blacks have had more opportunity because of the government. My grandmother worked 30 years as a typist in the State Department making less money than her white counterparts but much more than blacks in other cities doing menial labor. I meet blacks from all over the country here and they can't tell me anything about culture or sophistication because blacks in DC have always been much more well off than blacks in every city in America. So thanks for your synopsis but we are good.
Bolded for emphasis. This is the crux of the issue. That defensiveness, that "who the fu*k are you?!", that "this is MY city! Can't tell me nothin'!"
No one likes it, and for many is the reason there is little sympathy. And you can give me a sob story about where many DC blacks come from, but the point is that you are HERE in THIS city. By your own account, many blacks took advantage of the city and prospered. Those, I suspect, are more in my favor. The behavior of some Washingtonians is inexcusable.
PERIOD.
If you think buppies and other people are coming in here trying to tell you all what to do, that's unfortunate, but we do NOT want ratchet behavior in this city. DC Black culture is not ratchet, and hopefully people will see that as those that are make their way out, dwindle in numbers, or move forward with the rest of Black America.
You are creating a huge generalization. Plus, you are acting like this is a DC thing. Have you ever been to NYC, Detroit, Chicago, LA? The same issues exist everywhere. Some New Yorkers are deplorable. OK!
I'm from NY, I know how crazy the city can be. The topic at hand, though, is DC.
If you want to talk about those cities, please go to their forums. Pointing at others and saying that they're just as bad does not make one any better.
So you make a thread posting your ideas, people criticize the lack of depth and analysis to your ideas along with the blatant stereotyping, and you can't stand the criticism. No one is going to give you a pat on the back, criticism is how we refine our ideas. Going around stereotyping people because of what you see on the street and 5 o'clock news and applying it to a population(from post 1, you're coding in blacks despite your attempts to sound like you're colorblind), isn't going to get you anywhere if you're looking for any type of serious discussion.
Lack of depth? You aren't making sense. My first prediction was that there will be a growing divide between poorer and better-off blacks.
I never tried to use code, I've been saying black pretty often, INCLUDING the first post. No coding necessary.
I don't watch tv, so 5 o'clock news means little to me. What I see on my streets do, however. It's embarrassing. Sorry if you do not like the harsh truth, or that you think I'm bougie.
Some of the poorer people in this city have to get their act together. Point blank.
You are criticizing me for pointing out something we have ALL seen in the city. The ratchetry has got to go if the city wants to better itself.
Plus, wether directly or indirectly, the less educated people of the city will probably leave anyway. The kinds of jobs here require advanced education.
I wouldn't be so concerned with people's behavior as long as they're not hurting me physically or others, even tho they might get on my nerves a bit, because it is a free country. People can make themselves look like fools if they want. That's on them, and I don't have time to feel sorry for them or feel embarrassed. All that's dead yo. Please.
Why do people always have to make a big deal out of things they can't even control about other people? It's just stupid and useless to me.
I agree. I read a book on PG called "Blue Chip Blacks: Race Class and Status in the New Middle Class" The OP may want to read it. It talks about the social relationships and stigmas between well-to-do blacks, middle class, and poor blacks and how they try to disassociate from one another, the borders they place around each other, etc. The book is centered around blacks in PG, and NoVa.
But the same can be said about those in DC as well. And to respond to this post, the book agreed that it doesn't matter if you're rich or not. White people are more comfortable around White people. It is no fault of AA's rich or poor. It's a matter comfort for some. Even AA's are more comfortable and prefer the company of other AA's rich or middle class.
I wouldn't be so concerned with people's behavior as long as they're not hurting me physically or others, even tho they might get on my nerves a bit, because it is a free country. People can make themselves look like fools if they want. That's on them, and I don't have time to feel sorry for them or feel embarrassed for them. All that's dead yo. Please.
Why do people always have to make a big deal out of things they can't even control about other people?
Sorry, but I do care and feel sorry for them. I know what people think of them, and how screwed they are in the future. That is why I volunteer here.
There is a certain way to act in public that some people just have not recognized. It's a shame, because they will only screw themselves in the end, and eventually blame someone else (buppies, whites, whoever) for their ails.
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