Is D.C. a good match if you're a young, black, college graduate?

[RFMD]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

Fairfax,

Keepin it real is so old and played out. Who says that anymore? Based on your comments, I am starting to build a profile on you. You seem to be a very bitter middle aged person who resides in Walmart Country and has a fear of AA's.

The stigma thing is outdated and grossly over rated in the AA community. I went to an HBCU and my sister went to GW. She never faced any stigmas. I went to AU for my masters and she went to Howard for hers. Same thing! No one ever confronted me or her for our choices. We recieved nothing but support from the AA community. This includes thugs, homies, girlfriends, etc.. On thing you fail to realize about AA's is that we can assimilate much quicker than any race. We know their is a song and dance in the workplace.

I know that you along with millions of other hillbillies are sick right now because of the prospect of Obama being "YOUR" President. Keep your stereotypes to yourself and stop allowing TV shows like "Good Times" shape your opinions.

His posts are always like this no matter the topic-black militant this stereotypical that yada yada yada.

[Do a Barrel Roll]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

Fairfax,

Keepin it real is so old and played out. Who says that anymore? Based on your comments, I am starting to build a profile on you. You seem to be a very bitter middle aged person who resides in Walmart Country and has a fear of AA's.

The stigma thing is outdated and grossly over rated in the AA community. I went to an HBCU and my sister went to GW. She never faced any stigmas. I went to AU for my masters and she went to Howard for hers. Same thing! No one ever confronted me or her for our choices. We recieved nothing but support from the AA community. This includes thugs, homies, girlfriends, etc.. On thing you fail to realize about AA's is that we can assimilate much quicker than any race. We know their is a song and dance in the workplace.

I know that you along with millions of other hillbillies are sick right now because of the prospect of Obama being "YOUR" President. Keep your stereotypes to yourself and stop allowing TV shows like "Good Times" shape your opinions.

I would ignore this post and call it a day, but your description of me is in every way opposite of who I am.

-I don't work in Wal-Mart
-I don't reside in some hickville county or town (but where I currently live isn't that much better neither)
-I'm in college (and in my early twenties)
-I supported Obama ever since the beginning. It was the militant blacks in the beginning who were b*tching about Obama not being "black enough."
-And lastly, I'M THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHITE! but you would've knew that if you read my responses!

And I'm sorry to be "out-of-date" with the slang, is it keeping it "gangsta" or "hood"? In any case, from my own family to even random strangers, I don't recall nearly any point where I've received an excessive amount of praise (or even a pat on the back or instant respect) for being an intellect and doing something w/ my life like you depict. If what you saying was true, I'd have a much bigger support system from family members, random strangers, and even young black girls, rallying behind me. Tell me where this is, and I'll gladly look into this magical place where black intellectuals are praised by the MAJORITY of their own, including the street thugs and project broads.

And BTW, Good Times, while comedic, is one of the shows that blacks NOT need to worry about in reference to depicting negative stereotypes. I'd look at shows like "Flavor of Love" or any TV show, movie, or rap video that was made after the mid-nineties if you want to see what's causing America to stereotype blacks. Or are those shows the ones that you indulge in?

[DC's Finest]

Well since you put it out there. You seem to have a hatred of AA from many of your posts. I never claimed that DC was some utopia for AA's but it has been a place where they have surely progressed in the past 40 years. I don't think NOVA is a bad place at all. I think it's a great place to live, however, it is the suburbs. And at the most, the diversity and cultural opportunities will lag behind the city. I am happy that there are AA's in NOVA doing well. But for you to compare NOVA to DC especially since VA has had a terrible past of discrimination against AA is utterly ridiculous.

You may be black or brown or purple for all I care but you really don't have your finger on the pulse of the AA community. Rap music, thuggery and ho's don't define me. I like rap, I know some ho's and thugs but they don't shape or define my opinion of my race. I am one who believes that we are free to do whatever we want as long as it does not bring harm directly to anyone else. Take a show like Flavor of Love. It's viewed as bafoonery. Instead of analyzing everything we do, take it for what it's, just a stupid ass show. I'm not mad or upset at Flavor. He isn't hurting anyone. I see the show as comedy. My self esteem does not let his show define me. If you don't like it, don't watch it. It's that simple.

My point being, AA are always overly criticized for our movies and music. What's the difference between Rap & Rock n Roll? They both contain sexual content and violence! What about the Terminator & Menace to Society? Good Fellas and Boys n the Hood. Equally violent! You need to read between the lines. I don't see people picketing Al Pacino or Robert Deniro's movies. Nor do I see Walmart taking any Guns n Roses cd off the shelf. We are all the same believe it or not. We have the same issues and concerns. Don't make it a racial thing.

[$mk8795]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

Fairfax,

Keepin it real is so old and played out. Who says that anymore? Based on your comments, I am starting to build a profile on you. You seem to be a very bitter middle aged person who resides in Walmart Country and has a fear of AA's.

The stigma thing is outdated and grossly over rated in the AA community. I went to an HBCU and my sister went to GW. She never faced any stigmas. I went to AU for my masters and she went to Howard for hers. Same thing! No one ever confronted me or her for our choices. We recieved nothing but support from the AA community. This includes thugs, homies, girlfriends, etc.. On thing you fail to realize about AA's is that we can assimilate much quicker than any race. We know their is a song and dance in the workplace.

I know that you along with millions of other hillbillies are sick right now because of the prospect of Obama being "YOUR" President. Keep your stereotypes to yourself and stop allowing TV shows like "Good Times" shape your opinions.

WOW!!!!!!!!


Now thats whats up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Yac]

While I can see this is an important issue for some of you, i would like to ask You all to think twice before posting in order to be on topic and avoid getting too emotional. Nothing good will come out of it.
Yac.

[k1dub]

D. C., when I was a teen (not that long ago), used to be called Chocolate City which should tell you the type of place you'll be moving to. I'm from NYC and used to live in Baltimore and would LIVE for the weekends I'd make it into the District to visit family friends. The nightlife and restaurants are pretty good, the people are nice-ish, there's always something to do. The museums along with several other cultural events are free. Virtually every nation and culture is represented here and as a Caribbean American, I loved coming down for such events. Yes, crime is kind of high but it's a city.
D.C. also has a very well represented (upper) middle class of educated folks from what is lovingly known as the "Gold Coast." You'll be surrounded by educated people of color representing local schools like Howard, Hampton, Georgetown, UVA, Johns Hopkins as well as many other universities.
All in all, you'll be fine.

[MDDCtoATL]

I've enjoyed this thread and love the D.C. - Atlanta face off, just what I've been looking for. I am ever more so excited that Blacks in this country can even have such an argument, how far we've come as a people!

Both areas are wonderful and provide a different environment for a Black person that they'll hopefully fit into. It's good to know that we have at least more than one place to go.

It would be nice to see some more facts so let me lay down a little.

1) Somebody mentioned Atlanta having Atlantic Station awesome. But Prince George's County Maryland has National Harbor (it's eerie how similar the two projects are conceptually). At $4 billion National Harbor is also the largest project on the east coast and the largest the D.C. area has ever seen. Also Prince George's has several $1 billion, large mixed-use projects like Woodmoore Towne Center in the works. It also has FedEx Field UMD, Six Flags to name a few, it is no slouch compared to Atlanta.

2) I hate to be the barer of bad news but to the Virgina boosters, please be truthful. Northern Virgina is not the bastion for Blacks in the D.C. area and the diving line between east and west (Black and White respectfully) is pretty clear. The black population is almost no better than San Francisco if you consider the overall racial population, particularly Fairfax County. If I was Black I would recommend against living Northern Virginia. For example the clubs in Arlington only cater to young whites as a whole.

There is a reason 10 times the Black population lives in Prince George's, Montgomery, and D.C. as compared to Northern Virgina.

Here are some official facts according to the Census 2006 American Community Survey (most recent)

Montgomery County, Maryland
Total population 932,131
Black or African American 16.4%


Prince George's County, Maryland
Total population 841,315
Black or African American 64.6%



Fairfax County, Virginia
Total population 1,010,443
Black or African American 9.5%


3) Bethesda and Maryland has the highest concentration of people holding a higher education degree not Northern Virgina.