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Well, I'm kind of echoing what chiatldal was saying. Too many black folks have placed Atlanta on this pedestal, and have it in their minds that this is the city where they'll instantly become "somebody" and go on to live this glamorous lifestyle, when in fact they could probably be doing the same thing back at home. Look at all the black folks who insist on moving here without a job. They're so focused on wanting to be in "The ATL" that they don't stop to realize that you have work hard here, just like you do elsewhere.
The sheer volume of black people here, as well as the amount of black owned businesses can make this place feel very welcoming to someone of color, but it is not the land of milk and honey.
Partly
I was pointing out how some posters, use the media for saying Atlanta is hot for black entertainment and black popular culture as..... the media saying Atlanta is on pedestal or Atlanta is everything for blacks. The concept is too abstract "Too many black folks have placed Atlanta on this pedestal" obviously one can't speak to all black individuals to know that. So people who believe that some blacks are putting "Atlanta on a pedestal" are in the same boat as blacks that are putting Atlanta on a pedestal. It's begging the question something that shouldn't even been brought up.
What I found on these forums some black posters from others cities use that to knock Atlanta. By saying Atlanta is over hype or some crap like that. Well who hype Atlanta....... No one, then they often blame the black media, The black media shows Atlanta has a lot black stars and celebs not the average black joe have a better life. I had several posters who try to argue or prove to me Atlanta is not the land of milk and honey.
New York, Los Angeles, and Miami are seen as "it" cities for everyone. I would personally never place Atlanta on the same tier as the first two. Atlanta is unique in that it definitely is the city most commonly associated with present day black affluence and influence. It's not really in the same game as NY or LA (which are far too large), nor is it exactly seen in the same light, but rather, when it comes to black culture, it is the dominant leader of cities like DC, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, and Philadelphia; cities that follow suit to a lesser degree.
Houston, Dallas, and Philly, yes. Chicago, I'd say yes but not by as wide a margin as those three. DC? I think Atlanta and DC are neck and neck for Black culture (outside of film/TV).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newsboy
You cited ONE ... but the two most egregious, Creflo Dollar and Eddie Long, are very much ATLANTANS ... and contribute nothing but falsehoods to the Atlanta black myth.
Although they are prominent in "prosperity gospel" circles, why do you consider Long and Dollar "the two most egregious"? Although now deceased, the most egregious by FAR was the late Rev. Ike from NY. Long's and Dollar's teachings don't even come close to the crap that came out of Ike's mouth.
To me New York, Chicago and LA have always seemed like the dominant centers of black culture. New York because of its massive influence in black literature, theater, music, dance and the visual arts; Chicago for some of those reasons but also as the home of urban blues and jazz and, of course, Oprah; LA as the center of the movie/TV business and the home of so many blacks associated with those industries.
However, I'm excited to see Atlanta making its mark.
Houston, Dallas, and Philly, yes. Chicago, I'd say yes but not by as wide a margin as those three. DC? I think Atlanta and DC are neck and neck for Black culture (outside of film/TV).
Someone repped me for this statement with the accompanying comment: "DC is no longer a black culture mecca. It's way too expensive and has turned into a mini-NY in the past 10 years. Blacks are moving back South from there, specifically to ATL."
While it's true there are some Blacks moving to Atlanta from DC, it's wholly incorrect that "DC is no longer a black culture mecca." Did things like Howard University, several BGLO headquarters, BET, the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, etc. all of sudden leave DC? Although Atlanta was far and away the top city to attract African Americans in the last decade, DC was fourth on the list and also managed to become the city with the highest percentage of Blacks with a bachelor's degree or higher, edging out San Jose for that honor. And in this economic downturn we're still trudging through, DC's relatively stable economy gives it an edge among African Americans in particular who comprise a large share of government employees (and the same is true in Atlanta where a lot of government offices are concentrated). It's a major reason why the DC area is still home to the most affluent majority African American county in the nation.
We're all familiar with what Atlanta offers in comparison, but I just wanted to provide some evidence to the person who repped me for DC being neck and neck with Atlanta when it comes to Black culture.
To me New York, Chicago and LA have always seemed like the dominant centers of black culture. New York because of its massive influence in black literature, theater, music, dance and the visual arts; Chicago for some of those reasons but also as the home of urban blues and jazz and, of course, Oprah; LA as the center of the movie/TV business and the home of so many blacks associated with those industries.
However, I'm excited to see Atlanta making its mark.
And I would add DC. And if Detroit wasn't on the skids for several years, it would be up there as well. Historically, the African American narrative in Detroit is nothing short of fascinating.
I was pointing out how some posters, use the media for saying Atlanta is hot for black entertainment and black popular culture as..... the media saying Atlanta is on pedestal or Atlanta is everything for blacks. The concept is too abstract "Too many black folks have placed Atlanta on this pedestal" obviously one can't speak to all black individuals to know that. So people who believe that some blacks are putting "Atlanta on a pedestal" are in the same boat as blacks that are putting Atlanta on a pedestal. It's begging the question something that shouldn't even been brought up.
What I found on these forums some black posters from others cities use that to knock Atlanta. By saying Atlanta is over hype or some crap like that. Well who hype Atlanta....... No one, then they often blame the black media, The black media shows Atlanta has a lot black stars and celebs not the average black joe have a better life. I had several posters who try to argue or prove to me Atlanta is not the land of milk and honey.
It's important to point out that "too many" is not defined by any number of people. This does not necessarily mean most.
Not sure what you meant by me being in the same boat as those who put the city on a pedestal. All I can do is point out what I have seen and heard from experience. Yes, I have directly observed people making Atlanta out to be more than it is.
There are a couple of people in this room (you know who you are) who are using the topic as a chat room and bickering back and forth.
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If you want a vacation for the holidays, we can provide that - but it may not be to the destination you wish to go to (the land of temporary banishment).
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Atlanta has sure been publicized as a strong example of Black prosperity and quite frankly I don't see anything wrong with that, you don't see this offense or dislike towards a certain demographic being proud of a city that they have a strong base in when it comes to Miami (hispanics), San Fransisco (gay people), NY/NJ (Italians), Boston (Irish with even a mascot for it).
That being said the Black demographic doing particularly well compared to other cities like Detroit breaks stereotypes particularly with Atlanta's relatively low crime rate. Atlanta's Black culture is very significant to the city and you have other aspects like,
Atlanta being home to some of the largest corporations in the world including Coca Cola, Home Depot and UPS.
A large number of strong colleges and universities including the HBCUs like Spelman and Morehouse.
Busiest airport in the world.
Now you have a fast growing entertainment industry, which has been pioneered by the Black demographic.
I think the there is a hint of jealousy because not only is Atlanta a place where Blacks prosper it also out competes other cities as well in business, it has the tallest building in the U.S. outside of Chicago and NY, it has lots of big companies, and it even hosted the Olympics.
Someone repped me for this statement with the accompanying comment: "DC is no longer a black culture mecca. It's way too expensive and has turned into a mini-NY in the past 10 years. Blacks are moving back South from there, specifically to ATL."
While it's true there are some Blacks moving to Atlanta from DC, it's wholly incorrect that "DC is no longer a black culture mecca." Did things like Howard University, several BGLO headquarters, BET, the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, etc. all of sudden leave DC? Although Atlanta was far and away the top city to attract African Americans in the last decade, DC was fourth on the list and also managed to become the city with the highest percentage of Blacks with a bachelor's degree or higher, edging out San Jose for that honor. And in this economic downturn we're still trudging through, DC's relatively stable economy gives it an edge among African Americans in particular who comprise a large share of government employees (and the same is true in Atlanta where a lot of government offices are concentrated). It's a major reason why the DC area is still home to the most affluent majority African American county in the nation.
We're all familiar with what Atlanta offers in comparison, but I just wanted to provide some evidence to the person who repped me for DC being neck and neck with Atlanta when it comes to Black culture.
It is indeed odd how Atlanta metro and the D.C. metro (and even the Baltimore metro to an extent) are similar yet different in so many ways.
They are both great example of Black prosperity with Atlanta on sheer volume alone, I like to think of it more as the raw entrepreneurial equivalent to D.C. but Washington is no slouch surprisingly. I can't even say Washington as it is more so the Maryland side that has the strongest Black demographics.
TV One/Radio One has their headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland (Montgomery county) right next to, the American Film Institute and Discovery Communications which owns 50 percent of the Oprah Winfrey Network (no pun).
The guy that used to own BET, Robert Louis Johnson, owns the RLJ companies, a conglomerate based in Bethesda, Maryland (Montgomery county) that includes a Hotel Lodging REIT, the Charlotte bobcats, Financial services, Films, Automotive Dealerships, and at one time a bank called Urban Trust. The Hotel Lodging REIT alone has a market value of $1.8 billion.
NAACP headquarters is in Baltimore.
National Negro College Fund is surprisingly in Fairfax county, va of all places but will be moving next to an office project next to Howard University in D.C.
BET is still based in D.C. (although not really saying much since its owned by Viacom now).
And maybe most important of all is Prince George's county in Maryland, the wealthiest minority majority county in the country. Which has its similarities to DeKalb County. Prince George's county holds the University of Maryland, College Park, Six Flags America, Andrews Air Force Base (where Airforce One resides), Fed Ex Field (redskins stadium), NASA, HBCU Bowie State and most recently National Harbor which is the largest single private project ever in the D.C. area at $4 Billion. There are also a lot of technology and defense contractors owned by Blacks.
I predict though that in the future some of these companies may move to Atlanta, in particular BET which seems to do everything out of there.
There are Black billionaire's in the D.C. area I am uncertain about Atlanta though.
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
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I totally agree to disagree with any one and invite them to do the same with me. I have noticed how hard people go in on ATL for whatever reason they have. As far as a black Mecca or destination, no one can debate that it is/was. When the economy was booming Atlanta was a Mecca for blacks, whites, everybody. The simple fact that it is in the South I think brings the most criticism. Just my opinion. I have lived a few places in my short lifetime as well as splitting my time now between NY and ATL. I like it here. It is a place that one could come and do well. Everyone has some type of love affair with where they are from/live. But when the cold hard facts are presented, it shows that ATL did/does have clout. The shear numbers of people I know from just New York that I met when I moved there that now live in ATL is crazy.
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I would personally never place Atlanta on the same tier as the first two. Atlanta is unique in that it definitely is the city most commonly associated with present day black affluence and influence. It's not really in the same game as NY or LA (which are far too large), nor is it exactly seen in the same light, but rather, when it comes to black culture, it is the dominant leader of cities like DC, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, and Philadelphia; cities that follow suit to a lesser degree.
