Boston Racial Stigma- is it "cool" to hate on Boston? (universities, zoning)

[stanley-88888888]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Yea I think this is fundamentally flawed because it relies on remembering everything in Boston and forgetting A LOT of stuff in other cities. If you were to objectively compare it to other (eastern) cities over its history 95/100 chance you’d find it falls in the middle of the pack or in the bottom half. Negativity bias is a real thing throughout life and so is confirmation bias, I think that plays a major factor.

Many southern cities with less of a rap have done much much worse in greater numbers over longer periods of time before they became what they are today. You could start with Jim Crow (maybe even the 80s) and just work back from there. It will never make sense how a state that elected a klansmen to represent it and had brutal slavery (New Orleans/Louisiana) and fire and abject deep balck poverty in much of its land area can get a pass. Did it not EARN it? I guess…where is the line? Never heard black people talk down on New Orleans as a city after Katrina…

Realistically- the only racist story that seems kind of unique to Boston is the intensity of bussing but even that was really only intense in 2 maybe 3 of the citiy’s 20+ high schools at the time. The way it’s covered you’d think the city only had 3 high schools Charlestown Roxbury and South Boston. During bussing my mother attended English high school which had been integrated years before. There were no riots at her high school. Or my aunts or uncles.

No one will mention Boston first of its kind inner city to suburb bussing program. Where white folks voluntarily took black students from inner city Boston- METCO. 8 years before bussing. Or Edward Brooke first black senator. Is that mistreatment too? It’s one sided story that’s told.

Today and I mean today like 2020 and forward- Boston areas pretty much tops out most list of black well being/livability metrics only behind 2 maybe 3 metros.

On a micro level there are many major differences between white liberal racism and Jim Crow. And while I don’t think spoken actively think it’s cool- there is a level of ‘in’ vs ‘out’ factor in hating Boston that I quoted twice upthread.

yup, maybe becuz i grew up in the area i'm biased but i never seen boston as heads-and-shoulders above the average u.s. city. its practically similar to its naybors: n.y.c., philly, washington, d.c., chicago.

Originally Posted by perennial millennial

I don't know much about Boston (no family, no history, etc.) but have always thought they had a loud and proud Irish majority. They have their Hispanics, a few Asians, old money families... Just remember someone online saying "If you think the south is racist, black families get firebombed out of certain neighborhoods here" so maybe some issues with segregation?

this is a good example... it doesnt make sense that the philly police would kill black people 30 years ago so obviously it happened in racist-ass boston.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by perennial millennial

Just remember someone online saying "If you think the south is racist, black families get firebombed out of certain neighborhoods here" so maybe some issues with segregation?

I think that was probably about Philly.

Edit: Just saw bbmm’s post; didn’t realize Boston had firebombings in the 80s. Figured the post was referencing the MOVE bombing.

Edit2: Ah, I see stanley beat me to the punch. Oops.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Boston Shudra

I think that was probably about Philly.

Edit: Just saw bbmm’s post; didn’t realize Boston had firebombings in the 80s. Figured the post was referencing the MOVE bombing.

Edit2: Ah, I see stanley beat me to the punch. Oops.

Yes in the 80s Boston did have firebombings. One of a black family in 1983 before the NAACP convention came to town and one of a Latino family in East or South Boston housing project.

I’m I know a black family on Westminster street in Hyde park had brick thrown into their window around 1985..

I know a building in Shirley Ave in Revere that housed many Cambodians was firebombed in 1986 https://repository.library.northeast...eam_id=content.

I’m guessing there’s one I’m missing.


So 3/4.

[biggap]

I do not get the premise of the thread. Some people hate Boston, some people do not. It is like most East Cost cities in that regard. I do not think it is cool or uncool to hate it. I do not think that many people outside of this forum would think that deeply about it being more racist than other East Coast cities. Yuh just hate it, or you do not.

[masssachoicetts]

One of my phd professors is from rural MS and he asked us all what we did this past weekend

About six people said “went to boston”

We made jokes about how each person was like oh boston… and such forth.

Anyway, he as a blck man from MS, Loves Boston and talked so highly about it. Maybe because he is an urban planner? Maybe because its clean/boujee? No idea. But he also brought up how much more equitable boston was and how black bostonians rave about boston and living there. He likes the change there.

So theres one opinion.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by biggap

I do not get the premise of the thread. Some people hate Boston, some people do not. It is like most East Cost cities in that regard. I do not think it is cool or uncool to hate it. I do not think that many people outside of this forum would think that deeply about it being more racist than other East Coast cities. Yuh just hate it, or you do not.

OP was specifically asking if its cool to hate Boston for the racial stigma.

[Sneakerfreak]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Yea I think this is fundamentally flawed because it relies on remembering everything in Boston and forgetting A LOT of stuff in other cities. If you were to objectively compare it to other (eastern) cities over its history 95/100 chance you’d find it falls in the middle of the pack or in the bottom half. Negativity bias is a real thing throughout life and so is confirmation bias, I think that plays a major factor.

Many southern cities with less of a rap have done much much worse in greater numbers over longer periods of time before they became what they are today. You could start with Jim Crow (maybe even the 80s) and just work back from there. It will never make sense how a state that elected a klansmen to represent it and had brutal slavery (New Orleans/Louisiana) and fire and abject deep balck poverty in much of its land area can get a pass. Did it not EARN it? I guess…where is the line? Never heard black people talk down on New Orleans as a city after Katrina…

Realistically- the only racist story that seems kind of unique to Boston is the intensity of bussing but even that was really only intense in 2 maybe 3 of the citiy’s 20+ high schools at the time. The way it’s covered you’d think the city only had 3 high schools Charlestown Roxbury and South Boston. During bussing my mother attended English high school which had been integrated years before. There were no riots at her high school. Or my aunts or uncles.

No one will mention Boston first of its kind inner city to suburb bussing program. Where white folks voluntarily took black students from inner city Boston- METCO. 8 years before bussing. Or Edward Brooke first black senator. Is that mistreatment too? It’s one sided story that’s told.

Today and I mean today like 2020 and forward- Boston areas pretty much tops out most list of black well being/livability metrics only behind 2 maybe 3 metros.

On a micro level there are many major differences between white liberal racism and Jim Crow. And while I don’t think spoken actively think it’s cool- there is a level of ‘in’ vs ‘out’ factor in hating Boston that I quoted twice upthread.

What's "fundamentally flawed" is engaging in whataboutism as a way to deflect from Boston's dark history of racism. It's essentially saying "well yeah Boston was racist BUT look at *insert random city*". Not only does this not help Boston's case but in many respects makes it worse.

The thing that Boston needs to deal with, and which it hasn't to date dealt with, is why a city that fancies itself a bastion of liberalism is viewed with such utter contempt and disgust by a large number of people, white and non-white alike, for its reputation as being essentially a little Mississippi in the Northeast.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by Sneakerfreak

The thing that Boston needs to deal with, and which it hasn't to date dealt with, is why a city that fancies itself a bastion of liberalism is viewed with such utter contempt and disgust by a large number of people, white and non-white alike, for its reputation as being essentially a little Mississippi in the Northeast.

The thing is: it has been dealing with it. And no one else in the country seems to have gotten the memo!

It’s one of only a few big, expensive, legacy cities with a growing black population in the metro. Economic factors for black Americans in Boston and it’s suburbs have improved over the last 20 years. There’s been more black representation in city government.

But people love to cling to old gossip.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Sneakerfreak

What's "fundamentally flawed" is engaging in whataboutism as a way to deflect from Boston's dark history of racism. It's essentially saying "well yeah Boston was racist BUT look at *insert random city*". Not only does this not help Boston's case but in many respects makes it worse.

The thing that Boston needs to deal with, and which it hasn't to date dealt with, is why a city that fancies itself a bastion of liberalism is viewed with such utter contempt and disgust by a large number of people, white and non-white alike, for its reputation as being essentially a little Mississippi in the Northeast.

Lol… what an absolute farce of an argument.

Everyone’s mentioned much of Boston racial history. Look at my last post just for one example dawg.// It’s not what aboutism- it’s a very real and valid point. There’s no way that makes Boston look worse- I asked why do cities get a pass and you didn’t answer that; in fact there’s never an answer for that.

People in Boston address race all the time I don’t know where you get the impression they don’t. But you’re very very wrong.

Honestly I think you’re just kind of saying that because it’s a convenient thing to say to make you’re point. Like you understand how many initiatives and public forums and organizations talk about that ad nauseam. You saying “deal with it” is hilariously oblivious and fantastically oversimplified. What’s funny is people like you will take articles from the Bosotn Globe or elsewhere that cover racism as Boston and use it to prove how racist the city is and in the same breath turn around and say there’s no acknowledgement. That Catch 22 is the result of people being more than disingenuous but just flat out lying.

Please do give us an example of dealing with it you think Boston needs to do or hasn’t done. Since I guess you have to be outside of Boston to have that level of racial awareness and/or sensitivity.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by Sneakerfreak

What's "fundamentally flawed" is engaging in whataboutism as a way to deflect from Boston's dark history of racism. It's essentially saying "well yeah Boston was racist BUT look at *insert random city*". Not only does this not help Boston's case but in many respects makes it worse.

The thing that Boston needs to deal with, and which it hasn't to date dealt with, is why a city that fancies itself a bastion of liberalism is viewed with such utter contempt and disgust by a large number of people, white and non-white alike, for its reputation as being essentially a little Mississippi in the Northeast.

This comment is a bit ignorant.

Either you don’t follow the city, the residents in the city or what is happening on a city level because Boaton has been making strides in addressing and counteracting its stigma.

Educate before you post