Being white in Philly: A Discussion of the Philadelphia Magazine article (Reading: schools, legal)

[mancat100]

Many of the articles in Philly mag take a sneering tone on the city itself, particularly the rowhouse areas. Since rowhouse areas are solidly 75% of the city, that's a problem.

I much prefer City Paper or several local websites if I want to read pieces by REAL Philadelphians who are actually fond of the city itself - warts and all.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

Not according to summer. He is screaming its safe there and the only crime there are the drunk students falling all over each other..

I said ON CAMPUS Frank. Everyone knows to the East, North and West (passed 18th street) is a ghetto area that students should not wander off into.

[frankgn87]

well, not everyone of the students can live on campus, can they?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

well, not everyone of the students can live on campus, can they?

You are correct. It would appear that the nearby off-campus housing is not left wanting for students.

[FindingZen]

As of this post, let us consider the discussion of safety at Temple University to be closed.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by drive carephilly

My mom comes from a middle class family but my dad doesn't. My parents never had much money until I was in high school (and still not much then) so I lived in pretty poor/working class neighborhoods until I was a teenager but got to go to a middle-class high school.

I never developed that sense of white guilt that so many of my white friends have. I didn't have a privileged upbringing like they did and still resent the "white people are [fill in the blank]" bigotry and grandstanding I've heard from a lot of middle-class blacks (especially in my college days.) I resent it because it attempts to say that my life was easy and great and their's was a trial and terrible . . . not to say that our experiences would be the same on every level but most of these black kids had far better childhoods than I did.

No one likes to talk about class. Only race.

But then again I also spent a lot of my younger days with other poor black and white kids so I don't have this level of animosity (quoted below) or prejudice. Poor people act like poor people regardless of what color they are. They may be different kinds of annoying but it's still annoying.

Well said and I appreciate the personal insight; I find people's backgrounds fascinating. I grew up very middle-class in East Mount Airy but I was usually the only or one of only a few white kids, with mostly middle-class and some lower-class blacks. I feel that my background coupled with the fact that my family emigrated to this country in the early 20th Century (on my Dad's side) and the 1950's (on my Mom's side) also has prevented me from developing a sense of white guilt but it also has turned me into a person that can only judge people by their character.

[BajanYankee]

Again, I think the author of the article is writing from the perspective of an upper middle class white liberal living the Mount Airy/Chestnut Hill SWPLtopia. I doubt there are many white people in the Northeast counting the number of thank yous when they hold the door for a black person at the local Wawa.

As much as the SWPL class extols the virtues of diversity, they are the most self-segregating segment of society. You're more likely to see white, black and Hispanic teens walking in a group together down Cottman Avenue than you are on Germantown Avenue.

[scosm]

Two good criticisms of the article from other Philly Mag writers...

Criticism of Philly Mag's "Being White in Philly": This Story Is Racist | The Philly Post

Criticism of Philly Mag's "Being White in Philly": Doesn't Make Sense as Journalism | The Philly Post

Also, two blog posts by the editor defending publishing the piece...

Philly Mag Editor Tom McGrath on "Being White in Philly": Why We Wrote About Race | The Philly Post

Readers React on Twitter to “Being White in Philly” | The Philly Post

It is a credit to the magazine that they published this back and forth on their blog.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by scosm

It is a credit to the magazine that they published this back and forth on their blog.

Actually, I find the whole thing cynical. I personally believe they intentionally published a provocative article and are delighted that they generated the sort of buzz they hoped for. Continuing to promote this via blog posts is simply a way to extend drawing attention to themselves.

[MikeNigh]

Only once did I come across a scenario in philly I was not okay with. I was checking out a house around 52'nd street and there were some drug types hanging out on the corner (at around 10-11pm). I knew if you lived in this area and they happened to be hanging out front of your door, you would not be able to leave your house until they left. Otherwise I go in and out of philly from the 69th station (at 11pm+) and everyone I was around was cool. Both black and white drugged out bum types both harmless.

I can only imagine things are improving because for me they didn't seem too bad. It's not up to anyone to say how people should behave in their own neighbourhoods I think. I don't think an article like this is bad, but it just isn't needed. People aren't "not talking about it" at the same time it is already an improving problem that doesn't need to be addressed like this.

To be honest I'd be more comfortable hanging around dangerous drug types who were white rather then black. However that doesn't make them less dangerous. So far the only time I've actually been "scared" to be around drug types was around whites in small towns.