Questions about racial issues in Portland (fit in, transplants, place to live)

[Higgy1990]

This reminds me of the south park episode where they wanted to change the south park flag for being offensive & oppressive ^_^

[karlsch]

I might be showing my age, but wasn't THE OFFENSIVE VOODOO DOUGHNUT an episode on the old The Twilight Zone?


Twilight Zone Opening THEME MUSIC 1962 Rod Serling - YouTube

[AndyAMG]

Yeah, Portland is pretty racist. The small black population portland has (40,000) is usually only mentioned to be glorified in the media for a crime commited. The oregonian never says a subjects race anymore because they were accused of race baiting for higher revenue from website visits, it really fired up people on both sides of the asile. So anytime there is a gang shooting now oregon live describes the suspect as "dark haired, Wearing dark hoodie and jeans".

The voodoo donuts thing is a stretch.

Like hokie said white people here are akward around black people. Not racist for the most part, just akward. But they are equally akward with any other race. My native american niece has people apologizing for taking her people's land daily. Then they go on some diatribe about how they are 1/8th crow or souix indian or something. Its just akward and annoying. Most of them think they are culturally sensitive but they usually just look stupid.

Gentrification . Well this has been discussed several times recently. It's north and ne, not the pearl.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Everyone here is white, so there are no racial issues when everyone is the same race.

But if you want my opinion as someone who grew up in the upper south and went to a high school that was 1/3 black, Portlanders, by and large, are very awkward around minorities, especially black people. It's nearly painful.

Ok thanks. Like I've said I was in Seattle for a while and the disconnect is astounding. Not even for blacks but I read about "trailer park trash night" by the PTA or something. I'm glad someone here understands where I'm coming from on this issue about the culture because in Seattle people seemed verrrry naive about the rest of the country.

Originally Posted by Deezus

I've seen that stupid donut for years and I never thought that there was any ort of "racial" image associated with it. I believe they chose to make it chocolate, because maple bars don't sell as well. Racist? It's a fricking donut from a kitchy donut shop. Voodoo Donuts is overrated anyhow--it's a place for tourists, there's much better donuts in Portland. You have to obsessed with race to even look at that donut and think there's more than anything going on then a gimmicky "voodoo doll" made of chocolate. What's your take on the **** and balls donut that they sell?





The Pearl District was a industrial/warehouse district that turned into a arts area that's been gentrified into a condo/entertainment district. No one was really displaced from the gentrification because no one really lived there in the first place--so I'm not sure that has to do with anything.

Portland has nine public high schools, of those four have student body's that are over 20% black--which is much higher than the percentage of Portland as a whole--and one other high school--Jefferson High--which the majority of the student body is black. Grant High School and Benson are over 20% black and both are good public high schools. My girlfriend went to Grant along with a lot of other people I know who went there or to Benson, and both are decent schools with fairly diverse student bodyd. So no, black students don't just go to three under performing high schools...

So whatever...

I said the doughnuts clearly resemble black face I mean just google black face, a person would have to be completely dumb not to see this resemblance. This was my question but like I said I guess you guys already answered this.

The argument that someone would have to be looking for negatives to see this comparison is completely incorrect and is just ignoring the issue lol. They're making a profit off of negative stereotypes. Also just because it is a "treat" does not make it "silly" or acceptable similar to the Lambeth Walk just because its a walk. Try that in Germany.

It is not just about using chocolate or whatever. It has all of the other characteristics of blackface down to the red lips red on the "chocolate" products displayed on their website along with streotypes of voodoo i linked to previously. I can't believe I have to explain this honestly.

This is my last post about the doughnut store, I just found it odd. I'm getting the impression you're thinking I am accusing the entire city as racist but I'm not, I just found that store a bit surprising but I guess everyone else does not..

[kyled]

When you really don't care about race simple things like this don't register as racism, it registers as history and a tasty doughnut. I'd be as nonplussed if I saw an anglo saxon donut with a viking axe in his head from "Viking Doughnuts".

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by kyled

When you really don't care about race simple things like this don't register as racism, it registers as history and a tasty doughnut. I'd be as nonplussed if I saw an anglo saxon donut with a viking axe in his head from "Viking Doughnuts".

Well I do care and that would be stereotyping not racism but I digress.

[kyled]

Originally Posted by Anders15

Well I do care and that would be stereotyping not racism but I digress.

Why do you care? Maybe if people stopped nitpicking every single thing other people did no matter how insignificant we wouldn't have the more serious issues.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by kyled

Why do you care? Maybe if people stopped nitpicking every single thing other people did no matter how insignificant we wouldn't have the more serious issues.

Ah. Liberals. Well like another poster said because you're the majority, I'm sure you wouldn't care about "insignificant" minority issues.

[kyled]

Originally Posted by Anders15

Ah. Liberals. Well like another poster said because you're the majority, I'm sure you wouldn't care about "insignificant" minority issues.

It doesn't matter if you're a majority or a minority, we all have the same issues.

[gosling357]

Wow that donut is actually extremely racist, LOL! I can't believe they have been getting away with that! In Maryland that crap would have been shut down in 5 minutes.