Please Tell Me Portland Has Less Tension Than Seattle (Eugene: fit in, how much)

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by midwest61021

Thanks for the reply!
See, those are kind of things that just make me even more prone to want to put Ill. in my past! I don't drive, haven't since 2007 due to a dumb mistake and I have little crap to bring, hopefully even less as time goes on. I have a tech background, and love the outdoors and I "think" Portland has both of those pegged. Plus I'm an avid mountain biker.
I'm not close to retiring, so I'm also reading that employment is a plus also. Correct?

I've read Portland jobs are not easy to find. Indeed.com was my best source.

[midwest61021]

Originally Posted by dicecobb

I've read Portland jobs are not easy to find. Indeed.com was my best source.

Good, that helps since I already have a acct. with them. I have a 20+ year background in electronics, so if there are any manufacturers in that field then I might have a fighting chance.

[rass33]

Originally Posted by dicecobb

I've read Portland jobs are not easy to find. Indeed.com was my best source.

Jobs are difficult to find here. I've been here for 7 months and I'm still unemployed.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by rass33

Jobs are difficult to find here. I've been here for 7 months and I'm still unemployed.

I've read your past posts and you're the 2010 Me. I moved to Seattle that year with no job from TX. I had a nice severance package and unemployment so that got me through the 11 months of joblessness. I ended up with a very low paying job in downtown. I thought to myself, I'm a degreed professional Negro with Fortune 20 finance experience (including SAP), doesn't this make me worth more in a place like Seattle. Nope, I was just another Negro.

I believe Negroes like you and I are ahead of our time. The PNW isn't ready for us. I also applied for jobs in Portland and the only employer to call me back was Planned Parenthood. I was extremely grateful but you do see the irony.

I read on KATU thousands might loose benefits in OR soon if a deal isn't made. I would recommend part-time work to prolong your benefits if you're safe from the political dysfunction. IL will have medical marijuana in 2014 if you're considering returning and are a user of cannabis. Cannabis saved me from insanity while living in Seattle. Fact.

[greenlite]

Originally Posted by midwest61021

Good, that helps since I already have a acct. with them. I have a 20+ year background in electronics, so if there are any manufacturers in that field then I might have a fighting chance.

you might wan open a new thread for your specific questions, this way it wont be cluttered

[greenlite]

Originally Posted by dicecobb

I've read your past posts and you're the 2010 Me. I moved to Seattle that year with no job from TX. I had a nice severance package and unemployment so that got me through the 11 months of joblessness. I ended up with a very low paying job in downtown. I thought to myself, I'm a degreed professional Negro with Fortune 20 finance experience (including SAP), doesn't this make me worth more in a place like Seattle. Nope, I was just another Negro.

I believe Negroes like you and I are ahead of our time. The PNW isn't ready for us. I also applied for jobs in Portland and the only employer to call me back was Planned Parenthood. I was extremely grateful but you do see the irony.

I read on KATU thousands might loose benefits in OR soon if a deal isn't made. I would recommend part-time work to prolong your benefits if you're safe from the political dysfunction. IL will have medical marijuana in 2014 if you're considering returning and are a user of cannabis. Cannabis saved me from insanity while living in Seattle. Fact.

Most places that dont have a sizable black pop. will feel weird to black people. Sometimes its cuz white people are racist, other times its cuz they dont know how to deal with black people cuz they haven't seen them enough prior. I suspect this is true in Seattle, and def Portland. That said, diversity doesnt equal racial harmony. I am in NYC area, and this might be surprising, but I met just as many racist people here as I did in Oregon, if not more. The difference is, here racism is more subtle, while in OR it was more wide open, both are bad. If you really love the NW, Id try to make it work though. If I was you, Id just move to a diverse nhood or a suburb with a buncha other black people. It won't solve all your problems, but it could help. When it comes to jobs and corporate world, everywhere u go will be racist, more or less. Sac seems cool, but is smaller and has less opportunities than Seattle.

[thequeen1]

i'd go to san francisco/bay area if i were you. i iived in seattle for 3; hubs is black, seattle very racist, long story, but go to cali, try sacramento, much better vibe to it.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by greenlite

Most places that dont have a sizable black pop. will feel weird to black people. Sometimes its cuz white people are racist, other times its cuz they dont know how to deal with black people cuz they haven't seen them enough prior. I suspect this is true in Seattle, and def Portland. That said, diversity doesnt equal racial harmony. I am in NYC area, and this might be surprising, but I met just as many racist people here as I did in Oregon, if not more. The difference is, here racism is more subtle, while in OR it was more wide open, both are bad. If you really love the NW, Id try to make it work though. If I was you, Id just move to a diverse nhood or a suburb with a buncha other black people. It won't solve all your problems, but it could help. When it comes to jobs and corporate world, everywhere u go will be racist, more or less. Sac seems cool, but is smaller and has less opportunities than Seattle.

I agree that diversity doesn't always equate to harmony. It must be organic - can't put a bunch of Katrina survivors in Queen Anne (Seattle). The University of WA now requires all incoming freshmen to take a diversity course. It might backfire and cause students to see diversity as an obligation which it's not. Civility is all I ask.

I never said "love" but you made me realize I do love the PNW. I visit Seattletimes.com, Komonews.com, Seattle.Curbed.com, Stranger daily even though I'm in Indianapolis now. This is what being in love feels like and having all its emotions: anger, jealousy (jealous that Seattle whites/yellows have it soooo much better than blacks), and most importantly forgiveness. I can forgive Seattle for its major inequalities because I believe it wants to be great. Hopefully, my journey will have a happy ending *pause* in Seattle.

[dicecobb]

Originally Posted by thequeen1

i'd go to san francisco/bay area if i were you. i iived in seattle for 3; hubs is black, seattle very racist, long story, but go to cali, try sacramento, much better vibe to it.

Sorry y'all had a bad experience too. I think Seattle's leadership is doing more to address the problem and fix it. The Seattle times dedicated 5 blogs to the issue of racism recently. It's crazy scary that a place with so many educated people can be so stuck on stupid when it comes to race relations.

[greenlite]

Originally Posted by dicecobb

I agree that diversity doesn't always equate to harmony. It must be organic - can't put a bunch of Katrina survivors in Queen Anne (Seattle). The University of WA now requires all incoming freshmen to take a diversity course. It might backfire and cause students to see diversity as an obligation which it's not. Civility is all I ask.

I never said "love" but you made me realize I do love the PNW. I visit Seattletimes.com, Komonews.com, Seattle.Curbed.com, Stranger daily even though I'm in Indianapolis now. This is what being in love feels like and having all its emotions: anger, jealousy (jealous that Seattle whites/yellows have it soooo much better than blacks), and most importantly forgiveness. I can forgive Seattle for its major inequalities because I believe it wants to be great. Hopefully, my journey will have a happy ending *pause* in Seattle.

Well, I didnt know if you loved it, but I assumed you liked it a lot because of your posts. "I'm a cyclist, cannabis user, very recycle conscious, atheist, and degreed professional "
That seems like a good fit for the NW. I jus meant that in case you love it, it might be worth it tryin to make it work. The thing is, places might look good on paper, but when u get there, u might see it differently. If you dont mind the weather, like the lifestyle Seattle offers, if the nightlife and vibe fits u, it might be hard to find it somewhere else. Not to say that you shouldnt move or look at other cities, but grass is not always greener. From what I've seen, race relations will be an issue everywhere u go so I wouldnt move jus because of that. Seattle might be more lip service than it really is when it comes to tolerance, but its still not as bad as many other cities. Now if you said you wan move cuz you want more black people around and nightlife or vibe is not your thing then Id say go for it.