One of the recent commenters posted something randomly stupid and racist. (Shocking. I know).
This Glover Park resident* claimed that living in D.C. has taught him is to "run when (he) sees a group of black people."
Now, it's possible this person has never been to D.C. and just felt like trolling (I have had my suspicions about some of the people on here before). But he does sound somewhat credibly D.C.ish. So let's think about what he said, shall we?
D.C. is a little more than 60 percent non-white. Which means this commenter, a member of the true ethnic minority: 1) Is able to live in a place where he sees members of the actual true majority THIS rarely? 2) Feels that majority is dangerous enough to be avoided at a RUN? (Like we're in Haiti or something). And 3) At the same time, feels safe and secure enough in his racist assumptions to express his opinion in a pretty public place (Granted, trolls are just trying to be offensive, but still!)
The conclusion I'm drawing here is that we have managed to segregate the asshole white boys into sections of the city where they cannot bother the rest of us. Despite the obvious advantages, is this really who we want to be?
Or should we open our neighborhoods to all, even the ignorant unwashed frat boys? Yes, they hoot at all hours of the night and tip very poorly and generally act the fool (the FOOL) in public. Yes, they only received employment in our city by the grace of their daddy's golf buddy, and this affirmative action was no true favor to either the frat boys, or the people forced to share a bus with the loudmouth assholes. Yes, we'd rather force them into a ghetto of their own making, where they can do shooters off each other's baseball hats in idiotic hilarity for all time.
It is great for those of us who do not have to live near their constant public puking, and worse. But it is still wrong. We must make a place where all, jackass and non-jackass alike, can coexist. We cannot discriminate on the basis of stupidity, even stupidity that is rank and obvious and offensively stupid. We must rise above our personal prejudices and learn what, exactly, makes our frat boy brethren tick. (Here's a hint, CHEAP BEER).
Only then, will we truly have the city of which we can be proud. (And yes, I'm moving in a year, so it is rather easy for me to stick the rest of you with them. Sorry).
* I'm guessing here, because he sounds too white to live anywhere else, and too poorly educated to have been able to afford Georgetown.
8.31.2008
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This post really reminds me of the speech Al Pacino gives in the movie City Hall. Quite rousing. I feel like going out and finding a frat boy to hug and possibly give spare change to.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd join the NIMBY crowd. But today is the day - I cannot, in good conscience, support integrating with white frat boys. Oh sure, I've known a "good" white frat boy or two. Who hasn't? But when I see a few of them hanging out together, I do not walk - I *run* in the opposite direction. I'm not going to help them until fratty boys starting pulling themeselves up by their own bootstraps.
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't funny that Georgetown, which officially has no Greek system, should have so many darn fratty boys?
Sometimes it seems like Georgetown is a big fraternity with rooms in the back where classes are held.
ReplyDeleteDamn, why they want to stick me for ma paper!
ReplyDelete--Biggie Smalls
georgetown is an expensive place to eat out. i have no respect for a community where you cannot eat at a moderate cost.
ReplyDeleteHere is a good reason to hate DC. This article is 7 years old, but nothing has changed in terms of race relations.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason to hate DC: All the "native" DCers who "got out" to PG County and come back every day for work, or during the evenings and weekends to get drunk and act badly (before driving back to Bowie). They think it is their city, and they don't want to see YOU here.
Dear Liz,
ReplyDeleteYou are a terrible writer. Please stop, your posts make us sad.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Johnson's 2nd grade class
Don't be foolish...frat boys don't ride the freakin' *bus*.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure black-on-black crime is egregiously higher than black-on-white crime in every or almost every part of the city, but the latter is still really high in gentrifying areas. If you're white, the former is very unfortunate, but the latter is a bigger and valid concern. I live in a gentrifying neighborhood and never leave the house without a certain readiness to kill if need be. One rule of thumb: Don't judge people on race/ethnic background, but on what they're wearing.
ReplyDeleteMetroid,
ReplyDeleteJust the other day, I saw a black guy dressed up like Merlin, the wizard. I avoided him--but not because he was black. :)
The reason that one may be afraid of black people is because they commit disproportionately more crime than other races. When you read an article about a mugging or a murder, 95% or more of the time the suspect was black. It's not racist to point out what is a truth of society.
ReplyDeleteWell, praise Jesus that she's moving in a year. Hopefully, she'll be better at picking a successor than she is at blogging.
ReplyDeleteGives new meaning to the term "fashion police."
ReplyDelete"The reason that one may be afraid of black people is because they commit disproportionately more crime than other races. When you read an article about a mugging or a murder, 95% or more of the time the suspect was black. It's not racist to point out what is a truth of society."
ReplyDeleteAnother ignorant comment with backwards reasoning...had the nerve to make up some lame statistics to back up racist views...education does not equal intelligence...
MLK said something about judging by the content of character, rather than the color of skin. sounds like this guy sucks and therefor can be judged and belittled for who he is. evidently a d-bag.
ReplyDeletei'm oh so happy that i left GP in my past and can call Bloomingdale home. i didn't know any better at the time...
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteEducation, my friend, certainly does not equal intelligence. Wise words.
However, the road to political correctness is paved with ignorance and misinformation. In fact, black men are seven times more likely to murder than a white man. These are not racist views but are cold, hard facts. And it IS part of a news story, no matter what some misguided journalists say.
Facts:
ReplyDelete1. Black men are more likely to murder than white men (in the U.S.)
2. Men are 3.5 times more likely to be murdered then women.
Facts are facts. I remember some girl on Capitol Hill telling me she was unafraid to walk any D.C. streets b/c she said that black men were statistically unlikely to rape her. I am not sure what liberal publication told her that one.
No fealty for the facts.
But, still, of course we're concerned about black-on-black violence. Most of us are... against it!
Oh dear lord. I'll take your "Cold hard facts about black men," and raise you a "black-on-white v. white-on-black" conviction rate.
ReplyDeleteSure more black men are in prison than any other race. But don't insult your over-priced education (which NOT everyone gets) by pretending this shit happens in a vacuum.
Which reminds me of another reason to hate D.C.: white boys who brag about hiding assets in offshore accounts, and who also complain about all those criminal minorities out there.
What is with the correlation between education and wealth? Get that shit out of your head already. I know a few people with high school diplomas who do blue collar work who do very well, better than someone who majored in the European History of Bullshit at a top school, and better than, say, many young lawyers and the like. Likewise, there are plenty of people who build businesses from the ground up who do not have any formal education and can afford to live in Georgetown and then some. And there are plenty of people with worthless graduate degrees working shit 30k jobs which will top out at 65k if they are lucky. But hey, they wrote a great thesis on the European History of Bullshit as viewed through the lens of Foucault and Lacan.
ReplyDeleteEducation is usually a good thing (I say usually, because I find little merit in getting a BA or graduate degree in Communications or Womyns Studies), but to say someone is obviously not "educated enough" to afford to live in a nice neighborhood is ignorant and naive.
"Sure more black men are in prison than any other race. But don't insult your over-priced education (which NOT everyone gets) by pretending this shit happens in a vacuum."
ReplyDeleteBlah blah blah...shifting blame with the good old economics argument. Some black people are content being poor and ghetto and living off the system, they are inherently lazy. There are inherently lazy white trash families too, like Sarah Palin's. I recently saw the Keyshia Cole reality TV show, and if you look at the way her family (not necessarily her) acts, you'll see that tossing these kinds of people in a different economic class does nothing for them.
I was recently heckled by a group of white guys with shaved heads wearing baggy clothes. I don't know what these "skinhead rapists" wanted, but I jumped onto a passing bus to avoid finding out.
ReplyDelete"Oh dear lord. I'll take your "Cold hard facts about black men," and raise you a "black-on-white v. white-on-black" conviction rate.
ReplyDeleteSure more black men are in prison than any other race. But don't insult your over-priced education (which NOT everyone gets) by pretending this shit happens in a vacuum."
--Liz,
Conviction rates may see quite a disparity but... do you REALLY think there are large numbers of unconvicted white male murders out there skewing the statistics?
Seriously, girlfriend?
But you're right about one thing. Nothing happens in a vacuum. You and I are connected not only by this network but a long, long string of molecules. Right you are.
**
"What is with the correlation between education and wealth? G"
--Anonymous,
Some of you on this site ain't too good with mathematics or statistics. Sure, there are many highly educated losers out there but it's another cold hard fact that the greatest divider in our society right now is the four-year college degree. Most people receiving WIC (half of all U.S. mothers) don't have such a degree.
As Liz writes, nothing happens in a vacuum. Shit be connected.
If you are leaving in a year, shouldn't we all begin the transition to a new writer?
ReplyDelete"However, the road to political correctness is paved with ignorance and misinformation. In fact, black men are seven times more likely to murder than a white man. These are not racist views but are cold, hard facts. And it IS part of a news story, no matter what some misguided journalists say."
ReplyDelete"1. Black men are more likely to murder than white men (in the U.S.)"
The racism is not found in the statistics themselves but in the method in which they are applied.
If you interpret the statistics in such a way that you automatically fear and run from all black people then you got issues my friend. As I write this, I am on my way to the bank to withdrawl all my money because white people are 100% more likely to commit bank crimes / fraud than others. If you see me on the street carrying a large sack of cash, please don't be scared and don't call the police thinking I robbed someone.
"The racism is not found in the statistics themselves but in the method in which they are applied."
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
Duuuuuuh! I didn't say I discriminate against all black men and, in fact, have two black friends that don't even know of each other.
I was just pointing out the facts. I was taking issue with people who take issue with FACTS. In my daily life, we all employ plenty of other metrics by which to judge others.
I don't like bankers either, pal. One of the worst aspects of the mortgage crisis was "reverse redlining."
"Conviction rates may see quite a disparity but... do you REALLY think there are large numbers of unconvicted white male murders out there skewing the statistics?"
ReplyDeleteNo. I think crimes which are more likely to be committed by a black person carry unwarrantedly heavy felony penalties (crack v. cocaine). I think blacks are more likely to live in economically depressed areas, which have higher crime levels. I think blacks maybe even are more likely to have less to lose, and a more cynical view of the system.
I also think it's a stupid point. So what if there are more black murderers? Do you really think that's because black people just enjoy the hell out of shooting people more than, say, your average idiot redneck? Or do you think the idiot redneck gets away with more idiocy and gets more chances to do something more-or-less productive (this is changing in rural america, however)? Whereas the black guy walks a much more narrow line, no matter where he lives?
There are many, many things wrong with the claim, "We have more black people in prison. So that means blacks are blah blah blah..." Because it also means that WE PUT MORE BLACKS IN PRISON.
"to say someone is obviously not "educated enough" to afford to live in a nice neighborhood is ignorant and naive."
ReplyDeleteIt's not ignorant or naive. It's elitist, classist and snarky. You'd understand this if you were still paying off student loans for a degree in Renaissance Philosophy.
Also, Georgetown has more graduate degrees per square foot than anywhere else in the U.S. So it's also kind of true.
LMAO...
ReplyDeleteI wrote that comment that you removed as racist. I have no idea where you got the idea that I live in Glover Park and am a frat boy. In fact, I used to live in Columbia Heights and now live in a neighborhood that's even more diverse. And you couldn't be more far removed on the frat boy accusation - I'm much more part of the NGO crowd here....and a total lefty, Obama supporter (and donor), third-world supporting, multilingual, redistributionist hippie.
I can't even count the number of times I've been harrassed by blacks in DC, on the Metro, on the street, waiting for a bus, in Columbia Heights, Dupont, Silver Spring, Adams Morgan, wherever. "Faggot," "honky" - I've been called it all. Had stuff thrown at me on the green line during the middle of rush hour by a group of black teenagers just looking for a whitey to fuck with. (Of course, I'm referring to American-born blacks here; Africans and those from the Caribbean or wherever have in my experience been very kind and friendly people.)
My educated guess is easily 10%-20% of the (native) black men in DC are looking to prove something to white people and would do so if they could get away with it. I don't like those odds. I have black friends, too; I've traveled to majority-black countries. This isn't a racial issue. It's a cultural pathology among American blacks. It mystifies me why this is a controversial thing to say, and why it makes me a lesser person to value my personal safety over my liberal worldview.
And fwiw, one of my black (also gay) friends, from Cleveland, is absolutely terrified of black people. He lives in NY and doesn't like taking the A train through Harlem because he's been harrassed so many times. Even Jesse Jackson said famously that he worries if he's approached by young black men on the street at night. So cut the PC crap and stop censoring people who point out a real problem in American society.
Dude, the only comment I removed used a racial slut.
ReplyDeleteIf that was you, I can't IMAGINE why anyone would think you're some sort of prejudiced asshole.
But I guess since you found a black person who also hates black people, then I must be completely off base.
Wait. I get it. You're the one who said you run when you see black people? Oh. OF COURSE. You couldn't possibly be some sort of racist idiot and your idiotic comment cleared it all up and just really put me in my place.
ReplyDeleteThank you. For being you. And all you bring to this fair city.
Jesus this blog has crashed and burned since the old writer left. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteMat why the hell do you bother. People wouldn't accept reality if it was hitting them in the face. They have their pride, you know. Group pride! Change. Community. Liberation from the white oppressors.
ReplyDeleteQuite pathetic. Mind your own business and don't blame anyone else. If you do worse, maybe you should take a look at your own behavior. It's what adults do.
"I'm much more part of the NGO crowd here....and a total lefty, Obama supporter (and donor), third-world supporting, multilingual, redistributionist hippie."
ReplyDeleteThird world supporting! They must be so happy you are "supporting" the "Third world".
"NGO crowd" -- is that those people who live off appropriated wealth produced by actual hard-working people and claim to be on the moral high ground?
"multilingual, redistributionist hippie."
Multilingual? Only means you had more time to waste than others who were busy working. And then to have the audacity to call for redistribution.
You people disgust me. Mind your own ** business.
Now I remember why I stopped checking out this site, its a haven for racist, "truly believe they are superior" color-challenged folks.
ReplyDeleteM@ is just the type of guy who would go to DC's Trinidad section JUST to prove his "blacks are more murderous" theory. I can see him now which his head smashed in against the sidewalk writhing in pain saying "see, I told you"
I'm sure that isn't his real photo. He actually could be a black guy writing these posts. Ya never know online.