I live in the suburbs. About 20 minutes away is the city. There is all sorts of crime there. It is a poorer area whose main population consists of AA people.
A little over a year ago, a good friend, who worked at a pub in the city, was murdered in a hold-up that was perpetuated by four AA males. Less than a year ago, H's car was broken into (in the city) by an AA male. Six months ago (near where I live), my purse was stolen (with credit cards, debit card, iPhone, etc). Thanks to cameras, they caught the guy who used it. Never got my stuff back but got reimubursed for charges. The thief was AA. A few months ago, police were following a suspicious car through my neighborhood. The driver of the car opened fire on the police. He was AA and had some drugs in his car.
I was just watching the news, and there was a follow-up report on a robbery that occured this weekend. It occured just outside the city. White female sitting in her car in the afternoon, AA male comes up, tries to rob her, shoots her in her neck. She dies.
I consider myself - or considered myself - very liberal, open-minded, all that jazz. Now, I find myself becoming fearful of the city and surrounding areas. We are looking to buy a home soon. I am now reconsidering the area we were going to buy in.
It's a diverse area, middle class. (AA, white, Asian, Indian primarily). Great school district. My fear is, like many communities here, as years go on, it will become more and more AA which often seems to lead to more crime. I am considering now a city I never wanted to consider simply because it's mostly white and has been for some time. It's actually known for being the chosen down for the "White flight" that occurs here.
I'm gonna say you're not that open minded. I understand your post in terms that you want the home you purchase to be in an area with good schools and good neighborhoods and to maintain it's value for a long period of time - you lose me when you act like the violent black people and going to come and ruin it for you.
Really, what you're afraid of is poor people. I think.
Post by thedutchgirl on Aug 23, 2012 8:08:18 GMT -5
Criminals are all races. Serial killers, as I recall, are most likely to be white. You are self-selecting here, and attributing bad acts to a whole race. And that is, as you said, racist. Not all black people commit crimes. Not all white people don't.
Well, I don't know what you're looking for either but here is something anecdotal.
I grew up in what is now the murder capitol of Canada. A few years ago, some dude dismembered a roommate, recreating a horror movie. Both were white. Recently, an armed guard held up his own company's truck and killed 3 fellow employees. All were white. My Mom has had her house and car broken into several times, all by white suburban kids. There is a huge meth problem there, perpetuated by white people.
It's ok for you to have problems dealing with evil in the world, but you are losing perspective and going to a very dangerous place if you start to believe that evil is only being perpetuated by a certain type of person. Shitty people are everywhere, and come in many different forms.
I'm gonna say you're not that open minded. I understand your post in terms that you want the home you purchase to be in an area with good schools and good neighborhoods and to maintain it's value for a long period of time - you lose me when you act like the violent black people and going to come and ruin it for you.
Really, what you're afraid of is poor people. I think.
This is definitely valid. I have a big issue with the "whiter" city because, among the nice neighborhoods, are trailer parks.
Post by wildfloweragain on Aug 23, 2012 8:13:13 GMT -5
In my head people committing a crime are white (like if you tell me to think of a burglar in my car right now.) Maybe because I'm white, like a white person envisions Santa/Jesus as white, etc. And my town is mostly white, so the people on the news who have committed a crime are usually white.
Where DH works most people who commit crimes are black. Because most of the community is black. I think maybe it's just the experience you have had makes you think that way. Like if someone was bit by a particular dog or hit by a particular car they might irrationally think that that's the type that is the most dangerous.
So if you look at it as an irrational fear, some counseling or immersion therapy could help. If you volunteer or work with with a bunch of people of the race you are afraid of you may see that they are just like you with the same struggles, fears, joys and also population of people with problems.
That's all I've got I guess.
No I've got more: I do understand a bit - you're not horrible but that's an awful way to think and you need to correct it. When I started teaching I was appalled by the teachers who looked at the addresses on their lists and prejudged how the parents would be if they came from certain parts of town (in our case the more poor parts.) I thought it was horrible. 15 years later I find myself doing the same things at times because 9 times out of 10, the parents from those neighborhoods are the ones who don't care. But it's not right to automatically assume that. And I'm really surprised at myself because I came from one of those poorer neighborhoods with a reputation. My mom was not a great mom in many ways but as far as schooling was concerned, she was: I always had my homework done, I was clean, my mom was available to talk to the teachers, etc.
Because you are racist you only notice crime committed by AA (as you say). Open your eyes deary. Crime is committed everywhere, by everyone.
No one can convince you to change that.
I am fully aware that other races commit crimes. That's not my issue. My issue is all crime that has affected me directly has been at the hands of AA, African-American, black, what have you.
I'm gonna say you're not that open minded. I understand your post in terms that you want the home you purchase to be in an area with good schools and good neighborhoods and to maintain it's value for a long period of time - you lose me when you act like the violent black people and going to come and ruin it for you.
Really, what you're afraid of is poor people. I think.
This is definitely valid. I have a big issue with the "whiter" city because, among the nice neighborhoods, are trailer parks.
It's ok for you to have problems dealing with evil in the world, but you are losing perspective and going to a very dangerous place if you start to believe that evil is only being perpetuated by a certain type of person. Shitty people are everywhere, and come in many different forms.
I also agree with the poster who said you have a problem with poor people. Theres no perfect town. I grew up in a town that was at least 80% white, upper middle class, and we had lots of crime. Rape, arson, meth labs, burglary, drug deals in the middle and high schools, theft, and I could go on. What I'm getting at is that you are sorely uninformed if you believe going to an area with one race will keep you from crime.
Because you are racist you only notice crime committed by AA (as you say). Open your eyes deary. Crime is committed everywhere, by everyone.
No one can convince you to change that.
I am fully aware that other races commit crimes. That's not my issue. My issue is all crime that has affected me directly has been at the hands of AA, African-American, black, what have you.
I am fully aware my perception is skewed.
It's in the way you think of the situation. Instead of all the crimes effecting you being done by assholes, they're done by black people. What does the trace matter? Assholes are assholes
*blinkblink* This is a new thought for me. If my non-white husband and I move to a predominantly white part of town, are the neighbors going to think the city is going downhill? All we want is a nice house in a good school district.