The most racist city in america

God it took 44 posts, but finally something that I could actually agree with

All major cities in the United States are racist, sexist, homophobic and bigoted. We haven’t evolved as much as we’d like to think since the abolishment of slavery, WWII, Vietnam, and the Civil Rights, Women’s and Gay Pride movements.

— Posted by Justine

July 22nd,
2008
12:57 pm

Memphis, Tennessee… but it’s “racist” in a way you would be surprised to learn. In Memphis (where I lived for 6 years), the black people often oppress the whites. It’s on the news every night through the fear of violence; it’s in job offers (or lack there of, if you are white, thanks to affirmative action); it’s in the public parks where statues of famous war generals are no longer allowed as part of a sad history, but history nonetheless; it’s in the speech patterns that are taught in the government schools. My favorite example is at the University of Memphis, where in order to get a full academic scholarship as a white individual, you must have a 30 on your ACT. But, if you are an african-american, you must only score a 23. It’s on their website. Check it out.

— Posted by Ginger

Is the question largest # of racist jerks or the highest % of racist jerks or the most institutionally racist city? Because I think the answer is different in each case.

what state has the least abortions

Ooooh Ginger bringing the reverse-racism!

just take the first post, replace proper names with variables, cut copy and paste for 500 posts under different aliases pretty much and you have an idea what the page is like:

Surprisingly enough, at least for me, it’s (CITY I LIVE IN NOW AND/OR HATE). No other city in my experience has such a stark divide between the predominately white areas and the predominately minority areas as the (ONE) Side, where news of daily violence is commonplace, and the (OTHER) Side, with its million dollar homes near the lake and recent college grads galore. The police here are notorious for brutality against minorities, and the city government has done its fair share to cover it up.

...

Alex: the question is left open, and the author says he'll go into more detail about the social science thereof next week.

Boston is a shockingly unpleasant town in many ways, I will say (not the least of which the near impossibility of driving there as a tourist.)

sudhir v is not quite to 'bottle opener' territory but as a bloggy shit-stirrer he's getting pretty good

"the grass is less racist on the other side, etc." - xpost

sudhir v is not quite to 'bottle opener' territory but as a bloggy shit-stirrer he's getting pretty good

-- goole, Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:27 PM (52 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

i like how he turned his sociological study of the projects into mainstream gangsploitation lit in 'gang leader for a day'

man's gotta move weight copies, deej

New England's definitely the most racist part of the country

burt stanton's definitely the stupidest poster on ILX.

Aren't you in SF, aka, fruitcake land? What do you know of the Northeast?

Alex in FL

Do you live everywhere at once that you can unequivocally state it's Racistland? What's your evidence for this "most racist" NE theory anyway?

guys you need to be putting this genius on the times thread for the betterment of all

I grew up in a town with literally no blacks until the 2000s. I went to a private all white beach & yacht club.

What is the most racist Sbarro in America?

There are beaches in Connecticut that still have a whites only policy. and unlike the South, there aren't any blacks .... anywhere, so if you happen to be one of the 1 or 2 black dudes in Madison, you're SOL. Unless you're one of the "really nice ones"... but even then.

I grew up in a town with literally no blacks until the 2000s.

Those South Dakota reservations are pretty racist.

There are basically two parts to New England - country club whitey + braindead working class moron (aka Boston) whitey. Trust me, they aren't particularly inclusive groups. My bro bro has a black girlfriend and my family in New England schemes at family parties at how to break them up. It's just part of the weird culture up there. In the South (perceived as the most racist part of the US), it has the highest rates of interracial marriage. You just don't get that in the Northeast, particularly New England.

Two beach signs in CT are your evidence? I stand by my earlier assessment.

you forgot about his racist family

There are beaches in Connecticut that still have a whites only policy

are you sure they didn't just mean white sand beaches?

Yeah I posted too quick.

You stand by having no clue whatsoever about culture up there. You'd only know it if you were part of it or had to deal with it as a minority.

what is the most racist board on ilx

No I stand by my assessment that anyone who would make a blanket statment like "X part of the county is the most racist" = a complete moron.

"New England's definitely the most racist part of the country"

What the fuck are you talking about???

Beaches and his family. Jeez Bill read a little.

If you're a part of it, you know it. I bet that Catsup dude knows what I'm talking about.

(the south) has the highest rates of interracial marriage.

by number maybe, but not per capita, which is minneapolis/st. paul, actually!

not that i have a source for this

it has "england" in the name xposts

what would the stantons think if they visited minneapolis

"There are beaches in Connecticut that still have a whites only policy"

I really doubt this.

Catsup do you know burt's family?

Is the question largest # of racist jerks or the highest % of racist jerks or the most institutionally racist city? Because I think the answer is different in each case.

otm, and then you have to get into what qualifies as institutional racism and the extent to which the population is responsible

I used my family as an example of the general culture up there; trust me, it's not just my family. It's representative of the culture.

and yes, there are whites only beaches in Connecticut. There was a huge legal battle over that a few years ago. See? You guys do not know what you are talking about.

Vidor, TX

95.July 22nd,
2008
3:37 pm My grandfather told me there are two kinds of racism in America: Southern Racism, which allowed black folks to live close by, so long as they didn’t get uppity; and Northern Racism, which allowed black folks to get uppity, so long as they didn’t live close by.

— Posted by Owen

Do you have a Southern family you can compare this to, burt? Preferably one with Klan roots so we can get a good picture? That might help us clear this up.

There are basically two parts to New England - country club whitey + braindead working class moron (aka Boston) whitey.

Burt that is some kind of ignorance you got going on there.

http://static.zooomr.com/images/688974_7e484081c8.jpg
racist beach

95.July 22nd,
2008
3:37 pm My grandfather told me there are two kinds of racism in America: Southern Racism, which allowed black folks to live close by, so long as they didn’t get uppity; and Northern Racism, which allowed black folks to get uppity, so long as they didn’t live close by.

— Posted by Owen

in the tradition of whites appropriating black culture, he stole this from dick gregory

In the North, they don't care how big I get, as long as I don't get too close.

"maintain limpness" xxpost

full quote
''In the South white people don't care how close I get as long as I don't get too big. In the North they don't care how big I get as long as I don't get too close.''

Dick Gregory = teh awesomeness

Also c'mon, even apart from racism or a history of being an underclass and whatever else, people of Irish cultural heritage are the most ball-busting, shit-talking, prankingest group I can think of. There's that whole Borderer dislike/suspicion of authority already and a substantial sort of "Trickster" inheritance. It's not a particularly earnest or formal culture to begin with, as far as I can tell?

so dude never really followed up on this huh

As a native of Connecticut, I would just like to reiterate that the claim that it has whites-only beaches is total bullshit.

Which Connecticut are you native of, though? There's the grungy inland part, and the good part by the coast, like Madison and Olde Lyme.

I see Indianapolis listed on here a couple of times, but at least by comparison, I think there is a whole lot more racial tension in Cincinnati or at least what I can tell from living in both places for a while.

Cinci is a weird town, the topography of the town seems to really separate areas and there is a very active and loud political scene from both ends of the spectrum and they don't seem to like each other very much. Indianapolis is really tame by comparison, there may be tension but the politics of the town are a whole lot less vitriolic.

If you go historically, yeah there was some real bad stuff that went down in Indiana in the 20s and 30s with the klan and all. I'm not sure that it is quite as applicable today, as a lot of those old car factory towns are screwed for all residents. Those towns are heavy and sad for anyone involved.

Connecticut has shitty parts both on its coast and inland (same for nice parts), and I don't really think that Madison and Old Lyme are at all indicative of what most towns on the coast are like. They're pretty awesome though.

I was born and raised in what is apparently referred to as "the gold coast." Don't hate me because of it.

The "Gold Coast" really isn't Connecticut... it's basically a piece of Long Island that got pulled away during an earthquake and drifted upwards. It's like calling Westchester County "New York state". Technically true, but not really.

Milwaukee only desegregated its schools in 1976? How was it not federally mandated to have been desegregated decades before?

http://uwmpost.com/article/53/13/4107-Our-segregated-city-part-one-

prob because that's when a court told them specifically they had a problem and had to start busing--that happened a whole bunch of places. i don't think it says in the article but i would guess milwaukee never had legally segregated schools in the first place so after brown came down they probably thought they didn't have to do anything.

A number of cities were sued and instituted busing programs to desegregate schools in the mid '70s. Desegregation efforts in Boston in the mid '70s sparked violence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soiling_of_Old_Glory

OK, Boston it is.

boston seems right.

there's a lot of racism in l.a. too... the WASPs hate the mexicans hate the armenians hate the koreans hate the etc etc. we all just hate each other; it's an excuse to keep ourselves isolated from our fellow humans.

in NYC, the prevailing attitude is "i don't hate you because of your race or ethnicity, i hate you 'cause you're an asshole." (obviously racism exists there, but being an asshole supersedes anything else that might be "wrong" with you.)

I think there is a whole lot more racial tension in Cincinnati or at least what I can tell from living in both places for a while.

Cinci is a weird town, the topography of the town seems to really separate areas and there is a very active and loud political scene from both ends of the spectrum and they don't seem to like each other very much

OTM. cincinnati was racism central when i grew up there in the 60s and 70s. ironically people there pride themselves on not being southern yet the racial attitudes were the same.

suburban DETROIT takes the cake though. when i lived in that area during college i was pretty blown away by the casual expressions of racism and it wasn't like I hadn't heard this idiotic bullshit my whole life -- "maaaark our dog just doesn't like ni**ers" -- but people from the southern michigan suburbs would code it in vicious "jokes" so if you objected you didn't have a sense of humor. (this is why i never bought the critical line about eminmem's anti-gay joeks being ironical or whatever.) more than any other U.S. city Detroit never recovered from the riots in 1967.

Milwaukee only desegregated its schools in 1976? How was it not federally mandated to have been desegregated decades before?

http://uwmpost.com/article/53/13/4107-Our-segregated-city-part-one-

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― your son rip is on line toot (iiiijjjj), Saturday, June 13, 2009 6:58 PM Bookmark

de jure vs de facto

Is the question largest # of racist jerks or the highest % of racist jerks or the most institutionally racist city? Because I think the answer is different in each case.

― Alex in SF, Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:22 PM

I was thinking exactly this right before I read it. Of the two major cities I've lived in, Houston is *way* higher in the percentage of people who are not only racist, but completely comfortable with their bigotry. They'll throw around the n-word in mixed company with no fear nor retribution, assume that all criminals are black by default, etc. And yet the city isn't as structurally racist as many places -- there aren't many areas that you just can't go at night because you're the wrong color, and the cops aren't even that notorious for kicking more of the darker-hued asses. Mostly, everyone is mixed together economically and racially, even if they don't much care for one another. Chicago, OTOH is, *massively* institutionally racist, thanks in part to the first Mayor Daley, who made it a matter of public policy to keep the blacks on the South Side. It worked. I fell asleep on the train a couple weeks ago and woke up way on the South Side, near 95th street, and I was quite literally the only non-black person in the train car, and then the only non-black person on the train platform, and in fact the only non-black person anywhere in sight. How many places does that happen, even in big American cities?

That reminds me of how once, a couple of college buddies and I took this whirlwind road trip of the Midwest one weekend, circling through Missouri, Iowa, the Twin Cities, Wisconsin, Chicago, and back to Missouri in about 36 hours.

We found ourselves in Chicago at seven on a Sunday morning and decided to be adventurous and just hop on the first train car we caught. Within a few stops, we were the only white people on the train.

My friends were getting nervous and looking out the window a lot. An old man was reading the paper, saw us, folded it in half and looked at me. "So, where you all from?" I said Arkansas, and he nodded. "I've got family in Blytheville. It's a pretty state."

He then told us we could get off at the next stop, cross the platform, and catch the next train if we were "interested in seeing the Sears Tower."

(I keep reading this thread title to the tune of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", even though the syllables don't fit.
"Hey, did you happen to see the most racist city in America?
And if you did, was it Boston? Baawwwsss-ton"

He then told us we could get off at the next stop, cross the platform, and catch the next train if we were "interested in seeing the Sears Tower."

That's nice of him. I'm sure he wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't looked nervous. Would have assumed you were after some kick-ass barbecue or something. :)

I was quite literally the only non-black person in the train car, and then the only non-black person on the train platform, and in fact the only non-black person anywhere in sight. How many places does that happen, even in big American cities?

everywhere-- from sea to shining sea

its pretty common where i live for me to be the only non-black person on the subway car, the platform, each block that i walk home, my apartment building, etc! and i very much doubt my experience is unique in NYC--especially not in bed-stuy

Bed Stuy is overwhelmingly black, sure, but it's also not over half of a giant city.

plenty of places in Atlanta, Baltimore, Memphis, St. Louis, DC, etc.

Yes yes there are black neighborhoods in every city, and not every neighborhood SHOULD be mixed, IMO. My point was more about how deliberate, systematic, widespread, and old the segregation is.

i was chattin about this w/erstwhile ilxor fluffy bear, prior to his trip to the south, and we seemed to agree that mpls/st paul are about as institutionally racist as any other northern city, but that, for example, "mixed" relationships are probably more common and normal here than they are elsewhere.

also most of the twin cities' minority population is comprised of immigrants and refugees, which changes the dynamic somehow

fwiw, i've always thought that the rule of thumb was

- north: institutionally racist, but avg person is much less likely to say horrible things (and will be grossly offended by suggestions of racism, even if they like cross the street when they see some young african american men)
- south: actually out and out racist in parts, but everyone's living all over everyone else, and even white ppl who say horrible things probably have more african american friends and acquaintances than most totally not racist northern liberals.

like i've got this stereotype of southern dudes who will very casually drop into something like that chris rock bit about the difference between black ppl and n***ers ("black ppl drive like this blah blah blah oh i didn't mean *james* he's not like the rest etc etc")

am i totally wrong??

Not in my experience, no. It's like how people honk their car horn in the north to let you know they're there, or that they're pissed at you, or because they're bored. Down south that's considered totally rude and unthinkable -- they won't ever honk at you, but they'll shoot you.

I was quite literally the only non-black person in the train car, and then the only non-black person on the train platform, and in fact the only non-black person anywhere in sight. How many places does that happen, even in big American cities?

atlanta

Yeah, I give. You're totally right. MARTA is even elevated tracks in places.

the public transportation breakdown in los angeles is this (and i say this as one of the rare white nondrivers here): mostly latino, some black (usually men), lots of teenagers and elderly and disabled folks of every race/ethnicity, a smattering of poor whites and whites who have lost their license or are generally homeless or drunk, some "hipster" whites like me (mostly with bicycles), some hipster asian girls carrying their design homework for FIDM. if they're eurasian or middle eastern they tend to be armenian or russian. this is true in most parts of town, although some places are obviously more segregated than others.

Columbia, SC?

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/06/13/hoover.michelle.gorilla.wis

I was quite literally the only non-black person in the train car, and then the only non-black person on the train platform, and in fact the only non-black person anywhere in sight. How many places does that happen, even in big American cities?

atlanta

that's what my parents said about the place. is Atlanta, like LA, a place where a car is a virtual necessity for anyone of means?

Northern racism: They don't care how uppity you get as long as you don't live near them

Southern racism: They don't care if you live near them as long as you don't get too uppity

is how I break it down to an extent

That's been said upthread a coupla times already Rev (but it's a good quote and well worth reading more than once all the same)

um i think he was breaking it down to an extent, dude

think that's generally used to refer to places East of the Rockies, xxp

i sort of assumed that the whole north/south divide only existed east of the rockies??

just pointing out that Rev's breaking it down about two places he's never been

(waits for it)

the institutional racism in chicago runs deep and is firmly entrenched, but i think racial tensions to a large degree aren't what they are in other places, at least in places that i've been. l.a. is much worse imo.

the west is the west

also, it's completely possible I gleaned that nugget from upthread

idaho city, ID

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/28/the-most-racist-places-in-america-according-to-google/

clarification: cities where google users searched for the n-word the most

yeah, seems like there'd be some spurious positives from that

idk maybe it's brooklyn?

cw offensive stereotyping

So what the colonizer hell is Elrow Chinese Rowyear? pic.twitter.com/JzpzbIzisg

— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) February 12, 2023

idk maybe it's brooklyn?

cw offensive stereotyping

[Hidden text. Tap to view]

they're bringing that "experience" to brooklyn soon

ever so “subtly” mixing in “Short Dick Man” as well

(in a very awkward #onethread with my post in the 2022 EOY tracks rollout thread, what are the fucking odds?)