Boston Racial Stigma- is it "cool" to hate on Boston? (Lee: tenant, theater)

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Well, I must interact with different stuff because those things don’t really come up in my life. I had to look up Boston baked beans. Never had a Boston cream pie either…which is apparently a cake? Or…? I can’t remember the last time I had pie of any kind. I don’t really do sports or any of the foods. I wasn’t aware of Dunkin Donuts’ connection with Boston, and I honestly never had one around me til I moved to NYS, but I kind of ignored them after I never liked their donuts people brought into work; I’m not really a sweets person so donuts and pie/cake aren’t my thing generally. I’ll give you JFK and the Tea Party lol, though I connected JFK to Massachusetts more generally, and whatever that family place was out on Cape Cod or something rather than Boston itself. I got one connection for you: This Old House. I liked that show as a kid. So yeah, Boston kind of flies in different circles than I do.

Many years back, when I started reading about cities, I was shocked to learn that it’s actually bustling and expensive, and I also had really never heard anybody claim it’s racist, either. Quite the opposite, I do remember hearing about book burning back in the day, and between that and the ole witch trials I actually kind of figured it was some weird provencial enclave kind of place with little interest in anything but its own affairs.

So yeah, for me it is a place that’s kinda easy for me to forget about.

Bolded, for some generational Bostonians, is not that far off.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Bolded, for some generational Bostonians, is not that far off.

These are a dying, but very much real breed. I'm on one of the Eastie Facebook groups and it's a journey. There's good stuff posted on occasion which is why I haven't dropped it. But It's definitely a virtual gathering place for the "generational Bostonians" you're talking about who do nothing but whine about anything changing in the city. Too many people, too Hispanic ("Spanish" as they say), too many yuppies, some of the old Italian restaurants they used to go to aren't there anymore. Some of the churches are, *clutches pearls* doing mass in Spanish, etc. Absolutely zero perspective on the world outside of their bubble and what used to be.

As someone who didn't grow up in Boston in the 70s/80s/90s, it's really the only window I have into the mindset that used to be more prevalent here. I'm not loving the skyrocketing prices, crumbling MBTA, and the degree of sterilization happening to many places here, but good riddance to that provincial mindset.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

Yep. I'm a southerner, POC, and my several visits to Boston have been great.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re not black (if memory serves me correct). Racism in Boston is specifically notorious against black-specifically.

That said, I do agree (as I’ve mentioned above) that Boston gets scapegoated for a general American problem that other cities like to hide is a problem in their own area.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re not black (if memory serves me correct). Racism in Boston is specifically notorious against black-specifically.

That said, I do agree (as I’ve mentioned above) that Boston gets scapegoated for a general American problem that other cities like to hide is a problem in their own area.

but this is where the issue comes in... Black Bostonians don't particularly enjoy the outside commentary from those who haven't lived in their shoes. They know what the city is like and now the problems it faces as a "Liberal" city.

We now have three large Black creators from Boston (Marcus, Ayanna, and someone else...) who have millions of followers on TikTok, Instagram, etc and are echoing the 'its not as bad as you people from ny/the south make it out to be'.

It's gone to the point where a black guy from Atlanta started a fight with a black (Cape Verdean) guy from Boston, because the dude from Atlanta called the black dude from Boston racist for living there. LOL. To me, its just showing ignorance.

One of my best friends is a public school teacher in Hingham MA, look it up if you don't know what Hingham is, and she is from Randolph. She's Trinidadian and Haitian. She comes to NJ to see her friends (Because there's like 5 of us down here)... and she tells us every time she goes to Florida or DC or even NYC, people always have ignorant commentary to say. Another one of my friends goes to Wentworth IT in Boston and went to a Yankees Red-Sox game in Boston and the Yankee fans reverse uno'd him and said something along the lines of ... "We are in Boston now, we get to say the N Word and repedeatly said that to him and whoever he was with. Like come on. I am a Yankees fan and understand racism exists on both sides, but they use Boston as an excuse.

The only place I have been to that doesn't perpetuate this fetish of Boston being the most racist city in the world is New Jersey and Black New Jerseyans. I am assuming the ties between the two communities. But haven't got one 'Boston is a horribly racist city' here like I did when I was in NC, FL and NY.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by lrfox

These are a dying, but very much real breed. I'm on one of the Eastie Facebook groups and it's a journey. There's good stuff posted on occasion which is why I haven't dropped it. But It's definitely a virtual gathering place for the "generational Bostonians" you're talking about who do nothing but whine about anything changing in the city. Too many people, too Hispanic ("Spanish" as they say), too many yuppies, some of the old Italian restaurants they used to go to aren't there anymore. Some of the churches are, *clutches pearls* doing mass in Spanish, etc. Absolutely zero perspective on the world outside of their bubble and what used to be.

As someone who didn't grow up in Boston in the 70s/80s/90s, it's really the only window I have into the mindset that used to be more prevalent here. I'm not loving the skyrocketing prices, crumbling MBTA, and the degree of sterilization happening to many places here, but good riddance to that provincial mindset.

Lol…Most people in Boston who were born here- even those of us born in the 1990s- call Hispanic people “Spanish”. Or at least we did I was one of them until I left Boston. The “Spanish store” Spanish people” Spanish n***s” yea it’s a very Boston thing. Seems more common there than elsewhere.

But really living in Baltimore… and a lot of cities I visit even Dc people are always pining for the old days. I don’t really see how that’s a Boston thing. Every old FB group im in about Baltimore is full of geriatric talking about how people used have screen paintings, the German restaurants that are Latino now, how people used to scrub their barber steps and how clean baltimore was. How much better it was under Martin O’Malley.

In DC it’s all about how it was chocolate city and was cheaper, and the yuppies and the old warehouse style clubs where national park is.

My assumption is everywhere was more Provincial because it worked was smaller and less dynamic.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re not black (if memory serves me correct). Racism in Boston is specifically notorious against black-specifically.

That said, I do agree (as I’ve mentioned above) that Boston gets scapegoated for a general American problem that other cities like to hide is a problem in their own area.

people will go one step further and say black Americans specifically.

Yet I met, worked with and was friends with black Americans from other states and cities in Boston all the time, many who lived there for years. On the ground in Boston- this is not have conversation I ever had in my life there. It only really occurs in social media or when you leave Boston.

We say it’s an obsession for those who do not live in Boston.

What massachoicetts said is true. Many black people do not appreciate the conversation and would like people to see “the real Boston”

[QCongress83216]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Lot of people say Boston sucks because of the stigma.

It's a legitimate issue the city has addressed and continues to put money towards remedying via ad campaigns and rebranding. As Stanley said, it does impact the city in tangible and intangible ways. I work with a pro-black/pro-minority non-profit based in Boston that works nationwide. There is work that has to be done to disarm people on occasion. On very rare occasions assume we have ulterior motives when we come to town. Our being in Boston basically made it impossible to work with an organization in Birmingham so we just had to move on to our other 22 cities.

But, Boston still has a very good reputation nationally and internationally in spite of the stigma. That hasn't taken a hit to the city's reputation and significance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by QCongress83216

But, Boston still has a very good reputation nationally and internationally in spite of the stigma. That hasn't taken a hit to the city's reputation and significance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I disagree with your statement. Some individuals perceive Boston to lack dynamism and to be more of a town, in part due to a perceived lack of diversity. In leads to negative assumptions about its vibrancy, cuisine, diversity, scale, culture, and more, many African Americans, in particular, feel this way. While Boston's reputation is positive, it could certainly be improved upon, as could its significance to non-white groups.

As Stanley stated- the city does lose out on some money and events due to the stigma attached to its name.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by QCongress83216

But, Boston still has a very good reputation nationally and internationally in spite of the stigma. That hasn't taken a hit to the city's reputation and significance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

See, I disagree. I don’t think it really has a stigma beyond “pushy northeasterner”, and I still maintain that it ranks high on cities that people just don’t think about much.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by jcp123

I still maintain that it ranks high on cities that people just don’t think about much.

I think enough people have responded to the contrary, that this really might be just a you thing.