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I moved to New York thinking it was a place that all diffferent kinds of people lived together. True, there are a lot of different kinds of people but it seems blacks are in one area, whites, Jews, asians, etc....Does anybody feel the same way as me?
That's a common misconception most non-NYers make. True NY is the melting pot of the world but because of the amount of immigrants living there, sub-cultural communities are established and most prefer to live in a neighborhood where there are a number of the same people around them.
Yeah, I realize that now. I can understand why people want to be around people like themeselves, but what about learning from eachother? What ever happened to that?
Yeah, I realize that now. I can understand why people want to be around people like themeselves, but what about learning from eachother? What ever happened to that?
Most immigrants tend to live within their ethnic neighborhood while the 2nd generation tend to move out. It has a lot to do with language, culture, and economic barriers. You can't generalize everyone in NYC because there are people from both ends of the spectrum and in between. Basically, people are all different and depending on their circumstance, they will want/need to live where they choose
I think "prefer" is a loaded term. Yes, they may feel more comfortable around their own esp when they are just starting out, but if they are poor their living options are very limited. Many would not necessarily prefer to live in run down areas.
However, one of the nice things about these immigrant enclaves is that you can get a real feel for what the authentic culture and cuisine is really like. Hence old time Little Italy, Chinatown, etc. (though nowadays Manhattan's Little Italy is rapidly becoming an extension of Chinatown, lol).
No, im toatlly for people wanting to live where they live. Im just saying, I thought NYC of all places was more mixed. Not a black commnity, asian , white and so forth, more just a community thats all.
That's a common misconception most non-NYers make. True NY is the melting pot of the world but because of the amount of immigrants living there, sub-cultural communities are established and most prefer to live in a neighborhood where there are a number of the same people around them.
Yeah but there's something else to it as well. Some groups are just really that racist and choose to segregate themselves. Let's not try to sugar-coat it. Some ethnic groups have been here for years and they still more often than not live in certain neighborhoods. And before someone makes this a black/white thing let me specify that this is across the board, some groups more racist that others.
If you're rich, you can choose exactly where you wish to live. Most wealthier people prefer to live amongst their own kind, and many of their own kind (not all) are white and/or in the same socio-economic class. Others may want to live in a more diverse area, but simply have no choice economically other than their own ethnic or minority enclave. I don't think that African Americans all "prefer" to live in the areas many live in, and they are not recent immigrants. Some move out of NYC as soon as they can manage it, which is understandable.
People tend to look down at the class below them. If you're a wealthy New Yorker, you feel entitled to live wherever you choose, even if the working or middle classes get displaced to make room for you. If you are middle class, you are just as expendable if your area becomes a wealthy enclave. But middle class whites sometimes wholly blame minorities for an area's ruin, and will not dare to move into a "revitalized" area until it is clear most of them are on the way out. When the coast is clear, they generally don't feel too bad for those forced out to make room for them. The real estate industry benefits from this undercurrent of racism, and esp in the past actively helped promote it by "redlining" areas and steering whites and blacks to different neighborhoods, and a lot of other greedy tactics.
But one thing I must note--in another thread you and someone else bemoaned the excess of 99 cent stores etc. In poorer communities, these are a necessity and a blessing because many can't afford anything more costly, and believe it or not some of them have very good buys. But it's great to have a decent grocery store or two in the area. A Starbucks opened years ago on Fordham Road (the Bronx area I now live near), but it didn't last. Think about it...the average resident simply can't afford the luxury of pricey coffee, and doesn't have a laptop to sit and while the hours away.
This is part of the package when you move to a poor area. Getting rid of the dollar stores may be great for you, but not so great for the current residents who can afford nothing else. By moving in, you are unwittingly part of the "problem" because though you can't afford sky high rents, you may come from a background where Starbucks and other amenities are simply a part of your "cultural" milieu. You would not necessarily realize that the closing of the mom and pops would affect the current poor residents, often dramatically so, but they do.
Yeah but there's something else to it as well. Some groups are just really that racist and choose to segregate themselves. Let's not try to sugar-coat it. Some ethnic groups have been here for years and they still more often than not live in certain neighborhoods. And before someone makes this a black/white thing let me specify that this is across the board, some groups more racist that others.
Probably true for some. Or maybe they fear being discriminated against living in an majority "_______" community.The ethnic neighborhoods are sort of like an "extended family" so to speak where that person can feel comfortable. I hope NYC would become more integrated but it seems that the neighborhoods get completely swallowed up by another group thus making it a new ethnic/class hood' w/o some incorporation.
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