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Being White in Philly
Philadelphia Magazine ^ | March 2013 | Robert Huber

Posted on 03/16/2013 6:10:28 PM PDT by The people have spoken

Subtitle: Whites, race, class, and the things that never get said.

My younger son goes to Temple, where he’s a sophomore. This year he’s living in an apartment with two friends at 19th and Diamond, just a few blocks from campus. It’s a dangerous neighborhood. Whenever I go see Nick, I get antsy and wonder what I was thinking, allowing him to rent there.

One day, before I pick him up for lunch, I stop to talk to a cop who’s parked a block away from Nick’s apartment.

“Is he already enrolled for classes?” the cop says when I point out where my son lives.

Well, given that it’s December, I think so. But his message is clear: Bad idea, this neighborhood. A lot of burglaries and robberies. Temple students are prime prey, the cop says.

[...]

At the same time, white Philadelphians think a great deal about race. Begin to talk to people, and it’s clear it’s a dominant motif in and around our city. Everyone seems to have a story, often an uncomfortable story, about how white and black people relate.

(Excerpt) Read more at phillymag.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: beingwhiteinphilly; mayornutter; pennsylvania; philadelphia; race
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To: The people have spoken

Encyclopedia Britannica (1798)

NEGRO, Homo pelli nigra, a name given to a variety of the human species, who are entirely black, and are found in the Torrid zone, especially in that part of Africa which lies within the tropics. In the complexion of negroes we meet with various shades; but they otherwise differ far from other men in all the features of their face. Round cheeks, high cheek-bones, a forehead somewhat elevated, a short, broad, flat nose, thick lips, small ears, ugliness, and irregularity of shape, characterize their external appearance. The negro women have the loins greatly depressed, and very large buttocks, which give the back the shape of a saddle. Vices the most notorious seem to be the portion of this unhappy race: idleness, treachery, revenge, cruelty, impudence, stealing, lyng, profanity, debauchery, nastiness and intemperance, are said to have extinguished the principles of natural law, and to have reproofs of conscience. They are strangers to every sentiment of compassion, and are an awful example of the corruption of man when left to himself.


61 posted on 03/17/2013 4:24:45 AM PDT by tupac (the crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe)
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To: Brad from Tennessee
When a reporter asked then Commissioner Rizzo how he planned to deal with a black anti-police organization he said: “When I'm finished with them, I'll make Attila the Hun look like a fag.”

That must have been Hizzhonors’ favorite expression. When he ran for mayor, c. ’79, after being out of favor, he was quoted as saying, “When I get back in office, …”

Just as an aside, my uncle owned a small factory in Philly until I-95 construction displaced him. The local beat cop stopped in one day and told a story. After some urban riots the cops were clearing the streets, block by block. A senior police official (can't say if it was Rizzo) was there following the action when a couple cops called down from a rooftop, “Hey, we’ve got a sniper up here!” “Get him down here, right now,” the top cop yelled back. The “sniper” was tossed down to the sidewalk.

62 posted on 03/17/2013 5:19:17 AM PDT by kitchen (Due to the increased price of ammo, do not expect a warning shot.)
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To: Eagles6

Kansas City


63 posted on 03/17/2013 5:52:17 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: Eagles6

I am a small well dressed woman working in a devastated downtown, I don’t talk to men of any race as self preservation so I can go forward unmolested.


64 posted on 03/17/2013 5:54:28 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: Rembrandt

And in high school the cheerleaders hung out with cheerleaders and football players hung out with football players. And I think people usually marry a person close to their socio-economic level as well.

Seems like we are attracted to those like us.


65 posted on 03/17/2013 6:03:55 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: Chickensoup
This is not the first time years ago a welcomemat article stated as a premise that blacks in america are better off than blacks in other countries. Then proceeded to explain why. The paper was confiscated. I have a copy somewhere. Krystlnacht (sp)
66 posted on 03/17/2013 6:17:32 AM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: JoeProBono

That looks like the 56 trolley


67 posted on 03/17/2013 6:52:12 AM PDT by NativeSon ( Grease the floor with Crisco when I dance the Disco)
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To: Rembrandt

I saw a special on the filming of the original Planet of the Apes. It took hours to get each ape-character made up, so once you were an ape you stayed that way for 12+ hours.

They noticed on about day three that at lunch time all the orangutans were sitting together, the chimps were congregating and the gorillas were eating together.

People stopped eating with their longtime friends and associated with their own “species”.


68 posted on 03/17/2013 7:10:58 AM PDT by gitmo ( If your theology doesn't become your biography it's useless.)
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To: Chickensoup
I made a pdf of it .. download it here: Being White in Philly
69 posted on 03/17/2013 8:39:44 AM PDT by tomkat
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To: Albion Wilde

Thanks for the cool post. I always marvel at that area. Drove through twice last week (cutting across town on Washington Ave. from 95 to Point Breeze). One thing about South Philly - - when people seem to haphazardly double park and block traffic? You just shut up your horn and wait a minute.


70 posted on 03/17/2013 9:05:22 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: gitmo

Wow... That IS interesting.


71 posted on 03/17/2013 9:07:36 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: yldstrk

‘As a matter of fact I am looking for a good boring man who is orthodox Catholic, if you find one, send them my way.’

If I may, I think that I can refer you to a good Catholic man by the name of Francis something-something. I hear he likes to travel.


72 posted on 03/17/2013 9:31:11 AM PDT by Delta Dawn
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To: yldstrk
Sad. I've lived and worked in the big city. I've lived most of my life in the country which is where I live now. I would rather live in a tent in the woods than live in a city.

It is a soulless place.

73 posted on 03/17/2013 12:57:28 PM PDT by Eagles6 (Valley Forge Redux)
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To: kitchen

During that period I heard the New Jersey National Guard had a tactic to counter snipers on the roofs of abandoned tenements. They would set fire to the building.


74 posted on 03/17/2013 1:14:21 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: ilovesarah2012

“Seems like we are attracted to those like us.”

I agree, it’s a natural thing. Yet people with a political agenda like to beat the drum and call us racists because we hang out with people who are like us. Go figure!

I think we know who the racists are and it’s probably not us.


75 posted on 03/17/2013 7:30:34 PM PDT by Rembrandt (Part of the 51% who pay Federal taxes)
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To: Albion Wilde

Thanks. Now, that’s nice. All the best.


76 posted on 03/17/2013 10:57:00 PM PDT by RedHeeler
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To: The people have spoken

Just like the articles that I used to follow all the time.. “Some guy wrote a whole book about it. Really good. It’s called White Girl Bleed a Lot. The return of racial violence and how the media ignore it. Http:WhiteGirlBleedaLot.” You will see the compilation of racial violence and black mob violence from different cities.


77 posted on 03/18/2013 7:56:01 AM PDT by Anila
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To: Lancey Howard
One thing about South Philly - - when people seem to haphazardly double park and block traffic? You just shut up your horn and wait a minute.

"Yo! Hol yer peants awen! Jis droppin owf da ziti at m' mudder-in-loss..."

78 posted on 03/18/2013 9:09:32 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (Liberalism: knowing you're better than everyone else because of your humility. -- Daniel Greenfield)
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To: RedHeeler; Albion Wilde

It’s day time during the week and they’re in school. Unlike how it probably is in North Philly.


79 posted on 03/21/2013 4:36:38 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: hulagirl

Purging the northeast states would be a good start. They are no longer America.


80 posted on 03/21/2013 4:39:02 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 .....The fairest Deduction to be reduced is the Standard Deduction)
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