|
Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by JumpinJesus
(note: the use of the word "you" in remainder of this post is being used in the 2nd person. It is not directed at any specific person.)
My experience has been that a lot – a lot – of people who talk about improving the situation refuse to go into those very areas that need the most help because they, too, have stereotyped the ghetto, and you know damn well that you do it. If you suddenly get lost and end up in one of “those” neighborhoods, you get nervous, you lock your car doors, you pray for the light to turn green before that guy on the corner walks over to you and after you get home, you tell all your friends about your adventure getting lost in the ghetto as if it is some kind of novelty. You tell out-of-towners what areas to avoid because they’re the bad part of town, stating your own reasons for not going there. We cannot have an honest debate nor can we hope to ever improve relations as long as we keep kidding ourselves that we have no prejudices of our own or that our prejudices are somehow better or less damaging than someone else’s.
Our friend justified his comments by saying, “I know what my people are like, especially in the ghetto. I’m not being prejudiced, it’s the truth.”
Has he ever set foot in Lawndale or any other of the “bad” neighborhoods of Chicago? No.
As long as we sit back and discuss the problems of economics and race from a distance while refusing to get our hands dirty, then anything we say, while thought-provoking, is ultimately meaningless. Shesus is doing her part on a daily basis. She spent 2 years doing her own research on this very issue for her Master's Degree and goes into those very areas every day to do something to make a change. What are you doing?
|
A shame that he doesn't see the forest for the trees.
I live in the historically known area as the Lower East Side, specifially a spot known as Corlear's Hook, supposedly where the term Hooker is originated when the area was rife with sailors and women of ill repute. It historically is known to be poor. Of the 36,000 housing units, 18,000 are low income housing. I can see NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) projects from my window, the bus I take every morning drives right past them. I walk the neighborhood. Ironically this neighborhood has one of the lowest crime rates of New York City. One of the cited reasons is because of the Henry Street Settlement. I support what Henry Street Settlement does and achieves. I'm not sure just how I can do more without compromising my lifestyle to the point of the focus moves from the lifestyle I've worked hard to enjoy and balance of giving back to the community in some fashion.
Quote:
|
Founded in 1893 by social work pioneer Lillian Wald and based on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the Henry Street Settlement delivers a wide range of social service and arts programming to more than 100,000 New Yorkers each year. Distinguished by a profound connection to its neighbors, a willingness to address new problems with swift and innovative solutions, and a strong record of accomplishment, Henry Street challenges the effects of urban poverty by helping families achieve better lives for themselves and their children.
|
Is the person who donates money to a cause giving as much as the social worker who is actually in the trenches doing the work? Some people think not, I tend to think it's part of the ecosystem of how it needs to work because the donator helps provide the funds to make the social workers job possible. Others disagree.
__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.
|