| Author | Message | ||
     Harold |
Townie, you're the exception to the rule? Great response or dodge about the town services. Walk around the Village...it will do your heart good? Yeah, I don't hear enough hatred of minorities all day from some of you "enlightened" Village shoppers. | ||
| Townie |
Harold, I think you get back what you put out. | ||
| Cfa |
Townie..I agree with you. You definitely get back from the community what you put into it. Harold...if you hear people talking about how much they "hate minorities," they probably don't live in Maplewood. Why would a resident spend bundles of money to buy a house here if they didn't like diversity? | ||
| Harold |
Because they definitely do not live in the Hilton section. | ||
| Cfa |
Harold, if you live in the Hilton section, why? | ||
| Njjoseph |
Harold, I don't live in the Hilton section, and my neighborhood consists of whites, gays, blacks, asians, jamaicans, russians, portuguese, and oh my there's so many I can't even finish the sentence. I love the diversity in this town. Where do you work that you don't the diversity? In one of the offices where you can't even see the street? | ||
| Livinwestwless |
It is a fact of human nature to fear and avoid that which is alien, but we have brains that can countermand those instincts. I am not a perfect specimen of tolerance, but being a less visible minority, I am acutely aware the damage hatred can do. I could make it easier on myself by hiding or pretending, but I won't. It is crucial for me to try to accept that which is alien. Sometimes I fail and intolerance gets the better of me. But if I don't at least make the effort to accept, how can I believe there should be a place for me? | ||
| Nakaille |
Harold's experiences bring up an interesting point, I think. What is a good response when we hear people making racist or otherwise biased and offensive remarks? (Because those things do happen, even in the fair town of Maplewood.) We may have different responses to friends vs. family vs. strangers vs. customers. For those who are business owners in town, how do you respond without alienating your customers? I know that my own difficulty is that I become so angry I want to start a fight (call them idiots or whatever.) Since that would not be ultimately useful I sometimes don't say anything at all. I don't feel good about that. Sometimes I find it hard to find that reasonable middle ground. Any thoughts/suggestions for Harold and the rest of us? Bacata | ||
| Harold |
Nakaille, here's my beef: I work in the Village, and interact with customers on a daily basis. 99% of out customers are white, and from our conversations live mostly on the hill or west side of town [disposible income?]. Being white , they assume I do not live in the Hilton section...so I hear their constant racist remarks about the east side town and the minorities living there. The flip side of the coin is that they consider the west end to be as far removed from our borders as they can get. Arguing would be pointless, not to mention hazardous to my job! But I can see the following posts now, how no one in Maplewood would never say such things, or their in the minority.....sorry guys, some of the things said could not be posted here. | ||
| Njjoseph |
Where do you work, that almost all of your customers are white? And besides, as I said before, diversity is not entirely about race. I could go into your store (I'm a white man), but I'm in a minority group in Maplewood. How would you ever know this? | ||
| Livinwestwless |
Harold--- You must be some sympathetic ear that so many people come to you with their racist complaints (evidently it is race only that is bothersome). Perhaps if you weren't so receptive to bile you wouldn't hear so much of it. Maplewood is turning from the homogeneous community of 20 years ago to something quite different. Some of the longtime residence will never get it; some will accept and embrace the world we live in. Some will waiver back and forth, accepting at times and intolerant at others. Its a fact of life that in a diverse community people some people will be hateful. If these people who are complaining to you are new residents, they were foolish to buy in Maplewood when there are so many "racially pure" towns to choose from. | ||
| Nohero |
Two thoughts come to mind reading Harold's post above: First, the people he describes as the source of "constant racist remarks" are, according to him, from a customer group which is 99% white, all from "up the hill", who assume that a white person would not live in the Hilton section, and who view Hilton as "far removed" from their worlds. Even assuming that these people exist, let me go out on a limb and suggest that the people you describe are in the minority! If these are people who have no idea what the rest of town looks like, why in the world do you consider them to be representative of Maplewood? Second thought - reading some of Harold's comments (about "Hood High", etc., as discussed here), I'm not so sure he would be arguing with them. | ||
| Harold |
Yep, should have known better than try to explain, for after all this could never happen in Maplewood.... and its my fault??????? you guys are too much...but maybe some of you recognize your selves here? Hey read my lips...this is YOUR VILLAGE I'm talking about, not Millburn. Any thoughts or suggestions as per the above post?[by Nakaille]???? No, just crucify. Very helpfull. | ||
| Cfa |
Harold, you keep saying people compare Maplewood to Millburn, but I've seen you do it on at least 3 other posts. What's up with that? | ||
| Harold |
Hey, can't beat 'em, join 'em. It's still 'Hood High. Rubbing salt in the wound will be your taxes funding Springfield Ave. | ||
| Cfa |
Know what? I would love to have my tax increase fund the beautification of Springfield Ave. Anything that would better our town is a go with me! | ||
| Lisat |
Bacata, I'm with you on this. When a family member or friend says something objectionable, (doesn't happen that often) I express myself in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately, I usually wind up shouting at them within seconds. If a stranger says something, I just give them an unfriendly look. I say nothing because I don't know what to say. But I also don't want to give their remark attention. I suppose there are things to say depending on the remark. I can imagine the kinds of things older residents might be saying when school gets out and the village fills with kids. They may be feeling uncomfortable on several different levels. For instance, I feel more uncomfortable with teenage boys than girls, no matter what race, ethnicity, religion. In reply to an unkind remark, a person might say, "Oh, I like seeing all these kids." Or, "I'm glad we're all different. How dull life would be if everyone was like you." (oops, too mean, that one.) Or, "How can you say that if you don't know that person personally?" Or, "I try not to generalize about people. I wouldn't want people to treat me that way." Just some thoughts, Bacata. I'm too hot-tempered to do it myself. I wish I had a serene disposition. Sometimes I look at a person who's in his/her 70's, 80's, or 90's, and think what's the point in arguing with a person of that age? Is there really any chance they'll change their minds? I remember arguing over race with my grandfather when I was a teenager. He died when I was a teenager and I really feel that the only conversation we had was an argument. The only fond memories I have of him are stories that my mother told me about him. No answer there, though. |
