04-15-2009, 05:53 PM
I think you guys are being unfair to ruby.
He didn't say "Chicago is a racist city. Think Selma, Alabama in the 1950's...that's Chicago."
He merely said that, as an outsider, he was a little startled by some of the things he saw and heard.
Believe me, when you hear someone talk in general conversation these days, and they use genuinely un-PC language, you remember it. It's startling.
If anyone is going to say that they've never heard a single dude use the N-word in the Chicagoland area, ever,... well, I really question that.
BTW, since most of my relatives are from the Chicago area, and I was mostly raised out West, I think I have a unique perspective on Chicagoan language. IMO, race and ethnicity are mentioned more in conversation, in description, and in casual passing more in Chicago than in most cities I have been in, including the Deep South. Not always in a derogatory manner. And not a lot more. Just enough so that it's noticeable to a visiting outsider. It doesn't bother me: I kind of like it, even. But it's there.
It's not racist. I think it's a product of, as Rok pointed out, the "neighborhood" equation of how the city was settled. Even my own parents, (both from Chicago until age 30) who are 2 of the <i>least</i> prejudiced people on earth, talk like that.
He didn't say "Chicago is a racist city. Think Selma, Alabama in the 1950's...that's Chicago."
He merely said that, as an outsider, he was a little startled by some of the things he saw and heard.
Believe me, when you hear someone talk in general conversation these days, and they use genuinely un-PC language, you remember it. It's startling.
If anyone is going to say that they've never heard a single dude use the N-word in the Chicagoland area, ever,... well, I really question that.
BTW, since most of my relatives are from the Chicago area, and I was mostly raised out West, I think I have a unique perspective on Chicagoan language. IMO, race and ethnicity are mentioned more in conversation, in description, and in casual passing more in Chicago than in most cities I have been in, including the Deep South. Not always in a derogatory manner. And not a lot more. Just enough so that it's noticeable to a visiting outsider. It doesn't bother me: I kind of like it, even. But it's there.
It's not racist. I think it's a product of, as Rok pointed out, the "neighborhood" equation of how the city was settled. Even my own parents, (both from Chicago until age 30) who are 2 of the <i>least</i> prejudiced people on earth, talk like that.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance