Confusion, misread intentions, bruised feelings—everyone has not only a race story, but a thousand examples of trying to sort through our uneasiness on levels large and trivial. I do, too. My rowhouse in Mount Airy is on a mostly African-American block; it’s middle-class and friendly—in fact, it’s the friendliest street my family has ever lived on, with block parties and a spirit of watching out for each other. Whether a neighbor is black or white seems to be of no consequence whatsoever.
It is, in my opinion, one thing for some racist resident to feel and think these thoughts, another entirely for a major city magazine to do it—and publish them as fact. What’s missing, among many things, is meaningful analysis.
Being White in Philly...a different perspective, from a young White Philadelphian.
Has race been a part of my life? Again, I say yes! As an 11th grader I participated in Operation Understanding, it was a life changing experience for Philadelphian African American and Jewish 11th graders to learn “each others histories and cultures to effectively lead the communities of Philadelphia and beyond to a greater understanding of diversity and acceptance.”2 We traveled to Senegal and Israel and exchanged experiences that challenged each of us to see differently. Race was discussed daily, if not hourly.
I want to quickly discuss drugs, since it seemed to be such an important factor of Huber’s article. As a white person, more often than not I was the minority in my various schools. Drugs did not become an evident part of my classmate’s lives until I attended private school as a high school freshmen. Suddenly, people where being expelled for selling drugs or doing them on school grounds. Besides my current university, the private school I attended as a 9th grader, had the largest proportion of white students compared to other race and ethnicities and the white students were doing drugs.
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The way I see it, the story is doomed before Bob has a chance to write a single sentence. The framing is that this is a story about “being white.” It’s going to explore race from a single point of view. No black people will be quoted, no Hispanic people, no Asian people. (And they’re not.) This seems fatal to me. All Bob can accomplish within the frame of “being white” is exactly what he does accomplish, which is to chronicle the racial fears of one particular group of people, moving among his sources as a kind of confessor.
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The employee stopped Whitaker, accused him of shoplifting and then promptly frisked him. The act of self-deputization was futile. Whitaker had stolen nothing. On the contrary, he’d been robbed.
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In modern America we believe racism to be the property of the uniquely villainous and morally deformed, the ideology of trolls, gorgons and orcs. We believe this even when we are actually being racist. In 1957, neighbors in Levittown, Pa., uniting under the flag of segregation, wrote: “As moral, religious and law-abiding citizens, we feel that we are unprejudiced and undiscriminating in our wish to keep our community a closed community.”
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it haunts black people with a kind of invisible violence that is given tell only when the victim happens to be an Oscar winner. The promise of America is that those who play by the rules, who observe the norms of the “middle class,” will be treated as such.
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19 comments:
After reading the article, “Being White in Philly,” I have mixed feelings about it. From the title itself, it is hard not to expect a racist piece, but I think that the intentions behind the article are positive. There should not be the uncomfortable feeling between blacks and whites that Huber writes about in his article, but as this is an unreasonable expectation—racism has and always will exist—I think that no matter what Huber wrote about, someone would have been offended by it.
I agree with the criticisms that said Huber did not interview any blacks, Latinos, or Asians for his article, but again the article was about being white in Philadelphia, whether he was wrong or right in doing so. I also thought it was interesting that one of the criticisms said that the article portrayed blacks as criminals. I do not think that this was Huber’s intention at all. Stereotypes are created by fame—or infamy—of a few, and Huber was merely providing examples of why people believed and classified blacks under these stereotypes of being criminals.
Huber was also accused of saying all blacks were poor and relied on money given to them by the government; who wouldn’t be upset when he supplies the controversial quote from a Russian woman: “Blacks use skin color as an excuse. Discrimination is an excuse, instead of moving forward. … It’s a shame—you pay taxes, they’re not doing anything except sitting on porches smoking pot … Why do you support them when they won’t work, just make babies and smoking pot?” Huber does not say that he believes this in his article, he only quotes what “Anna” thinks about race. Indeed, this is in incredibly distressing and myopic thing to read, but it should not really come as a surprise because there is and is always going to be inordinately racist people. Again, these are not Huber’s opinions. In fact, he acknowledges that, “There is a black middle class, certainly, and blacks are well-represented in our power structure, but there remains a vast and seemingly permanent black underclass. Thirty-one percent of Philadelphia’s more than 600,000 black residents live below the poverty line” (Huber, 1).
“Race is only talked about in a sanitized form, when it’s talked about at all, with actual thoughts and feelings buried… Race remains the elephant in the room.” I do agree when Huber writes this because no matter what race you are, it is difficult to discuss race. It is a very sensitive subject for many. One woman that was interviewed by Huber was asked, “Do you find that you need to treat African-Americans any differently, to tread lightly, to worry about what you might say?” She answered as everyone should answer, and we can only hope that with time, more people will answer: “There is no need to be careful if you treat people as human beings.” In the end, Huber wrote this article, not to elicit feelings of sympathy for whites or feelings of hate toward blacks, but to help better race relations by finally bringing out in the open what nobody else would say: There is clearly tension, and even hatred, between whites and blacks of America today. There seems to be only one way to start to resolve the issues and that is by talking about it, which everyone is too uncomfortable to do. I think that is why so many people were offended by Huber’s article. “We need to bridge the conversational divide so that there are no longer two private dialogues in Philadelphia…but a city in which it is okay to speak openly about race. That feels like a lot to ask, a leap of faith for everyone. It also seems like the only place to go, the necessary next step.”
−I find this article COMPLETELY biased and disrespectful. The author doesn't even seem to have a bit of a point. He mentions numerous of times that everyone has a race story. YEAH but sometimes things are better left unheard. Instead of him coming with facts where he proved that he had valid opinions from both sides, he stuck with his own. I don't understand how this could ever get approved to be published. As a BLACK female, being compared to that "Carol" person or whoever is a stereotype that I work so hard to keep away from but when there are COWARDS in the world that think like this, it frightens me... To know that one day my child is going to have to interact in the world where people pre-judge them first because of the color of their skin, thee texture of their hair or the neighborhood that they live In? ITS SICK. For this author to talk about the conditions of someone's home. Yes it may be grusome to witness but at the end of the day, one does not know the bumps along the way that those people may have faced. This was an eye opening article and if it was written to bring attention to this subject. .it did. But it also brought attention to the character of the person behind it all. Its not entirely his fault forfeeling the way he does. But I account him solely responsible for writing and wording these exact words the way he did.
After reading this article, it's hard to say that we all have the same thoughts on this matter. For instance, I somewhat agree with Cassidy but in all honesty, we all have our own opinions. I don't only believe that Robert Huber was wrong but also his tactics to help us understand the race issues between blacks and whites in Philly are wrong as well (in my opinion). I agree with Cassidy when she says that "racism has and always will exist" but after reading this article, I began to think of stereotypes and the Danger of a Single Story. The world is dangerous; everywhere you go, you will be forced to face some time of danger that may break you or just become a part of your list of 'life lessons.' Philadelphia is not the only dangerous city in the country and I understand the article is specifically being white in Philly but you have to admit, racism and danger exists EVERYWHERE.
Just as Cassidy said, this article is about being white in Philly but having only interviewed people of one race makes Hubert a myopic man. Even if Hubert was trying to follow the standards of the title of the article, having certain opinions from certain people of a certain race spreads different stories and it's a way for people to spread rumors around that may not be true.
“Thirty-one percent of Philadelphia’s more than 600,000 black residents live below the poverty line. Blacks are more likely than whites to be victims of a crime or commit one, to drop out of school and to be unemployed.”
This line stuck out to me a lot. Statistics can't really show me the personalities of a human being but their morals, behavior or even intellectual ability sure can. Can statistics be right when 67.5% of the population of GHS is black yet we are a highly motivated and academic college prep school? Explain to me how 98% of those girls graduate and go to college and lead good lives.
This article may be about Being White in Philly but the article still targets one race: African Americans. Going to school in North Philly and being around a lot of African Americans during the day, I came to the conclusion that race isn't really an issue unless you make it an issue. Even if Huber is trying to solve race relations between blacks and whites, his tactics tarted more problems because throughout the entire article, Huber kept quoting opinions or facts about African Americans. If its about being white in Philly, why don’t you actually write about being white in Philly instead of writing a four page article about African Americans?
““ I've been here for two years, I’m almost done,” she says. “Blacks use skin color as an excuse. Discrimination is an excuse, instead of moving forward. … It’s a shame—you pay taxes, they’re not doing anything except sitting on porches smoking pot … Why do you support them when they won’t work, just make babies and smoking pot? I walk to work in Center City, black guys make compliments, ‘Hey beautiful. Hey sweetie.’ White people look but don’t make comments. … ” (Huber). I understand that this isn't Huber’s thoughts but this quote is disgraceful and completely one-sided and myopic. I've seen men of every type of race make compliments and do even worse. Because some ‘black men’ compliment her that doesn’t mean every other black man will. And as far as I can see, African Americans don’t sit on porches and ‘smoke pot and make babies’.Seriously, she is sick. She’s been in Philly for two years and most of us were born and raised here. The author of the quote is very judgmental and doesn't understand one thing: no two people are alike.
Just as Monae said, living in this world and type of society is tuff. Imagine what our kids have to go through. Living in a society when people judge others before they actually have a conversation with the person. Racism may be the elephant in the room but if you are trying to solve a problem, there are certain ways to approach the matter at hand. It makes me angry when people say things like “All black people are the same” or “All Asians are smart” and many more phrases. But in this day and age it’s hard to stay away from such racial slurs. They fill our head with lies and corrupt our minds when we should know not to listen to the racial slurs and sickening phrases regarding one’s skin color.
“Engage, Jen is saying-—engage people, connect with them, without assuming what their lives are like, or judging them. It’s good advice. Because she’s right—the gulf is so wide that there’s much we don’t know about each other.” This is the perfect advise any person should ever give or get. How do you expect to know a person if you don’t even know them? We can actually get rid of racism if people actually give other human beings of any color a chance.
“Yet there’s a dance I do when I go to the Wawa on Germantown Avenue. I find myself being overly polite. Each time I hold the door a little too long for a person of color, I laugh at myself, both for being so self-consciously courteous and for knowing that I’m measuring the thank-you’s.” There is no reason anybody should ever treat another human differently because of the color of their skin. It’s respectful when the person you are ‘measuring your thank you’s’ for doesn’t know your intention. Treat people how you want to be treated but always have the right intention behind your actions.
Just as Monae said, living in this world and type of society is tuff. Imagine what our kids have to go through. Living in a society when people judge others before they actually have a conversation with the person. Racism may be the elephant in the room but if you are trying to solve a problem, there are certain ways to approach the matter at hand. It makes me angry when people say things like “All black people are the same” or “All Asians are smart” and many more phrases. But in this day and age it’s hard to stay away from such racial slurs. They fill our head with lies and corrupt our minds when we should know not to listen to the racial slurs and sickening phrases regarding one’s skin color. Yes, racism will always exist but there are ways to overcome problems like this.
There’s never an issue until you make something an issue.
I really agree with Sarah when she said that "race isn't an issue unless you make it an issue." But so many people MAKE it an issue. It is going to take a lot of time to smooth out the tension between blacks and whites and one of the ways is by talking about it. Huber was very bold in writing this article and he did reopen sensitive wounds that were still healing about race. I think that for his lack of discretion in the article, people were in shock that he wrote so openly about how he felt.
Like Sarah said, there is absolutely no reason or excuse for anybody to treat anybody else differently because of their race, but we have to realize that that is the reality of today, no matter how horrible it is. It is definitely "sick", as both Sarah and Monae have said, that people are prejudiced based on appearance, but there is no quick and easy fix for that. Many years have gone by since the end of slavery and many years will pass before this tension will cease to exist, and even then I'm not sure it will ever truly go away. The best we can hope for is that people take the initiative to attempt to improve race relations until it not longer is an issue. The fact is that even though "Being White in Philly" can be seen as racist, Huber has to be given some credit that he was able to talk about race openly. Again, no where in the article did Huber say anything hinting that he was racist against African Americans. True, he did quote facts and opinions about African Americans like Sarah said, but honestly I disagree that she said Huber wrote a four page article on African Americans. I think he was proving the danger of a single story by giving examples of them. Huber didn't say he believed them; he was merely stating WHY the issue of race relations was such an important one and why everyone needed to do everything and anything in their power to better it. Being white myself, I absolutely believe that race should not be an issue and I don't see it as one, but just because I don't, doesn't mean the person sitting next to me on the bus or the walking down the street doesn't. We can think whatever we want, but in the end, everyone has an opinion and it will never be that everyone agrees on the same thing.
I think the issue of race is a sensitive one indeed, but it shouldn't have to be. Race should not even be a thought. But, like I said, that will not be happening anytime soon and all we can do is advance forward.
After reading the article it made me think of all the stereotypes people in Philly think of and how the majority of its citizens are racist. Since the article is about "Being White in Philly" I understand why there wasn't a view on how people of other ethnicities feel, but I think it only stressed one idea. The article only showed one view even if the author said that there were others that felt same way. The author may have had good intentions when writing this article, but others might not see it as that. In the beginning the author mentions the neighborhood his son lives in and felt it was unsafe. Most people can’t afford to buy homes in great neighborhoods, so to look at the people who live there and think they were capable of crime could be taken wrong in the eyes of some. What if the neighborhood was actually not very diverse and the majorities were white? Would he feel better letting his son live there?
There will always be a person who takes something wrong even if it was meant to be good. Such as this article I may have interpreted it wrong and most other people would have. Most people are open minded, but I have run into tons of people who are touchy on the subject of race. When writing about it the person has to make sure to be sensitive towards others and I believe the author did a pretty good job at it, but there were some pretty careless lines.
Insensitivity to race shouldn't be taken lightly the article had me thinking of the carelessness with words on the streets. I don’t agree with most things the author discussed. Like when he mentioned being friendlier to a person of color. It’s polite to do so, but you should be polite because it’s the good thing to do not because you feel obligated due to their color. This whole article just left me with mixed feelings.
After reading " Being white in Philly" I am completely upset and I feel kind of offended being as though that is around my neighborhood. Everything she said in that article should be taken personal to any black person. Maybe she was right about the men, who may stand around and do nothing with themselves- be wait! That doesn't apply to everyone in the neighborhood. Me and my mom often have the conversation on how the temple students walk around freely and no one will say or do anything to them. Now I admit there is certain 'troublesome' people that will try to rob them, scare them, or even hurt them . But other than that, in the summer time they walk up and down my block FREELY without anyone ever saying anything to them. So come in groups or maybe even by themselves, or maybe riding bikes. Every black person isn't harmful, or crazy, I hate the way this lady has downgraded us. And the comment on the sheets in the window. What if it isnt a house, with several children inside it. What if its a women who is living day by day raising her 19 year old son who is in college and barely making it on her income? Dont judge a book by its color. And So what if it was a house with several children in it. If the provider doesn't have enough to get household needs, then maybe he/she has to do what they have to do to get things done. I RESPECT IT! One thing I hate is when white women downgrade a black parent, who is doing what they have to do to raise their children the best way they could.. It really upsets me to know what she thinks of us.
My personal oppions of race aren't much. I believe there is only one race; the human race and that we should offer the differences that are presented in the huan race. With that said I could understand how some people might find this article offensive and racist. While I do not know for sure what the writer, Huber, was coming from when he wrote this, what his angle was; I do know that alot of the confusion' fear, and anger from this article is coming from the presentation of what could have been a very positive way of adressing some important race issues and a forum started in how we should adress it.
When reading this article I was immediately put off by the almost 'judgemental' and matter-of-fact attitude the article started off with describing 19th and Diamond. It sounded like he was pinning the bad reputation on all black people-which you can't do and think everyone will be okay with it because it is offensive. Generalizing when adressing race is always bad because it produces more ignorance than evidence. We want to flee from ignorance because the reason why race is so sensitive now is because it all started with ignorance.
Mr. hubor brought out some great points like isolation and feeling of loneliness when a person is in a community that is completely different than they are. But that happens all around, to all people no just one race-it just so happens however that minority races have had violent and terrorizing experiences than other races. Until white people can say, as a race, we have been abused, exploited; and raped of our identity, culture, home only to be subjected to centuries of things treatments and judgements that no human should be capable of producing; whites can continue being white in Philly. They haven't experienced being 'uncomfortable'. Besides the white people who do not hold theirselves back to ignorance and who associate with black like they are there equals don't experience that unless the person is just lacking in everything. This really is a matter of ignorance.
The quote that hit me most was “ I've been here for two years, I’m almost done,” she says. “Blacks use skin color as an excuse. Discrimination is an excuse, instead of moving forward. … It’s a shame—you pay taxes, they’re not doing anything except sitting on porches smoking pot … Why do you support them when they won’t work, just make babies and smoking pot?" I can understand where she's coming from but it doesn't mean she's completely right. I feel that when I see a successful black man he is more high class and courteous than a successful white man. I grew up in northeast philly. When I say that to a girl in school they snicker as if it's a bad thing. Northeast philly is a very diverse and clean area. When I started coming to girls High i didnt wear my head scarf even though I was muslim. When i'd walk down the street by school I'd get stares as if I was an alien, but it's because they thought I was white. I feel that some Black people are so traumatized that they keep looking at the past and can't accept the fact that these people you think are white or are white are on your side too. If the government was racist against Black people they wouldnt have given them so much. Especially in education, "minorities" are taught by some of the best teachers. Governments are encouraging and giving chances to people who never had the chance, and if those people are smart they take it. Not all blacks just smoke pot and make babies. The most people who do that are those snobby white kids who have gotten everything they've wanted their entire life. I went to school with them last year out of 500 students there were only about 8 blacks. I left IMMEDIATELY i couldnt stand the alienation of being in that school. I was left out because I wasnt white. Here I was left out because girls thought I was white. It's a never ending feud coming from both sides. It's discrimination against eachother. BOTH blacks and whites are successful. BOTH blacks and whites can be losers. It doesnt depend on your skin color it depends on whats inside your skin, your blood. The way you were raised by your family is the way you will act outside. A good child is a good child no matter where they go, and a bad child will be a child with potential of being good. Everyone is equal.
In this article the quote that stood out to me was "In a way, that sounds an awful lot like the Philadelphia of half a century ago. Before the race riots of that era, before Frank Rizzo, before race relations became openly tense and violent, the old rules applied. Black people knew their place. The difference now is that white people seem to know their place as well—white people stay in their little lot, too. This is merely racism, because of the terms "the old rules applied". This reminds me of segregation when blacks and whites were separated it is merely rude to even consider saying such things. The title in itself being white in philly automatically draws negative attention because you can sense it is going to be racist with no doubts. The author has to have something against black people because i believe this article is not only about solving racial issues because it has only brought more anger and tension. Exploring race from all point of views is one thing but exploring race from a single point of view is absolutely racist. This article was made to bring all races closer but it has only brought the wrong attention to blacks. Yes race has always been the elephant in the room and will always be but this is no way to approach the subject.“I’ve been here for two years, I’m almost done,” she says. “Blacks use skin color as an excuse. Discrimination is an excuse, instead of moving forward. … It’s a shame—you pay taxes, they’re not doing anything except sitting on porches smoking pot … Why do you support them when they won’t work, just make babies and smoking pot? I walk to work in Center City, black guys make compliments, ‘Hey beautiful. Hey sweetie.’ White people look but don’t make comments. This may be true but it does not mean that 'blacks"are the only race that smoke pot there are also other races besides blacks. At the end of the day i think this article was ridiculous and i think people have a reason to be offended in any way. I also believe that race does not have to be the elephant in the room if everybody view the other as a human instead of the color of looking at the color of someone's skin.
This article is completely biased... and yet some of it holds true. I personally think this woman worries to much about race division or about offending black people. Black people are usually dissatisfied and disgruntled about anything and everything, especially those in Philadelphia.
It is true that a lot of black people do smoke weed, sell drugs, and make a lot a babies, but white people do that too, so is it really any different (better) if a white person does it?
I also do agreed that Philadelphia, as a whole city is not entirely safe, and there are neighborhoods I would not hang around in the city either, but let's be truthful? I would not feel any safer standing on a corner surrounded by white men then I would black men.
This article is not about race, it's about stereotypes. AS much as I would like to argue on a side, black and whites have do turn out to have certain stereotypes that are fact., not in all, but in some.
Race is a sensitive topic though, and I think it was a really stupid and bad decision for the author to type this article and for the paper to print it. In the future I hope they have better judgement, because no one is "afraid" to talk about race, in fact, this article should settle in for a nice long backlash from the Philadelphia community, because we all have got something to say.
After reading the article written by Robert Huber, "Being White in Philly", I couldn't help but take offense to what he was saying in his article. It was definitely biased, and racist. It seemed as though he would try to justify what he was saying or try to add something nice, so it wouldn't seem as though he was racist. I just think it was racist all together. It attacked my race, making it seem as though we all live in poverty or commit crime. While on the other hand, establishing the white race as victims to my race's "mischievous" behavior. For one, all African Americans are not poor and do not commit crimes. White people have their share of incidents just as much as any other race. Also, when that Anna lady, made the comment about how African Americans play the race card, I was astonished. She claimed that whatever school she attended, that the black people would play the race card. She also says that we don't pay taxes, only sit around making babies, and all we do is smoke pot. This is a stereotypical view of our race for one. We all dont "sit around making babies", my mother has four kids but we aren't close in age (except me and my sister, because we're twins). We all don't "smoke pot", personally i hate the smell of it, and I don't know anyone who smokes it all day. Also, every one of my family members pay taxes, so her statement about "supporting us (black people) " was rude and ignorant. Besides all the negative in this article, the one statement I can say i agree with, is the one Jen made about taking the time to engage with people before you judge them, and you dont know what everyone is experiencing. I felt like she was the only sensible one in the article, with something nice to say, and chose not to judge people by what she's heard or may THINK of someone.
After reading the article, “Being White in Philly,” I have mixed feelings about it.“Race is only talked about in a sanitized form, when it’s talked about at all, with actual thoughts and feelings buried… Race remains the elephant in the room.”I do agree when Huber writes this because no matter what race you are, it is difficult to discuss race. It is a very sensitive subject for many. I agree with Cassidy and Sarrah when they say that "racism has and always will exist" but after reading this article, I began to think of stereotypes and the Danger of a Single Story. Philadelphia is not the only dangerous city in the country and I understand the article is specifically being white in Philly but you have to admit, racism and danger exists EVERYWHERE.
After reading the contents of "Being White in Philly", I sensed a strong vibe of stereotype the author possesses towards African Americans. My personal main belief for people's lack of virtues or manners comes from Uneducation, not the color of one's skin color. I believe that the author missed one essential point: Philadelphia is predominantly African Americans. Thus, more types of behaviors are more likely to be shown through them. However, if the author ever travels to another part of the country that is predominantly white, he will most likely be able to pick out problems within that race too. No matter in what country, what culture, or what society, there will always be the educated vs. the uneducated, the civilized vs. the ungracious, the wealthy vs. the poor, and etc.
The author uses many stereotypical languages in his article. Here are a few that stood out to me most:
-"Many of those neighborhoods are predominantly African-American. And if you’re white, you don’t merely avoid them—you do your best to erase them from your thoughts."
-"...but there remains a vast and seemingly permanent black underclass"
-"Blacks are more likely than whites to be victims of a crime or commit one, to drop out of school and to be unemployed."
Many of the more successful people that I've met in my life are African Americans. One world-known figure is America's first African American president, Barack Obama. This shows that Blacks can be equally or even more successful many others. Another significant role model that I've been granted the honor to meet is the CEO of the American Red Cross SEPA Chapter, Judge Renée Cardwell Hughes. Not only is this figure a female, she's also an African American. She serves as an honor and an extremely positive representation of not only her ethnicity and culture but also of all females. Thus, success is not judged by one's genetically distinct characteristics, such as skin color and sex, but by the amount of education they've received, the type of environment that they are raised under, and most importantly, the amount of effort they contribute.
I think I am one of the few people who were not too affected by the article. It is the perceptive of one person, who works at one magazine in the city of Philadelphia. People have their right to their opinions, and I think that their opinions are based off of what they were taught growing up, as well as their life experiences. I know who I am and what my morals are, and no one’s opinions about me or my race will change that. Years ago, Philadelphia was said to be one of the most segregated cities in America and such segregation was not confined to race. This was a city segregated also by subjects like gender and culture. Also, I believe that my experience in Philadelphia is not confined to a neighborhood or a perception about my life. Race relation in America is a topic that is touched on but yet kind of “swept under the rug”. I was actually talking to my mom about this topic and she said, “This is why there are cases in the Appellate and Supreme Court with people claiming that we don’t really need affirmative action or other measures that protect minorities…it's because we are not talking about it as much as we should”.
Just from seeing the title, "Being white in Philly", I knew that this article would stir up some controversy among the Philadelphians. I can understand why whites feel the way they do living in these predominately white neighborhoods. Individuals within the African American community tend to do certain things like commit crimes such as selling drugs and robbing people which in return creates a stereotype to believe in. If all these African Americans are jobless, selling drugs and harming people, then of course they're going to be seen as "undesirable" by other races. The bad thing about this is that not all African Americans are committing crimes -- some are out in this city working hard, going to school and trying to get a better life, yet they are judged by others because of their race and not as an individual. In the article, Huber interviewed a white man who was neighbors with a black family, who he got along with but was sad to see them move. This shows that blacks can live in harmony with whites, it is not impossible. On the other hand like Cassidy Klement mentions, Huber did not interview any blacks. So of course the article did seem kind of one sided. We never got to hear from the point of view of an african american living in these communities in north Philly. Never got to know how they felt about living with whites and how they felt about other African Americans. Personally I don't hear of racism being a BIG problem of philly, but I know for a fact it exists and it's not something that is talked about freely. Regardless, someone always feels offended or put out on the spot...no matter what race as Huber mentions. It's can be a touchy topic and all races of stereotypes and it is bound to be brought up in a conversation about race. The whites had their stereotypes of African American males specifically in this article - the drug dealing, cat calls to women, low graduation rates, robbing, mugging and so much more. When multiple people within a race are doing something such as crimes, of course it is going to be pointed out and people will associate everyone within that race with the crimes. This article really helped me see how some people might view me from a White person's point of view.
I do not have an issue with race. I do not judge people or do something for a person because of their race. The article "Being White in Philly" really agitated me. Throughout the article i was shaking my head because i could not believe what Huber wrote.
Huber mentions that blacks do drugs and are stealing things but he never mentions any of the bad and/or illegal things whites or any other race does. Blacks are not the only people that smoke pot or try to steal a car. There are those who break laws in every race but only blacks were mentioned in the article.
I am white and i was ashamed while reading this article. The fact that there are white people out there that feel this way caught me completely off gaurd, espeially the first interview with the woman called Anna. She said “I’ve been here for two years, I’m almost done”. “Blacks use skin color as an excuse. Discrimination is an excuse, instead of moving forward. … It’s a shame—you pay taxes, they’re not doing anything except sitting on porches smoking pot … Why do you support them when they won’t work, just make babies and smoking pot? I walk to work in Center City, black guys make compliments, ‘Hey beautiful. Hey sweetie.’ White people look but don’t make comments. … ” This whole interview is ridiculous. Seriously, there are tons of people who do not work, not only blacks, and why should it matter how many children a person has as long as they support them. Lastly, most men make compliments to women. The whole interview is against blacks and i am ashamed that people make such comments.
This article opened my eyes to how racist some white people are towards black. There is no reason any race should be stereotyped based on a few bad people.
I feel that race should not be an issue anymore as of today. After reading the article Being White in Philadelphia I realize that some people still make a big deal over race. It is sad that white people even in Philadelphia feel that they have to go out of their way to greet black people and make them feel that they are not racist. If you are not racist then you should not have to do anything extra to prove that to someone. Some things you may say can be misinterpreted but that happens everyday, not just between blacks and whites but between everyone. When the author stated "you do your best to erase them from your thoughts" when she was talking about black neighborhoods it made me angry. Why should they be erased from your thoughts as if they are not apart of Philadelphia. We have come so far that it almost makes you feel bad for people that are stuck in the mindset that you can discriminate against people just because of their race. The author just speaks on things that are not really her business. Yes I admit she does send her son to college in a neighborhood that she might not be to fond of but that does not mean everyone who lives in that neighborhood are trying to harass the Temple students. Everyone has the right to their own opinion and I do believe that she meant well and was not trying to cause trouble but some of the things she said were stereotypes.
After reading the article and reactions to “Being White in Philly”, it reminded me of a situation on the bus one day. A group of older Black people came on the bus (40-50 years old) and they were talking about how disrespectful kids are today. Then one random man started saying, “we went through slavery, got out of it and we are still on the bottom. Our kids today make us look bad, always cussing and white people(also mentioned Asians) look at us like trash.” Then he went on a tirade to the only White boy on the bus saying, “..you're a cracker, you know your grandfather raped my mom and killed my uncles.. f*ck you White people..” The people around began defending the boy, but he said that they are bowing down to the Whites again. The reason I am telling this story is because he kept saying how White people look at Black people like the are criminals, and he described the way White people looked at Blacks close to the way the women described them, “they’re not doing anything except sitting on porches smoking pot … Why do you support them when they won’t work, just make babies and smoking pot?"
I know that racism greatly exists today, but after reading the article, I realized that even though everybody thought he was insane, a lot of the things he said had some truth.
I thought this would be interesting to add: The angry man also said that Black people have not moved up in this world (he must not watch the news??) but someone said President Barack Obama. To my surprise, huge surprise, someone said that “he doesn't count, Obama's a White man in a Black man's body,” and many people agreed. What do you think about this?
I believe that Huber wrote this article to reveal the perspectives of people, not to offend Blacks or support Whites, just to address the elephant in the room. I think he knew this article would cause great controversy. He could avoided a great amount of negative response maybe if he mentioned Asians and Latinos' perspectives and also Blacks' perspectives on other races.
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