This Week in the Mercury
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Politics Collymore Post: "It's easy to have Scandinavian policies if you have Scandinavian demographics."
Posted by Matt Davis on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Fresh from her valiant battle for the house and senate, Multnomah County staffer Karol Collymore has wasted no time in getting back to blogging over at Blue Oregon, with a post on Portland as a "white city."
She asks: "how do we as a progressive people make it appealing for people of color to want to stay here?"
Your input is encouraged.
2
How about we quit worrying about it and let it just happen? Like it's something for whites to decide. Friggin arrogant crackers!
6
Culturally speaking, why is it the responsability of the White majority to make an area culturally appealing to the People of Color minority?
Wouldn't these sort of demographic questions better be solved by economic means rather than cultural?
Wouldn't these sort of demographic questions better be solved by economic means rather than cultural?
7
So IOW - 'how do us white people keep the people of color down by telling them what we want them to do?'
8
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/…
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives…
"This strikes me as largely an adventure in definitional games. Why would you take an accounting of American cities that leaves out the three largest cities? Should we really list Travis County, TX (i.e., Austin) as part of a phenomenon called “The White City” when its proportion of non-Hispanic whites—51.8%—is dramatically below the national average? Austin is a bit less black than the country as a whole, in other words, but it’s also less white. Rather than an disproportionately white city, it’s a disproportionately Hispanic and Asian city."
"What is it that these cities are supposed to do? Send out advertisements for more blacks to move there?! Our black population is concentrated in the Deep South, for obvious reasons, and in a handful of urban centers that were built around industrial jobs and therefore encouraged a huge migration."
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives…
"This strikes me as largely an adventure in definitional games. Why would you take an accounting of American cities that leaves out the three largest cities? Should we really list Travis County, TX (i.e., Austin) as part of a phenomenon called “The White City” when its proportion of non-Hispanic whites—51.8%—is dramatically below the national average? Austin is a bit less black than the country as a whole, in other words, but it’s also less white. Rather than an disproportionately white city, it’s a disproportionately Hispanic and Asian city."
"What is it that these cities are supposed to do? Send out advertisements for more blacks to move there?! Our black population is concentrated in the Deep South, for obvious reasons, and in a handful of urban centers that were built around industrial jobs and therefore encouraged a huge migration."
9
Well, Graham, there is the fact that Portland and Oregon went to great lengths to make this an inhospitable place for black people to live for the first hundred-plus years of our statehood. So there's a bit of ground to make up there. But I'm lost as to how we correct the current cultural imbalance in ways that are not 1) ridiculously condescending and 2) don't work and only serve to assuage white liberal guilt.
10
"...how do we as a progressive people make it appealing for people of color to want to stay here?"
Probably the same way you get any people to want to stay anywhere: steady jobs. We've got a dearth of those, however.
Probably the same way you get any people to want to stay anywhere: steady jobs. We've got a dearth of those, however.
11
@tk - No, that'd never work! Because, as the entire point of her article implies, they are not like us. They must have different values and apparently need special treatment.
What does "staffer" mean? What does she actually do? I hope it's nothing important.
What does "staffer" mean? What does she actually do? I hope it's nothing important.
13
As a person of color, I have this to add:
1) Have more jobs.
2) Stop yelling at us in the street for being imported.
That is a true story.
1) Have more jobs.
2) Stop yelling at us in the street for being imported.
That is a true story.
14
Great. More idiots who think diversity is defined solely by skin color.
Portland is more diverse than most US cities. Just because that diversity is made up mainly of Caucasians doesn't mean a thing, unless you're looking for it to mean a thing. Complaining that there's too many people of a certain skin color (any skin color) in the city says more about you than it does about the city.
Portland is more diverse than most US cities. Just because that diversity is made up mainly of Caucasians doesn't mean a thing, unless you're looking for it to mean a thing. Complaining that there's too many people of a certain skin color (any skin color) in the city says more about you than it does about the city.
15
I want to be clear that "The White City" is the name of the article I posted on Blue Oregon. The quote in the title is the quote from the author of the article, not me. I was posting as a discussion piece. Thanks.
17
jeri, imported - i love it! i mean, i know i have problems with the right word when i'm yelling imbecilic things to strangers on the street, but that's a good one. did they ask if you also came with a Certificate of Authenticity? are you Fair Trade? was there an excise duty paid on you when you passed thru customs? what happens when you break and need to be returned for repair? are you part of a Collector's Edition? wonderful.
18
1 in 5 Portlanders is an immigrant from another country. True story. Just because you don't see our diversity on Hawthorne doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Enough with the liberal guilt, already. If you worry about monoculturalism, why not try getting out of your neighborhood a little?
19
I lived for two years in Long Beach, CA, the nation's most ethnically diverse city. If you're talking about diversity in terms of attracting more people with dark skin, then weather is probably the defining factor. Brown people come from warm places. They like to live in warm places. White people tend to come from cold, wet, Northern places.
Other than that, I'd say Long Beach has one of the most racist city governments I've ever encountered. So other than the weather and good park systems, I can't really think of another reason for the crazy ethnic diversity. I could be over-simplifying, but I'm stating my observation.
Other than that, I'd say Long Beach has one of the most racist city governments I've ever encountered. So other than the weather and good park systems, I can't really think of another reason for the crazy ethnic diversity. I could be over-simplifying, but I'm stating my observation.
20
Just a thought, here, but was the phrase "white liberal guilt" invented by people in power to divide those who wanted to challenged them? Personally I quit thinking about whether I was white, liberal, and guilty, last week, when I realized of course I am. All of those things. But why is that a problem? Damn right I have a lot to feel guilty about. A rabid sense of entitlement, for one thing.
21
Not to mention your unabated smugness, Matt.
I need to give you a call about the Oregon Small Business Council and health care. So, um, expect that soon.
I need to give you a call about the Oregon Small Business Council and health care. So, um, expect that soon.
22
@Matt: I would say you've got a vapid sense of entitlement. But's because I enjoy insulting you.
I thought the deconstruction of "Racial Prejudices" and "Institutional Power" had moved beyond the endless loop of stupid fucking guilt arguments. My personal favorite treatise on the subject is "White Like Me" by Tim Wise: http://www.amazon.com/White-Like-Me-Reflec… or http://catalog.multcolib.org/search/i?SEAR…
I thought the deconstruction of "Racial Prejudices" and "Institutional Power" had moved beyond the endless loop of stupid fucking guilt arguments. My personal favorite treatise on the subject is "White Like Me" by Tim Wise: http://www.amazon.com/White-Like-Me-Reflec… or http://catalog.multcolib.org/search/i?SEAR…
24
So...Yeah, feeling guilty helps no one. And bemoaning a lack of black people misses the point.
Over on the Blue blog there, I answered the question, though: I said if we only care about getting black people to move here (since that was the way the question was phrased), we should get our crazy cowboy police force to not routinely shoot black people for no clear reason, then never face any serious sanctions because of it. That might sort of cut down any sort of image problems we have as some sort of racist prison camp, yes.
Over on the Blue blog there, I answered the question, though: I said if we only care about getting black people to move here (since that was the way the question was phrased), we should get our crazy cowboy police force to not routinely shoot black people for no clear reason, then never face any serious sanctions because of it. That might sort of cut down any sort of image problems we have as some sort of racist prison camp, yes.
25
Rich Bachelor,
Really? Good lord. I know people of color are being shot by our cowboy police all the time. Geez. I think the police have had like two shootings in the last two years. I don't think either were African American. You really should be embarrassed about your single mindedness. Maybe that's why no one of color wants to move here. People here tend to make up whatever reality works for their personal biases.
Really? Good lord. I know people of color are being shot by our cowboy police all the time. Geez. I think the police have had like two shootings in the last two years. I don't think either were African American. You really should be embarrassed about your single mindedness. Maybe that's why no one of color wants to move here. People here tend to make up whatever reality works for their personal biases.
26
Holy shit; that's the second time in two weeks I drew the ire of someone named 'Ugh' on the internets! Do you hang out over at the 'AV Club', too?
And as to that last sentence of your'n: you mean like everybody else does?
And as to that last sentence of your'n: you mean like everybody else does?
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