Wrestling with Fort Greene's Transformation
In a first-person piece in The Times this weekend, artist Nelson George laments how Fort Greene has changed since he and his black artist contemporaries put down roots in the leafy brownstone neighborhood more than two decades ago. We’re interested to hear how the essay struck readers. What we thought was missing from the article…
In a first-person piece in The Times this weekend, artist Nelson George laments how Fort Greene has changed since he and his black artist contemporaries put down roots in the leafy brownstone neighborhood more than two decades ago. We’re interested to hear how the essay struck readers. What we thought was missing from the article was an acknowledgment of the current generation of black artists and intellectuals in the neighborhood and how they feel about the composition of the neighborhood. A mention of a place like Madiba where the diversity of the area is on full display, for example, would have added some valuable context for his discussions of the clientele at the Brooklyn Moon. Then again, this wasn’t meant to have been anything more than one man’s coming to terms with the changes around him. Thoughts?
Fort Greene: Strangers on His Street [NY Times]
Photo by niznoz
homophobic? no way. Are you becoming an old paranoiac rob 🙂
I get nervous when anyone gets too close- the sense of my personal space being invaded gets my antenna up. But that happens to me no matter male, female or canine. Because there is nothing more embarrassing than a poodle sticking his nose under your dress.
alol @ bxgirl philosophizing about racism then finishing her post with a homophobic remark!
*rob*
Colonel, so ARE you straight?
On another note:
I’m a 6 ft woman. I recently crossed the street because a young man (boy?) approx 5’5″ in height was approaching behind me, quickly. This was on the Upper East side, it was late, dark, there was no one around. He was a rich looking preppy with slim shoulders, probably weighed 20 pounds less than me. Maybe he thought he wasn’t a threat, and could approach me quickly without getting a jumpy response. He was shocked that I started to crossed the street, and gave me a quizzical look when I glared at him. Maybe he was gay and didn’t even think about it from my perspective. But all i could think was “You are such a d–k. You should know you’re scaring me.” Because men rape women all the time, regardless of weight, height, age, color; and I’m gonna cross the street with total disregard for your feelings, because my safety is at stake.
So to all black men out there who think women are responding to their color: they might just be responding to your gender.
I think we all face the world with our own set of filters, but I’ve seen that reaction too many times to ignore. I’ve seen white women cringe when a Black man walks into a store and I’ve seen Black people get hostile when a White person walks into a room. It has to be one of the saddest commentaries on the human race I’ve ever seen. We all do it- some far more than others, and some with far greater reason than others, but the result is a lot of anger, frustration and misunderstanding. I think the election of Obama was the first ray of hope I’ve seen in a long time. I’m hoping this is the opportunity to open our minds and rethink some of our ideas about one other, and become more perceptive and understanding.
I have to say, Col. Austin, if I saw you walking down the street I would probably say “Oooh, Black Man!! Wonder if he’s straight?” because, we women need all the straight men we can get 🙂
Brenda, i think you dismiss too lightly the ‘scary black man’ sentiment. The ‘scary black man’ reaction is very real, i get it all the time.
Crossing the street to avoid proximate contact, waiting at well lit intersections until the threat passes, clutching one’s purse when actually crossing paths are just some of the behaviors I encounter on a regular basis. I’m pushing 40 and hardly consider myself the dangerous type.
Don’t get me wrong, not all white women walk around like their on the set of Scary Movie. I’ve had quite a few stare me down dead with not a tinge of fear on their face. The “Oooh, scary black man” look replaced with, “Oooh, Black Man!! Wonder if he’s straight?” look. Maybe that’s me stroking my ego. But far better than your suggestion of reinforcing a negative stereotype just to boost some random nerdy or aging black guys ego.
I honestly believe that if our current President was walking down any one of FGs streets after 10 pm, wearing a winter coat and hat, he would probably get the same reactions i described.
Brenda-
Thank you for saying what I wanted to say in a much nicer way.
Brenda- join the millions of us “enjoying” life in the days before April 15 🙂
Bessie, loved your snapshot of Ft. Greene life–weird enough to feel real. At our kitchen table, Spouse found Nelson George’s “Oooh, scary black man” comment kind of funny; he went to St. John’s with George, and recalled him even in college as a tall, skinny guy (already a promising writer) who wouldn’t have seemed menacing to anybody, much less a white gal circa 2009 walking the streets of Fort Greene. (Sometimes I think I should give the “ooh, scary” look to nerdy or aging black guys on the street just to boost their ego a little.) As it happened, maybe Nelson’s “scared” white lady just had indigestion or was preoccupied thinking about her taxes, two things that have been shadowing my brow lately.