New Macro-Nabe Trend Launches with "Tri-Hood"
We hadn’t read anything in the press yet about a movement to merge the neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant, East New York and Brownsville into the appropriately named “Tri-Hood”, but this tag-up on the walls of the Louis Armstrong Houses on Lexington and Throop may be the start of a new macro-nabe trend. Remember, you heard…
We hadn’t read anything in the press yet about a movement to merge the neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant, East New York and Brownsville into the appropriately named “Tri-Hood”, but this tag-up on the walls of the Louis Armstrong Houses on Lexington and Throop may be the start of a new macro-nabe trend. Remember, you heard it here first!
Triple Threat [Flick’r, photo by Kevin Mason]
Brownbomber,
We never posted anonymously. (An interesting accusation coming from someone who spent the first half of this thread posting several anonymous posts himself.) Not sure what your problem is, but you are becoming increasingly destructive in your tone and tactics to the site. Frankly, you seem somewhat schizophrenic, making useful contributions one moment and sounding like a paranoid lunatic the next. Not really sure what to do about it. For the second time in a week, though, we’re going to close the comments down on a post that you were integrally involved in (though not wholly responsible for) injecting with bad spirit and negativity.
We’re not saying the Passat is very upscale, it is just a car that yuppies and gentrifiers drive. On my block in Clinton Hill, there are some Passats and the owners are, indeed, white urban young professionals in smart casual attire. The Passat is quite upscale. It is solid, well-made, handles wonderfully, drives smoothly and has Audi-like interior finishes. You can load your Passat up to $39K nowadays. Have you seen the ’06? Gorgeous. No, it’s not a Mercedes, but there are plenty of poverty stricken African Americans that drive around in Benzes and Cadillacs that they can’t afford. One rarely sees a black person in a sensible car like a Saab, Volvo or Passat. Those cars are reserved for professionals living within their means. A stepping stone up to the Mercedes or BMW. When a thug wants fly wheels he don’t want no dorky little yuppie car. He be wantin a big Escalade tinted out wit spinnerz and shiznit. There is a phrase used for those blacks that do drive safe, practical cars: Uncle Toms. (Refer to Booker T. Washington.) I think the real Uncle Tom owned a cabin in Prospect Lefferts Gardens if I’m not mistaken.
Actually anon you don’t get labelled racist for stating facts. You get labelled racist when you attack others for defending their neighborhoods and trying to show a different, more positive picture. Denying someone the fact of their experience and knowledge because you would rather hold onto your interpretation of the numbers does indicate a certain…er- closemindedness.And for the record, no one called you racist anyway. It was Anon 2-15-06 at 5:37 however who got nasty when someone who lived in Bed-Stuy called it a solid middle-class neighborhood. Said it was a lie.That post started the whole thing going downhill in my opinion. Why can’t someone say what their own experience was without being called a liar? Especially when they lived in Bed-Stuy?
Brownbomber- don’t leave. All in all I think this post has been pretty remarkable. We exposed our differences, we vented, we explained, and we still kept posting (albeit with varying degrees of patience and civility ) but the point is we kept talking. We may never agree on all the points but I give us credit for at least attempting to deal with a very painful issue.I hope we all learn how to be better neighbors because if we don’t stand together we will certainly all hang together.
All neighborhoods are exactly the same the same and equal. Anyone who states otherwise should be burned in effigy…
Wow, take a few hours away from the computer to do some work, and look what happens……
I have nothing to add that will either change anyone’s mind or add further clarity to my opinions, except to say that I do take exception to Anon 1:06. First of all, no one on this blog or anywhere else in the real world is responsible for the actions of others in our race, sex, income group, religion, country of origin, whatever. To say we should somehow influence or be responsible for how other black people view white people is so absurd. Are all white/Asian/Latin/Catholic/women/Latvians/whatever, responsible for the actions or thoughts of all their group members? Puh-lease!
Secondly, with few exceptions, no one really knows the racial makeup or even gender of most of the posters. So how can you say the black posters are bashing the white neighborhoods? WTF? And I have never seen anyone bash a white neighborhood with as much seriousness and single mindedness of purpose that many have gone after some of the predominately black neighborhoods discussed here. Complaining about strollers, yuppies and high prices is not bashing, no matter who’s doing it, and is certainly not delivered in the Prophet of Doom-like way that several people on this thread have taken to “warn” us of the dangers of these neighborhoods.
I see we have a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGG way to go.
I have to say this is the 1st I am hearing that a Passat is an upscale car.
I’m a black professional who drives a Volvo, wore square glasses (before Lasix), makes 6 figures and lives on a tree lined block in Bed Stuy. When I first moved in six years ago, some neighbors welcomed me and others looked on with suspicion as we began to restore our brownstone. Now others have followed and are doing the same. Bed Stuy is a hit or miss neighborhood. Some blocks are wonderful and others – not so much. I lived in Midwood before moving to Fort Greene 17 years ago. I was scared to death. I had never heard anything good about Fort Greene – look at it now.
Even though I lived in Fort Greene for 11 years, I never went to Clinton Hill much less Bed Stuy – I had so many preconceived ideas. But I found out that Bed Stuy is not the cesspool that many of you try to make it out to be. Yes there is poverty and crime but there are many people who are doing well – thank you very much (quite a few Volvos, Saabs and Passats and even expensive strollers). Admittedly, Bed Stuy is no Fort Greene – but Fort Greene was not always Fort Greene.
Let’s be civil. It’s really all about Brooklyn.
“Some neighborhoods have more crime than others get over it.” Huh? Obviously a Rhodes Scholar. What makes you think that I can not grasp this reality or that I have a problem with this incontrovertible fact? Hahaha! This guy is clearly arguing with himself!!
The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all is the person who argues with him. On that note, I’m out. Thanks for the healthy discourse.
Retire this thread. Stay on the subject guys. TRI-HOOD.