# Bias against ghetto dwellers **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 25, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857 "2003-01-25T14:40:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/61 "2003-01-25T19:42:55Z")
The number one reason cities turned to shit is white flight. Deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/62 "2003-01-25T19:43:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\* Did I doom my daughter by naming her Ebony? Will she be saved by our very Scottish/Irish last name? \*\* I take this question seriously. I think my career in insurance may have been hampered somewhat by having an unusual last name. Will your daughter’s name hamper her career? On the one hand, Condolleeza Rice has had great success, despite her first name. OTOH the third Monday in January celebrates a great leader who also had a euphonious name. I suspect that a holiday might not have been named after someone with an unusual or difficult name. ---
**Author:** ![Sagasumono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Sagasumono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sagasumono)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/63 "2003-01-25T19:44:12Z")
Hell if eveyone in the world were like x-ray this would be the planet of the Third Reich. Biggirl same here. Funny isin’t it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/64 "2003-01-25T19:45:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, it certaintly isn’t black people’s fault. So your point? It isn’t? Bullshit! Just like Paterson, Newark is another city that was beautiful once, and the darker it became, the worse it became. I don’t know of one place in this country where blacks moved in and the neighborhood became nicer. Crime always goes up and the streets look like shit. How’s that for my point? Why are you so certain it isn’t black peoples point? ---
**Author:** ![Sagasumono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Sagasumono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sagasumono)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/65 "2003-01-25T19:46:10Z")
Ah Light Strand, so I guess the state of Hawaii is just one big pile o’ shit eh? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/66 "2003-01-25T19:47:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Hell if eveyone in the world were like x-ray this would be the planet of the Third Reich. Oh really? Talk about stretching things. From what I wrote I want gas chambers? What a cocksucker! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/67 "2003-01-25T19:53:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Why are you so certain it isn’t black peoples point? Because where I’m from–Atlanta, GA–there are many neighborhoods that are nice and safe and beautiful and BLACK. And in Newark, there are nice places that are black. Hell, South Orange right next door has many black residents and it’s very nice. So forgive me if I don’t think Newark is bad because it’s black. It’s bad because it’s poor. Find me a better place with the same average income of Newark. And it would help if that place had the same legacy of massive job flight that Newark (and Paterson, for that matter) has. There’s a reason why Newark is littered with all those abandoned warehouses and factories. And it has nothing to do with black people. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/68 "2003-01-25T19:55:42Z")
> [@](#): > > From what I wrote I want gas chambers? You want to deprive black people of employment. IMHO, this is tantamount to depriving them of life. And keep up with name-calling. The mods really, really like it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/69 "2003-01-25T19:57:16Z")
> [@](#): > > And in Newark, there are nice places that are black. I know Newark very well and there are not. There are nice places in Newark (like Forest Hills) and they are mostly white. ---
**Author:** ![Sagasumono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Sagasumono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sagasumono)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/70 "2003-01-25T19:59:51Z")
The type of mentality you have ends up being that way. Because some has a different name or comes from a different place all of a sudden they don’t deserve a job that they may be damned well qualified for, which is denying them a basic right to support themselves. Take that away and then more to come. But hey why are you reading my post anyway? In your eyes I’m just some uneducated nigger who can’t speak english properly and dosen’t deserve a job at your oh-so-fucking prestigious company because It’s assumed that I’m slower , I use improper English and I cuss at all my co-workers. Go back to making rolly-eyes at all the “colored” people at your job at stay ignorant. And no, I prefer boobies, thank you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/71 "2003-01-25T20:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > You want to deprive black people of employment. IMHO, this is tantamount to depriving them of life. I **do not** want to deprive blacks of employment! To the contrary, I would like it if everyone was willing to work hard and our country wasn’t full of people taking advantage of the system (yes, I know people of all colors do this). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/72 "2003-01-25T20:01:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\*Black people (or, at least the ones in my neck of the woods) have a colloquialism-- “That’s _so_ ghetto”-- That is used to denote actions that are stereotypically undesirable. Sort of like the “you know you’re a redneck if. . .” jokes. \*\* I wonder what an employer might do faced with two black applicants, both with equal experience, but one demonstrating personality traits that are more “ghetto” than the other; i.e. a thick accent, an attitude, a certain walk, and so on. In my experience, blacks that have traditionally black-sounding names more often than not had their origins in the 'hood. More often than not, blacks with traditionally white-sounding names have middle-class roots. Tyrone may be middle-class now, but there may be a perception that he was born and raised in the ghetto, and that hiring agencies might think that he will still have some stereotypical ghetto traits; i.e. a thick accent, an attitude, etc. The comment also got me thinking about redneck names. What about resumes from folks with white suburban Midwestern-sounding names (Christopher, Joseph, Kelly, Kirsten, etc) versus white rural Southern-sounding names (Randy, Beauregard, Tammy, Candy, etc). I’d bet the percieved ex-fraternity and sorority members, for better or worse, would get more responses than the percieved Springer guests. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/73 "2003-01-25T20:02:15Z")
> [@](#): > > In your eyes I’m just some uneducated nigger who can’t speak english properly and dosen’t deserve a job at your oh-so-fucking prestigious company because It’s assumed that I’m slower > , I use improper English and I cuss at all my co-workers. When did I point out you? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/74 "2003-01-25T20:06:49Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > originally posted by **monstro** : > > > > You justify discriminating against “Tyrones” because you believe blacks to be lazy and incompetent speakers of the English language. > > > > Is this correct? > > originally posted by **x ray vision** : > > Yup. I reiterate: You think it’s okay to discriminate against blacks because you think they are inferior workers. What makes you any different than a Nazi who thinks it’s alright to kill Jews because they are inferior people? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/75 "2003-01-25T20:09:37Z")
I think a lot of you are just wanting to argue with “whitey” and not against anything I specifically wrote. \*\*If \*\* I could only speak with two applicants and one was William and one was Darnell, and all other things being equal, I would choose William. In my experiences most Darnells are black and most blacks I’ve encountered are lazy in the workplace. This doesn’t mean I would like to deny blacks of employment (especially the ones who aren’t lazy). It also doesn’t mean that I don’t have any black friends. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/76 "2003-01-25T20:11:01Z")
That’s what I’m trying to get at **elmwood** – what is “acting ghetto”? Is this ghetto acting particular to blacks? What is a ghetto walk? If you solicit job applicants from Boston and Chicago you will get applicants from “the 'hood” (if by "the “hood” you mean predominatly minority urban neighborhoods.) If an employer is trying to weed out ghetto dwellers wouldn’t he be better off discriminating by address than by name? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/77 "2003-01-25T20:11:53Z")
> [@](#): > > You think it’s okay to discriminate against blacks because you think they are inferior workers. What makes you any different than a Nazi who thinks it’s alright to kill Jews because they are inferior people? I guess I should be on trial like a former SS officer? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/78 "2003-01-25T20:12:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by x-ray vision \* > \*\*It isn’t? Bullshit! Just like Paterson, Newark is another city that was beautiful once, and the darker it became, the worse it became. I don’t know of one place in this country where blacks moved in and the neighborhood became nicer. \*\* [ot] The inner ring southern suburbs of Atlanta; older parts of Prince Georges County, Maryland; and some distant southern suburbs of Chicago; blacks moving in generally have higher incomes and more education than the whites who are leaving. For the best explanation of how ghettos are created, read the theories of [Anthony Downs](http://www.anthonydowns.com/), especially those regarding arbitrage in urban housing markets. Esentially, middle class blacks move into middle class white neighborhoods. They’re accepted to a point. After a certain “tipping point” is reached (usually ~35% black), whites sell en masse, enticed by realtors and fearing ghettoification. Housing supply goes up and demand falls, real estate prices drop, and housing becomes more affordable for prospective lower income residents. The cycle continues with the exodus of middle income blacks. I saw this exact pattern in the neighborhood I grew up in (Kensington in Buffalo, New York), and I wrote my thesis about it.[/ot] ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/79 "2003-01-25T20:14:11Z")
And furthermore why would someone who lives in a ghetto be automatically ineligible for a job? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857/80 "2003-01-25T20:20:42Z")
> [@](#): > > I would choose William. In my experiences most Darnells are black and most blacks I’ve encountered are lazy in the workplace. This doesn’t mean I would like to deny blacks of employment (especially the ones who aren’t lazy). How would you know whether or not Darnell is lazy if you won’t even hire him! If you group hard-working Darnell #1 with lazy-ass Darnell #2 and eliminate them both based on a false generalization, you essentially deny all “Darnells” employment, right? Tough luck, Darnell #1. I surely hope you are in charge of mops and brooms and not hiring and firing at your workplace. > [@](#): > > It also doesn’t mean that I don’t have any black friends. Racists must have more black friends than anyone else on the face of the planet. Because they are always the first to play the “My best friend is black” card. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-against-ghetto-dwellers/150857.md?page=5)