# I would prefer to live in a homogeneous neighbourhood, am I evil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605 "2009-04-01T18:36:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/61 "2009-04-05T23:40:57Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > Well of course they all live intertwined with each other, but within each group you don’t see bears living in wolf packs and so on. Congrats on missing the bigger point. The “bigger point” is plainly wrong - many many species of animals share the same territory, even if they are predator and prey. > [@](#): > > And make no mistake about it, humans are still animals. Sure, we’ve evolved to much higher levels but the instincts are very much still there. I know of no one who feels more comfortable living amongst people of completely different races or ethnicities as their own. Then you don’t have a very wide circle of acquaintances. The world is full of such people and full of other types of people as well. That you are of one type and so is everyone else you know, that does not mean everyone else is too. This is a common fallacy, really, you can do better if you simply think about the logic of what you are asserting. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/62 "2009-04-06T04:06:12Z")
> [@not\_alice](#): > > The “bigger point” is plainly wrong - many many species of animals share the same territory, even if they are predator and prey. > . Because they have to not because they want to. People do tend to stick to their “own” and that’s something that crosses racial and ethnic divides. > [@](#): > > Then you don’t have a very wide circle of acquaintances. The world is full of such people and full of other types of people as well. That you are of one type and so is everyone else you know, that does not mean everyone else is too. This is a common fallacy, really, you can do better if you simply think about the logic of what you are asserting That’s really avoiding the issue. A lot of people do stick to their own and rarely cross paths with those who aren’t like them. That can be racial, ethnic or more often economic, but it most certainly exists no matter how many people you are acquainted with. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/63 "2009-04-06T04:36:08Z")
> [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](#): > > When I said homogeneous I meant the houses looking the same, the lawns being well trimmed, a sort of strength giving and inspirational conformity. :eek: The dreams of some are the nightmares of others… ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/64 "2009-04-06T07:57:43Z")
Wanting to live in a homogeneous neighborhood doesn’t make you evil, but it’s a sign of being somewhat small-minded and having a small comfort zone. In my opinion, these are minor personal flaws. > [@Tristan](#): > > Gold River, CA (a sort of suburb of Rancho Cordova, CA, which they avoid as much as possible). Lots of the same socioeconomic class, and quite a bit of diversity. Depressingly nice lawns. Sacramento has been lauded as the nation’s “most integrated city” and it’s eastern reaches are among the world’s great melting pots. I don’t know that you can draw a meaningful conclusion from such an exceptional place. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/65 "2009-04-06T15:15:54Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Because they have to not because they want to. so now you agree you were wronmg earlier and you are making up another justification for it? > [@](#): > > People do tend to stick to their “own” and that’s something that crosses racial and ethnic divides. Some, not all. It is not a general point. Maybe you noticed, people emigrate, immigrate precisely to live among those who are not “their own”. Look up the word “Diaspora”. Seriously, you can’t conceive that there are people who live happily in groups, to the point that you are making up absolute rules about “people”? > [@](#): > > That’s really avoiding the issue. A lot of people do stick to their own and rarely cross paths with those who aren’t like them. Ah, so now it is not all people it is some people, which is the point I was trying to make. the world is filled with both types of people. Glad you agree. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/66 "2009-04-06T22:11:18Z")
People keep raising the point that minorities are allowed to self-segregate without fear of being called racist. Folks on the other side of the debate keep acting as if white self-segregation is a sign of racist, small-minded, unintelligent behavior. So why the double standard? Why is acceptable to desire to live in non-white heterogeneous groups while groups of white people are consistently decried as either racist or small-minded? I live well out of town, my nearest neighbor is a mile away and I wish he wasn’t that close. With the exception of my college days, I lack real-world perspective regarding this issue. I’m not trying to be inflammatory, I just don’t understand what I perceive as a double standard. ---
**Author:** ![flonks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ab097/32.png) [@flonks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flonks)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/67 "2009-04-12T00:00:53Z")
Just out of curiosity, do you prefer eating in a franchised restaurant because you know it, as opposed to a non-franchised one which could serve you anything? I am with **clairobscur** , the dreams of one are the nightmares of others. I **can** understand wanting to live in a ethnically “close to homogenuos” neighborhood, although I myself enjoy having friends of different nationalities. Wanting to live in a homogenuous neighborhood from an architectural point of view is beyond my understanding … And I would like to know my neighbors better. I live in a city, and I only know my direct neighbor, on the same floor, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605/68 "2009-04-12T00:31:55Z")
> [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](#): > > That is a good point, but where have you seen a diverse affluent suburban neighborhood (bonus points for actual names and locations)? Start with [Cerritos, CA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerritos,_California). Median family income is $73,000 and the city is 26% white. The 68% of Asians who live there come from about ten different countries. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-prefer-to-live-in-a-homogeneous-neighbourhood-am-i-evil/491605.md?page=3)