My top 10 likes / dislikes: Gentrification

wanderer · August 2007

I have been here less than a year and, like the earlier poster, i have been overwhelmed by the warmth and neighborliness i have experienced. If i greet someone, about 98% of the time they smile and respond - and very often they greet me first.

But going back to the original post, i do sympathize with this point:

"3. I dislike that instead of the neighborhood becoming a melting pot of everyone, to me it feels like there is a new and separate world being created and it caters exclusively to certain people and excludes others."

There does seem to be a separateness (and i used to live in west philly, where there was a similar dynamic). So my question is: what can we do about it? Apart from greeting people we pass in the street, how can we build a genuinely integrated community? and one that is stable in its diversity (as opposed to being "in transition," which it often feels like)? does that sound naive?

windowbox · August 2007

filmlover44 wrote:

Ghetto culture????

It's a Southern thing and it's also a West Indian thing, even the non underclass societies there.

They call it common courtesy. Sounds as though "new" people are moving into an established culture (probably from Manhattan where many people don't say hello to anyone they don't know, there are way too many people there) and are being unintentionally rude.

Agreed. it's ghetto to be nice to people? whatever. i see it as a combination of southern/caribbean/latin culture and a reaction to the casual disrespect that results from racism. also, all people in NYC love to chat and kvetch about everything. try starting a conversation in Manhattan and see what happens. I wonder if a lot of people who are confused by this haven't lived in ny for very long.

filmlover44 · August 2007

True. I've never actually lived in a ghetto but if being polite is ghetto, I must be ghetto!

anonymous · August 2007

I think the point that has been made is that if you are of a culture that believes it is considered rude not to greet neighbors or others you regularly see on the street, then go ahead and say hello. The other person will most likely say hello right back. If they ignore you, then they are being rude.

However, the complaints I'm hearing are not about the lack of responsiveness of new residents, but rather about lack of intiative in saying hello first. That is where I'm calling BS on this and saying that this is more about a preoccupation with being given some sort of "respect" for living in a neighborhood prior to a newcomer, and less about manners.

I personally do say hello to most people I see regularly, know my neighbors etc. I am relatively new the the block I now live on. However, there are plenty of people who were here before me that don't go out of there way to say hello. I don't begrudge them for that. Then again, I don't have a chip on my shoulder about being "respected". I've also lived all over the world in and recognize that everyday social interaction varies from place to place and not to pass judgment on those who don't interact with acquaintences as warmly or openly (some might say hypocritcally) as you might do in your own culture.

filmlover44 · August 2007

Maybe...but I'll be the first one to say hello to my elders because that's the way that I was raised.

anonymous · August 2007

You're assuming we're talking about "elders". Newbies can be the same age or older.

queencallipygos · August 2007

This has somehow shifted from "gentrification" to "do you or don't you say hello to your neighbors."

Well, maybe it isn't a "ghetto" thing or a "rude" thing; everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to interacting with strangers. Some people (she said, pointing at herself) might be just plain shy. We might not ignore you, and if you say "hi" we might smile, but the thought of introducing ourselves? Making the first move? That's actually kind of scary.

I do know that sometimes this makes me look stand-offish, but -- I'm still shy, and it's still scary. So I am usually not the one to make the first move.

But neighbors who smile first, and don't get all huffy when I only meekly smile back -- and who continue to smile and say "hi" when they see me -- eventually get bigger smiles back from me over time, as I get over being shy.

This has all been a very long way of saying, maybe it's not a "ghetto/not ghetto" thing, maybe it's not a stuckup/not stuckup thing. Some people are just plain introverted, and some people may just plain need time to relax and settle in before they start chatting with neighbors. And -- this is the case everywhere you go -- no matter whether you're talking about gentrified New York neighborhoods or East Bumfuck, Iowa.

anonymous · August 2007

I dislike the dirty chinese restaurants, not the clean, but I eat at neither.
I dislike the dirty bodegas.
I dislike the fried chicken joints.
I dislike the businesses that don't give a damn about the community and customers.
Oh yeah, I still dislike Golden Crust.

thatgirl75 · September 2007

I never thought there could be so much analyzation of a common courtesy. Say hello/good morning/good evening and be done with it!

anonymous · October 2007

I find it interesting how polite you all are being. Tiptoeing around the big FAT elephant taking a dump in the room doesn't make the stinking thing disappear. Maybe a few more posts will bring it out. Come on! Let's name it! It's just perceptions we're dealing with...

I hope to come back and join the convo with you all soon. I may call myself Tippy Toe

Hasta La ByeBye!

bifteck · October 2007

No thanks! We've had enough of that 'round these parts.

dolcefiore · October 2007

Subject: savoir vivre

being nice,friendly or saying hi is not gheto but just part of savoir vivre[good maners].savoir vivre a french word standing for knowing how to live or good maners

lorenzo · October 2007

I like most of my neighbors. Most have lived on the block for their whole lives.
I like the fact that my neighbors are friendly, and yes, people say hello to me and I do the same.
I like that I have a lot more living space here in bed stuy.
I like that the subway is nearby.
I like that I have been able to improve the quality of life on my block by fixing up the community park and making it available to the public.
I like that we have a hand full of neighbors who are active in community events and improvement.

I dislike that there are a few drug dealers and losers living on the block who create problems.
I dislike that there are not more services nearby including more restaurants.
I dislike that the majority of my neighbors don't want to participate in any community events.
I dislike the garbage but it's getting better.

My top 10 likes / dislikes: Gentrification

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