Short answer: no.
Long answer: I was in Boston last weekend for a wedding. I haven't spent too much time in Beantown, so I insisted that my friends and I go out the night before to experience the nightlife. We went to a pretty cool bar with a live band that was unbelievable. Everything seemed to be going our way, until roughly 1:30am. That was when the bar shut down. Being a native Tri-Stater, I didn't know what was happening. But it was "after last call, so you have to get the f- out" according to the friendly bartender. Perplexed, yet nonetheless satisfied with my night out, I looked forward to catching a cab back to my friend's place in Cambridge and getting a good night's sleep before the wedding. As I headed out of the bar, a black bouncer stopped me, gestured over to my white friends and said, "stick with them and you'll be alright." He played it off as a joke, but gave me a knowing glance as I left the bar.
Now the tricky part. I stood out on the street for a while trying to hail down a cab. Granted, there were hundreds of other Bostonians trying to do the same, but I noticed that many of the cabs were empty when the passed, and some even waved me and my friends off. This wasn't a one-time thing, nor did it only last a short period of time. We were wandering the streets for two hours trying to catch a damn cab. (Thank God for 7-11) Now, call it bad luck, call it what you will, but I don't think that two hours is acceptable under any rule (maybe Jim Crow...). And why did the bouncer feel the need to preface my cab search with those light-hearted yet strangely ominous words? I started to get mad. At Boston, at my friends, at my headache, at everything. It's the kind of thing you want to think doesn't happen anymore. But is Boston really a racist city? I dunno. The third whitest US Metropolitan area, in my opinion, has some work to do. What do you think?
Extended reading.
Posts
10 comments:
I wouldnt say racist city, but im sure just like in any city there are people who are racist there. But its hard to hate on brothers there when they worhip Big Papi David Ortiz. and im sure that just like in other cities that some brothers who pulled so quick shit on a cab driver, making him less willing to pick up other brothers. 2 hours is a long wait for a cab, regardless of race. Bars shutting down, The T train shutting down, its all ridiculous. That is why Boston will never be as great as a city as NYC. big ups NYC. The Yankees rule. I hope your drunk ass wasnt wearing a yankees cap because that would explain a lot...
I don't think giving the cab drivers the benefit of the doubt is the right move here. Nor should worshiping a baseball player, because we all know that fans and team owners alike will ride a good black player until he sucks, and just abandon him. That's the reality of professional sports, but that's also besides the point. I feel like Boston, out of many cities that I've been to, is comfortable with certain racial dynamics and uncomfortable with others. The change has to come from within, and I think Boston has deeper issues than many other cities...
And no, no yankees cap to speak of.
Yeah, I love NYC, buts its no beacon of racial tolerance either. I'm sure almost every black person in NY (or at least black male) who has tried to pull over a taxi has a more than one instance of a cab passing by them to pick up a white person instead, whether the know that's why the cab passed them or not. I remember when a cab pulled over and literally swerve back onto the main road after seeing I was black! New York is a racist city, and this is a racist country. Despite the many, many, many great accomplishments of African Americans and the plethora of reputable black figures, as this election proves, this country has a long way to go towards racial tolerance. That's why I take the train.
http://not-of-it.blogspot.com/2008/10/response-to-benjamins-comment-on.html
I think racism in Boston is of a completely different nature than that of New York. The black population is so relatively small within the city, and no one considers that Boston is actually really suburban. It's only half a million people who live in the urban areas, and then the population more than doubles when you count commuters, who are even more predominantly white. These people can have almost no interaction with anyone who is black, especially outside a limited work setting. And yes, based on personal experiences in Boston I'd argue that Boston is relatively most racist than other large American cities.
Just read your blog on Boston being racist. Answer to your question: yes. Short story. My parents raised all of us to be blind, though not ignorant, of cultural, ethnic and visual differences. We were able to recognize when someone looked different from us, but never did it change our opinion of the person or group, so long as the individual was a good human being. I had always been aware that my sister's Godparents were black, but I still considered them blood despite the color difference. And I never thought that association was bizarre. It wasn't until I moved to Boston for school that I realized not everyone thought that way. The second I moved in and started meeting people, my white friends from Boston would make comments about me befriending black friends. One girl even told me I should tell one of my black friends hang out with her "people on the plantation" instead of with me, the white Irish girl from Connecticut. And I was never treated poorly by a black person until I moved to Boston. One time specifically, I was at Wendy's (oops) with my friend. A homeless, totally wasted man came in and started bothering different groups of diners for food. While my friend and I were taking, the man threw a french fry at my friend's head to get his attention. After I told him his approach was rude and uncalled for, and after he put his sneaker in my face to check out the (brand new) bottom of the shoe, he chased me out of Wendy's calling me a racist, mother fucking, son of a bitch. He said the only reason I called him rude was because he was black. I told him the reason I said he was rude was because he threw a french fry at my friend's head and thought this was acceptable behavior. I cried the entire way home, not because of how mean he was - though that certainly didn't help - but because he thought I was racist. Me. Someone who would fight for any decent, kind person regardless of their skin color, religion, culture, background, anything. If you are a good person, what difference does it make if you are black, Asian, Hispanic? I'll never regret spending my college and post-college years in Boston, but I do resent the people who openly put others down because of skin color. Mixing races in Boston seems like the equivalent of walking on very thin ice. I've never - ever - experienced that anywhere else. So the answer to your question? Absolutely. Boston may be fun from time to time, but it's definitely racist.
the overwhelming majority of boston cab drivers are haitian
The race of the cab drivers has nothing to do with the nature of a racist act. If, for example, the driver sees a black man waiting for a cab, bypasses him in favor of a white person because he thinks he'll get a better tip and a more trustworthy patron, that's racist.
Ah! Finally Grambo and I disagree on something!
Racism is a very specific term where a people with more privilege because of their race color uses said privilege to belittle another person who's race allows them to hold less privileged.
I'm a strong believer that when a Haitian cab driver passes a black man and picks up a white woman, that we should not call him racist but only prejudice.
I'm justifying any of these actions, rather I'm just being specific with my categorization of the injustice being done.
Also this discussion brings forth another discussion; which races have the most privilege?
I don't want to go into any of that. I've seen people try before and it was nothing short of a train wreck...
However, I also don't think that Grambo's original discussion should be dropped. Whichever way we want to classify what happened, I think we can all agree that it's messed up that he had to wait 2 hours for a train. Whether it be racist trends among taxi drivers or limited cabs in Boston or both, something should be done.
I will, however, spend limited time in Boston... and this just adds to my limitations.
correction: I am NOT justifying any of these actions....
apologies.
Post a Comment