Things that make me hate life on earth (Second Edition)

Things that make me hate life on Earth (Posting 2)

gen·tri·fi·ca·tion

Blame, Alyson Stoner, the white girl in the Missy Elliot video for “Work it”

Pronunciation:

\ˌjen-trə-fə-ˈkā-shən\

Function:

noun

Defintion : the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents

 

Let me weave a short dialogue for you to understand this dilemma.
Setting: The majestic Brownstones of Harlem. Boisterous churches and panhandlers selling watermelon or African Shea Butter lurk on every corner. Clouds appear to be rolling in on an otherwise mundane, if not sobering summer day.

Characters: Joe White, 27, lanky Caucasian and David Blank, 25-ish, needs a haircut. DB too is lanky.

JW: “Ho, DB”

DB :”What’s up, brotha!”

JW:”It appears that it may rain, chum…”

DB: “Awesome. Does that mean it’s time for us to go jogging?”

JW: “Like totally awesome for sure. The cool raindrops of my pale flesh will surely make for a delightful jog; I wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this for the world!”

[Two minutes later]

DB: (Sweaty, or wet, indiscernible as it is raining.) This is the most relaxing thing I could think of. We should swing by the bodega on the way back through our ‘hood.)

[The End]

So what was wrong with the little tale? A. The people jogging in Harlem? B. The people jogging in Harlem during the coming storm? Or was it C. White men jogging in Harlem with glee in the oncoming rainstorm? The answer will surely surprise you.

The answer is D. which is technically surprising because I didn’t include it as an option. A disturbing trend is the sudden increase in the number of other races in Harlem lately. Well, not just Harlem, but in other parts of NYC that were predominately minority such as Washington Heights, Inwood, and Bed-Stuy, BK. It’s not that that I don’t appreciate my fairer skinned brothers, or that I want to preserve the historic racial lines. Hell, come in get rid of the crackhead, and the alchies that piss on my stoop every night. The problem is when Caucasians move in some of us have to move out.

It’s not a lie, or even a statement taken for truth to suggest that whites make more than other minorities. So in a city like NYC where space is money, and money is well a lot of everything else-having one and being able to maintain the other is crucial to drinking, screwing and having DVR. Yet realtors and land lords see Joe White, and David Blank coming up their stairs and go “Ching, Ching, getting paid over here.” When the time comes for lease renewal or for struggling teachers like me to find a place, well, black like me isn’t going to help.

On a personal level, I’ve found myself moving 10 blocks higher Uptown, with each move I make, and while it hasn’t gotten heavily Spanish yet, the time is coming. The problem isn’t people of Hispanic Origin* but rather the increased time I find myself on the subway hoping that the shifting and tumbling of the train on the dilapidated tracks of Uptown don’t lull me to sleep.

Read more on this increasing problem by simpling Googling (verb) “Gentrification” and “NYC.” I found an interesting article for the NY Times. Read it, and let it marinate in your thoughts. At this rate, I’m going to find myself shipped back to Africa for low income housing.