Smile, Fishtown! The Whole World Knows You’re Racist Now!
From Ben Smith’s blog on Politico:
An Obama supporter, who canvassed for the candidate in the working-class, white Philadelphia neighborhood of Fishtown recently, sends over an account that, in various forms, I’ve heard a lot in recent weeks.
“What’s crazy is this,” he writes. “I was blown away by the outright racism, but these folks are f***ing undecided. They would call him a n—-r and mention how they don’t know what to do because of the economy.”
And we’ll be honest with you: It’s really like that here. A LOT. And no gentrification, no real estate bubble, will ever be able to change it. Fishtown is a maddening backwater and at least once a week we have to ask ourselves why we live and work here and whether or not it’s really worth it. It isn’t, of course, but we do it anyway. Can’t wait for this to hit fishtown.us.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
It did. Two days ago.
http://fishtown.us/node/11217
October 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
oh no not Fishtown :(. My friends (Puerto Rican, African-American, Dominican) live in Fishtown and always have get-to-gethers where all the Latinos come to enjoy haha. We’ve never had problems.
*Sigh*
October 8th, 2008 at 11:33 am
on a side (joey, anyone) – when did Port Fishington begin? I saw that header in the recent CP guide … first I’ve heard the three ‘hoods combined into one… is it TRUE or just a marketing gimmick of the CP?
October 8th, 2008 at 11:39 am
@robertdrake: That’s not real. Somebody made it up so they could convince videobloggers to buy homes on the other side of York Street.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I got called a faggot for reading a book in fishtown. I wish this was a joke.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
It’s ok, no one will mistake you for a highbrow snob if you continue to abuse the subjunctive thusly.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Yet another reason to move to Allentown
October 8th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
@muffin: this is all too common. I was called a faggot for throwing trash into a can at Hetzel’s. I guess I wouldn’t be a faggot if I had just dropped it on the ground.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
phew. . .I had dodged that bullet, nate
October 9th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Yeah, because there are no racists in Allentown. Not a one. Just like there are no racists in South Philly.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
A few weeks ago I had a conversation on one of these comment boards about how not all fishtowners are racist and how it exist across this whole blue collar city. I asked why do you always pull the fishtown card? Why is this neighborhood your go to when you have a story that highlights anything negative taking place in culture, politics etc. Why did they use fishtown when the youtube video they posted had nothing to do with the neighborhood, was never mentioned in the video and was by a man not even from Philly but the heading reading something to the nature of “Fishtown Racist have Company” or something. This all took place a few weeks ago. It was at first a good intellectual banter. But it digressed to a all ‘towners are dumb and you are pieces of trash etc.
Well you know what…F*ck it! I am through chiming in and trying to prove points by words when all anyone wants to do is take the low road. You don’t F’n like get the F out!
You f’n hipsters who pay hundred of dollars to look a dirtball love this neighborhood. You come here on your bikes with your “I am so different attitude” When you are all teh same, same skinny ass jeans same lame ass tattoos of coy on your arm. Don’t move into a long established neighborhood and then bitch b/c its not like you and your views…we were perfectly happy before it became cool to live in fishtown. We will sip on our artic splashes and continue to watch as the kids in the neighborhood throw snowballs at you in the winter and watch you sweat in your black denim in the summer. Get out of those ugly ass beat up chucks, grow a set and say something to one of these people if you are so strong in your convictions.