Rob: I'm glad that you've had good experiences wit
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8/30/2006
Rob,
If you go back and read my original post from July you will see that:
1. I made it a point to say that my comments do not reflect ALL people in Pittsburgh (just most that I have experienced)
2. My original post was in response to another post about the level of racism in this city. There was a debate brewing over how Pittsburgh treats minorities.
I can only speak to what I have experienced. Yes, I have lived in several areas around Pittsburgh from the lowest income city neighborhoods to the highest income suburbs. And yes, I have experienced numerous other cities besides Pittsburgh in my life including DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Austin and many others. I have to travel quite frequently for my job and have been from one end of the country to the other experiencing the people and the attitude of various cities. I'm not saying that to be arrogant. I just want to make it clear that my views of Pittsburgh are not made in a vacuum.
Again, I am basing my comments on what I have seen and experienced. Take a drive through the lower income city neighborhoods in the South Hills such as Dormont, Brookline, Beechview, Overbook, etc. if you want to see what I see first hand. Like I said, I can only react to what surrounds me and what I see when I drive through my neighborhood. Yes, there are white power flags with skin heads sitting on the porch defending their "turf" on my daily route to work. Yes, a good friend of mine (who happens to be an elderly African Amercian gentelman)gets followed when he walks into any store in Bethel Park. Yes, my gay cousin cant walk down the street in his neighborhood without being harassed, called names and intimidated by drunk guys on the corner. That's what I see and live in Pittsburgh every day. You may have lived in a perfectly open minded and accepting part of town. I don't deny that they exist. My point from the beginning is that all of the reviews of Pittsburgh on this board to date were based on people who live in Wexford or Cranberry or Mt Lebanon or some other suburb 30-45 minutes from Pittsburgh. I wanted to provide an overview of living in the heart of the city, with average, blue collar Pittsburghers.
Again, if being a white adult female who is shocked, saddened and disguested by the racism and descrimination surrounding me makes me "unintelligent" and "white trash", then apparently, I'm missing something.
Karen | Richland, PA