Prominent cities where Black Culture has evolved into its distinct, unique culture.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Nasally awfulness in variations as shown below:

I swear, one of the most unpleasant hours of my life was spent in a Sears on Lawrence Avenue in Chicago sometime 1979-ish, waiting for my sister to get her taxes done at H&R Block while listening to some woman on the public address system thanking us all for shopping "Sears Lawrence Avenue" in that unmistakeable Chicago...screec...er...accent.

[Steely Dan]

^ I live pretty close to that old sears store on lawrence.

The store closed awhile ago; the building has recently been converted to apartments with ground floor retail space.

They did a pretty nice job of it.


As for the obnoxiously nasal chicago accent, it's music to my ears. I fucking love listening to old schoolers who have it hard.

Ditto for a boston or new york accent.

For whatever reason, I just love listening to hard-edged urban accents that others generally find grating. The thicker the better IMO.

[bilbao58]

^I never forgave my sister for moving from Chicago back to Texas, by the way. I SOOOO loved having a free place to stay in that city!

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

I swear, one of the most unpleasant hours of my life was spent in a Sears on Lawrence Avenue in Chicago sometime 1979-ish, waiting for my sister to get her taxes done at H&R Block while listening to some woman on the public address system thanking us all for shopping "Sears Lawrence Avenue" in that unmistakeable Chicago...screec...er...accent.

Haha... I can feel the smothering Sears in 1979 gloom and hear the grating tone on the scratchy PA.

I’ve noticed at some of the crosswalks Pittsburgh, which have the audio “walk sign is on to cross _____” for the visually impaired... that the woman’s voice has the unmistakable and dreaded northern A accent.

Over and over, one has listen to it at certain intersections. It’s terrible. And completely foreign to Pittsburgh (which has its own hilarious and oft-maligned, but not so discordant, accent). Obviously, the company that makes these audio crossing lights for Pittsburgh must be from somewhere in upstate NY, if my ear is correct (sounds like my aunt from Buffalo).

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Haha... I can feel the smothering Sears in 1979 gloom and hear the grating tone on the scratchy PA.

I’ve noticed at some of the crosswalks Pittsburgh, which have the audio “walk sign is on to cross _____” for the visually impaired... that the woman’s voice has the unmistakable and dreaded northern A accent.

Over and over, one has listen to it at certain intersections. It’s terrible. And completely foreign to Pittsburgh (which has its own hilarious and oft-maligned, but not so discordant, accent). Obviously, the company that makes these audio crossing lights for Pittsburgh must be from somewhere in upstate NY, if my ear is correct (sounds like my aunt from Buffalo).

Is it this voice?

• Video Link

If so, I think she's from Maine, or at least she lives there now. She's the automated voice for the many of the NY subway lines, and also voices the automated announcements in many of the major airports in North America.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Is it this voice?

• Video Link

If so, I think she's from Maine, or at least she lives there now. She's the automated voice for the many of the NY subway lines, and also voices the automated announcements in many of the major airports in North America.

No, definitely not!

Her voice is sweet music in comparison.

[Docere]

Toronto is probably the only city in North America with a sizeable Caribbean and East African populations. They share many of the city's northwestern Black neighborhoods and a homegrown Black culture has been influenced by these immigrant communities with a distinct musical style:

http://www.mtv.com/news/2751598/toro...ke-halal-gang/,

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by Docere

Toronto is probably the only city in North America with a sizeable Caribbean and East African populations.

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, in 2016 there were 750K Caribbean Canadians in all of Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia....bean-canadians

The New York metropolitan area alone had 1,352,000 at that time. Miami's metro area had 1,263,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indian_Americans

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, in 2016 there were 750K Caribbean Canadians in all of Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia....bean-canadians

The New York metropolitan area alone had 1,352,000 at that time. Miami's metro area had 1,263,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indian_Americans

Yeah, I wasn't sure if I interpreted the post correctly, but plenty of cities in North America have sizable West Indian populations, and sizable East African populations. Maybe not living side-by-side, though.

In the U.S., outside of the NYC metro area and maybe Miami, subgroups of black don't tend to strongly distinguish themselves from African Americans. But like every other immigrant group, there are people of those backgrounds in every major metro in the U.S.

[mousquet]

I can't really understand this weird obsession with racial looks or communities, but anyhow, I must admit some things like that despicable still exists in Paris.

I've lived in the Beaubourg neighborhood, 3rd arrondissement of Paris in a small studio for a couple of years in the 2000s. That's where there is the Centre Georges Pompidou meant for contemporary art and education.
The Strasbourg-Saint-Denis neighborhood is nearby, so I'm quite familiar with it.
Boulevard de Strasbourg stretching from blvd de Sébastopol to Gare de l'Est is the spot for "Black beauty" shops, all along. It's kind of an African neighborhood, so to say, although the Whites and Asians don't mind living there, cause this is Paris. There are regular hairdressers, but also some strange shops and prostitution...

This is blvd de Strasbourg in the 10th arrondissement, neighboring the 3rd.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevard_de_Strasbourg

Google Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/gNVGGA9unGsvN4567

It's ok, a regular Haussmannian blvd, not too bad. The problem is there are some shops to sell weird "beauty products" supposed to whiten their skins, among other strange things. Those products are not only known to be a gross fraud, they also would be unhealthy. Only the Blacks would do that crap. It should be illegal as unhealthy products here. I find it all the more stupid and hilarious that so many White people waste their time lying on beaches to get tanned for their summer vacations, which is just as stupid and unhealthy.

Strasbourg-Saint-Denis is also messed up and spoiled by prostitution, but of course, it's not the girls' fault. There must be pimps and crime using them as sex slaves over the neighborhood.
Prostitutes are always girls from Asia, Eastern Europe or Africa. They're immigrants fooled and used as slaves.

[Docere]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, in 2016 there were 750K Caribbean Canadians in all of Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia....bean-canadians

The New York metropolitan area alone had 1,352,000 at that time. Miami's metro area had 1,263,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indian_Americans

Caribbean and East Africans. The Jamaican-Somali mix you see in some of Toronto's Black neighborhoods is pretty unique.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I might be alone here, but I don't really associate Atlanta with rich black people.

A few people doesn't make a trend.

Ask nearly any middle, upper middle, or high income black Atlantan why Atlanta and they will tell you for themselves. It's the center of American Black Affluence. It's not tokenized. It's the norm.

Black folks in Atlanta have created an ecosystem of thought leadership and professional fraternity that transcends government, industry, and academia. That representation is very visible and it is serving to attract even more black aspiration and success.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by mousquet

The problem is there are some shops to sell weird "beauty products" supposed to whiten their skins, among other strange things. Those products are not only known to be a gross fraud, they also would be unhealthy. Only the Blacks would do that crap.

India has a huge market for "Fair-and-Lovely" type skin lightening products to help the locals look more like their erstwhile colonial oppressors.

Edited: Point being it isn't only "the Blacks" doing it. Don't bother replying. I won't see it.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

India has a huge market for "Fair-and-Lovely" type skin lightening products to help the locals look more like their erstwhile colonial oppressors.

I'm sick of this leftist cynical speech. This is 2021. It's too easy to tell Indians, Africans and so on that the White Europeans are responsible for all their issues because they once were their colonial oppressors something like 100 years ago.
It actually doesn't help them at all. It only once more enslaves to some White Marxist establishment that I harshly despise.

Thank God, a lot of them are aware, so you don't even have to explain to them. They know what the world is made of.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Ask nearly any middle, upper middle, or high income black Atlantan why Atlanta and they will tell you for themselves. It's the center of American Black Affluence. It's not tokenized. It's the norm.

Black folks in Atlanta have created an ecosystem of thought leadership and professional fraternity that transcends government, industry, and academia. That representation is very visible and it is serving to attract even more black aspiration and success.

IMO this is mostly marketing bull. The Atlanta AA community is indeed large, prominent and successful, but that's largely because it's an enormous community, among the two or three largest in the U.S. It isn't really an outlier, however, just bigger. It isn't like black Atlantans are wealthier or more educated than those in other major metros.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by mousquet

I'm sick of this leftist cynical speech. This is 2021. It's too easy to tell Indians, Africans and so on that the White Europeans are responsible for all their issues because they once were their colonial oppressors something like 100 years ago.
It actually doesn't help them at all. It only once more enslaves to some White Marxist establishment that I harshly despise.

Thank God, a lot of them are aware, so you don't even have to explain to them. They know what the world is made of.

Bengal Subah was produced 12% of global economic output before the British got their hands on it. It takes time to come back from having your economy decimated and millions of your people starved to death. Look at the mess you've left in Mesopotamia. You slimy Europeans can try to wash your hands of it, but you're the ones who left your mess everywhere. Show a little responsibility.

[L41A]

Originally Posted by edale

This is a pretty common complaint that I hear about cities all over the country. I've definitely heard the argument for consolidation of smaller municipalities in greater Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh...even somewhat in the SE portion of LA County. In theory, I support the merging of smaller burgs, as it can reduce waste, streamline services, etc. But it's not always the no-brainer you might think, and a large reason why actually relates to what has been praised in this thread (and what makes your post seem a bit tone deaf tbh).
..............

It just struck me as odd to see the praise of Atlanta's black mayors and leadership, and rightfully citing that as a point of pride for black Americans, followed by your post that critiques the very thing that might have contributed to the creation of that power structure.

I appreciate your thoughtful and measured response to someone's response to my original response. I agree with your sentiment that you can't always prescribe one thing for everywhere. Everything is Every Thing.

When I responded to the original poster (Segun) comments on Atlanta, I agreed and pointed out only one thing in support of his point - mayor of Atlanta. But Segun seemed to recognize that the Black prominence is broader than Atlanta mayor and even the area of government or maybe the city itself since he stated metropolis.

But for government, Blacks in top civic leadership is prominent throughout the 5 core counties of metro Atlanta and in many cases has been in place just as long as Atlanta's mayor.
Atlanta City Council is mostly Black (decades).
Atlanta police chief is Black (decades) and Atlanta had a Black female chief in the early 1990s.
Fulton County Chairman is Black (decades).
Fulton County Commission is significantly/mostly Black (decades).
Fulton DA is Black (female currently).
DeKalb CEO Chairman (Black) and its Commission (mostly Black) (decades). DeKalb Police Chief is Black (and female).
DeKalb DA is Black.
Clayton County Chairman is Black. Clayton County Sheriff is Black.

Even in Cobb, its County Commission is all female and majority Black. And Cobb has just elected a Black sheriff. Also, Gwinnett County recently elected a Black sheriff.

[L41A]

.

[proghousehead]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Canarsie Park in Brooklyn. Cricket everywhere, with representation from all the West Indies.

Actually, any sizable park near West Indian or South Asian neighborhoods will have busy cricket fields.

Indeed. Marine Park too.

Cricket is everywhere in Queens. I’ve even seen people playing on the street with a tennis ball in Richmond Hill (also a heavy West Indian and South Asian enclave).

Originally Posted by Segun

St. Louis is another city I haven't seen mentioned yet, having it's own Blues and being a pioneer of Rock-N-Roll

yeah, i haven't had the energy to join this conversation but St. Louis' contribution to Black culture has been substantial. In addition to being instrumental (hah) in the development of Blues and Rock (one can argue that Chuck Berry is the father of rock and roll), I'll also mention that Ragtime--which many consider to be the progenitor of Jazz--was created in St. Louis by Scott Joplin.