Myths & truths: your city/town/village

[Trek420]

The truth? If an African American or other dark skinned person is seen walking down the street, like out for a walk, someone calls the police. Really. Been in the police log a couple of times and the "recipient" of one of the calls wrote a hysterically funny letter to the editor of the local paper, thanking people for being so concerned that he was seen out walking with his daughter "on a school day." Turns out, she goes to one of the fancy private schools in town and had a vacation day that day .

Same here in the bluest of blue areas of a blue state a cyclist I know calls it CWB (cycling while black).

That's a wonderful 7-Up bike, Trek420!

Here's another one. C'mon down and see them all at www.ronsimms.com

[shootingstar]

Same here in the bluest of blue areas of a blue state a cyclist I know calls it CWB (cycling while black).

Sorry, honest please speak English more clearly. I'm still trying to decipher your idiomatic expression (jargon). Do you mean you are in a working class area or what??

(from a person who is non-white, grew up poor but dislikes terminology like "ghetto", "inner city". Devalues the cultural richness and hard work of certain lifestyles & socio-economic areas)

[Blueberry]

Myth: Durham is the ghetto. You will get shot if you walk down the street. You should not go outside at night for fear of your safety (yes, a wedding website for a ceremony we're invited to says not to go outside after dark "for your safety.") Even my co-workers query whether I fear for my safety, and how I get my groceries because "it's so dangerous" and I must not go out alone.

Truth: Durham is a lovely, quirky, progressive little town. Yes, it has bad areas. So do the larger "cleaner" neighbors. If you have common sense, you'll be fine. Believe me, I wouldn't live here if I couldn't go outside after dark

[Eden]

Sorry, honest please speak English more clearly. I'm still trying to decipher your idiomatic expression (jargon). Do you mean you are in a working class area or what??

(from a person who is non-white, grew up poor but dislikes terminology like "ghetto", "inner city". Devalues the cultural richness and hard work of certain lifestyles & socio-economic areas)

What Trek is saying is that she lives in a reputedly highly liberal area of a highly liberal (blue = majority votes democratic in elections) state, yet people still face discrimination based solely on the color of their skin. It shows that many people, while outwardly claiming liberalism and tolerance, don't necessarily practice what they preach.