Once again - Proving that I am able to explain my own line of thinking.
Since I made the charge that the "Black Flight Progressives" are picking up their stakes out of their Democratic Utopias and moving into "conservative" counties where they settle in as consumers of the ecosystem that their adversaries have crafted....yet continue voting as they had been.....WHAT ABOUT ME? Aren't I BLACK and doing the same thing?
Right now I am sitting in my car as my children attend music lessons in a residence. As I said previously - 10 years ago there was not a single Black to be found in this particular subdivision that is off of the beaten path in this once Republican dominated county. Not only do I see a bunch of Barack Obama campaign signs in the yards which, I assure you, signify the presence of a Black family, there is one guy immediately behind me that has the campaign sign of Jim Martin the Democratic US senatorial campaign as well as, Camp - the no named Democrat for US House. I see a pickup truck that has the back window adorned with "Barack Obama" and "Vote Democrat". This brother has it bad.
There in lies the difference between he, I and a whole bunch of other African Americans who have moved into this county. While indeed we all know that the schools are quality and thus no need for private schooling. We all have read the research reports about this issue. So too about the crime rates, maintenance of real estate values and the availability of high end retail.
The key difference between me and many other of my brothers and sisters - and you had better believe we talk when we get together - is that I AM MORE TRUE TO MY PREFERENCES and I am not denying WHAT FORCE HAS CRAFTED THIS ENVIRONMENT.
Now let me be clear - This is a free country and a free county. Anyone who can pay their house note and their property taxes is free to live here or where ever they want to live. I surely have had a more delightful schedule of summer time cookouts and housewarming parties as people who I know move in from the northern, more Progressive parties.
I differ from these others in that I can admit to be willing to HOLD THE LINE and maintain the environment, taking a stand against "falling in line" with other counties for the sake of inclusion as they expect as the metro area is told to "share" for the common good.
Perfect example - 5 years ago the question of a metro Atlanta public transportation system. Now I do realize that Tavis Smiley and friends told us in his Covenant that Black folks should support public transportation so that our people can get around the "urban sprawl" cities like Atlanta. Fayette County Georgia stood opposed to the plan. They held the line noting that we have a community that has a preference for houses of a certain lot size and we don't have many residential apartment units. These zoning preferences allow the county to retain its character.......the very character that is attractive to those who are moving in - including African Americans.
They also added that the big outdoor shopping plaza is the primary target for use as a public transportation hub as people from South Clayton County would ride the system down to Fayette. The county leaders said that they welcome any shopper into town who can provide his own transportation and who can obey our laws. For some this all had a racial undercurrent to it and Black talk radio went on the attack. I recall dialing in and pointing to the free fall that Clayton was in even at this time and making note that they are no judge of how to properly manage a country so that the BEST INTERESTS of their own people are expressed as they should. Needless to say - the public transit system for Fayette died. Interestingly enough GRTA - the regional transportation authority was counting on several million dollars to be paid by Fayette in order to make the entire scheme work, especially for Clayton County. It was said that Fayette was not "progressive" and forward looking enough but instead were conservative and wanting to retain their "entitlements".
Again it is noteworthy to focus upon NOT the sentiments which Black folks popularly support (pro-public transportation) but instead the environment that we gravitate TO....once the area of our current concentrated occupancy become fully customized per the popular liking. If you notice I continually repeat the notion of "what is POPULARLY ASSUMED to be in the best interests of Black people and the set of policies that ACTUALLY EXPRESS THEM. Here is the key dichotomy for Black folks that needs to be addressed - primarily with a dose of honesty and introspection.
Let us not forget that Clayton County Georgia, Dekalb County Ga - the second wealthiest majority Black county in America, the Overbrook Park section of Philly, the Southside of Chicago and many, many other places that we as a people now populate were also once "forbidden areas" for our people. We came in, THEY moved out...now ours is the prevailing sentiment within these places. We spent more time FIGHTING OUR RACIAL ADVERSARIES than we did in developing a culture within that could allow us to maintain the ECONOMIC, ACADEMIC, PUBLIC SAFETY and CULTURAL points that attracted us to these areas in too many cases. (Not ALL places but still TOO MANY).
The most common claim in regards to "White flight" is that in departing these areas that we now populate they too THEIR MONEY AND THEIR BUSINESSES. "The Flight Of Capital From The Cities" is how the progressive web site "BlackCommentator.com" termed it. This claim misses out on some key facts about the INDIVIDUAL wealth that a person often has. On balance the most valuable asset that the individuals in these communities has is the VALUE OF THEIR RESIDENTIAL PROPOERTY.
Example: video: Hidden Hills Subdivision and Golf Course
With a good friend as a reference this once pristine golf community experienced a significant fall in home values when the golf course fell into disrepair due to lack of use. This represents a material loss of wealth for Black people.
The second justification for the "Black Flight Progressive's" departure from his Democratic dominated utopia behind the his pursuit of quality education is his desire to move to a community where his property values can be retained or increase. Whereas no doubt there has been a general decline in property values during this current real estate market fiasco - the fact is that many of the communities that these people have been vacating have been experiencing a decline in property values largely due to the the changes in economic demographics in their former community.
You all think that I haven't been listening to you all these years. Indeed I have been. I have listened to the upper middle class couple who departed Dekalb for Gwinnett county after complaining that these professional Black people should be ashamed that the schools that their kids are attending are in the shape that they are in DESPITE the income level and education of the parents. I've listened one friend from Southwest Atlanta complain about the sorry state of affairs in that their community hospital "Southwest Atlanta Medical Center" had to close a few years ago because the Black folks who had insurance drove out of their community as they went to Piedmont Hospital (downtown) and thus allowed the hospital to go out of business because they had mostly Medicaid patients from the projects near by. I also recall the strong Obama supporter who I am in a 2 on 1 debate with right now asking me about the schools in Fayette County and plotting on moving down with me once his two children become of school age.
Do you see?! I am said to "hate myself as a Black person" for doing as I do (dare to vote for the conservative if and when they are most qualified to lead the way). In truth THEY are doing exactly what I am doing yet they "stay true to the game" in that they VOTE AGAINST the very ideology who's communities they are gravitating toward. They left the communities once their years of effort to customize the political representation came to fruition and "the last conservative" departed.
Is it ME who is out of touch with my inner consciousness.....OR THEM?
No comments:
Post a Comment