I met with a friend and some of his Charlotte friends today. As much as I hate the anger and desperation I feel in the hood, I wouldn't trade it for the smugness and constant validating of gentry.
The people lived in South Charlotte in one of the newer apartments that are springing up everywhere in this city. Practically extensions of college housing, with amenities and all. It is all predicated on safe neighborhoods and ignorance of 'da streets'.
We drove through some of the nicer areas of Charlotte for fun and I exclaimed, "West Charlotte could look just like this with upkeep. And it is nice because everyone hangs out on their porch there."
The friends repsonse was "When people are on their porch it's a bad area!".
Exactly. Being a citizen in your community has been relegated to slum status. The Gentry are instructed to have a picture perfect lawn that looks unused--- because it is. The Gentry don't live in an area, they live in a room and then live at work, and then live at the bar, then live at the soccer game. Purposeful cutoff from the inbetween. I get in my car in my safe parking garage and quickly skip though the 'bad areas' and arrive at my location. Loitering and enjoying your surroundings is a sin to the Gentry.
In the hood, you are looked at funny is you have a shut in vibe. Maybe, I haven't lived here long enough to say for sure. But it is common place for children to run through yards, for people to just enjoy their surroundings.
The perplexing thing is, you have the Gentry who are all about presentation and want things to be nice, but the Hood uses the presentation and doesn't offer simple upkeep on the places they use. This can maybe be traced to oppressino, but idk yet.
The main issue with me is I do not really fit into either category. I cannot tell you how many times I thought, "I'll be accepted because I have a VT sweatshirt on". It is all about making sure you are validated in Gentry-ville. The Hood is so much more expressive, loud, lived in, real..... but dangerous.
So what do I do? Pretend I can fit in, constantly trying to measure up to the gentry? Knowing that I never will be fully certified in their minds? Or do I accept the fears of living in the hood, but get to experience much more expression and reality?
I have to choose the hood. And I realized this because of an incident towards the end of the get together. We were walking by the secure parking garage and there was a matress next to the trash. It was perfectly clean. The friend joked, "Ohh a bed, we should take it". To which I seriously investigated and wanted to take. Didn't realize it was a joke. I was shamed out of taking it. "Would skeeze me out" one friend said.
Purely, I am not comfortable expressing myself in that environment. And if I can't express myself at work or home, then I'm dying. I have to be in the hood, since there is no inbetween .... except hippie farms.
Endnote - :)
The people lived in South Charlotte in one of the newer apartments that are springing up everywhere in this city. Practically extensions of college housing, with amenities and all. It is all predicated on safe neighborhoods and ignorance of 'da streets'.
We drove through some of the nicer areas of Charlotte for fun and I exclaimed, "West Charlotte could look just like this with upkeep. And it is nice because everyone hangs out on their porch there."
The friends repsonse was "When people are on their porch it's a bad area!".
Exactly. Being a citizen in your community has been relegated to slum status. The Gentry are instructed to have a picture perfect lawn that looks unused--- because it is. The Gentry don't live in an area, they live in a room and then live at work, and then live at the bar, then live at the soccer game. Purposeful cutoff from the inbetween. I get in my car in my safe parking garage and quickly skip though the 'bad areas' and arrive at my location. Loitering and enjoying your surroundings is a sin to the Gentry.
In the hood, you are looked at funny is you have a shut in vibe. Maybe, I haven't lived here long enough to say for sure. But it is common place for children to run through yards, for people to just enjoy their surroundings.
The perplexing thing is, you have the Gentry who are all about presentation and want things to be nice, but the Hood uses the presentation and doesn't offer simple upkeep on the places they use. This can maybe be traced to oppressino, but idk yet.
The main issue with me is I do not really fit into either category. I cannot tell you how many times I thought, "I'll be accepted because I have a VT sweatshirt on". It is all about making sure you are validated in Gentry-ville. The Hood is so much more expressive, loud, lived in, real..... but dangerous.
So what do I do? Pretend I can fit in, constantly trying to measure up to the gentry? Knowing that I never will be fully certified in their minds? Or do I accept the fears of living in the hood, but get to experience much more expression and reality?
I have to choose the hood. And I realized this because of an incident towards the end of the get together. We were walking by the secure parking garage and there was a matress next to the trash. It was perfectly clean. The friend joked, "Ohh a bed, we should take it". To which I seriously investigated and wanted to take. Didn't realize it was a joke. I was shamed out of taking it. "Would skeeze me out" one friend said.
Purely, I am not comfortable expressing myself in that environment. And if I can't express myself at work or home, then I'm dying. I have to be in the hood, since there is no inbetween .... except hippie farms.
Endnote - :)
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