Quote:
Originally Posted by galleyfox
I think Chicago operates along a paradox.
The city doesn’t care a fiddle about black subculture, and dislikes it as a whole. On the other hand, Chicago is very receptive to black mainstream greatness.
Most of the city’s history (and a lot of the nation’s black history) stems from Chicago just not being able to reconcile those two impulses, and waffling back and forth on the issue.
You have this culture where a city is founded by a Haitian black man in the prelude to the Civil War, where free blacks are involved in civic life more or less as equals, but everybody resents the idea of former slaves moving in even if they fiercely oppose slavery.
Then later, Emmett Till’s murder kicks off the Civil Rights Era, while MLK Jr’s failure in the 1966 Chicago Campaign and Fred Hampton’s assassination closes it.
It’s difficult for Chicago’s black community to be seen as a subculture instead of a foundational culture. There’s a real desire in Chicago to be leaders of the national mainstream culture instead of the leaders of a black subculture.
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It's only recently that you see more mentions of the South and West Side from the mainstream narratives.
I don't think people understand how deep the segregation is here. Most of the press focuses on the murders and violence.
The South Side is huge, and extends all the way into the South Suburbs. This is an area the size of a small metro that is almost completely Black.
Things you'll only find on the South Side (and small areas of the West Side)
- Ads for Black owned businesses on billboards and alongside the highways.
- A completely different accent, with a very Southern sounding drawl.
- Less reliable bus and EL service
- Lack of customer service standards
- Large abandoned areas that could double for Detroit.
- A lack of everyday amenities (especially groceries)
- Way more automobile oriented development, and crazy drivers to go with it
- Collapsing infrastructure
- It's own insular culture where people rarely venture up North or even the Loop.
- Less healthy food options.
Still, it never feels as desolate as a Detroit or BMore, where you see large windswept streets. There's always a steady stream of traffic and patronage that lets you know Chicago is a huge metropolis.