Can One Blame These Richer Towns People For Wanting To Make A Better Life For Themselves?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/americas-new-apartheid-prosperous-white-districts-are-choosing-to-break-away-from-black-cities-and-go-it-alone-9695345.html

I may be accuse of posting yet one more American thread which also happens to contain black issues, but hey I make no apology, because I just thought they would make good debating threads.

/// Fortunate residents of this the relatively prosperous southern section of a city that is otherwise blighted by poverty, violence and a failing public school system, they are demanding the right to break away from it and forge a whole new city of their own. Putatively named St George, ///

/// Were it to become a city it would be 70 per cent white. Baton Rouge now is 55 per cent black and 40 per cent white. ///

[woofgang]

I wonder where they will get their servants from? and what about the prosperous blacks?

[anotheoldgit]

I suppose they would be amongst the 30% none whites.

[Gromit]

The same thing happens here.

A recent new large housing estate built near me is a walled community with just one entrance. There is no through access. The wall is to keep the locals out.

[ToraToraTora]

quite right gromit, don't want riff raff walking about do we!

[bazwillrun]

Good for them, dont blame them one bit.

[naomi24]

Neither do I.

[jim360]

Obviously people who want a better life for themselves are just pretty normal people. The problem is when people want a better life for themselves at the expense of others. I don't know if that's the case here, we may have to wait and see.

[naomi24]

How would it be at the expense of others? If the boot were on the other foot, I doubt the 'others' would hang around.

[jim360]

I didn't say that it was but that it might be. The proof is in the eating but if it leads to resources dragged away from the rest of the town it could well be that the poor suffer as a result.The real test may be several years away.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

Are there guards at the entrance? if so I do hope they are more successful than our border guards.

[youngmafbog]

It's not a black issue is it? The rich, black, white and whatever, just want to keep the denizens of the urban underclass out (I am not allowed to use the 'S' word or Mickey will complain). Just like Gromit does.

[naomi24]

Jim, I know you didn't. I was asking why you thought it might be at the expense of others, and I take your point. However, should people be expected to accept less than they might otherwise have in order to ensure that others maintain their standard of living?

[jim360]

A bit too defensive of me perhaps. Not sure people should expect too much less that others might have more, no, but ideally there should be a middle ground between helping yourself and looking after others. Im not sure where this sort of thing will sit with respect to that but I'm certainly wary.

[sandyRoe]

Is 'white flight' old hat and Bantustans the new in-thing?

[naomi24]

Many who enjoy a good standard of living do a lot more for the rest society than they’re given credit for. I think there are few who wouldn’t opt to live in a better area if it meant lower crime rates, higher standards of education, etc. I really can’t blame anyone for improving their lot in life if they can.

[jim360]

Yes, and I certainly wouldn't want to live in a world where aspiration is "punished" either. Let's hope this works out.

[naomi24]

Neither would I.

[Old_Geezer]

Too large an article to read whilst at work but I wonder if this is being portrayed as a race related split or whether it is just an attempt to build a more pleasant place to live in. That the poverty and race connection is a distraction. Since the new city is apparently likely to be 30% of folk who consider themselves black, then I suspect it is wealth making an ability to move somewhere better.

America is, after all, predominantly made from immigrants so a mix of race/culture should be something they are used to. And it is also predominantly a place where one is expected to look after their own interests, which is what these folk are planning on doing ?

Tackling the lack of spreading the wealth around so all feel they have a decent stake in their society, is a different issue but one that ought not be ignored.

[AB Editor]

I think part of the problem here is that a city may have it's own political arrangement in the US - this means that small pockets of very rich people might group together and pay very very little tax.

While a larger city where the richer contribute slightly more might improve the whole city, two separate cities will have separate tax incomes making each of their current situations more extreme.