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The answer to how the original person makes this leap is found in the "white flight" debate of the 1960s to 1980s. It's a point of reference that a lot of peop

The answer to how the original person makes this leap is found in the "white flight" debate of the 1960s to 1980s. It's a point of reference that a lot of people on HN don't have (I do not, in any way, want to sound like I'm being demeaning or patronizing; it is an item for discussion, nothing more, and certainly not as an insult). Having experienced it, and coming from a family that did, basically, just that, the "f-ck you I've got mine" is what drove a lot of that behavior. It could be more accurately expressed as "f-ck you guys, I'm out of here because I have the social, financial, and legal methods to do so," since a lot of the "good" neighborhoods had redlining practices that predated the mass exodus and, even though they became illegal, were still quietly, subtly enforced by real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and nearby property owners. A major symbol of white flight is the rise of the gated community. They gave a way to erect a literal barricade against the undesirables, regardless of skin color but always against "shady" characters. The last problem is that white flight, and subsequent "I have money"-flight (again, regardless of skin color), essentially drained the urban cities like Detroit, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Chicago. Some of these are bouncing back--like Dallas--and some not so much. Areas we think of as "Chicago" are, in fact, separate legal municipalities propped up by the massive influx of wealth. The people who lived there commuted into the urban cores, generally on highways paid for on the backs of the people left in the urban areas, to jobs that contribute little to the city where they are located, and then fled back to their quiet suburb where they could enjoy "having theirs." Is there anything, individually, wrong with what they did? Absolutely not. Those who "fled" took the opportunities available to do them and did so out of an interest of self-worth. The whole point behind flinging "f-ck you, I got mine" as a derogatory remark is that it is half taking out frustrations on a societal dysfunction, half human nature.

Frozenlock 12y ago
Wow. I wish I could upvote this more than once.
colin_mccabe 12y ago
I don't know about those other cities you mentioned, but Pittsburgh has not been "essentially drained" by "white flight" like you are suggesting here. Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are very walkable and very vibrant. If anything hollowed out Pittsburgh, it was the decline of the steel and manufacturing industries in the area. But Pittsburgh has somewhat rebounded with medical and technology industries. I used to live in Pittsburgh and commute out to a small town outside the city limits. I enjoyed being near my friends and everything the city had to offer, but I didn't resent people who lived outside the city limits. Highways aren't "paid for on the backs of the people left in the urban areas." They're paid for out of gasoline taxes. We might be better off with more mass transit, but that's kind of a different discussion. When I was in downtown Detroit a few years ago, I did notice a distinct lack of public transit options. But it is bitterly cold in Detroit, and it is difficult to imagine the kind of cafe culture taking root there that you see in other places. I had trouble going outside because I had not brought a ski mask, and there was a stiff breeze coming off the lake and a subzero temperature that day. I also remember there being a lot of churches with bars on the windows, like prisons. I don't know what was up with that-- I guess it's an anti-riot measure? I hope they succeed in revitalizing the area... it is a shame how far it has fallen since the glory days.

Frozenlock 12y ago

Wow. I wish I could upvote this more than once.

colin_mccabe 12y ago

I don't know about those other cities you mentioned, but Pittsburgh has not been "essentially drained" by "white flight" like you are suggesting here. Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are very walkable and very vibrant. If anything hollowed out Pittsburgh, it was the decline of the steel and manufacturing industries in the area. But Pittsburgh has somewhat rebounded with medical and technology industries. I used to live in Pittsburgh and commute out to a small town outside the city limits. I enjoyed being near my friends and everything the city had to offer, but I didn't resent people who lived outside the city limits. Highways aren't "paid for on the backs of the people left in the urban areas." They're paid for out of gasoline taxes. We might be better off with more mass transit, but that's kind of a different discussion. When I was in downtown Detroit a few years ago, I did notice a distinct lack of public transit options. But it is bitterly cold in Detroit, and it is difficult to imagine the kind of cafe culture taking root there that you see in other places. I had trouble going outside because I had not brought a ski mask, and there was a stiff breeze coming off the lake and a subzero temperature that day. I also remember there being a lot of churches with bars on the windows, like prisons. I don't know what was up with that-- I guess it's an anti-riot measure? I hope they succeed in revitalizing the area... it is a shame how far it has fallen since the glory days.