Not sure I buy this

[TheGerbil]

Letter from today's Post Gazette:

In his June 4 letter "Move to Alabama," Ron D'Amico states that Bob Stamer is "close minded" in his prejudice towards gay people ("Not Welcome," June 2 letters). Well, Mr. D'Amico sounds like he has a prejudice of his own -- the South! Have you ever lived in the South, Mr. D'Amico? I think if you had, you would find that the prejudices/bigotry you find alive and well there are alive and well in Pittsburgh.

I grew up in the South and while I did run into people with prejudices, most people got along fine. Matter of fact, there was a much more diverse culture in my neighborhood and in the schools than I have ever seen in the mostly segregated city here. When I moved to Pittsburgh, I found just as many people with prejudices, some of whom said and did things that made my jaw drop.

The writer lives in Robinson. What does she know about diversity in the city? My neighborhood (which is in the actual city) has people of all races and sexual orientations.

I agree with her point about racism and discrimination existing everywhere, but I do not agree that Pittsburgh is "segregated." Maybe some neighborhoods, especially suburbs, are primarily white or black. But most city neighborhoods have a mix. I don't appreciate some suburbanite making the city look bad with a letter like that.

What do you all think?

[PghUSA]

I remember seeing this headline . . . you got a link?

There is a "segregation" thats instilled in the metroplex here, it is not so much a black/white thing as a them/us thing and it started with every neighborhood being seperated by a bridge a valley or a hill but largely the city and its urban border boroughs have melded like any modern city, the thing that is continuing the "This is Sewickly and THAT is Leetsdale" or "THIS is Forest Hills and THAT is Rankin" is the fact that EVERYTHING that touches our life reinforces that view because of that old 130+ different governments. When your water company, volunteer fire company, school district, government district, taxing zone, police dept., zoning district, permits board, etc. etc. etc. all fall down along the same lines (with consolidation zoning, taxing, police, fire, govt. lines would all go away totally and schools, water, etc. would fall on lines that make sense for delivering efficent services for their responsibility and not abiding by inefficent lines drawn up in the 1700s sometimes), it is no wonder there is a "discrimination" mentality out in the far 'burbs, again not so much on color (though it spills over because some cities/townships are historically more urban or black and some are more affluent) as "us vs. them" again all propogated by dividing our metro house into 130 different warring fiefdoms! Consolidate now suburbanite and then first you can actually speak for the "city" and second you can actually solve the problem you find so disturbing to yourself.

[TheGerbil]

Links:

First, the article... http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05147/511214.stm

The first letter ("Not Welcome").... http://post-gazette.com/pg/05153/514156.stm

Letter in response to that ("Move to Alabama")... http://post-gazette.com/pg/05155/515625.stm (The letter I pasted in above was a reply to this one).

[PghUSA]

^^ now I remember why I stopped reading the letters section I see a few good points in there but wow somebody needs to pay for counseling with some of those people. Sad more then anything. Again I think a lot of people are quick to call it discrimination when what it really is here is the 130+ fiefdoms fostering and encouraging an "us vs. them across the bridge or down the valley or across the hill" mentality, once you hate Sewickley all kinds of adjectives follow, but again the source isn't any of them (not the rich*itch or elitist or country club crew etc. etc.) but the fact that theres a "LINE" between you and them put on the map in 1901 or 1785. If consolidation did happen and we saw each other as just Pittsburghers then we would have a better atmosphere, similar to when we see ourselves as all Americans, black white, rich poor, women men etc. Once you start the "lines" then every other possible discrimination follows.