For what it's worth

[hackthis_archive]

Whether or not you're familiar with David Simon's The Wire*, this is still an absolutely beautiful article about interracial relationships and people in general and god knows it's nice to read something positive for a change, instead of about how much people suck. Because, y'all, sometimes people fucking suck... and sometimes they don't.


*FYI: If you have not seen The Wire you are missing out of some of the most well-written, compelling television ever created. It's not pretty or light, so if that's what you're after, don't bother. But if you want something that makes you think, something so real your teeth ache? Watch this series. And then go see Generation Kill. Not pretty or fluffy, but so very true.

Comments

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

AHHHHHHHHH. You've not been the city. This explains that. Okay. All cities? Not the same. All cities? Have crime. Doesn't mean they're not safe, just comes with living among so many people. Not like all small towns are safe just because there are fewer people. You got people you'll get crime. Crime? Happens. All cities? Are not all the crime you see on the nightly news. This is part of my dissatisfaction with journalism in general these days, but that's a whole other story.

[mydocuments.livejournal.com]

Any and all impressions I have of Baltimore come from two places: Watching the first half of season 1 of The Wire (my boyfriend owns it, and he lives 600 miles away, and is as stingy with his Wire DVDs as I am with my GK DVDs), and two, Semper Fidelis Familia.

...Yep.

Although a friend of mine grew up in the same area that the Real Fick did, and she has been able to answer for me a couple of random questions about the area, and what his school was like.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Oh dear god. Okay, let's put it like this... yes, like I said, there are not so great parts of Baltimore, but Baltimore also gave us Nate... and John Waters... and Michael Phelps... and Jada Pinkett Smith and dozens of insanely awesome people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Baltimore). And I, for one, love Baltimore, I think it's beautiful (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore). I love the Inner Harbor and IMO, it has the best acquarium in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Aquarium_in_Baltimore). The food is amazing and the culture is great, and it's just... it's a city. Every city has good points and bad points, the school systems in LA are shitty just like Baltimore... there's a bad crime... like in Boston, it's just par for the course. It's just not the entire course you know?

[redheadaholic.livejournal.com]

I'm in a west coast city generally viewed as smallish and safe (at least compared to NYC, Chicago, Detroit, etc.), and my vehicle has been broken into 3 times in the last 6 months (in my "secure" parking garage). I just view it as part of the price I pay for choosing to live in the city, but some of my neighbors are wigging out and acting like the sky is falling. On the other hand, the gang violence here is growing by leaps and bounds. So, I echo the "every city has good points and bad points" comment. You just have to know what works for you.

[mydocuments.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, I forgot Phelps was from Baltimore. And it also has Charm City Cakes!

I am probably biased against Baltimore. When I first decided to join the USN and was looking into where they do their residencies, Baltimore and DC came up. My momma practically forbade me from applying for a residency there. Railed up one side of the room and down the other, talking about how they were the most dangerous cities in the country, except for Detroit, and how if I even thought about living there, I'd be raped and tortured and murdered and possibly fed to chihuahuas. She wasn't real clear on the details.

Now I kinda want to visit Baltimore. I feel like I need to apologize to it. Except I probably won't go to the aquarium. I'm a little creeped out by fish.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Baltimore also has Johns Hopkins, I'm just saying I'm pretty sure you couldn't get the best surgical hospital and university in the country in the worst place in the country at the same time. Having said that, I just believe it's important to make up your own mind. It's not like people don't have bad things happen in the suburbs and the country either.

[mydocuments.livejournal.com]

Well, I oughta know better anyway. I hate it when people judge Appalachia without ever having set foot in it. I shouldn't do the same for Baltimore.

There's definitely bad and good people everywhere, in my opinion. It's actually really sad, because a study came out last November about how my hometown was the most unhealthy city in America (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27697364/). It's also got a lot of problems with drugs, a lot of stuff coming in from Detroit on account of the huge narcotics addiction problems we have. Lots of meth houses, lots of pain pills, and lots of pot. I guess I don't have any stones to throw.

[redheadaholic.livejournal.com]

Parents are funnily and illogically protective that way. My dad didn't want me to go to graduate school anywhere in California because 20 years ago when he was in LA there had been a riot. I was like, seriously dad, you can't hold something against LA that happened 20 years ago, let alone the entire state of California!