Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Here comes "political correctness" and there goes the neighborhood.

I know I rip the South a lot for some of the stuff that goes on down there, but please believe that folks here in the Northeast can be just as backwards and ignorant.

My hometown of Philly comes to mind. We have some folks here who time seems to have forgotten.

As you may or may not know, Philly is the cheesesteak center of the universe. And here in the city we are serious about our "steaks" and the places that sell them. Everyone in Philly has their favorite cheesesteak spot.

One particular spot in a section of Philly known for its...let's just say working class ethnic folks, was known as Chinks. And in spite of that very offensive name it stood there for years. Apparently the original owner looked Asian (even though he wasn't) and his friends would call him the C word. The name stuck and when he opened his steak shop he rolled with it. Now.... 

"As the hydraulic lift rose one story to eye level with the Chink's Steaks sign, a few yards away Robert Quinn stood on the curb, venting - loudly - to his girlfriend.

"I mean, he's ignoring the 10,000 signatures on the petition to keep the name? Now, he's giving in to political correctness!"

Quinn, a 59-year-old truck driver from the Wissinoming neighborhood, represented the overwhelming sentiment among residents who showed up Monday morning to witness Chink's rechristening as Joe's - a small but symbolic blip in the city's history.

From its dawning in 1949, when the first sliced onions were slapped onto the grill, the cheesesteak shop on Torresdale Avenue had been known as Chink's.
No offense intended. The owner, Samuel "Chink" Sherman, had almond-shaped eyes. He had been going by the nickname since grade school.

Back then, ethnic slurs slipped off the tongue as smoothly as melted American cheese. Those who were insulted rarely complained, except to fellow members of their own tribe.

Today, the city is more diverse and sophisticated, and the language of bigotry is no longer acceptable.

At least not publicly.

At least among most Philadelphians.

In Wissinoming, however, once almost exclusively a white working-class enclave, the passing of Chink's has stirred deep resentment. Defending the rightness of the name and the right to maintain it, residents mourned times when, they said, everyone had thicker skin and people were not forced to walk on verbal eggshells.

"I just think it's ridiculous," said Eleanor McGonigal as she sat on a step, watching the sign come down. "C'mon," said McGonigal, a 60-year-old warehouse worker who has lived in the neighborhood all her life. "Cracker Barrel hasn't had to change their name. I mean, that could be made into a racist thing."

Rumors had circulated that the shop's owner was new and wanted a fresh start. But Joe Groh, the 50-year-old owner and now namesake of Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop, started working at Chink's when he was 16, coming in after school to slice meat for Sherman. Groh and his wife, Denise, grew up a few blocks from the shop and lived with their children in the three-bedroom apartment above it for years."

Good for Joe Groh. He has ignored 10,000.00 signatures and joined the rest of us in the 21st  Century, leaving the Neanderthals in his neighborhood behind. The sad thing is that people like Robert Quinn, and Eleanor McGonigal who think that it's cool to slur and offend an entire group of people are probably in Mass every Sunday morning.

What is wrong with "political correctness" if it causes you to do the right thing and act in a civil manner towards your fellow human beings? Eleanor threw in the "Cracker Barrel" reference. I love when some folks do that. I am glad the name Cracker Barrel doesn't offend white  folks, but the word Chink offends a lot of people, and for that the sign had to come down.

"Others, like William Ulrich, said the passing of "Chink's" symbolizes the neighborhood's decline.

"This place has a tan," said Ulrich, a 51-year-old postal worker, who wore a wireless phone device in his ear and shorts that revealed a large cross "in the colors of the American flag" tattooed on his calf.

Over the last 15 years, he said, crime has soared, and he blamed African Americans and Hispanics who have moved in, especially those in government-subsidized housing.

"If you say anything, you're a racist, when you're just a realist," he said. "You're supposed to be politically correct? Try walking down Torresdale Avenue after 8 p.m. without getting robbed."

It would be wrong, though, to assume that the only opponents of the name change are white."

"The man it was named for passed away," said Terrell Jenkins, who is black. "Out of respect for him, I don't think they should have changed it." [Source]

Oh shut up you self- hating Negro! In case you didn't notice William the post man thinks folks like you are "tanning" his neighborhood. He calls you something else behind your back.




 


31 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:14 PM

    Field, "Oh shut up you self- hating Negro! In case you didn't notice William the post man thinks folks like you are "tanning" his neighborhood. He calls you something else behind your back."

    What you fail to realize is that the black race is changing also. Your way of thinking is very much 'Neanderthal', my brother. In other words, your thinking is old;you are a dinosaur.

    The new generation of Blacks don't care what the white 'Neanderthals' thinks of them like the black 'Neanderthals' like you do.

    Field, I hate to say it but your days are over. You are done. Time to pack up and leave. The 'new' black community is becoming a global community, much like Jessie Lee Peterson's philosophy-- where Blacks can have their own 'individual' opinion without being attacked by people like you who think ALL Blacks should think like you and Dr Nuwait and PilotX. You brothers and sisters are dying off...Everything old comes to an end.....Get used to it.

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  2. Anonymous9:26 PM

    The thing I'm thinking as I read this is that these people that are upset seem to be older folk that are still living in a past where the reigning system (for minorities) was to put up and shut up.

    There were no organized minority's fighting for their rights and struggling to obtain respect and equality.

    In those days minorities kept quiet and so to these oldsters it was a good time(for them.)

    They did not look too far beyond the white picket fence and so were not aware that anything was too wrong.

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  3. Wesley R10:04 PM

    I remember eating at 'Sambo's' as a kid.
    The Owner used to own the New Orleans Jazz. He is the one who moved them to Utah.

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  4. Once again, the "good old days". Glad to see proponents of that nonsense are going into the dustbin of history. Good riddance.

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  5. There's a reason that the city that spawned Chubby Checker, Joe Frazier, Marion Anderson and a hundred other black American national treasures doesn't have any monuments to them but does to a mythical Italian American. It comes from the same place as "Chinks" and the attitude defending it.

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  6. Anonymous11:46 PM

    "In case you didn't notice William the post man thinks folks like you are "tanning" his neighborhood. He calls you something else behind your back."

    I think everyone on this blog, except Field, will agree that they have never met a racist postman in their entire lives...So, Mr Field, your negative racist assumption is very wrong. In fact, it's off the charts. You need to get a grip.

    Last week I asked for your suggestions on where to live in Philly. You refused to answer, and called me White. Remember? Well, I appreciated your response. It told me the nature of Negroes in Philly which is far worse than my peeps in Detroit. Hence, I will remain in Detroit....There is no point in jumping out of the black frying pan in Detroit into the black hell fire in Philly.

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  7. We are all slaves now12:11 AM

    "I am glad the name Cracker Barrel doesn't offend white folks, but the word Chink offends a lot of people, and for that the sign had to come down."

    It's not the offense that matters, just who you offend.

    And intent to offend doesn't matter. It's just about power.

    Political correctness is thought control, the ultimate objective of totalitarianism.

    You can say this for the Neanderthals, at least they weren't slaves.

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  8. Ministry of Truth12:20 AM

    With gun control, murder, and race much in the news, it’s worth noting that the Obama Administration has solved its longstanding problem that, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks commit the majority of homicides in the US.

    For years, the press has been explaining that more gun control is necessary to keep white men from killing everybody.

    Much to the displeasure of the press, however, unwelcome commenters on articles about guns and murder often post links to the Administration’s own “Race” Web page on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Homicide Trends website. There, federal bean counters stated:

    In 2005, offending rates for blacks were more than 7 times higher than the rates for whites.

    Initially, the Obama Administration dealt with the difficulty that blacks were committing murder so much more often than whites by not updating the Homicide Trends website. For years, BJS’ Web page was stuck on 2005.

    “You know that stereotype of young black males as dangerous? According to the White House, it’s true.”

    But that didn’t stop troublesome Internet commenters from quoting the 2005 statistic.

    Recently, however, the Administration has come up with a much better solution.

    No, the White House didn’t actually figure out how to stop blacks from committing such an outsized fraction of all murders.

    No, rather than solve the problem of blacks committing a disparate number of murders, the Obama Administration has instead deleted the offending Web page. Now, when you type http://bjs.gov/homicide/race.htm into your browser, you get “This webpage is not available.” (It is still archived at http://web.archive.org/web/20121019014646/http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/race.cfm )

    Why did this useful federal website vanish? Maybe it’s the Sequester. What better way to balance the budget than to fight the High Cost of Computing by shoving unwelcome Web pages down the memory hole?

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  9. "What you fail to realize is that the black race is changing also. Your way of thinking is very much 'Neanderthal', my brother. In other words, your thinking is old;you are a dinosaur. "

    First, I am not your brother. I have one sister who resides in the great Northwest. I never had a brother.

    "The new generation of Blacks don't care what the white 'Neanderthals' thinks of them like the black 'Neanderthals' like you do."

    The problem is, of course, that we have had these "new generatin of Blacks" around for awhile.They are called House Negroes.


    "Last week I asked for your suggestions on where to live in Philly. You refused to answer, and called me White. Remember? Well, I appreciated your response. It told me the nature of Negroes in Philly which is far worse than my peeps in Detroit. Hence, I will remain in Detroit"

    Good luck with that.

    Ministry of truth, about those meds....

    WC, that's a great point you made @11:33PM.

    Altough I do believe that there is one to Ms. Anderson in South Philly. I will have to check on that.

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  10. Nothing new here, generally, most whites are still trapped in a cycle of nostalgic, wishful thinking. The days of predation by cretins where your skin tone spoke volumes without uttering a word ARE OVER. My advice to these types of people, grab a cold one, kick your shoes off, sit back and get ensconced!

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  11. Anonymous9:35 AM

    So now the fieldnegro is pretending to be offended for Asian now right? So some goofy white guy thought it was cute that his silly friends called him "Chink." So much so that he named an eatery after this mildly rude nickname. OK, so what? Does hurt feelings measure up to hurt bodies? Blacks in killadelphia have actually been hurting Asians on the real, not in the abstract realm. Observe:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Nge6xlt-0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aqXt24jyCI

    http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-01-22-asian-bullying-philadelphia_N.htm

    http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/Asian-Students-Under-Assault.html

    As you all can see, the homepieces ain't been peaceful towards the Asians. But hurt bodies don't matter, only hurt feelings, and fieldnegro will alert people as to when they should be butt-hurt, according to political correctness of course. This blog is a good starter for anyone learning about PC and pseudo-offended, faux-hypersensitive, manipulative homeboys.




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  12. Anonymous10:01 AM

    What amazes me is that this whole story became a black & white thing when it shouldn't be. The word "chink" has no reference to the white or black community. Asian Americans should have been asked their opinion on the sign & how it made them feel. Bigotry is much more bigger than just a white & black issue in this country.

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  13. I'm glad they are changing the sign but it sounds like Philly hasn't changed since I left Germantown 10 years ago. Maybe it's gotten worse. I think it might actually be worse than NYC!

    But man, I'd love a cheesesteak with onions and peppers reading this story. Not with that cheese wiz crap either.

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  14. Anonymous1:59 PM

    Asians don;t get so easily butt-hurt the way Blacks do though.

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  15. Anonymous2:05 PM

    Oh snap! The latest in attempted "Dat Raycis" activities:

    http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/04/04/police-va-minister-painted-racial-slurs-on-house-before-setting-it-on-fire/

    Praise the Lord! At least he wasn;t called "Chink."

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  16. Husband and wife duo killed six of their own children by setting their home ablaze. The sickness continues!

    http://news.sky.com/story/1073160/derby-fire-philpotts-face-jail-over-deaths

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  17. Conservatives are totally unable to define mutually exclusive. Can't oppose violence and offensive terms at the same time huh? No wonder Bobby Jindal came up with the correct name for their party.

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  18. Anonymous4:57 PM

    @Black Sage

    You are a worthy opponent indeed, let's rock:

    http://hinterlandgazette.com/2009/04/update-3-revelus-siblings-side-by-side.html


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  19. Anonymous8:54 PM

    Dont care ...the pavement apes have destroyed the city...can't think of s section whites moved out and they moved in..tha t got better..

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  20. Anon@8:54 PM, you sound frustrated.

    Why don't you just move far away from the "pavement apes" to a place where u can drink your moonshine and hunt your rabbits until your heart is content?

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  21. Anonymous9:14 PM

    Thank you for the thought..how's Africa or Haiti, or hey ..even Jamacia this time of year ?
    I would prefer a country with many technological advances...
    Oh sorry...please answer my first post and try honesy..

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  22. "Oh sorry...please answer my first post and try honesy.."

    I would try. But I am quite sure that someone who is as ignorant and obtuse as you are have never been to any of the places that you just mentioned.

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  23. Anonymous10:08 PM

    "Why don't you just move far away from the "pavement apes" to a place where u can drink your moonshine and hunt your rabbits until your heart is content?"


    Impossible. Wherever he moves to (some) Blacks will follow and demand to be let in. They will accuse him of hiding something form him. If he moved to the moon you'd be up there ASAP. Why don't you move away from whites? Do you like being a butt-hurt whiner or something?

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  24. If he moved to the moon there would be trailers on the craters.

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  25. Anonymous2:14 PM

    "If he moved to the moon there would be trailers on the craters."

    Fine then, so what? Would you and the rest of Black America want to move there? Would you cry that there is no diversity and you need to culturally enrich the moon? Or would you just ignore him and go about your business? We know the answer don't we yo.

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  26. barry soetoro7:50 AM

    it's just a god damned nickname! just like boo! except it was chink! big f-ing deal. and the word cracker doesn't bother whites. I guess we just got bigger fish to fry! remember racist is a six letter WORD! get over the race hustle. that ended in 1968! but then again RACIST= MONEY!

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  27. Anonymous11:27 AM

    @barry soetero

    Don't blow a gasket dude, this site is just for comedy purposes. Blacks target Asians for violence on the regular, but real physical pain don't mean a thang, what matters are 'feelings' ya see. The illustrious author wants to cue Asians in as to when to be 'hurt'

    By the way barry, it looks as though another Black Marine has been caught raping in Japan. Tyrone Hadnott. But Asians ain't really hurt by that, the Chink sign by some whitey is what matters. Peace.

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  28. Anonymous11:55 AM

    Thay won't follow to the moon....there will be no welfare system...no one to suck the life out of.
    Face it, they don't want equality, whatever they feel that is. Being "equal" means having resposibilities...providing for your own kids..preventing crime and urban decay.
    Sitting around around blaming everyone else for your laziness is no longer fooling people.

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  29. Anon@11:55' you owe your miserable existence to those people you are complaining about, so shut up and sip some more moonshine.

    barry,it's just a word to u, but if it offends an entire group of people why do u have to say it? The question is rhetorical. I know why. Because you are an ignorant backwards loof.

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  30. Anonymous2:54 PM

    Anon@11:55

    naw son, being equal means were da white women at!!

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  31. Wow. This thread is the White Delusional Olympics of derailing racist ass comments. It's got all the classics.

    Every single post defending the name of the restaurant epitomizes white racist thought.

    And the people posting this trash actually think they're making valid arguments as to why the restaurant should be kept the same or as to why Field shouldn't even care.

    It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic - sad if it weren't so terrifying.

    Reading comment forums like this online are why I don't trust any white people until they prove they can be trusted and even then, I am very wary. Because even the worst of what I thought white people say is no where near what they really say and do when they think no on is listening - or worse - when they know they can insult without retribution.

    Racist cowards.

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