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.
"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.
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.
