Is Boston racist?

Question

I'm a New Yorker and I have been in an arguement with somebody. i claim that boston has a history of racism and that carries over to this day. i also think that the reason the bruins, when they sucked, had a higher attendance than the celtics, when they were good, was because of race. this guy claims the bruins have always been more popular which is not true. i've only been to boston 5 or 6 times and there is NO WAY the bruins are more popular than the celts. gary matthews jr also said boston is racists.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

The bottom line is that this is an region that dislikes change. This is beyond racism, and spread further than Boston proper. This had led to Witch trials, antiCatholic rhetoric, the "No Irish need apply" signs in the 19th century, anti-immigrant sentiment toward Eastern Europeans and Italians in the early 20th century. The incidents leading to the Sacco and Vanzetti trials happened in Braintree at the shoe factory where Sacco worked.

In 2007, it goes beyond Black ,White , Asian, Hispanic, Afro-Carribbean, Portuguese speaking, African immigrant, Middle Eastern from half a dozen countries. There are those who nearly exclusively associate with those of their own ethnicity and those who prefer a wider world with whatever learning experiences, benefits or disappointments that may entail

Answer 2

yes Boston is racist, I've had similar experience before.

Answer 3

Every Where is RACIST.

Answer 4

its not just Boston, every place you go is racist some worse than others

Answer 5

maybe some people like hockey better than basketball and vice versa. anywhere you go there's going to be racism, but not all of the people in the city are racist. =)

Answer 6

Boston has improved it's race relations over the years. It has a way to go though.

Answer 7

Let me put it this way. If you are black, you can go to any neighborhood in Boston and you will be safe. If you are white, you can't go to black neighborhoods or you get beat up or killed because you are white.

Answer 8

I am a Bostonian and yes white people in Boston are racist in general, but not the blatent, in-your-face, honest racism that you see in the South. You won't hear any white people in Boston openly call a black person a slur of any type, but white Bostonians (the working class type not the loser yuppies that aren't really Boston at all) are for the most part racist. To sum up white Bostonian relations with blacks and other minorities: they'll talk to you, but they won't respect you. But the transplanted yuppies that come to Boston, who got a job or went to college here, will be appalled by racism and such, but just head down to a South Boston (Irish working class neighborhood) bar and you won't be welcomed at all. Same thing in the white-Irish part of Dorchester and Charlestown. Roxbury and Mattapan are the black areas so if you are black and I am assuming you are then you won't experience racism here. Jamaica Plain is the really liberal part as well as downtown so those are other non-racist parts of Boston. Roslindale and West Roxbury are both racist but in no way shape or form are they ever opnely racist---ever---like they are in Southie or dorchester. And yes Boston, even though it is perceived by idiot outsiders as this liberal minded stronghold , has a very racist past and to a lesser extent than say 30 years ago a very racist present. Gary Matthews and Barry Bonds both claimed that boston is racist but even though that is true they are both racist from what I have heard those clowns say---as most black people are (just ask the rev. jesse lee peterson). Hope this helps. And by the way when it comes to real, true, non-transpanted fans (aka Irish Americans from Southie and dorchester and Charlestown the Bruins even though they suck are much more popular---no one cares about the celtics.) And even though Boston is racist and some parts won't accept you there isn't a place in the city where blacks can't go.

Source(s):

19 year old bostonian who knows how boston really is and doesn't mind it because even though racism is wrong having lunatic yuppies run the place is 20 times worse.

Answer 9

Your argument is ridiculous. First of all, I'm skeptical that the thing about hockey and basketball attendance is even true, and even if it were, how exactly do you make the leap from "hockey fan" to "racist"? IF it were true, there could be hundreds of explanations -- maybe the Bruins tix are cheaper, maybe they do better promotions and group deals, maybe they gave away tickets to keep attendance up, maybe Bruins fans are older with more disposable income, maybe when the teams switched venues the Celtics lost season ticket holders.

Boston is no more or less racist than anywhere else. It is true as someone else said already -- Boston is a liberal city, where is racism is not accepted or straightforward. If you wanted to make an argument about the history, why don't you talk about actual things in history -- 'Irish need not apply' or Sacco and Vanzetti, or the Charles Stewart case, or public school busing, or the referendum on ESL classes.

Answer 10

stupid new yorker... boston has a racism stigma...

but on the real dude.. Mass is the only state with a black governor right now so you can just take that back right now!

Gary mattews jr is a jerk and a moron.

Source(s):

Bostonian

Answer 11

yes everywhere is