Growing up in Brooklyn...

[highmay]

gives you such a unique perspective on life and how you view society as a whole. I am so grateful for living in a place as unique as this.

With all the diverse cultures packed into such a condense area, you develop a tolerance, appreciation, and eventual love for all things diverse. That diversity has shaped me as a person and made me grow in so many ways. If I lived anywhere else, I really don't think I would be the person I am today.

Anyone else from bklyn agree?

[synderella420]

Yups have to agree with you on that..

[nycmuzik]

So true. Especially while living in Jersey for acouple of years, I got to experiance first hand how diverse my outlook on life is.

[djdee2k]

brooklyn here!!!! youre right about culture tolerance...

i like your thought process too.

[highmay]

Originally posted by djdee2k

brooklyn here!!!! youre right about culture tolerance...

i like your thought process too.

why thank you

that's the best compliment i've gotten in a while...

[teklord310]

Not to mention the fact that it makes you a hard ass tough guy. The area I grew up in is vastly different. 95% of my highschool is white, very boring, nothing ever changes.

[xxlea]

Originally posted by teklord310

Not to mention the fact that it makes you a hard ass tough guy.

Or girl

[highmay]

Originally posted by teklord310

Not to mention the fact that it makes you a hard ass tough guy.

It doesn't make you more of a hard-ass, just less tolerant of people's bullshit. Dealing with so many different people from different backgrounds makes you more aware of how general society operates within a larger scale.

[divalicious]

Growing up in Brighton Beach, and hanging out in Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Gravesend and Bensonhurst, I came across many people who were quite intolerant of different people.

Yes, I agree that Brooklyn has a very diverse ethnic mix, but most neighborhoods are predominantly one ethnicity, and if you tried to move into a neighborhood that was not of your ethnicity, you would be met with resistance (I know, because I've tried). And if you were a guy trying to hang out in a neighborhood that was not of your ethnicity, you might have to watch your back (girls weren't bothered, that's why I was able to hang in white neighborhoods). Does Yusuf Hawkins ring a bell? How about that black family who bought a home in Canarsie, only to have it burned to keep them out? There's also rampant anti-semitism.

I'm not trying to shoot down what you all are agreeing about, but just trying to bring a bit of reality. I very much wish that being brought up with all this diversity would make people more understanding and tolerant of our differences, but, unfortunately, that is just not the case.

[djdee2k]

damn i grew up near brighton beach... well im russian, hehe... hang out on the bay , went to Murrow... then moved out to go to college upstate nY... I couldnt step my foot beyong West 8th street into Coney Island 10 yrs ago, i think now its much better...

[gqraver]

Originally posted by divalicious

Growing up in Brighton Beach, and hanging out in Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Gravesend and Bensonhurst, I came across many people who were quite intolerant of different people.

Yes, I agree that Brooklyn has a very diverse ethnic mix, but most neighborhoods are predominantly one ethnicity, and if you tried to move into a neighborhood that was not of your ethnicity, you would be met with resistance (I know, because I've tried). And if you were a guy trying to hang out in a neighborhood that was not of your ethnicity, you might have to watch your back (girls weren't bothered, that's why I was able to hang in white neighborhoods). Does Yusuf Hawkins ring a bell? How about that black family who bought a home in Canarsie, only to have it burned to keep them out? There's also rampant anti-semitism.

I'm not trying to shoot down what you all are agreeing about, but just trying to bring a bit of reality. I very much wish that being brought up with all this diversity would make people more understanding and tolerant of our differences, but, unfortunately, that is just not the case.

I grew up in Bensonhurt, lived in Coney Island/Brighton Beach and Kings Highway/Midwood area. Bensonhurt was predominalty Italian when I grew up there, but where I lived is where I had the most black friends ever, ironically enough. Brighton Beach might seem predominalty Russian, but its a weird mix of Chinese, Hispanic, Arab and Russian. Where I lived in Midwood area was again predominantly Russian as well, where English being spoken seems to not exist anymore.

Truth I feel like the minority being American (yes I consider myself American, born in the US, parents born in the US as well) born in Brooklyn these days.

I see your point about Yusek Hawkins, but being considered 'white' I was jumped quite a few times as a kid because of my skin color, and was the object of 'reverse racism' as they call it. I had to watch my back wherver I went. I could not walk into neighborhood like Flatbush, Bed Stuy, East New York and be safe.

I think no matter what there is racism/prejudice at all corners in Brooklyn unto people different than the ethnic majority that exists in the neighborhood. But it'll make you a stronger person in the end dealing with it.

Just my thoughts

peace

[viciouscycle]

Diversity. It all starts with the family then what u make of it. If your household promotes diversity & u just receive your high school diploma in diversity.

I spent most of my upbringing in brooklyn, manhattan and staten island. To say, nyc is a diverse city, with so much culture that come together is a crock of sh*t, except manhattan.

It's the freakin "old school" mentality & system that keeps neigborhoods segregated with the notion of being ignorant.

My friends could be the biggest ignorant assh0(es I know of. I am the only asian guy or minority they hang with. They are 1st, 2nd generation paizons that have this "old school" mentality like their grandparents had when they just got off the boat. They keep it real but they keep it to themselves.

I found diversity through love. Diversity is here in nyc, u can choose to experience it or not to.

my 2 cents....

yo highmay, it's me essentials, we met at evo's for howells

u down thurs for carl cox........

[synderella420]

Originally posted by divalicious

Growing up in Brighton Beach, and hanging out in Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Gravesend and Bensonhurst, I came across many people who were quite intolerant of different people.

Yes, I agree that Brooklyn has a very diverse ethnic mix, but most neighborhoods are predominantly one ethnicity, and if you tried to move into a neighborhood that was not of your ethnicity, you would be met with resistance (I know, because I've tried). And if you were a guy trying to hang out in a neighborhood that was not of your ethnicity, you might have to watch your back (girls weren't bothered, that's why I was able to hang in white neighborhoods). Does Yusuf Hawkins ring a bell? How about that black family who bought a home in Canarsie, only to have it burned to keep them out? There's also rampant anti-semitism.

I'm not trying to shoot down what you all are agreeing about, but just trying to bring a bit of reality. I very much wish that being brought up with all this diversity would make people more understanding and tolerant of our differences, but, unfortunately, that is just not the case.

Okay I just had to throw my two cents in here...

Bensonhurst was prejudice years ago I give that to you..

It has changed a lot now I live in Bensonhurst..

There are a lot more Russian, Mexican, Blacks, Arabs, etc.

I just hate when people say Bensonhurst is prejudice when they dont know the deal, that it has changed a lot..

I heard a story about a Polish family that moved into Fort Greene and they had a daughter.. and she was beaten by a group of black girls because she was Polish..

I went to New Utrecht High school and that is in Bensonhurst we had a whole mix of kids that went there..

I am italian and Irish and I was mainly friends with the black and spanish kids..

It just really bothers me that people think like this...

Yeah the Yusef Hawkins incident happened about 10-12 years ago.. when there was a lot of prejudice in the neighborhood..

but thing shave way changed since then..

But the kid who did it yes he did serve his time for it..

Can I walk through bed stuy?? I think not

Can a black person walk through Bensonhurst I think so..

Take a walk on 18th ave in the morning full of Mexicans..

So it has definitely changed a lot just my two cents..

[glowgrlnyc]

Originally posted by highmay

gives you such a unique perspective on life and how you view society as a whole. I am so grateful for living in a place as unique as this.

With all the diverse cultures packed into such a condense area, you develop a tolerance, appreciation, and eventual love for all things diverse. That diversity has shaped me as a person and made me grow in so many ways. If I lived anywhere else, I really don't think I would be the person I am today.

Anyone else from bklyn agree?

I agRee...

[bigpoppanils]

Originally posted by teklord310

The area I grew up in is vastly different. 95% of my highschool is white, very boring, nothing ever changes.

yeah

Staten island is like that for the most part, especially the south shore

i have always been open minded towards evewrything, but coming to baruch was still a shock. my HS was 85% white, and baruch is about 20% white (about half of those are russians)

i sometimes wish i grew up in bay ridge (where my parents wanted to live, but couldnt for financial reasons)

however, i realize that i would not be the same person, and i wouldnt give that up for the world

[jennEfer]

I wish I could have gotten the opportunity to grow up in a place as diverse as brooklyn. Instead, like Teklord, my school was predominantly white, nothing changed, and most had closed minded views on race, sexual preference, etc... I would like to consider myself one of the people who does not fit that mold... and a little more open-minded, tolerant, and cultured than the people I grew up with.

[divalicious]

The examples I used were only two of the many racial incindents, and my mentioning them was not in any way to ignore what may have happened to white, spanish, asian or any other nationality. They were just two highly publicized incidents.

I know Brooklyn, and yes, I know Bensonhurst. And sorry to burst your bubble, but Bensonhurst is still prejudice, it's just not as openly so nowadays. If I tried to get an apartment there, it would be very difficult, unless it were in an apartment building, where the landlord cares only that I can pay my rent. I know lots of people from that neighborhood, who hate the fact that Russians (especially) and others are moving into "their" neighborhood. And don't even try to deny that the old school folks aren't upset by this as well. I'm not putting down any one neighborhood or people. Most neighborhoods in Brooklyn have the same kind of mentality, that it is "their" neighborhood, and others should stay out.

Granted, and thankfully, many in the younger generation are definitely more tolerant and accepting of differences, but many in the older generations, and even some young folk are not. I find this quite sad, because we all have the opportunity to learn about and explore our differences.

[thehacker]

i've never lived in bklyn.

only worked there for the past year (until i quit a month ago).

but...

definately *Troo*.

i've often envied people who grew up in bklyn.

just the exposure to so many different people with

just about every reason to do just about anything

really gives you a peek at the inner workings

of what it is to be human...

[kingartur]

Originally posted by divalicious

The examples I used were only two of the many racial incindents, and my mentioning them was not in any way to ignore what may have happened to white, spanish, asian or any other nationality. They were just two highly publicized incidents.

I know Brooklyn, and yes, I know Bensonhurst. And sorry to burst your bubble, but Bensonhurst is still prejudice, it's just not as openly so nowadays. If I tried to get an apartment there, it would be very difficult, unless it were in an apartment building, where the landlord cares only that I can pay my rent. I know lots of people from that neighborhood, who hate the fact that Russians (especially) and others are moving into "their" neighborhood. And don't even try to deny that the old school folks aren't upset by this as well. I'm not putting down any one neighborhood or people. Most neighborhoods in Brooklyn have the same kind of mentality, that it is "their" neighborhood, and others should stay out.

Granted, and thankfully, many in the younger generation are definitely more tolerant and accepting of differences, but many in the older generations, and even some young folk are not. I find this quite sad, because we all have the opportunity to learn about and explore our differences.

I'm not trying to sound like an asshole.. but you mentioned brighton beach, Bensonhurst being prejudice. But what about Flatbush. I don't think any white person would be able to live there, that person will be killed or kicked out.

[divalicious]

Originally posted by kingartur

I'm not trying to sound like an asshole.. but you mentioned brighton beach, Bensonhurst being prejudice. But what about Flatbush. I don't think any white person would be able to live there, that person will be killed or kicked out.

I specifically mentioned Bensonhurst because someone was trying to say that it has changed a lot, when in reality, it hasn't changed that much, it's just less obvious. Btw, if you notice, I did say that "most neighborhoods in Brooklyn have the same mentality...". Brighton Beach is not a neighborhood I would classify as "prejudice", as I would Bensonhurst, though. I grew up in BB, and it was and still is a very mixed neighborhood, where black, white, hispanic, asian, et. al. can walk down the street without a shred of fear.

What you say about Flatbush is not entirely true. I know of white people who live there, with no problems at all, but they live in parts where the people are middle class, upstanding citizens. A neighborhood like Brownsville or Bed Stuy would be more along the lines of which you speak.

[fierydesire]

Originally posted by kingartur

I'm not trying to sound like an asshole.. but you mentioned brighton beach, Bensonhurst being prejudice. But what about Flatbush. I don't think any white person would be able to live there, that person will be killed or kicked out.

Ok let me step in over here. So I grew up and still live in BK and I have to agree with Highmay. Bk is definitely diverse. Ok well I think its what you make out of it. Walking down flatbush you wont get killed or kicked out. That is a bunch of bullshit. So I have also been to Bed-stuy and areas of that nature...and I am not fearful.

I agree with diva in the fact that people try to claim the neighborhood as "theirs"...that is one thing that pisses me off. And sorry to tell ya hun, but brighton beach is like a little odessa. All the signs are in Russian etc. But Im just using this as an example cause, many places that are inhabited by a predominant cultures take such forms. like 8th ave in Bk...is mainly chinese...my neighborhood is mainly dominated by the orthodox jewish sect with the stores in hebrew writing.

Anyhow, like I said its all of what you make of it. I have no fear of walking through any neighborhood. and coming back to highmays original point I must agree that BK is very diverse, but also places such as queens can be inputted into that equation

[nSyNcBaBy]

i agree........ im not in brooklyn anymore but lived there for 12 years... and even though i was only 12 when i moved out, i saw a lot of shit go down in brooklyn and a lot of things happen that i never would even be exposed to if i lived in jersey all my life.....

my brother was mugged in the kings plaza mall parking lot when he was 17... had a gun held to his head and was ducktaped and put underneath a car 2 days before christmas... this was the wake up call we got telling us that we needed to get the hell outta there... my little brother was just born and my mom refused to raise another child in an area that was only getting worse and worse...

my best friend in brooklyn, jeannine, was thrown off her bike when she was 10 so that some guy could steal her bike out from underneath her... so many things like that have happened to people im close with and those are the reasons for us moving, but i wish my little brother, who is 10 now, could have grown up there like me and my other 2 brothers did. its weird cuz my lil brother now, sits in the basement all day playing nintendo, and ..when he does go out to ride his bike he can only go around the block a few times cuz any further than that is all highways and main roads... but when i was 10, i was walking to school by myself, riding my bike to the grocery store and to lil shopping centers... id spend the entire day riding bikes with my friends around my neighborhood ::Bergen Beach:: climbing trees and just doing things that my lil brother hasnt had the opportunity to do... i loved growing up ::for the most part:: in brooklyn. i may be in jersey already for about 8 years but the base of my childhood has been in brooklyn. ::plus all my family and friends still live there so, im there a lot::

i love it there:heart:

[highmay]

Originally posted by viciouscycle

Diversity. It all starts with the family then what u make of it. If your household promotes diversity & u just receive your high school diploma in diversity.

I spent most of my upbringing in brooklyn, manhattan and staten island. To say, nyc is a diverse city, with so much culture that come together is a crock of sh*t, except manhattan.

It's the freakin "old school" mentality & system that keeps neigborhoods segregated with the notion of being ignorant.

They are 1st, 2nd generation paizons that have this "old school" mentality like their grandparents had when they just got off the boat. They keep it real but they keep it to themselves.

I found diversity through love. Diversity is here in nyc, u can choose to experience it or not to.

my 2 cents....

yo highmay, it's me essentials, we met at evo's for howells

u down thurs for carl cox........

agree with all of this totally..

and WHAT UP JAY!!

good seeing again at COX @ EVO....

[glowgirl]

I don't think I would live anywhere else in NY. I was born in East NY and raised in Carnarsie. And now I live in Dyker Heights!

Brooklyn Girly 100%!