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Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

intellectualinting.substack.com

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Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#31

Post by coderintherye »

CPLX wrote: post #22

It’s interesting to see this article standing on its own. I don’t think it makes a lot of sense this way. It’s from his newsletter and it kind of assumes a lot and is more of an impressionistic sketch for people that already share his worldview. If you don’t already share that point of view and haven’t read his book this will seem superficial and lacking nuance. With that said I highly recommend his book, Dignity, wh…

The author is also active on Twitter and regularly live-tweets his walks: https://twitter.com/Chris_arnade

Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#32

Post by snowgrove »

vbtemp wrote: post #27

I read this with the same pleasure one would read a well-written short story. The author's English teacher would have given him an A. However, no one should confuse this with actually being some kind of analysis. This piece is entertainment to be enjoyed by white folks in Alexandria cozy on their couch with their cafe-au-lait. Source: Decades-long resident of DC who walks and bikes those routes every month.

>This piece is entertainment to be enjoyed by white folks in Alexandria cozy on their couch with their cafe-au-lait.

Or the Asian and Indian folks who increasingly make up NoVA’s “front row” communities. Source: growing up in Alexandria and living there for a decade.

There are elements of truth to the author’s racial generalizations, but one defining aspect of NoVA and DC is how different groups and races intermix (my middle school was more than 50% black and Hispanic, my high school more than 50% Asian). This aspect is entirely absent from the author’s just-so analysis.

Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#33

Post by rdtsc »

ble wrote: post #23
rdtsc wrote: post #16

> An in your face “be saved or suffer” religiosity. One that deeply informs the lives and realities of the residents, in a way that makes elites uncomfortable When government social services are ineffective or had broken down, the little churches in communities like that is often the only thing which keeps the community together. Family issues, an old person is sick and needs meals brought home, a place to meet. Yeah…

> Yeah it makes the people across the river pretty uncomfortable. They like to have their abstract model of a poor victim they support but that often doesn’t jive with reality. Most of them wouldn’t even dare walk through that neighborhood. Do you personally know people like this? It sounds like you're making some pretty broad generalizations and imagining (not wholly inaccurately!) how some people act and think.

> Do you personally know people like this?

Yes. Would they tell you to your face "I'd never walk in that neighborhood" not directly, no. But they'd say "it's not safe there". They keep their support by protesting on twitter, but would never set foot in a soup kitchen in one of those neighborhood churches.

Since we're sharing stories, another interesting one I have is of an initiative of an atheist organization. Kind of like a non-religious church substitute. The decided that there was not enough outreach into the communities like you see in the article. After some bitter back and forth, they eventually met with the leaders from those communities and learned how much of a support those little churches provide. So striking at their foundation, in an attempt to bring enlightenment doesn't work, especially when there are no other services or help there to substitute it for all the help they provide.

> you're making some pretty broad generalizations and imagining

You might have a better experience or perspective, would want to share it? Usually, that's more constructive than just saying "well, you're imagining stuff" and leaving it at that.

Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#34

Post by lambdaphagy »

rdtsc wrote: post #16

> An in your face “be saved or suffer” religiosity. One that deeply informs the lives and realities of the residents, in a way that makes elites uncomfortable When government social services are ineffective or had broken down, the little churches in communities like that is often the only thing which keeps the community together. Family issues, an old person is sick and needs meals brought home, a place to meet. Yeah…

At the risk of overinterpreting your comment, I think most religious people would be surprised to see their religion characterized as an ersatz government social service.

Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#35

Post by havelhovel »

ble wrote: post #25
havelhovel wrote: post #21

I think the author wants to read too much into a city having poor areas, wealthy areas, and suburbs. I also can’t help but think, based off the story they seem eager to tell, that they purposefully avoided taking a route that would have offered a better reflection of DC proper on the second day (such as starting from the NW), rather than walking past Reagan airport and pretending like they saw NOVA for what it is.

While the author may draw some questionable or disputable conclusions, I think he is aware that different parts of the city and different parts of NoVA look very different; it seems like it's part of the point of going for a walk to make these observations. Is there a reason that you think Northwest is a better reflection of "DC proper"? Anacostia and Benning are very much inside the city limits- they can't represent…

You misinterpret what I wrote. I appreciated the author’s walk through SE DC and wish they had covered more of the city the following day, especially since they write the following about NW DC: “DC is the go-to stereotype for a city of highly educated elites removed from the country they govern. That DC exists, but it is confined to parts roughly in the north western half.” Instead of exploring that stereotype they use their walk through NOVA to reinforce their claim that the DC “elite” and Democrats are out of touch with everything.

Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#36

Post by havelhovel »

QuarterReptile wrote: post #28
havelhovel wrote: post #21

I think the author wants to read too much into a city having poor areas, wealthy areas, and suburbs. I also can’t help but think, based off the story they seem eager to tell, that they purposefully avoided taking a route that would have offered a better reflection of DC proper on the second day (such as starting from the NW), rather than walking past Reagan airport and pretending like they saw NOVA for what it is.

I found the article entirely consistent with Chris' usual fare. NW DC would have been a bizarre juxtaposition. Even the parts of DC he walked for this article stand out for how walkable they are compared to other maligned locales he has visited.

There’s nothing “bizarre” about comparing one part of a city to another, especially when the author themself describes NW DC as a bubble for the elite. They could have backed those claims up by walking through those neighborhoods as well, but they jump over to Virginia instead.

I’m sorry to tell you the author’s “usual fare” does not impress me as nuanced or insightful.

Re: Walking America: Washington, DC (Anacostia and Alexandria)

#40

Post by winternett »

ble wrote: post #8

As a native of the DC area familiar with one of these neighborhoods and living right next to the other, the author's descriptions are pleasantly familiar to me. The author seems eager to fit the neighborhoods into his sociological and political analysis so some parts seem reductive but he's rather overt and honest about it. The author seems impressed with his social analysis and political opinions and I'm glad he has…

Almost as if the writer is looking at a fish tank, it demonstrates how everyone is now in a constant state of isolated perspectives, and unable to walk in the shoes of others.

Whatever is normal for us defines our world. The constant underlying battle is that we're less and less capable of walking in the shoes of others. If you live in rural America, you'll realize the same blights and issues exist too. People go through trauma and tragedy, and they often simply give up, this world is harsh on people who give up, or use drugs, or resort to harmful behavior especially if they're financially and racially not able to overcome societal stereotypes that are promoted. Just as there are individuals using crack and heroin in the inner city, there are wealthy people in Hollywood doing exactly the same things. Society works so hard to define differences and then to rebrand them as case studies and perspectives, but no one talks about the human nature perspective because it's really uncomfortable for humans to examine their own individual faults in the process.

I've lived in DC for over 30 years, and seen every corner of it. I was born to middle-class priviledge, but I've also As a minority myself, I know how hard it can be at the bottom through not being intimidated of living inside of that "fish tank", and knowing from that experience that there are people born to, and suffering from, much worse situations than mine.

If we look at the ways out of poverty and desolation as a scientist, we're already failing because there is no really effective way of grouping individuals into any actionable case study. It's frickin everyone that is the issue now. The cure for ignorance is understanding how every last one of us is vulnerable, susceptible, and accountable for their individual perspectives and actions and self education about wealth inequality and racial insensitivity... world wide.

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