BrianNY, sounds like you haven’t been to Long Island City in a very long time. It’s now the home of million dollar plus condos, world class museums and corporate offices. One of the largest banks in the world has had a major presence there for about a decade and just completed their second highrise.

Hey Les,

My Dad grew up one neighborhood over (Woodside-Boulevard Gardens to be specific) and LI City was always a cesspool throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

I made friends with an artist who rented a warehouse around 44th Ave, between 11th and 21st Streets who lived on the top floor (illegal!) and threw outrageous parties on the roof.

I can tell you that between 1994 and 1998, those side streets – not too far from the public housing where “NaS” grew up, was hooker, pimp, and drug dealer central. (It seemed like LI City was the last ‘Wild West’ outpost that the Giuliani Administration tackled.)

If you were referring to the Citicorp Tower as the large bank with a presence in LI City…they have been there as long as I can remember…right along with the pimps and the hos.

Glad to hear that many spots have been converting to high end condos (I’m guessing that this was something that happened post-2003?) My gut tells me that, with those notorious Queensbridge public housing towers still a stones throw away, a slight downturn in economy/city services could make thing very difficult for those buying million dollar+ condos in that area.

BrianNY, sounds like you haven’t been to Long Island City in a very long time. It’s now the home of million dollar plus condos, world class museums and corporate offices. One of the largest banks in the world has had a major presence there for about a decade and just completed their second highrise.

One more thing; if black children can freely sling the word nigger around on mass transit without a glare from black adults, there’s no reason why white Americans can’t avail the same lexicon. It’s the goose thing.

Sir, not all black children use this word. In fact, many share the same resentment of the word as their parents. Anyone who has seen me post here, knows I’m against the word in all circumstances. Period… Yes, this includes Rev. Jackson.

Nas says that he wore that shirt to promote his album which (paraphrasing) used the word as his way of taking back the term. However, with the outcry over the “N-Word”, Nas changed his album to… no name at all. But alas, Ms. Malkin will probably not mention that and will continue to use that picture to try and prove her point.

Back to the thread, I find it interesting that Ms. Malkin and the Seattle PI author omit this (from Reuters):

Another anchor called a televised fist bump between Obama and his wife a “terrorist fist jab,” they said, and talk show host Bill O’Reilly discussed calling a “lynching party” to deal with Michelle Obama after criticizing her patriotism.

Will Ms. Malkin talk about that incident at the top of this thread like she responded to all of the other allegations? To date, she has not commented on that at all…

On July 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am, mholland1 said:
It’s a black thing, and I don’t understand……

No. Rap isn’t a “black thing” no more than PeeWee Herman is a “white thing,” even though far too many American blacks regard/excuse it as a legit facet of “our culture”, and that phrase-concept has been the curse of what’s been happening in “black America.” The ultimate sad thing about it is since just after the Civil War, black Americans have fostered the idea that being black is a cultural onto itself, with devastating reasons in terms of individual self-esteem and self-reliance and diversity in mainstream America. No other race in the nation has railroaded itself into a mono-cultural pigeon hole like that with a false sense of comfortable community and racial pride that tolerates corrosive values. It’s that “if there’s a “black leader”, so who’s the white leader then?” idea. Unfortunately it will take gonads and more generations to cleanse this attitude and mindset even it started today.
One more thing; if black children can freely sling the word nigger around on mass transit without a glare from black adults, there’s no reason why white Americans can’t avail the same lexicon. It’s the goose thing.

James Greenidge
Queens NY

However, to truly show their outrage, they need look no farther than a former Klansman turned eternal Senator and Tennessee Governor Bresden who seem to have no problem at all using the word…so long as it is to describe something or someone else other than a black person.

Anyone ever heard the John Lennon song, “Woman is the N***** of the World”? I don;t see any Liberals going afrer his estate or trying to have that song pulled from the albums now on sale.

Oh well…I guess self-righteous indignation only goes so far.

After all, the Libs and Lefties have been absolutely blatant about such things for so long that I cannot think of a time when they haven’t made such attacks.

I would hate to think that they would have such a prime opportunity to prove that they are not hypocrites and will actually practice what they preach.

I would hold my breath, but I would just turn a funny blue color…which would then leave me open to a barrage of “tollerant, Progressive and Open-Minded” comments about what color I have turned.

Probably can not even spell the word “racist”.

Now why are some of you white folks all running scared of words like ‘racist’ and ‘prejudiced’?

If you don’t have a problem with all races of people other than your own race, then you are probably not racist. (maybe a redneck or a hillbilly but not a racist? wait…now Im offended) If you do not pre judge people before you find them out to be stupid or annoying like they actually are, then you are not prejudiced.

Even I dont like to be around a whole lot of my own race – even after I get to know them. So dont get all pissy when I dont care to be around everyone else in the whole world every day of every year.