>>>>To all my black neighbors.
>>>
>>>Pa di da Lali ukradu bicklu ...
>>>
>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz41ekCXlhg
>>>
>>>BTW strange, but I have seen only one black guy here on UT in last 10 years ...
>>>
>>>>
>>>>I saw two of your kids steal my bicycles. I saw them through the fence as they were approaching, one had a white T-shirt, didn't quite notice the other's garments. I thought they may be up to something, but then I gave them the benefit of the doubt - they may have been playing and lost the ball somewhere behind our car, or something, so I didn't get up to check.
>>>>
>>>>Well, too bad. The bicycles were the cheap Walmart stuff - too bad for the $20 seats we added - and I don't care for whatever value they may still have. I may even buy a bicycle on a yard sale... or buy my own bicycle back, whatever.
>>>>
>>>>It's just that you have lost my respect, pretty much forever. Unless the bicycles are back by tomorrow morning, when parents return, which I doubt. I am not giving a dime, ever again, for any of your charities, I'm not putting up a light on Halloween, and I will most probably find it in me to yell at any kids playing too close to our roses. I had all the good will to be a good neighbor, but this takes the cake. Shove the bicycles where the sun don't shine.
>>
>>Where I live there are very few black people. This was driven home to me 2 summers ago when we went up to London and went to watch the Notting Hill Carnival. My youngest daughter, then only 6/7, turned to me and said, "Daddy, why are there so many brown people here?" I suddenly realised that she was growing up in a world where she was unaware of their existence.
>>
>>VERY much contrary to the Hugh Grant film, "Notting Hill", where you rarely see a non-white face, that area of London has, I believe, a predominantly "ethnic" popn.
>>
>>I would welcome some black families in our street because, for a start, they'd be bound to be better class than many of the white trash that live in the "projects" on the outskirts of town, not that hoi poloi come to live in our street anyway :-)
>
>The town (actually a distant suburb of Chicago) where I live is racially mixed -- white, black, and probably about half Hispanic. It is mostly middle class with some marginal parts and a couple of posh ones. My daughters went to a virtually all white school in Wisconsin before moving here and initially it was an adjustment to them to be in a racially mixed school, even though they grew up in a mixed neighborhood in Chicago. They quickly became comfortable with it and have friends from all groups. Emily in particular seems to be growing up in a post-racial generation. I know that's never going to be completely true but it really doesn't seem to be an issue for her and her friends at all. Her volleyball team is almost evenly divided between the three groups. Monday after practice we gave rides home to two of her teammates, one Mexican-American and one black. (Stephanie is actually not Mexican-American, her parents are. She has lived here her whole life, barely knows any Spanish, and is just like any other American kid except for having brown skin. I mention only in passing that she is the rock of the team). Emily had 5 girls over for her birthday sleepover earlier this month -- 2 black, 1 hispanic, and 2 white. So many people fear "them" moving in -- whoever "they" are -- but IMO it's a great advantage for the girls to be growing up in this kind of environment. It is increasingly what America will look like. Now it's actually a bit of a jolt to be at a volleyball match and notice the other team is lily white, all blonde girls with ponytails. That happened twice last week, in fact.

What is interesting is that you mention "So many people fear "them" moving in" I think that is our generation speaking. Life hear is mixed and has been for so long that it isn't even a consideration. Every single neighborhood from the most posh to the most downtrodden is mixed here. We are a mixture of mostly blacks, whites, hispanics, asians, and just about every other country in the world. My daughter's two best friends are black and hispanic. I'm pretty sure the current younger generation doesn't even think about it. They spend more time thinking about who's 'hot' or who's 'stupid' and stuff like that.... :o)

Vz41ekCXlhg