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Portland has a long, strong history of outright racial exclusion that has persisted through today. I learned this after I visited for a conference in July and found myself wondering where all of the people of color were. A friend and I did some research and discovered the Oregon and the PNW as a whole have a strong, healthy history of racism. We found this article, which has become my go-to guide to send to friends when they ask why I didn't just love Portland while I was there. They have a pedestrian bridge! Isn't that just the coolest?! The Racist History of Portland, the Whitest City in America
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Jan 1, 2017 18:45
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The week after my conference, we drove through tons of rural areas doing field work. I have never seen so many confederate flags in my life. I was very grateful that I was traveling with a white dude, because holy poo poo. We were sampling along a river at one point and there was a big white family with a giant confederate flag billowing proudly in the breeze while two of the adults used an inflatable mattress to float down the river. I took pictures of these kinds of things because I've found that when I explain my experiences people don't believe me. Oregon? Washington?! There's no racism there! That's only in the South! My Portland experience was as a total outsider who had never been to the PNW (or the West in general) and was predominantly raised in the South (North Carolina). I came in completely believing the "very diverse liberal mecca" reputation because I didn't know any better, particularly the history of the entire region. I grew up playing Oregon Trail! Portland is weird like Austin! I have lived in Austin, so that's what I was envisioning for Portland. Hoo boy. My favorite phrase from my stay was when in restaurants, on the bus, on the train, wherever, when someone would ask me where I was from and I would say Tennessee, the response was always: "Oh, we're really tolerant here." Immediately. Every time. This was particularly strange because "tolerant" is not "accepting." Saying you're "tolerant" is a very short step away from outright rejection. For instance, one does not say "I tolerate Joe's behavior" as a compliment. It's a baffling thing to declare to a stranger, and I heard it every single time I told people where I was from. We're really tolerant here. A good microcosm of my Portland experience was my visit to Voodoo Donuts, supposed donut haven of Portland. I went based on the recommendations of several friends who just love their donuts! They're so delicious! I waited 20 minutes in line, paid cash, and got this box as my carton to walk back to my hotel with:  I mean, look at it. Look at it.
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Jan 4, 2017 18:45
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MrBlandAverage posted:Voodoo Doughnuts is gimmicky, overly-sweetened garbage for idiot tourists. I'm glad to read this because it wasn't good at all.
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Jan 5, 2017 01:51
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anthonypants posted:If you want to spend a lot of money on fancy donuts you should check out Blue Star. Here's an article about what it's like to work at Voodoo. Keep Portland Weird! If I ever go back I'll check them out. The only reason I went to Voodoo is because I asked friends here for recommendations for Portland activities/spots since I'd never been, and Voodoo was one of the recommendations. I was hoping for super unique spots. I got Voodoo and "there's a cool pedestrian bridge!!!" It should've been a sign. therobit posted:Wiggly- I hadn't considered this. I thought they might be telling me that because of my slightly brown skin tone in some weird attempt to reassure me, since clearly I'd come from Tennessee to escape the roving racists. Really, I'm glad they educated me on how really tolerant they are. If they hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known otherwise. A fun tumblr I found during my "what the hell is wrong with this city" research: poo poo White People say to Black& Brown People in Portland
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Jan 5, 2017 19:42
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therobit posted:I am sorry that Portland treated you badly. I hope your experience is not repeated if you come back. If you do come back I would be willing to help direct you to some better poo poo to do, depending on your interests. This would be awesome, thank you! I will definitely drop you a line should I ever head back out that way.
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Jan 6, 2017 20:55
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