Posted in particular for my DC friends.

[randomness]

This bit of advice on how to keep yourself safe in DC has been making the rounds, both of those going to the August 28th Glenn Beck march and other people who live in DC.

Bruce P. Majors, in his blog.

Many parts of DC are safe beyond the areas I will list here, but why chance it if you don't know where you are?

If you are on the subway stay on the Red line between Union Station and Shady Grove, Maryland. If you are on the Blue or Orange line do not go past Eastern Market (Capitol Hill) toward the Potomac Avenue stop and beyond; stay in NW DC and points in Virginia. Do not use the Green line or the Yellow line. These rules are even more important at night. There is of course nothing wrong with many other areas; but you don't know where you are, so you should not explore them.

If on foot or in a cab or bus, stay in Bethesda, Arlington (preferably north Arlington), Crystal City, Falls Church, Annandale, or Alexandria, or in DC only in northwest DC west (i.e. larger street numbers) of 14th or 16th streets, or if on Capitol Hill only in SE Capitol Hill (zip 20003) between 1st and 8th Streets, not farther out than 8th (e.g. 9th, 10th etc). (Or stay on the Mall and at the various monuments.) Again there are many other lovely places, from the Catholic University of America to Silver Spring, Maryland. But you don't know where you are so you cannot go, especially at night, unless you take me with you.

Matt Yglesias observes "Five years ago I would have said definitively that the most terrifying thing about the Green/Yellow lines is the black people, but more recently this may be a caution against interacting with hipsters."

Personally I consider this a bit of a cautionary tale about well-meant advice on places to avoid in cities. I spend a lot of my time wandering around big cities looking for things to eat, driving, walking, or on transit. There's a lot of advice like this floating around the web, in guidebooks, and even given out by people in hotels and guesthouses, and it's important to remember whenever you get advice that it reflects the assumptions and fears of the people giving it. It's often difficult to gauge how reasonable it is, particularly if you're not used to cities in general as well as the specific city in question.

Comments

[tavella.livejournal.com]

Except that was directed entirely at black residents. "Don't play a guessing game with a random strnger's ethnic origin when striking up a conversation with them" might be good advice, but Majors is clearly working the "them crazy black people will menace you if you make a mistake" nerve.

Also, many of them *are* African-American -- African-born American citizens.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

Also, many of them *are* African-American -- African-born American citizens.

I would wager that most African born American citizens would not be very pleased to be called African American, which tends to imply a particular US ethnicity. I know in my high school it certainly didn't make for any points with the kids of diplomats.




urgh. I ended up having a minimeeting before saving my edited comment, which then blew up after having been replied to. Isn't really worth recapturing, other than maybe the link to moving a car further down PA avenue. People have also mentioned other tourist destinations on Green/Yellow; I live down by Waterfront and near the Stadium and quite nearby both we had roving bands of kids (11-14yo) who last year were attacking people just for fun. One guy died. It's helpful to know an area.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

know in my high school it certainly didn't make for any points with the kids of diplomats.

That would be because 'kids of diplomats' would _not be American_.

I daresay that your average naturalized citizen from Ethopia is likely to think of themselves as Ethopian-American rather than African-American, same as your naturalized French person is likely to think of themselves as French-American rather than European-American, but it's hardly an insult.