It’s been way too long since I’ve posted anything about Hoboken. Sorry I haven’t written much. I’ve been busy with things outside of Hoboken (gasp!).
Today’s rant is brought to you by the makers of Hoboken411. Hoboken411 is one of – if not THE premiere website for all things Hoboken. Although I haven’t met the person(s) who run the site, I get the sense that he really cares about the community – or at least enough to make a living off of it by promoting the things that go on in it or are important to it. I normally scan the articles for anything major and stay away from the comments. But that’s changed recently and I’m actually sad to report that not all Hobokenites are who I thought they were. Many (but not all) of the commenters I find on 411 are, in my opinion, not the nicest of people – some, I feel, are downright racist and bigoted.
In the article on the new NJ Transit Bridge, someone called the Newport Center Mall area Hinduport – an obvious and (I’d say) derogatory reference to the Americans of Indian decent that live there. Forgetting the fact that ethnicity had nothing to do with the conversation at all, I found this to be done in more than just bad taste. Other people made references to the people who shopped at the Mall believing they bred homelessness which would spill into our “gentrified” town. I distinctly remember seeing a comment on how this new bridge would let people from Jersey City come to Hoboken and “rob us” more easily. And while cooler heads called many of these classless people out for their appalling comments, very few did. Even more troubling is how rudely people are treated in other conversations.
In the Russo endorses Obama article, the conversation easily led to hate speak posted in the comments; it became a race to see who was the first to say something politically incorrect. And when Hoboken was in the middle of its own election fiasco, all the wild, wild, wests came out and said some heated words that were rude (at best) and derogatory, disparaging, and (perhaps) defamatory (at worst). It was clear that the commentors were engaged in an all out war.
Regardless of one political officiation, it doesn’t take much to be polite to someone who you disagree with; its called respect for one’s opinions. And for as “monied” as Hoboken can be – with its 500k to 3m condos and luxury cars everywhere – there isn’t a lot of class in this town. There is just no reason why someone has to belittle an ethnicity or bigoted in any way in a an urban environment such as this. If you don’t like your neighbors’ heritage, I’d say you’re better off moving the segregated south of 40 years ago.
That kind of hate speak is something I don’t want in Hoboken and I hope that the comments left by a few classless individuals is not indicative of the population. But there is a reason the saying “One bad apple spoils the bunch” exists…
It’s true.
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