Introducing the Black Middle Class

Ezra Klein continues his racial coffee blogging:

Matt's argument about Mocha Hut actually hurts his case, because Mocha Hut, along with Busboys and Poets and 14U, are new businesses that have only entered the U Street corridor as it became...whiter. Indeed, as people like Matt, who now hangs out at those coffee shops, moved there. In this case, white is actually standing in for affluent, because the sort of people who spend $4 on a latte and demand wireless internet for their laptops tend to have money in the bank, whatever their race.

Well, okay, Ezra was using race to stand in for change in economic status but he, um, shouldn't treat the two as interchangeable. I picked Mocha Hut as my example precisely because it has a primarily black client base. It seems to mostly be educated African-American professionals, but that's just the point: Ezra's econo-racial conflation gambit obscures the existence of such people, but there are tons of them -- especially in majority black places like DC.

Comments

Matt -

Don't know if you're actually a friend of Ezra's or not (who can tell from pictures), but you may want to tell him to quit digging.

Posted by Rihilism | September 25, 2007 5:06 PM

You guys are still failing to address the issue that started it all. Namely, why is Portland so Kewl while DC kinda sucks? Ezra's original idea about no one wanting to move to DC except for work seems to have some merit, but no one's really explained just why that is. And, why is everyone moving to Portland these days (it's not just Modest Mouse, Portland is one of the few cities in the US with a booming real estate market). There's a city planning/lifestyle discussion here that's worthwhile but no one seems to want to have it since Ezra accidentally drank his racism potion today.

I've been to Portland a few times in the last year and agree that it's basically hipster paradise. But, I'm not sure if it was shrewd city planning, pure luck, or the fact that Seattle and SF became too expensive and left coast artists needed a new place to go.

Posted by Citizen (World) | September 25, 2007 5:20 PM

Damn, another round of East Coast v. West Coast coffee blogging.

Someone needs to step in and stop this cycle of violence before something really bad happens, especially now that we've seen both of you with guns.

Posted by SoCalJustice | September 25, 2007 5:22 PM

What Rihilism said.

I'd point out that the proximity of the U Street corridor to Howard University suggests the existence of a long-standing community of educated African-American professionals, and a demand for such social gathering places that predates their new hipster neighbors. Gentrification made the neighborhood more favorable for investment, but it didn't create a demand for classy social gathering places where none previously existed.

I'd also point out that some of us moved to the DC area not just for the jobs, but because it's a relatively awesome place to live compared to, say, downstate Illinois or rural South Carolina. Portland's merits, or lack thereof, don't really enter into the picture.

Posted by LaFollette Progressive | September 25, 2007 5:27 PM

Ice People like coffee. Sun People prefer tea.

Posted by Toothless African American | September 25, 2007 5:41 PM

It is true, however, that us pasty people in the northwest do seem to disproportionately love coffee (not just Portland and Seattle, there are tons of coffee shops in places like Spokane). Could be the gloomy, damp winter weather. Even the non-hipsters here guzzle down the premium blend.

Posted by Citizen (World) | September 25, 2007 5:46 PM

On the south side of Chicago there are several Starbucks that seem to draw a mixed but heavily black clientele. My understanding is that this is because of Magic Johnson:

http://www.johnsondevelopmentcorp.com/starbucks/index.html

Posted by minderbender | September 25, 2007 5:48 PM

Well,

Lets answer why perhaps some cities have cultural trends that are attractive to 20-something, educated, middle-class populations, and others, for whatever reason do not.

(a) In terms of government implementing policies for creating these environments, there is a case to be made that through long-term planning, you can help spur such change. Providence, RI has done this, in part by catering to both the artists (through low-rent spaces for their studios), and shockingly for some, an open acceptance of the gay community. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Yes, some make snide remarks about the government creating coffee house jobs. But your limited knowledge of what some cities do to foster the “creative” class is documented by this lack of understanding. Denver’s art district (Santa Fe Avenue) is starting to get too expensive for the artists. Some are wondering if this is going to pose a problem for Denver continual cultural renaissance from cow-town to cosmopolitan urban center. We are not there yet, but are trying. I for one think that Denver should try to create zones for artists, in order to continue to foster the migration of artists into Denver as well as continue to attract others who are attracted to cities with great local art scenes.

(b) Institutions of Higher Education: these cannot be ignored. It is why Gary, Indiana, no matter how hard it tries, will never be able to change, because the city offers nothing to the educated class. Washington, DC has some great Universities (Howard, Georgetown, George Washington, University, American University). Unfortunately, these Universities have been overshadowed by the other component of Washington’s 20-somethings, the professional political class. That, combined with a historically (since the 70’s) dangerous city, has discouraged these communities from integrating into the same kind of bohemian village you see in central Denver, Boston etc…

(c) Life-Style: certain cities offer tons of opportunities for educated classes (Boston is the epi-center of graduate school and post-graduate school opportunities). Other cities offer life-styles that are part of the 20-something culture (Denver offers cyclones, hiking, rock climbing etc.. as hobbies for young-people with disposable income). Washington D.C, unfortunately is a draw for neither. It is a draw for those seeking to advance their careers in politics, which often means late nights, long-hours, and lots of networking. All of these are not conducive to the hipster/bohemian culture that Ezra so desperately clamors for. Washington DC is starting to develop these cultures, in part due to the growing popularity of the single-speed, coffee shop, hipster culture (which began in earnest in San Francisco and Portland/Seattle).

(d) Race: Since Ezra has dug himself a hole, maybe someone should Bloggingheads.tv style deploy the moose. The fact is, the bohemian culture (which includes coffee shops) is mostly the culture of white, educated suburbanites who recently moved into cities. Not that other cultures do not have their components who seek out coffee houses to hang out in. But it just is not as much of a component of those cultures (black and Latino middle-class culture). As I said in another post, I see little difference between what Ezra said and when someone would complain at the lack of Latino cultural institutions in Boston or Pittsburgh.

Posted by Brad | September 25, 2007 6:01 PM

I don't know why the white, male progressive blogosphere was so reticent re: the Jena 6. You handle conversations about race so elegantly! ;)

Posted by Redstar | September 25, 2007 6:04 PM

D.C. versus Seattle? What's the mystery here?

1) D.C. is stiflingly 5 months out of the year; Seattle isn't.

2) D.C. is mostly black, and has the crime, shitty schools, and other social problems majority black communities bring; Seattle is mostly white and educated.

3) D.C. is flat and the surrounding area is unremarkable; Seattle is hilly and the surrounding scenery of lakes and mountains is spectacular.

4) D.C.'s young white population is full of arrogant partisan hacks and pundits; Seattle has lots of scientists, techies and entrepreneurs who are often pretty laid back outside of work.

5) D.C.'s traffic sucks ass. Seattle has traffic too, but not nearly as bad.

6) Seattle is a couple hours drive from killer whales; D.C. isn't.

7) Seattle has lots of microbreweries, coffee places, great restaurants, a thriving local music scene; D.C., not so much.

Posted by Harry | September 25, 2007 6:21 PM

"Washington, DC has some great Universities (Howard, Georgetown, George Washington, University, American University)."

Of those listed, I think only Georgetown can honestly be called a great university, and even then, maybe. Howard is perhaps the best historically black college in America, but that's not saying much.

Posted by Harry | September 25, 2007 6:24 PM

I always thought Dick Cheney was a killer whale. Shoot. Does this mean he is actually just a fat, psychopathic, paranoid white guy?

Posted by Brad | September 25, 2007 6:25 PM

Harry:

perhaps I over-stated the case of "great". But these are not some local community college or some small, poorly financed local university (I am thinking of places like Northern Colorado).

A large portion of the students who attend are actually there to foster their minds, and this helps to foment the intellectual environment that makes coffee houses an attractive place to meet and hang-out in.

Posted by Brad | September 25, 2007 6:28 PM

7) Seattle has lots of microbreweries, coffee places, great restaurants, a thriving local music scene; D.C., not so much.

Are you shitting me? Start here, then maybe pick up some Chuck Brown CDs.

Posted by Steve | September 25, 2007 6:28 PM

Of course, this isn't a black and white issue. In my medium-sized Southern town, the coffee shops nearest the university campuses seem to be filled with. . .people from the Middle East. Okay, and African immigrants. It's a cultural thing, I think.

Posted by RSA | September 25, 2007 6:38 PM

"Are you shitting me? Start here, then maybe pick up some Chuck Brown CDs."

Chuck Brown -- how could I have overlooked him? Whatever though. Let's say you have a music scene: your city still sucks compared to Seattle for all those other reasons I listed.

Posted by Harry | September 25, 2007 6:57 PM

Harry,

People are too kind about the traffic situation in Seattle. It is truly terrible and can compete with any non-LA city out there.

Seattle's music scene is very good (better than DC's, let's be real people) but, let's face it, a lot of bands have moved down to Portland because it's too expensive (Modest Mouse, anyone?).

Agreed on all the other advantages Seattle has over DC although the race angle has nothing to do with it. Hipsters seem fine in some of the more asian neighborhoods and places like San Francisco don't seem to suffer from being ethnically diverse.

So, is there a public policy solution which would turn DC into Portland or Seattle? Or are the weather and lifestyle advantages just too great to overcome? Brad seems to think that the lack of a great, large university (UT seems to have singlehandedly transformed Austin, for instance), or other geographic lifestyle bonus (mountains, beaches) ultimately dooms DC. Maybe, DC is a lost cause and we all just need to concentrate on developing the next great lifestyle destination (Missoula here we come!). I tend to agree that there is just a lack of natural coolness about DC.

Maybe we can spend the next century rotating the US capital between mid-size college towns to satisfy the Atlantic and Prospect bloggers (this week Madison!, next week Athens!). DC is a lost cause.

Posted by Citizen (World) | September 25, 2007 7:04 PM

Citizen (World):

"Agreed on all the other advantages Seattle has over DC although the race angle has nothing to do with it. Hipsters seem fine in some of the more asian neighborhoods and places like San Francisco don't seem to suffer from being ethnically diverse."

Ethnically diverse is great, when it means Asians and whites mainly. Mostly black though is a recipe for an undesirable city though. You know this though, right? San Francisco is even cooler than Seattle (though way too expensive), and it has barely any blacks. On the other hand, Oakland, across the bay, does, and that town is not cool.

Posted by Harry | September 25, 2007 7:21 PM

How hysterical is this discussion!?!

Portland is "Kewl" DC is not, but Boston might be, Denver must be...but definitely not Southern Illinois, all becasue of what those few 20-somethings with disposable incomes can do with their money.

It's the EDUCATED black people who demand social gathering places...

Blacks in Chicago like Starbucks because of Magic Johnson...

And the best line of all: "The fact is, the bohemian culture (which includes coffee shops) is mostly the culture of white, educated suburbanites who recently moved into cities."

God bless those educated white suburbanites, without them we'd have no Jazz, no Beat, no Hippies, no Punk, no Grunge, and no espresso bars! Welcome to the world according to Brooks! (David, not Mel)

FWIW: Alfred Peet died at the age of 85 a few weeks back. He was a Dutch immigrant, not an educated ex-suburbanite. The widespread existence of espresso bars in America is traced directly to this founder of Peets Coffee, whose ex-employees started Starbucks with beans he sold them.

Posted by westerner | September 25, 2007 7:21 PM

I'm in Busboys and Poets for the first time right now. I like this place! Looks pretty mixed to me.

Posted by Redstar | September 25, 2007 8:20 PM

Having grown up as a black upper-middle class woman in Seattle, I must say that this little contretemps has both amused and depressed me for all the usual reasons, but mostly for the demonstrable ignorance re Seattle's black culture and history. Amen Westerner. Believe or not, Seattle actually has a long and rich history of both the black bourgeousie [sic, I'm not looking it up] and black bohemian culture. Asian culture is rich here and white blue collar folks live here too! All these elements among others help to make the Seattle the wonderful place it is and yet get completely ignored by people who want to focus on a group of people (the Microsoft crowd, et al.), defined and substantiated with all the rigor of a Mark Penn "it" group. Harry's little list above , eg "Seattle has lots of scientists, techies and entrepreneurs who are often pretty laid back outside of work" is just fucking delusional. Not to pick on Microsoft (although I enjoy it), but the domestic violence issues they routinely with would stun twits like Harry (Microsoft is just like a lot of other employers in this regard, but its enough of a problem that they do try to address it.)

Posted by idabw | September 25, 2007 8:22 PM

Westerner:

I am not trying to put down anyone's culture or lifestyle habits. Hell, I grew up in a small town in Vermont where people hang out in bad country bars and a locale race track because there is no "bohemian" culture or educated 20-somethings who remain in those towns. Just a different vibe, that is all.

You cannot deny the fact that the funky glasses wearing, message t-shirt, zip-up hooded sweatshirt and funky aged jeans wearing connoisseur who rides a fixed gear bike is not predominantly the culture of the white, educated 20-something. I am not saying that blacks, latinos or Asians do not also hang-out in coffee shops. But in general, not in the same mass quantity as the hipsters do. Coffee shops, surfing the web and hanging out in the shop are part of this culture, for whatever reason.

Posted by Brad | September 25, 2007 8:29 PM

idabw:

What is this domestic violence issue with MS that you speak of?

Posted by Klug | September 25, 2007 8:48 PM

Whatever. As long as the Kewl Kids keep off my Dallas lawn, they can play where they want.

Posted by bob mcmanus | September 25, 2007 8:57 PM

Why the fuck would any town want to be overrun with hipsters. You can order your beans and American Apparel online and not have to put up with teeming hordes of 26 year old douche bags.

Posted by Yglesias killed Williamsburg | September 25, 2007 9:04 PM

Why the fuck would any town want to be overrun with hipsters. You can order your beans and American Apparel online and not have to put up with teeming hordes of 26 year old douche bags.

Posted by Yglesias killed Williamsburg | September 25, 2007 9:05 PM

"You cannot deny the fact that the funky glasses wearing, message t-shirt, zip-up hooded sweatshirt and funky aged jeans wearing connoisseur who rides a fixed gear bike is not predominantly the culture of the white, educated 20-something. I am not saying that blacks, latinos or Asians do not also hang-out in coffee shops. But in general, not in the same mass quantity as the hipsters do. Coffee shops, surfing the web and hanging out in the shop are part of this culture, for whatever reason"

This is one of the reasons I stay away from coffee shops. Plus I hate the taste of coffee.

Posted by mad6798j | September 25, 2007 9:24 PM

"Ethnically diverse is great, when it means Asians and whites mainly. Mostly black though is a recipe for an undesirable city though."

That's true, if you hate blacks. Meanwhile I'm enjoying myself in New York City.

As someone mentioned the other day, quite a bit of anti-negroism has begun surfacing around these parts. And I'm not even thinking of SS, who isn't as bad as his rep.

Posted by Mark | September 25, 2007 9:45 PM

"Why the fuck would any town want to be overrun with hipsters. You can order your beans and American Apparel online and not have to put up with teeming hordes of 26 year old douche bags. " - Yglesias killed Williamsburg

"Whatever. As long as the Kewl Kids keep off my Dallas lawn, they can play where they want." - bob mcmanus

Great point. I much prefer intellectually lazy, overweight suburban 20-somethings who are politically inept, culturally devoid, drive over-sized cars and think Jimmy Buffett concerts are the high point of American life. Not to mention watching NASCAR races and lust after green lawns in drought stricken areas, but complain whenever the weekend calls for rain.

Posted by Brad | September 25, 2007 9:58 PM

Hmmm, I better clarify my MS DV reference. 1) They are definitely not the only employer with these issues. 2) It's not a pandemic, just the sort of thing family law people occasionally comment (with no names, in the abstract) about over beers. 3) I believe the comments often derive from the fact that there is this sort of Harryesque view that free food and frisbee games at work mean the industry is full of laid back nerds and yet the tech culture is just as stressful, competitive and vicious as a lot of others. Add to the mix the occasional misanthropic/misogynistic misfit and you get an outside life that is not all sunshine, granola and lattes. Law is filled with similarly challenged individuals, but we don't have the glowing reputation to start with. Kinda OT, but I'd like to be fair and I don't want to wake up to Bill's defamation lawyers at 3:00am.

Posted by idabw | September 25, 2007 10:06 PM

Magic Johnson made a lot of money in the 1990s investing in upscale all black areas in LA, bringing in Starbucks and movie theatres. As the crime rate dropped and solid citizens started going out more, his high-end establishments did quite well.

Posted by Steve Sailer | September 25, 2007 10:35 PM

"Great point. I much prefer intellectually lazy, overweight suburban 20-somethings who are politically inept, culturally devoid, drive over-sized cars and think Jimmy Buffett concerts are the high point of American life. Not to mention watching NASCAR races and lust after green lawns in drought stricken areas, but complain whenever the weekend calls for rain"

You're right, those are the only two types of young white people, hipsters and meatheads. Reality isn't actually like tv.

Posted by mad6798j | September 26, 2007 12:07 AM

Believe it or not! This is a news clipping (yeah, real dead trees) I have on top my desk right now to send to someone:

"Census Shows More Black Residents Are Leaving New York and Other Cities:
Healthy cities draw the upwardly mobile young, posing a risk to the poor."
September 12, 2007 New York Times

Note the chart, which gives 25-year graphs for NYC, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, LA & San Francisco.

Posted by artappraiser | September 26, 2007 12:28 AM

P.S. You know, back in ye olden days, it was kewl for quite a few years to bash yuppies bespoiling the urban environment, but you kids wouldn't know bout that.

Posted by artappraiser | September 26, 2007 12:32 AM

"As someone mentioned the other day, quite a bit of anti-negroism has begun surfacing around these parts. And I'm not even thinking of SS, who isn't as bad as his rep.

Posted by Mark | September 25, 2007 9:45 PM"

It seems like they started to come out of the woodwork once MY moved over to the Atlantic. I don't remember there being as weird a vibe in threads having to do with black people back at his own website. Weird.

Posted by Reality Man | September 26, 2007 12:38 AM

"That's true, if you hate blacks. Meanwhile I'm enjoying myself in New York City."

I've spent plenty of time in New York City. The city as a whole isn't majority black, and the parts of the city that anyone would want to visit are a lot whiter. Walk by a restaurant with outdoor seating on the UWS and it's nearly all whites and Asians dining; walk by a trendy bar in the LES and again it's nearly all whites and Asians waiting online. Same is true in most other trendy neighborhoods. The parts of New York City that are mostly black are generally crappy parts no one ever goes to who doesn't have the misfortune to live there (Washington Heights, the non-Riverdale parts of the Bronx, ass-end parts of Brooklyn, beyond the gentrified neighborhoods, etc.).

Posted by Harry | September 26, 2007 1:56 AM

Brad: "You cannot deny the fact that the funky glasses wearing, message t-shirt, zip-up hooded sweatshirt and funky aged jeans wearing connoisseur who rides a fixed gear bike is not predominantly the culture of the white, educated 20-something."

ROFLMAO! ...The perfect end to the day. Your "white, educated 20-something" has been marketed a poseur culture. The real deal is found in working class neighborhoods all over the country, from East Hollywood to Harlem. That's where fixies, hoodies, ripped jeans, tattered t's, et.al. got started, and can still be found on (gasp!) non-white 20-somethings (and older) of varying educational backgrounds today.

Posted by westerner | September 26, 2007 2:31 AM

Hey DC -- take the Yellow Line out to New Carrollton. Right to where your sorry-assed racist-named football team plays. There is a Starbucks filled with actual, middle class negroes. In fact there is a whole world out here full of the sons and daughters of the people who raised the bloggers and hipsters and cleaned and cooked in DC offices and houses in the good old days. They went to great colleges like Morehouse and Hampton and, yes, Howard. Rub elbows with Senior Executive Service workers who run this country.

Come to PG and see the future with rich African Americans, french-speaking Africans speaking english, South Asians, and South Americans and mosques, temples, churches and synogogues. Black and white and meso-americans speaking english with spanish accents. Ju no wat I meen? And all these people have there own music. Come to Chick's Surfside, and Jimmy's, The Alamo and the New Deal Cafe. There will be plenty of white people and a real hipster scene if that's what you're after. Who knows, you might even find something that didn't pop out of your bourgoise white imigaination -- some people who aren't posers and actually enjoy themselves.

I can't believe, for example, that anyone has the nerve to disparage a music scene that nurtured and supported Duke Ellington, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, and Roberta Flack. Your limitations are showing

Really, this is an issue that this blog cannot handle at all. Most of the comments are just nonsense, as was Ezra's post. Its pathetic really.

Posted by Peter in Prince George's | September 26, 2007 6:45 AM

Thanks, Westerner, I was hoping someone might point that out to Brad.

Perhaps Brad's friends might suggest to him that he stop digging...

Posted by Rihilism | September 26, 2007 9:00 AM

Thank you Peter in PG, I was waiting for someone local to chime in. I can't believe that two guys (Matt and Ezra) living next to the most affluent group of AA's in the country would keep writing post after ignorant post about this subject.

It is obvious that niether of them have really explored the DC area and its surrounding suburbs. And yes, most of these comments have been laughably obtuse. And the commenter upthread who noted the creeping racism following the move to The Atlantic was spot on.

Posted by Sharon | September 26, 2007 11:53 AM

Ezra's comparision does not work based on the actual history of Mocha Hut either. Mocha Hut was originally located on 14th Street near 16th Street Heights, and which pre-dated its subsequent re- location to U Street. On 14th Street, Mocha Hut served a pre-dominantly black middle class clientele which has followed it to U-Street. Mocha Hut actually existed and was used by a mixture of different folks on 16 Street Heights.

Posted by Native Washingtonian | September 26, 2007 1:10 PM

"The parts of New York City that are mostly black are generally crappy parts no one ever goes to who doesn't have the misfortune to live there (Washington Heights, the non-Riverdale parts of the Bronx, ass-end parts of Brooklyn, beyond the gentrified neighborhoods, etc.)."

Well I have the "misfortune" of living just north of Marble Hill, across the street from a housing project, and I like it just fine. It's cheap, fairly quiet, aside from the el, and but a short distance away from Inwood park and VC (ideal for running). Of course, I do have a fair number of blacks as neighbors, but I don't consider this a problem as such, since, as I said earlier, I don't hate blacks.

I am an outlier, to be sure, as I'm the only white denizen on my block. But the question being asked here is whether predominantly black neighborhoods are, by there very nature, objectively awful and banes on the city as a whole. Marble Hill is by no stretch of the imagination awful and in few decades may very well be completely gentrified. And the same could be said for Morningside Heights, Crown Heights, Co-op city and a number of other minority-majority working class neighborhoods. Indeed, the key phrase here is "working class"--when any neighborhood, black or white, possesses a reasonable level of employed denizens and a decent per capita income it generally becomes a worthy place to live. True, such places rarely feature a Sushi Samba, but for many people glitzy restaurants are not the end all be all of urban life.

Naturally everything I've said will make no dent at all on the black=bad logic to which you seem to be so deeply wedded. And a number of other commenters have made the point that you're basically, at best, an ignoramus. I'll just add that few personalities are as repugnant and unattractive as the know-it-all sort that tends to make highly questionable and insensitive claims with pompous and self-satisfied matter-of-factness. I have no doubt that your personal manner is in fact far more mild and that you really only assume the role while basking in the comfort of lonely anonymity (for example, you wouldn't say the things you've said in the manner that you said them before a group of blacks), but your carrying on in this way marks you as a bit of a creep nonetheless. As a matter of basic respect I hope that in future threads you change your tone, for our sakes if not yours.

Posted by Mark | September 26, 2007 5:01 PM

Mark,

I don't "hate blacks" either, I just don't want to live in a mostly-black area. I doubt you do either: if you had the money to move to a whiter area, you would.

Would I tell a group of black people that I didn't want to live in a majority black neighborhood? Probably not. If they were associates of mine and questioned my choice of neighborhoods, I'd say the same things that most nice people avoiding mostly black areas say: I'm looking for somewhere "safe", with "good schools", etc. Of course it's just a complete coincidence that every neighborhood that's safe and and "good schools" has a relative paucity of black residents.

Posted by Harry | September 26, 2007 5:23 PM

You said this: "Of course it's just a complete coincidence that every neighborhood that's safe and and "good schools" has a relative paucity of black residents."

Which is a good example of this: "I'll just add that few personalities are as repugnant and unattractive as the know-it-all sort that tends to make highly questionable and insensitive claims with pompous and self-satisfied matter-of-factness."

I just hope you realize that you haven't stated a fact.

Posted by Mark | September 26, 2007 5:56 PM

"Of course it's just a complete coincidence that every neighborhood that's safe and and "good schools" has a relative paucity of black residents."

This is what comes from pretending to be a classless society; we raise know-it-alls with no class.

Posted by westerner | September 26, 2007 7:52 PM