Affluent Black County Mired In Mortgage Mess

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by BluPhire

^^^

LOL Exactly. I don't even know why he tries anymore.

I saw what was said.

She clearly still believes that some may have resulted from discrimination.

She's still obnoxious...why does it matter if Prince George's County is underwater? There are a hundreds of counties well underwater with tons of various demographics.

Oh wait, it's because she's obsessed with race. It's annoying and I'm tired of seeing it always pull up.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

why does it matter if Prince George's County is underwater?

Because MSNBC wrote an article about it. DrPhil didn't.

If you're tired of seeing it, don't click on the threads

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I don't think we are really disagreeing here, but I want to be very clear on the fact that banks did things that were flat-out illegal.

We aren't. I said I agree with you and then typed about the topic. I already acknowledged what banks have done and continue to do if unsupervised.

Even in that, some of the information was out there and many people were simply choosing to be uninformed about the potential pros and cons. Again, this thread is about those who make a salary that is higher than that of the average America; and therefore people who would claim to have access to resources that the average American does not have access to.

Some people overestimated how flexible their spending should be, some people were just showing off, some people weren't researching--all within the context of bank practices and that other stuff.

***
As usual, today NPR was talking about the economic downturn and the implications for employment and housing.

[AOII Angel]

I used to practice in PG County in Lanham, MD specifically. While PG is the MOST affluent AA community, it is not affluent. As a DC suburb, prices are higher than your average community in the rest of the US. Predatory lending cannot be discounted as a factor in this topic as African Americans were a group hard hit by those perpetrating that fraud. People made bad choices, but for ten long years houses were ATMs that many times dispensed more money than people's full time jobs. If it sounds too good to be true...

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

While PG is the MOST affluent AA community, it is not affluent.

Of course the most affluent Black community would not really be affluent. LOL. Yay.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

As a DC suburb, prices are higher than your average community in the rest of the US. Predatory lending cannot be discounted as a factor in this topic as African Americans were a group hard hit by those perpetrating that fraud. People made bad choices, but for ten long years houses were ATMs that many times dispensed more money than people's full time jobs. If it sounds too good to be true...

Exactly.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Of course the most affluent Black community would not really be affluent. LOL. Yay.



Exactly.

There are plenty of affluent people in PG, but there are mostly middle class African Amercans and poor AA in the county. Of course, hispanic, white and Asian people live there, too. It was explained well to me by my "Black" boss, he hated the term African American unless you were from Africa. I tried not to get him started. LOL

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

There are plenty of affluent people in PG, but there are mostly middle class African Amercans and poor AA in the county. Of course, hispanic, white and Asian people live there, too.

Yes, I know all about PG.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

It was explained well to me by my "Black" boss...

Please don't just cite your Black/African American boss. I consider it the equivalent of "some of my bestfriends are Black" when a topic doesn't call for it.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Yes, I know all about PG.



Please don't just cite your Black/African American boss. I consider it the equivalent of "some of my bestfriends are Black" when a topic doesn't call for it.

He's a pretty good judge of the make-up of PG County as the President of the PG Medical Society. And, I wouldn't call us friends. Since I only practiced there 3 years, I thought his 20 years of knowledge was more pertinent.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

He's a pretty good judge of the make-up of PG County as the President of the PG Medical Society. And, I wouldn't call us friends. Since I only practiced there 3 years, I thought his 20 years of knowledge was more pertinent.

So his being your "Black" boss who doesn't like being called African American isn't the gist. Good.

******

This isn't a slight to AOII Angel/

PG is predominantly African American. Its ranking as the most affluent African American community is moreso based on how it compares to other African American communities (as the article states "...the most affluent county in America with a majority African-American population" and "...with a majority African-American population. Average income in the county is almost double the national average for Black families") and less on how it compares to non-African American communities. The most affluent African American community will typically not be considered affluent when compared to affluent white communities.

As with most cities and counties in America, a more affluent African American community in PG doesn't mean the larger county is well-off. PG has economic and other issues (as unfortunately can be expected based on a number of correlates). But, so do other cities and counties across the country--yet those cities and counties with high poverty and crime still manage to have white communities that people consider affluent without any disclaimers. Funny how that happens and that speaks to the topic of this thread even more.

/not a slight to AOII Angel

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

So his being your "Black" boss who doesn't like being called African American isn't the gist. Good.

******

This isn't a slight to AOII Angel/

PG is predominantly African American. Its ranking as the most affluent African American community is moreso based on how it compares to other African American communities (as the article states "...the most affluent county in America with a majority African-American population" and "...with a majority African-American population. Average income in the county is almost double the national average for Black families") and less on how it compares to non-African American communities. The most affluent African American community will typically not be considered affluent when compared to affluent white communities.

As with most cities and counties in America, a more affluent African American community in PG doesn't mean the larger county is well-off. PG has economic and other issues (as unfortunately can be expected based on a number of correlates). But, so do other cities and counties across the country--yet those cities and counties with high poverty and crime still manage to have white communities that people consider affluent without any disclaimers. Funny how that happens and that speaks to the topic of this thread even more.

/not a slight to AOII Angel

Nah, the main gist was I said AA a gazillion times then called him Black...because he hated being called AA. Those are two different topics. It was pertinent who I got the information from because of who he is and where he lives.

I don't care if it was a slight to me or not, it's pertinent to the conversation so that people don't get this idea that a bunch of rich black people ran around getting McMansions and got what they deserved. These are middle class Americans who are hard working and don't deserve that label.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

...it's pertinent to the conversation so that people don't get this idea that a bunch of rich black people ran around getting McMansions and got what they deserved. These are middle class Americans who are hard working and don't deserve that label.

Like I said, the context of "...the most affluent county in America with a majority African-American population" and "...average income in the county is almost double the national average for Black families" is clear.

This isn't about whether or not people are hard working; and McMansions (which are also purchased by middle class Americans) aren't the only way that people can spend beyond their means with and without discriminatory lending practices.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Like I said, the context of "...the most affluent county in America with a majority African-American population" and "...average income in the county is almost double the national average for Black families" is clear.

This isn't about whether or not people are hard working; and McMansions (which are also purchased by middle class Americans) aren't the only way that people can spend beyond their means with and without discriminatory lending practices.

First of all, discussing whether or not an area is as affluent as another is as old as time and goes beyond race. Do you think that white people suddenly stop caring about which areas are more affluent once no more black people live there? Yeah right. Scottsdale is more affluent than Ahwatukee, but Paradise Valley is more affluent than either. All of these are predominately white with average incomes over $200,000. It still gets discussed.

Secondly, the vitriol extended to people underwater in homes seems to be primarily saved for the most "affluent" who bought monster homes. Most people seem to have a little pity for hard working middle class people who bought an average home in their community and got screwed. It's not so hard in PG due to the high prices for relatively modest homes. Kinda like in Cali. Of course people make other dumb choices, but even to this day, a normal mortgage can be taken out for up to ~45% of your income. That doesn't leave much for bills and other expenses. I for one don't have much criticism for people when we have an unprecedented unemployment rate, as well.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

First of all, discussing whether or not an area is as affluent as another is as old as time and goes beyond race. Do you think that white people suddenly stop caring about which areas are more affluent once no more black people live there? Yeah right. Scottsdale is more affluent than Ahwatukee, but Paradise Valley is more affluent than either. All of these are predominately white with average incomes over $200,000. It still gets discussed.

You misinterpreted/misunderstood my post.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Secondly, the vitriol extended to people underwater in homes seems to be primarily saved for the most "affluent" who bought monster homes.

Not true. And this is not a vitriol thread.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

That doesn't leave much for bills and other expenses.

Exactly why people need to be informed. Shit happens but life isn't completely full of shit. This thread has now come full circle.

Thank your boss for me.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

You misinterpreted/misunderstood my post.



Not true. And this is not a vitriol thread.



Exactly why people need to be informed. Shit happens but life isn't completely full of shit. This thread has now come full circle.

Thank your boss for me.

Sorry if I misunderstood you. Sometimes it's hard to understand things from a post. This thread may not be vitriolic...yet, but the whole topic leads to a lot of heated discussions. LOL at thanking my ex-boss for something. He's gotta be worth something cuz I left on poor terms with him! We were too much alike I guess, but that is NOT pertinent to the discussion.

[BluPhire]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Sorry if I misunderstood you. Sometimes it's hard to understand things from a post. This thread may not be vitriolic...yet, but the whole topic leads to a lot of heated discussions. LOL at thanking my ex-boss for something. He's gotta be worth something cuz I left on poor terms with him! We were too much alike I guess, but that is NOT pertinent to the discussion.

If it turn vitriolic, we know who to blame.

That (person) has already been called out.