Detroiters visiting Marquette

**Detroitnerd** · July-19-11, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by brainwizzard

"Stories like this is why I've never been to the UP north of the Straits, and don't particularly want to go. Sorry, but the feeling is mutual... many of us know that we're not welcome up there, so I'll take my hard-earned cash elsewhere."

You might want to make the point to visit someplace before you formulate ignorant opinions about them. sorry, i find that comment to be a little effed up.

Right. I love going to places where I'm scorned and discriminated against. Just so I can say I tried it.

Brainy, sometimes you just cut your losses. Nothing effed up about that.

**brainwizzard** · July-19-11, 01:17 PM

No, i would say that making accusations about places and people while admittedly having nothing to base your opinion on is a little effed up. Its like a lot of stuff people say about Detroit without ever stepping foot here.

**Detroitnerd** · July-19-11, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by brainwizzard

No, i would say that making opinions about places and people while admittedly having nothing to base your opinion on is a little effed up. Its like a lot of stuff people say about Detroit without ever stepping foot here.

It's a much larger sample group. If things feel chilly north of Eight Mile, frosty north of Zilwaukee and positively frozen north of Mackinac, what's the point is seeing how cold it can get? I don't blame anybody for not going where they don't feel they'll be welcome. After a while, the onus really is on people to prove otherwise.

Luckily, that's what this forum is about. Sharing stories and helping people's opinions evolve. Maybe instead of calling a poster effed up or accusing a poster of making baseless accusations, why don't you describe what a harmonious world exists north of the straits, where all people, black, white, Finn and French, live in mutual love and admiration?

**jcole** · July-19-11, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

It's a much larger sample group. If things feel chilly north of Eight Mile, frosty north of Zilwaukee and positively frozen north of Mackinac, what's the point is seeing how cold it can get? I don't blame anybody for not going where they don't feel they'll be welcome. After a while, the onus really is on people to prove otherwise.

Luckily, that's what this forum is about. Sharing stories and helping people's opinions evolve. Maybe instead of calling a poster effed up or accusing a poster of baseless accusations, why don't you describe what a harmonious world exists north of the straits, where all people, black, white, Finn and French, live in mutual love and admiration?

Okay, so everybody is supposed to just say' Man, I hear Detroit is really dangerous and that if you set foot outside of Greektown or the casinos, you'll get a knife jammed in your ribs. My friends told me this, so I'm just never going to go there. I'll take my hard earned cash to Cincinatti instead.'

**noise** · July-19-11, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Okay, so everybody is supposed to just say' Man, I hear Detroit is really dangerous and that if you set foot outside of Greektown or the casinos, you'll get a knife jammed in your ribs. My friends told me this, so I'm just never going to go there. I'll take my hard earned cash to Cincinatti instead.'

Nobody has mandated what everybody is "supposed" to do, but this is certainly within their rights.

In any case, English didn't base her opinion on "nothing", like brainwizzard implied.

**jcole** · July-19-11, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by noise

Nobody has mandated what everybody is "supposed" to do, but this is certainly within their rights.

In any case, English didn't base her opinion on "nothing", like brainwizzard implied.

What did she base it on then? Has she ever been there? No, by her own statement. Then she's basing it on the opinion of others, as would anyone who did what my statement indicates.

**Detroitnerd** · July-19-11, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Okay, so everybody is supposed to just say' Man, I hear Detroit is really dangerous and that if you set foot outside of Greektown or the casinos, you'll get a knife jammed in your ribs. My friends told me this, so I'm just never going to go there. I'll take my hard earned cash to Cincinatti instead.'

Like I said, that's why I'm glad for places like this forum. We do seem to get along better here, and with much less suspicion, than in real life.

**noise** · July-19-11, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

What did she base it on then? Has she ever been there? No, by her own statement. Then she's basing it on the opinion of others, as would anyone who did what my statement indicates.

The "opinion" or first-person narrative of others is a lot more than "nothing". I didn't experience the riots in '67, but I can be fairly certain they were real.

Your statement indicates a situation that isn't inherently "wrong". Detroit is what it is. There are places a lot of "outsiders" would be more comfortable spending their time. That's their prerogative.

**jcole** · July-19-11, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by noise

The "opinion" or first-person narrative of others is a lot more than "nothing". I didn't experience the riots in '67, but I can be fairly certain they were real.

Your statement indicates a situation that isn't inherently "wrong". Detroit is what it is. There are places a lot of "outsiders" would be more comfortable spending their time. That's their prerogative.

Yes, it is someone's prerogative to go somewhere or not, but to base it only on hearsay isn't giving that place a fair shake. Yes, I am sure there are some people in the U.P. and further south that base their opinion of others on skin color, but, I am also sure that those same people might not cotton to me because I am a liberal Democrat. But I won't paint that whole area as backward or racist just because some of them are. It would be like claiming Detroit is an all black city where everybody hates white people and wants them to stay north of 8 Mile.

**noise** · July-19-11, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Yes, it is someone's prerogative to go somewhere or not, but to base it only on hearsay isn't giving that place a fair shake. Yes, I am sure there are some people in the U.P. and further south that base their opinion of others on skin color, but, I am also sure that those same people might not cotton to me because I am a liberal Democrat. But I won't paint that whole area as backward or racist just because some of them are. It would be like claiming Detroit is an all black city where everybody hates white people and wants them to stay north of 8 Mile.

I don't think this is an all-or-nothing situation, though. The individual can decide if there's enough of a bad element. We're not speaking of absolutes.

**Detroitnerd** · July-19-11, 02:23 PM

The old joke was that downstaters went up north with a $20 bill and a fresh pair of underwear -- and changed neither...

**brainwizzard** · July-19-11, 02:45 PM

I just feel that trying to make blanket statements that everybody from any given area *insert negative statement here*, is irresponsible, and has nothing positive to offer. From my experience, the UP for the most part is very welcoming to outsiders. I know that there are always examples to the opposite, but the far majority of people are absolutly nothing like what is being implied. As far as bigotry goes, it feels as if there is far more going on in the detroit area than in the UP. So in other words, maybe we should work on our own problems, before bashing others for them.

**Detroitnerd** · July-19-11, 02:47 PM

What's Finnish for "shit pants"?

Vox · July-19-11, 02:53 PM

Uloste housut

**brainwizzard** · July-19-11, 02:59 PM

paska housut*

**Hermod** · July-19-11, 03:00 PM

The Transplant Song
By Da Yoopers

I was sitting in a Detroit bar, this guy he says to me,
You must be from Canada, Newfoundland maybe.
No, I said, you’re slightly off, as I pointed with my beer,
I’m from up above the mitten, this place over here.

Chorus: I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
You’ll find us everywhere.
I come here for the paychecks,
But I miss that U.P. air.
I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
I’m not down here by choice.
My heart is back in Yooperland,
But my ass is in Detroit.

I still wear my swampers and I drive my beat up truck.
i go up to Witch Lake every year to get my buck.
When I get back to Detroit, all the guys they laugh at me,
Two weeks at the deer camp and I’m speaking Yoopanese.

Chorus: I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
You’ll find us everywhere.
I come here for the paychecks,
But I miss that U.P. air.
I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
I’m not down here by choice.
My heart is back in Yooperland,
But my ass is in Detroit.

My wife is from Mt. Clemens, she’s a troll from down below.
I dragged her up to Yooperland, she didn’t want to go,
But when she saw the colors and she smelled that U.P. air,
Now she wants to quit her job and go to live up there.

Chorus: I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
You’ll find us everywhere.
I come here for the paychecks,
But I miss that U.P. air.
I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
I’m not down here by choice.
My heart is back in Yooperland,
But my ass is in Detroit.

I work hard for Henry Ford, I never miss a day.
I don’t like the city, but I sure don’t mind the pay.
My kids were born below the bridge, their roots they can’t forget
We head north to Yooperland every chance we get.

Chorus: I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
You’ll find us everywhere.
I come here for the paychecks,
But I miss that U.P. air.
I’m a Yooperman from Yooperland,
I’m not down here by choice.
My heart is back in Yooperland,
But my ass is in Detroit.

**Detroitnerd** · July-19-11, 03:11 PM

Thanks, Brainwizzard. Funny, I was just reading some Cully Gage stories this morning before work.

**guito13** · July-19-11, 03:28 PM

Sigh....

Let me start by saying that I own 80 acres of hunting land in Marquettte county and visit the area several times a year.

I have good family friends who moved up there several years ago. Last year one of their daughters [[who lives in Chicago now) was getting married, with the wedding occuring in Marquette. Her husband is black, she is white. I atteneded the wedding and reception, both in downtown marquette. Guess what.....IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST WEDDINGS I EVER ATTENDED. All the yoopers [[mostly white folks) and the chicagoans [[mostly black folks) got along, drank and ate together, the next day everyone crowded the parents of the brides house on the lake in the middle-of-no-where yooperville to hang out and recover from the night before.

Please dont judge an entire region based on one or two stories. I have been called a cracker and other terms more than once in Detroit yet i come here almost every day.

You would love the UP, its beautiful.

**Johnlodge** · July-19-11, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Okay, so everybody is supposed to just say' Man, I hear Detroit is really dangerous and that if you set foot outside of Greektown or the casinos, you'll get a knife jammed in your ribs. My friends told me this, so I'm just never going to go there. I'll take my hard earned cash to Cincinatti instead.'

Game, Set, Match.

**gazhekwe** · July-19-11, 05:59 PM

A lot of downstaters visiting the UP stop in at the Dancing Crane Coffeehouse at Bay Mills and go ape over the espresso. Seems trolls can't believe the UP is civilized enough to have espresso. And you say there is a Pier One in Marquette? Dere goes da neighborhood fer sure, eh?

**English** · July-19-11, 06:45 PM

Trust me, the Yoopers do not care if I never set foot up there. They don't want black Detroiters. To say that they do is nuts... I'd even say it's a lie.

There are plenty of places where if you're black and from Detroit, people presume to know all about you. I am getting too old to do "hey, all black people from Detroit aren't bad!" missionary work. Beyond my volunteering, I can't control the behavior of all 600,000 of my fellow blackfolks in and from the city of Detroit. So I'm going to travel places where being from Detroit doesn't potentially get your food and drinks sneezed on.

When I go on vacation, I want to relax, feel comfortable, and feel WELCOMED. Why go up there if people are going to get mad if they hear a hip-hop beat coming from my vehicle? People want freedom of association, and if they don't want to associate with the likes of me, then why should I want to associate with them?

There are plenty of places around the world where my tourist dollars will be welcome. Thanks to the OP for this thread and for expressing your heartfelt sentiments. Good to know exactly what we're dealing with in 2011.

**English** · July-19-11, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by guito13

Sigh....

Let me start by saying that I own 80 acres of hunting land in Marquettte county and visit the area several times a year.

I have good family friends who moved up there several years ago. Last year one of their daughters [[who lives in Chicago now) was getting married, with the wedding occuring in Marquette. Her husband is black, she is white. I atteneded the wedding and reception, both in downtown marquette. Guess what.....IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST WEDDINGS I EVER ATTENDED. All the yoopers [[mostly white folks) and the chicagoans [[mostly black folks) got along, drank and ate together, the next day everyone crowded the parents of the brides house on the lake in the middle-of-no-where yooperville to hang out and recover from the night before.

Please dont judge an entire region based on one or two stories. I have been called a cracker and other terms more than once in Detroit yet i come here almost every day.

You would love the UP, its beautiful.

That's your choice. I'm not frequenting places where I'm called a n---er. Or where it's clear that people are thinking it.

In all these years, even after breaking bread with lots of friends from the UP or with cabins up there, I've never, ever been invited. SEVERAL of my white friends have told me about the racist attitudes of their families and friends, and the good girlfriend said that she'd invite me but I wouldn't be comfortable up there.

Stop acting as if I'm making this sh-t up. I didn't know the first thing about the UP until people who have lived or have ties up there have mentioned it. Why would I go there? Just to prove a point? Why should I pay people who don't want me someplace to prove a point?

**English** · July-19-11, 07:00 PM

Here's an example of this kind of statement.

Originally Posted by brainwizzard

I just feel that trying to make blanket statements that everybody from any given area *insert negative statement here*, is irresponsible, and has nothing positive to offer. From my experience, the UP for the most part is very welcoming to outsiders. I know that there are always examples to the opposite, but the far majority of people are absolutly nothing like what is being implied. As far as bigotry goes, it feels as if there is far more going on in the detroit area than in the UP. So in other words, maybe we should work on our own problems, before bashing others for them.

I love how the barely couched racism displayed in the original post of this thread is A-OK, but my choice not to expose myself to people like the original poster is not only not OK, but I have to stay home and work on all of Detroit's problems so that I can then visit the UP with a clear conscience. Because we are the world, and everything's A-OK. Wow.

And how often do places like the UP hear about their issues and problems, vs. how often Detroiters have to hear about how f---ed up we are?

The two situations are not equivalent.

**English** · July-19-11, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

It's a much larger sample group. If things feel chilly north of Eight Mile, frosty north of Zilwaukee and positively frozen north of Mackinac, what's the point is seeing how cold it can get? I don't blame anybody for not going where they don't feel they'll be welcome. After a while, the onus really is on people to prove otherwise.

Luckily, that's what this forum is about. Sharing stories and helping people's opinions evolve. Maybe instead of calling a poster effed up or accusing a poster of making baseless accusations, why don't you describe what a harmonious world exists north of the straits, where all people, black, white, Finn and French, live in mutual love and admiration?

Thanks, Detroitnerd. I can't believe people are acting as if many places in this state and around the country are welcoming black folks with open arms. Why did the OP even choose to share that particular story? What does it have to do with Detroit?

Yes, I'm angry. I'm angry because some of you don't understand, and you never will. [[And then, you'll just write me off as just another Angry Black Woman without actually looking at why you don't have lots of black families choosing to engage in the Up North tradition even after several generations of residing in Michigan.)