Your "White Flight" Story

[Former_Detroiter]

[QUOTE=Former_Detroiter;528365]

I'm intrigued with the offense taken to the term "White Flight" by a number of the posters on this thread.

I never considered this to be a loaded/offensive etc. term. I have always thought of it similar to the term "Great Migration", or other descriptions and terms that are used to define a large movement of people from one place to another.

I am white myself. Most of my grandparents/parents/aunts/uncles used to live in the city of Detroit, and moved out to the suburbs during the "White Flight" period. I feel like the term "White Flight" has been used to describe this for as long as I can remember, and I don't recall any of my family members being offended by that term. I certainly have never been offended by that term. That has just been the colloquial term for it for as long as I can remember...

IMO The term White Flight as it relates to the City of Detroit meant running away from an undesirable situation or environment. The Great Migration meant running to a more desirable situation or environment. The fact that you or your family do not find the term White Flight offensive is not surprising. If you are able to look at it from a different perspective you might understand why the term might be offensive.

[Zacha341]

Good point there. The distinction is the difference!

IMO The term White Flight as it relates to the City of Detroit meant running away from an undesirable situation or environment. The Great Migration meant running to a more desirable situation or environment. The fact that you or your family do not find the term White Flight offensive is not surprising. If you are able to look at it from a different perspective you might understand why the term might be offensive.