Patterico's Pontifications

4/22/2011

New Blogger Fail! (Update: Do Not Miss This Parody: “Why white people should oppose Chris Knighton living in Jamaica Plain”)

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 9:29 am



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.  Or by Twitter @AaronWorthing.]

Update: The protest he was rallying people to went off, and as you can see from the video at this site, a groundswell of eighty people showed up.

Also, you absolutely owe it to yourself to read this parody: Why white people should oppose Chris Knighton living in Jamaica Plain.

It’s probably a little mean to pick on a new blogger, but the fail here is so epic and so hilarious, I can’t resist…

Why white people should oppose Whole Foods coming to Jamaica Plain

So okay folks take a guess who is writing this:

Option 1: A Klansman.

Option 2: A whiny liberal of pallor who thinks he is sticking up for minorities but comes off as racist as Option 1.

Take your guess… now.

By Chris Knighton, Jamaica Plain resident

In case you are wondering, Jamaica Plain is near Boston.

In January 2011, it was announced that in Jamaica Plain’s Hyde Square, the 47-year-old landmark Latin supermarket, Hi-Lo Foods, would shut down and that the multinational corporation, Whole Foods Market, had signed a lease to replace it. Immediately, a large backlash against Whole Foods coming to JP erupted from within the local community.

Remember that detail folks.  The market was shutting down.  Indeed, it appears to be shut down already.

The most public organization which formed to stop Whole Foods from coming to JP is the all-volunteer, multicultural, intergenerational organization “Whose Foods/ Whose Community? : The Coalition Against Gentrification.”

Oh boy!  It’s community organizing.  You know, like the President used to do!

The Whose Foods Coalition has cited three reasons why Whole Foods should retract plans for a store in Jamaica Plain (as taken from their petition on http://whosefoods.org/):

1.     Whole Foods is too expensive for many individuals and families in Jamaica Plain.

2.     Whole Foods will lead to increased real estate and commercial prices in Jamaica Plain that will displace low- and moderate-income families.

3.     Whole Foods is a multi-national corporation whose profits will not sufficiently feed back into our diverse, local community.

So he goes on a bit about the protests and writes:

Please note, the views expressed in this article are my personal beliefs and are not the official stance of the Whose Foods Coalition. Also, although I am a supporter of them, I am not directly involved with the Whose Foods Coalition at this time, nor have I been in the past.

In about five minutes the Whose Foods Coalition is probably going to be really glad he wrote that.

A few months ago, I became a Jamaica Plain resident myself. I come from a white, middle class family. I will soon be graduating from a private university in Boston.

So those of you keeping track at home, the answer was Option 2.

And by the time you are done reading this, you will not feel the least bit of shock over that last detail, that he is someone who went to a private university, and hasn’t even graduated yet.

I care deeply about access to healthy food and the environment. I am Whole Foods’s market base and I recognize that Whole Foods is coming to Jamaica Plain with the intention to sell primarily to people like me. However, I am opposed to Whole Foods moving here.

Keep that in mind.  He cares about the environment, and healthy food.  In fact just in general, he cares.

I oppose Whole Foods coming to JP because I care about the well being of those who are less socioeconomically privileged than I am…

He cares about the little people.

…and I wish to stand in solidarity…

Good to see he is putting his coursework in Socialism for Dummies to good use.

…with their struggle against gentrification.

Gentrification being a new liberal buzzword for keeping the rich from taking over the poor neighborhoods.  Did you see that richer family move in down the street?  Well, there goes the neighborhood. Once one richer moves in, pretty soon everyone will be moving out.

You know it is a bad sign when you have already been pre-parodied.

Whole Foods is both a symptom and a cause of gentrification. Whole Foods decided to come to Hyde Square because they see the ongoing cultural and economic shifts in JP, but their presence will also accelerate these shifts, as has been seen many times in the past in other neighborhoods that Whole Foods has entered.  Whole Foods knows that as time goes on, their market base will expand as gentrification happens around them.

So Whole Foods comes in and suddenly everyone becomes magically richer.  Which, typically I would consider to be a good thing, but not so much for him.  Darn richers.

Oh, and can we get a little liberal guilt, please?

I recognize that my own presence in Jamaica Plain attracts upscale corporations to here, but if I really care about maintaining affordability and diversity in this community, I must oppose significant changes, such as Whole Foods, that only appeal to wealthier, and primarily white individuals and which simultaneously negatively impact lower-income community members.

I have admittedly only been in a Whole Foods about three times in my life, but unless something is radically different between here and Massachusetts in my experience 1) the food isn’t that expensive (my problem was with it being all organic and healthy, which is like kryptonite to my taste buds), and 2) the people shopping there were not primarily white.  Indeed, the first time I went to one I met my wife (who is not white).

Overall, Whole Foods’s arrival in JP will not affect me much on a personal level, in fact, it may provide minor conveniences for me and other middle and upper class residents. However, I realize that Whole Foods’s arrival will financially strain the working-class and low-income residents of Jamaica Plain, resulting in increased displacement of people of color from this community as gentrification gains further momentum here.

You hear that, he is like Jesus, here, giving up his conveniences, but he is willing to oppose it for the good of the “people of color.” How appropriate for Good Friday.

By the way, when did that phrase “people of color” stop being offensive?

And let’s remember something else.  There is no indication that anyone else wants to fill that space.  So the other supermarkets in the area, that cater to the common people, you know the sheep (in his eyes), they might have that much less competition.  Which means that either prices might go up or quality might go down, for those poor “people of color” you are so concerned about.  Also if no one else comes in, then those jobs that might have gone to the locals won’t materialize.

And let’s remember that he cares about the environment and healthy food, but not as much as he doesn’t want the evil rich people to come in.

By the way, I wonder if he ever realizes that this means he should positively want a store like Walmart to come in.  Because after all they do keep prices low.  Oh, but many liberals hate them because 1) their prices are so low they drive out competition and 2) because their prices are low they don’t pay their workers very much.  Which seems to contradict this sudden concern for gentrification, but there you go.

It is crucial that I and other white middle and upper class people publicly oppose Whole Foods, and join the fight against it. Whole Foods is coming here to sell primarily to us, not our lower income neighbors, who are largely people of color.

Right, seriously, if you are black, Hispanic, or Asian, and middle and/or upper middle class, don’t bother showing up at the rallies to stop this store.  Because we all know that Whole Foods doesn’t care about “people of color” who have the means to spend money there.  Indeed the last time I was there I saw a “whites only” sign out front.  Oh, right, it was a sign in the poultry section saying “white meat only.”  But I know what they were thinking, dirty racists.

Whole Foods claims that its market base is wealthier and more educated than average, and in our society, this implies their market base is predominately white.  Therefore, it is us wealthier, educated white residents of Jamaica Plain who are responsible for attracting Whole Foods here. As a result, we hold significant responsibility for the economic hardship and loss of cultural diversity that Whole Foods will cause in this community if we allow it to open in JP.

Because nothing says “cultural diversity” than driving out people who are different from you, such as the rich and white.

This article is specifically written to white middle and upper class people, because I am one myself, and because I feel most effective and appropriate communicating with those who approach this issue from a similar background as me.

Right, because rich white people only listen to other rich white people.

And as you read the thing you literally don’t see a single argument he makes that couldn’t have been made by anyone of any demographic.  So it amounts to this: I know you rich white people only listen to people “like you” so let me speak up.   But if we will only listen to those who match the demographics, then what will you do to reach women?  What will you do to reach the gay readers?  What about the disabled?

He goes on arguing that Whole Foods magically drives away the “people of color” and brings in the white people, raising rents and all that.  It is tedious magical thinking.

Believe you me, Whole Foods doesn’t come there to change the trends, but takes advantage of the trends that are there.

By the way, how would the rents be raised by the market?  Well, he explains it:

Landlords will raise rent prices, knowing that there are many new tenants who match Whole Food’s market base, that is, wealthier, more educated, and primarily white, who would be willing and able to pay an increased rent to live in a beautiful neighborhood like Jamaica Plain once and if it has a Whole Foods.

Yes, because lord knows when I go searching a place to live, the first question I ask is, is there a very specific market really close?

Proof of this has been seen elsewhere where Whole Foods stores have opened…

Showing that he was asleep in class when the teacher explained that correlation is not causation.

…and Whole Foods’s CEO John Mackey even admits their stores greatly increase neighboring property values.

And given your prior confusion on the issue, I am going to need a citation, please.

And then the condescension gets even worse when explaining how horrifically unaffordable this food is:

Whole Foods’s store brand for packaged goods is often comparable to other supermarkets, as some proponents of Whole Foods have pointed out, but it does not sell affordable staple foods or the diversity of Latin foods upon which the local community has come to rely. It is unlikely that much of the local Latino community, which makes up a substantial proportion of JP’s Hyde Square area, will shop regularly at Whole Foods.

You got that?  If you are Hispanic, you have to eat only Hispanic style food.  All your food has to be strictly segregated.  For instance my wife is part Chinese, Japanese and Filipina, and makes sure to make about one third of her dinners Chinese, Japanese and Filipino, accordingly.  On each plate. /sarcasm

Whole Foods knows that the local Latino community, the working-class, and low-income people of color will not be shopping there often…

Really?  How do you know they know this?

Whole Foods will only benefit the more affluent in and around Jamaica Plain, and those benefits are merely minor conveniences.

Sure, besides that environmental friendliness and healthiness you were so concerned about what good are they?  By the way, did you ever wonder why that kind of food was only sold at a store that you consider horrifically expensive?

And no, it doesn’t only benefit the “more affluent” given that it will bring jobs—a fact he forgets until a paragraph or two from now.

Several supporters of Whole Foods have said that they want to be able to walk out their door and get healthy food, and have used this as justification for why a Whole Foods is desirable in JP. These people can already do this. Whole Foods does not offer a significant amount of products that cannot already be found at Jamaica Plain’s locally owned businesses. Local grocers such as “Harvest Co-op” and “City Feed and Supply” already offer, or can order, essentially all of the products, including organic and fair trade products, which are sold at Whole Foods.

(Emphasis added.)  You stupid rich white people, you can already find this stuff, but couldn’t.  And seriously when you want food, why can’t you wait for your order to come in?

There is a Stop & Shop just a few minutes by foot from the proposed location of Whole Foods.

You think they are going to be happy walking a few minutes by foot further?

There are many Whole Foods stores in more affluent parts of the Boston area that are only a short trip away. Whole Foods is completely unnecessary in JP when considering all of the food shopping options already available, and the former Hi-Lo building can certainly be put to better usage if given a chance.

Hey who cares if gas is going up to maybe $6 a gallon, suck on it rich white people!

Of course he finally remembers that in fact businesses tend to employ people:

Some proponents of Whole Foods coming to Jamaica Plain have touted “job creation” above all as the reason why JP needs to accept Whole Foods, but we should not blindly give thanks and praise to any corporation that wants to come here and offers a few jobs to tempt us with. Whole Foods has publicly stated that they will have 100 employees at the JP store, and that about 70 of these positions will be full-time. In comparison, Hi-Lo, the former grocery store at the same location had 40 employees. Former Hi-Lo employees have been guaranteed interviews with the planned Whole Foods in JP, but Whole Foods is under no obligation to hire them. Also an unknown, but noteworthy, number of employees for the planned JP store will be transferred to this location from other Whole Foods stores in more affluent neighborhoods. So Whole Foods will be creating less than 60 new jobs in JP.

Bear in mind, by all evidence, that 60 jobs number was pulled from his hindquarters.

While this number is still significant, Whole Foods has not committed to local hiring…

Given that some of the locals are trying to drive them out entirely, it would be foolish to commit to anything like that.

…and it is reasonable to expect that a large number of their employees will not be from or representative of the local working-class and low-income community of color who most greatly needs employment.

No, it is not reasonable to expect that at all.

We should be supporting local business, and resisting corporations coming into Jamaica Plain.

Um, he is aware that most businesses are corporations, right?  And lord knows that the best way to serve “people of color” is to reduce competition for their business.

Whole Foods is not good for JP’s locally owned competitors. The introduction of Whole Foods will immediately and severely undercut locally owned “organic and fair trade” grocers such as “Harvest Co-op” and “City Feed and Supply.”

Wait a second…  I thought you said they were horrifically expensive.  Now you are claiming they will “undercut” their competitors?  Do you even know what the term means?

One of JP’s greatest sources of pride is that its main street, Centre Street, is as culturally diverse and as filled with locally owned businesses as it is. The same cannot be said for the majority of economic and culture centers in Boston. If Whole Foods enters Centre Street, it will not come alone. Many other corporations will be on its tail and will jump at any chance to break into Jamaica Plain. If Whole Foods comes to Jamaica Plain, the number of locally owned businesses will dwindle over the years as they are undercut, priced out, and replaced by corporate chains who can afford to run a business here.

Again, do you understand what the term undercut means?  It means you are selling for less.

We should be supporting local businesses with our patronage.

Wait a minute.  I thought you just told the rich white people to get in their cars and leave the community to get their Whole Foods on.

When we buy from local business owners, our money stays in the community. It is given to people who care about the well being of the community. Most local business owners are living out their dreams, but running a local business is a tough job, especially when competing with multi-million dollar corporations such as Whole Foods. When we buy things, we should be throwing our support behind local businesses 100%. Whole Foods, and all major retail corporations, only seek to exploit the communities in which they reside to their fullest potential. Whole Foods will not offer anything we can’t get from our real neighbors already.

Right, and by comparison those locally owned corporations have sworn a vow of poverty to benefit the community.

The loss of Hi-Lo market has been seen as significant blow to Latin culture in Jamaica Plain. The announcement that Whole Foods would be its successor is seen as a major symbol of gentrification and acceleration of cultural changes in JP.

It is much better to have an empty building than to have something a rich white person wants.

He goes on, and on.  And on.  Apparently he was asleep during creative writing class when they covered the topic of redundancy.

The struggle against Whole Foods is fundamentally about community-building.

Right and we want to prevent the community from being built up.

It is an effort to unite all residents of Jamaica Plain to stand up for each other’s well being across racial, cultural, and economic lines.

By trying to make sure that the rich white people don’t take over!

It is not about “us” versus “them,”…

Except in the sense that he is pitting wealthy white people against poor people of color.

…it is about realizing that the minor shopping conveniences for the affluent and the few jobs Whole Foods will provide to Jamaica Plain are dwarfed in comparison to the…

Oy, the redundancy of it all.  Seriously, if I didn’t know better I would guess he went to the University of Maryland University College, which is a real school that apparently doesn’t do a very good job coping with redundancy given its name.

Whole Foods can be stopped from coming to Jamaica Plain, and the time to take action is now. JP has a strong community focus and residents have stopped many corporations from coming to JP in the past, even after leases had been signed. Corporations stopped include: Kmart, Domino’s Pizza, D’Angelo, and Papa Gino’s.

Um, wait a minute, you opposed Kmart?  But doesn’t Kmart keep the rent cheap and the prices affordable?

Whole Foods can back out of their lease and not come to Jamaica Plain at any time if they decide it is in their best interest to do so.

Really?  Have you read it?  Because 99% of the leases I have seen in my lifetime do not have a “get out of jail free” provision for the tenants.  Even for large businesses, most leases profoundly suck for the tenants.

And then he goes on to talk about various methods of opposing it.  For my money though, the comments make it extra fun, such as:

Raymond Santos:

As a Puerto Rican (imported, not domestic) with an Italian/Irish wife, I find your post extremely offensive.

Your rhetoric only seeks to divide this diverse community. Us Latinos do not need you or or other “white middle and upper-class people” to save us from Whole Foods.

I’ve read some of your comments on other websites and they are all pretty much the same: condescending and a bit demeaning of JP’s Latino community.

Dial it down!

And alas, the guy responds and, wow, really doesn’t get what the guy is trying to tell him.

As Radley Balko writes:

The comments to this moronic blog post made my afternoon.

And originally as I wrote this post, I figured you could go over there and read the comments for yourself.  But then a funny thing happened.  He started getting so many negative comments he threw them all down the memory hole.  Seriously.  Here’s how he justifies it:

UPDATE 4/22/11: I decided to disable the comments section to this blog post. I’ve received a ton of positive feedback on this article from a culturally, economically, and politically diverse group of people and to date it has been viewed over 1700 times. However, the comments left were entirely negative and I felt like they took away from the article while not providing anything constructive. Nobody who left a comment tried to address any of the points of my argument directly in a constructive way and instead just attacked my character and/or used wording which dismisses the article completely with very little or no explanation for their own viewpoint. Also, I got the impression that many of the commenters were not reading the article in full, if at all. For these reasons, I decided to disable comments to this blog in order to encourage people to read the article and come to their own decisions about this issue.

But I kept my browser open, so I have a lot of them preserved.  So here are the comments he doesn’t want you to see, starting with his response to Santos:

Chris Knighton said…

Thanks for your comment, Raymond.

The campaign against Whole Foods is primarily driven, as it should be, by people of color. They will, as a whole, be the ones most affected by Whole Foods in JP. I wrote this article to encourage white people to join in solidarity with those who struggle against gentrification, not to lead the battle or “save” anyone. Many of my ideas in this article, came from people of color in JP, and from those stories of gentrification I have learned about elsewhere. I do not intend to be condescending or demeaning, I’m sorry if I came off that way to you.

I do not think “white middle and upper-class people” should take the lead on this issue, but I do think they have an important role in it, because they are the market base of Whole Foods and have extra influence over Whole Foods because of this. I think the role of “white middle and upper-class people” in gentrification issues, should be to lend a hand to those affected by it wherever it needed.

The Whose Foods Coalition is inviting people from all walks of life to take a stand against Whole Foods coming to JP. My article here is meant to show White people specifically, why they should oppose Whole Foods, despite the conveniences it may bring to them on a personal level.

March 31, 2011 9:10 PM

Raymond Santos said…

I am Puerto Rican, I am a person of color and you are being offensive.

You should read what you wrote a few times…

March 31, 2011 9:25 PM

Chris Knighton said…

I’ve had Latinos who oppose Whole Foods thank me for writing this article too, so I think different people are going to have different opinions on this, depending on their views and values.

I knew that writing about race issues was going to be a touchy subject, and I am certainly not an expert on race, but I do consider myself to be fairly well read on it and have listened to the stories of many people of color. Also in this article, I am primarily relaying their stories when I talk about displacement and financial strain.

March 31, 2011 9:33 PM

Amit said…

Chris,

Perhaps you don’t realize it, but your views do come across as very condescending. As a long time JP resident and a non-white (I don’t really like to mention that, but your post leaves me with no choice), I don’t need you or any other white person to “save me” so that you could assuage your white liberal guilt. Your outlook, colored by your white guilt, is highly flawed and the consequent “white man’s burden” attitude is frankly, very offensive.

I can very well make up my own mind – without your help, though I thank you for your kind offer – as to what type of grocery store is good for me, and your suggestion that I shop only at “City Feed & Supply” (with its exorbitant prices, which you conveniently ignore) or “Harvest Co-op” to satisfy all of my food needs is very presumptuous and patronizing. “Whose Foods?” does not speak for me and I welcome a store like “Whole Foods” in the neighborhood which will offer yet another choice of healthy foods to all residents, including non-white.

Thanks,

-Amit

March 31, 2011 9:52 PM

Sue said…

Hi – How about working to keep the agassiz school funded and open?

How about making sure predatory businesses like pawn shops and check cashers stay out of Jamaica Plain?

How about opening a branch of “school on wheels” so kids experiencing homelessness can get homework help?

How working to get more affordable housing, better public transportation or any of the hundred things that would make a real difference?

April 1, 2011 6:34 AM

ddopfel said…

Chris,

How about helping people get real jobs and benefits? Local businesses many times do not have the negotiating power for affordable health care the way a big company like Whole Foods does. How about affordable health care for many? I agree with Sue. There are a many many more issues our community faces that would be better served by your blog.

April 1, 2011 10:35 AM

Sassy James said…

As a white person and as a “person” and resident of Hyde Sq. I find it funny that you would choose to write this article about a community you know almost nothing about. What are your sources regarding Whole Foods impact on communities like ours? Also, how much money do you Chris, have in receipts from Hi-Lo Foods? I’ll bet it isn’t as much as the price of an organic cup of coffee young man…

April 1, 2011 2:42 PM

Virginia said…

A few months as a resident Chris and you think that qualifies you to comment? I have lived here 27 years and don’t even remotely agree with word you have said. Perhaps after living in a community a little longer you might have a clue…

April 2, 2011 7:49 AM

Jen said…

Wow this is incredibly condescending. It’s fascinating to read–so it’s ok for you to move in, as a white middle class guy, and change the face of the neighborhood, but not Whole Foods? I personally think you both have the right to move in. I wish it wasn’t in Hyde Square and on Centre Street, but honestly more people should be upset with Knapp Foods for leasing to Whole Foods and perhaps at Hi-Lo for closing and not giving their employees proper notice nor a decent severance. That seems like more to get really angry about.

Lets rally about the shootings in Egleston Square.

April 2, 2011 11:56 AM

DorW said…

Why? Won’t WF chase out the shooters?

April 2, 2011 10:16 PM

ArchHallJr said…

Wow. I can’t find any words to say here except that your condescension and insensitivity are off the chart. Good luck with those.

April 21, 2011 1:47 PM

A.Worthing said…

God bless blogger. They make it free and easy to make up your own blog, allowing the truly clueless to self-identify. Abraham Lincoln once said, in paraphrase, that is it better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

You have removed all doubt. This post is one of the most racist things I have ever read.

Don’t bother memory holing it. I have kept a copy.

Yes, that last one is me, and is pretty prophetic.  Heh.

That all being said, let me say once nice thing as I end. The fact is he felt he had something to say and put it out there. That does take courage. And to some degree you have to admire that he was willing to put himself out there like that.

So it was epic fail, but I salute the trying.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

53 Responses to “New Blogger Fail! (Update: Do Not Miss This Parody: “Why white people should oppose Chris Knighton living in Jamaica Plain”)”

  1. I like the kale salad

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  2. Even more than the concept of “jobs” I don’t think this little boy understands what a “tax base” is. The property taxes and sales taxes what a whole foods could contribute can help fund several lavish pensions for Jamaica Plain’s union whore teachers and cops.

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  3. jamaica plain old ass out of yourself Mr. Knighton

    hah swidt?

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  4. Jamaican me crazy.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  5. I recognize that my own presence in Jamaica Plain attracts upscale corporations to here

    LIE

    JD (a8f2ae)

  6. Reminds me of the 10/10/10 video disaster — on a much smaller scale.

    aunursa (a2a019)

  7. aunursa

    reminds me of that “dear woman” video a week or so ago.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  8. I do all of my shopping at Whole Foods. For the staples like bread, milk, cheese, fruit&veg etc it’s actually cheaper than the ghetto-ass “Key Foods” skankmarket around the corner from me. Plus, the food is of a much better quality, usually organic – and the store is clean, pleasant and staffed by friendly young people who are polite to me, in contrast to the unpleasant, dirty Key Foods with its sassy ghetto-attitude employees who frequently stop ringing up your goods in order to turn around to their friend on the next register and tell them about a fight their boyfriend had the previous night.

    It’s a win win store for me, as in addition the owner of Whole Foods supports free market economics and is against Obamacare.

    Sharke (2647ac)

  9. I recognize my own presence in Jamaica Plain causes people to reach for brain bleach.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  10. Fixed it for Mr.Epicfail

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  11. you should give Whole Foods another shot. Their food is freaking delicious for the most part, and while it might be somehow more natural, the stuff I obtain from there is not necessarily so healthy.

    Plus, they pay a very good wage. I’m amazed a community wouldn’t want one, especially if there are a lot of lower class folks. Many can get a job there and make out quite nicely.

    This is transparently an effort to prevent crappier businesses from having to compete against a great store. It’s not about the workers, and it’s not about the customers. It’s all about the big fish in the little pond who know they aren’t really offering the best deal.

    happyfeet is right that they are shooting their social welfare in the foot, too.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  12. That was, bar none, your best original reporting blog post on Patterico, evah. Well done AW.

    But poor Chris Knighton and his ilk will continue to erroneously think Breitbart is the one who is racist.

    elissa (c74994)

  13. #8 are you saying that this blogger has…. jumped the sharke?

    i know, that was an inexcusably bad pun.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  14. I recognize that my own presence in Jamaica Plain attracts upscale corporations to here

    No matter how many times it read this, it cracks me up every time.

    JD (a8f2ae)

  15. The Whole Food opponents had a rally on April 2, a couple days after this post. According to commenters at this link, the group sent out 1600 invitations and spent days of phone banking to turn out 80 people.

    http://juliorvarela.com/2011/04/02/video-anti-whole-foods-rally-in-jamaica-plain-led-by-latino-activists-draws-about-80-protesters/

    The rest of the comments are equally amusing.

    aunursa (a2a019)

  16. I do a lot of my shopping at whole foods – there’s one across the street.

    The problem that I have with the argument is that, while gentrification is a real problem, you can’t stop it just by keeping the whole foods out. this is like trying to stop a torrent of water by diverting it with a straw.

    aphrael (ab7ec9)

  17. Funny story. The internet pedant in me was going to compliment him on using “whose” correctly, but then I saw “Whole Foods’s” and he lost me.

    White Man’s Burden indeed.

    carlitos (28bbc0)

  18. I’ve been comparison shopping all over town since my local legacy grocery store went out of business and sold it to horrible martians who sell pickled pig faces and call it meat.

    Whole Foods has some higher cost foods but it often has lower prices than the cheapo chains and higher quality to boot – even for meats and bakery items. It’s mostly WHOLE foods – food that has to be prepared. The frozen foods section is kind of thin – but what they do sell is sometimes better priced than comparable or same product elsewhere. Ours is going to have a big community garden where you can grow your own food even.

    Yeah, it’s got 20 manuka honey but it also has farmer bobs local honey for less than Kroger Sue bee. You don’t have to buy the ostrich egg or the hipster coconut oil.

    SarahW (af7312)

  19. #13: Ouch.

    Sharke (109425)

  20. I have to chuckle when I hear about “gentrification” being some sort of problem in modern society. I guess I am old enough to recall when “white flight” to the suburbs was this horrible trend that was racist in overtone and would wreck urban America. Now that the middle and upper classes of all racial groups — but predominantly whites — are moving back into the cities (and Jamaica Plain is officially part of the city of Boston, not a suburb), the same crowd that 30 years ago was lamenting white flight is now in a snit over gentrification. It goes to show that there is no pleasing the progressive mindset where racial issues are paramount.

    JVW (eba895)

  21. Who the hell is this latino to tell white people what they shoul oppose?

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  22. Oh wait I meant white guy.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  23. BTW, you can make great enchiladas, probably the best you’ve ever had, with only stuff from Whole Foods. You can make mole poblano or tacos or even salsa from scratch.

    Not that I’m latino, so I guess I have no business eating that stuff.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  24. OK, not mole poblano from scratch, but almost.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  25. Amen, JVW. It is racist no matter what you do.

    Mole poblano rocks. Especially with some scotch bonnets in there to liven things up.

    JD (b98cae)

  26. some scotch bonnets

    🙂

    Dustin (c16eca)

  27. Their crab bisque, is well you remember Seinfeld?

    narciso (79ddc3)

  28. Dustin, at 23: one of the great things about modern society is the incredible variety of foods at our disposal. I *like* the fact that I can make mexican, thai, indian, japanese food. I don’t understand the mindset that says we should restrict.

    aphrael (ab7ec9)

  29. I’m with your wife Aaron. I’m 1/4 Scottish so every fourth meal for me is haggis. Though I do get to drink Scotch.

    rbj (487e2c)

  30. From a Jamaica Plain Gazette article (emphasis mine):
    Domino’s is one of several corporate chains to make failed attempts to move into JP, only to encounter strong community opposition. In 2004, neighbors killed a proposal for a Domino’s on Washington Street in Forest Hills.

    “If you think you’ll get a permit here, think again,” Pavone said he told the Domino’s representative. “I’ll tell you right now, it is not happening.”

    “I would not let any pizza shop here [in his building]. We don’t need any more [on Centre Street],” added Pavone, who runs Classic Cleaners next door. Local independent pizza shops in the immediate area include JP House of Pizza and Same Old Place.

    Keller said she informed the Domino’s representative of the various neighborhood associations and busi-ness organizations he would have to meet with to move any proposal forward—at least five of them. He has not been heard from since, she said.

    The 467 Centre space became vacant last year when Petal & Leaf moved to South Street. That entire build-ing was once an independent grocery store that closed in the wake of Stop & Shop opening in Jackson Square in the 1980s. In 1998, a Dunkin’ Donuts was proposed for the smaller storefront, but that plan was killed by Jamaica Pond Association opposition. Petal & Leaf opened there instead.

    In 1993, the Papa Gino’s pizza chain attempted to move in to the 730 Centre St. building where JP Seafood Café and the Real Deal deli are now. The chain was driven away by threats of community boycotts and picket lines.

    — Snootily attempting to CONTROL the exact makeup of this community seems to be the raison d’être for some of its (dare I say ‘upper class white’?) members.

    [BTW, on the webpage I pulled this from there was, ironically, a banner ad for Papa John’s Pizza.]

    Icy Texan (82fcef)

  31. I don’t get it – if Knighton is so opposed to gentrification Jamaica Plain, why did he move there in the first place? After all, he is the embodiment of gentrification.

    To show his sincerity, he should be moving out of the neighborhood.

    (PS – in my experience, the food at WF is, in fact, rather expensive, and the customers are, in fact, more white than the neighborhood.)

    A.S. (23bc66)

  32. AS, it’s expensive depending on what you buy. Sure, it’s way, way more expensive than processed groceries. But everyone is a little different. I find I eat out less when I have excellent food to prepare, and the cost difference in ingredients is drastically lower than the price of dining out. I still love dining out, but cooking good food is a lot better.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  33. Oh yeah, and AS is right. How dare someone demand someone else not move into a community, if he premises the whole problem on his own presence? It’s the height of selfishness. What kind of person thinks that way?

    Honestly, I think it’s astroturf from local businesses. They are protecting their ability to rip off the community.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  34. Judging by the quality of his thinking and writing, I’d say that whatever the tuition was at his “private university in Boston”, he got ripped off.

    ExRat (3b46ff)

  35. The people of Jamaica Plain will have the opportunity to speak with their wallets. Apparently that’s not enough for the white liberal from somewhere else. I guess those people of color are too stupid to figure out if Whole Foods is a place they like to shop at.

    Just A Guy (edbf77)

  36. Re: #34
    Well, if his goal was to be indoctrinated into a patronizing, race-baiting, race exploiting, equality for all at the expense of liberty for all mindset — then . . . the bourgeois dollars of his parents were well-spent.

    Icy Texan (82fcef)

  37. Re: #34
    Well, if his goal was to be indoctrinated into a patronizing, race-baiting, race exploiting, equality for all at the expense of liberty for all mindset — then . . . the bourgeois dollars of his parents were well-spent.

    Comment by Icy Texan — 4/22/2011 @ 12:21 pm

    Maybe his parents should ask for their money back.

    Tanny O'Haley (12193c)

  38. I have to chuckle when I hear about “gentrification” being some sort of problem in modern society. I guess I am old enough to recall when “white flight” to the suburbs was this horrible trend that was racist in overtone and would wreck urban America. Now that the middle and upper classes of all racial groups — but predominantly whites — are moving back into the cities (and Jamaica Plain is officially part of the city of Boston, not a suburb), the same crowd that 30 years ago was lamenting white flight is now in a snit over gentrification. It goes to show that there is no pleasing the progressive mindset where racial issues are paramount.

    Great points JVW. Anyone who opposes gentrification of city neighborhoods can go visit Detroit. Without gentrification, that’s what you get. Cities need to be dynamic or bad neighborhoods tend to stay that way.

    The blogger reminds me of the idiots that kept breaking Starbucks’ windows in Rodgers Park, Chicago. They finally put in glass block on one side. Just this year, Chicago finally knuckled under and allowed Wal-Mart, so pretty soon poor people will be able to buy cheap stuff without driving 20 miles.

    carlitos (28bbc0)

  39. Doesn’t he realize that his idol, Obama, shops at Whole Foods? Where else can you get your arugula?

    Rochf (f3fbb0)

  40. sweet

    that is AWESOME. thanks.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  41. Sweet Dee, that might be one of the funniest things I’ve seen in ages…

    Scott Jacobs (d027b8)

  42. I love his explanation for closing the comments. He says he has received “a ton” of positive feedback, but all of the blog comments are negative. Oh and that positive feedback is from a diverse group, so it’s valid.
    He also claims none of the comments were constructive or addressed his arguments, so they must be disappeared. That’s so you can judge his article on the merits without any of that nasty non-constructive feedback confusing you, you poor sorry disadvantaged person you.
    That white kid disappeared comments left by the disaffected other!

    bonhomme (7b6cf7)

  43. bonhomme, how pathetic can he get?

    Dustin (c16eca)

  44. Dustin

    just don’t miss that parody sweet linked to.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  45. Perhaps Chris Knighton would be happier in Detroit. The threat of gentrification or a Whole Foods moving in does not seem as if it would be a concern, and Chris could concentrate on other important societal and racial issues.

    elissa (c74994)

  46. You can get your arugula by pulling it out of Moochelle’s hugh arse.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  47. To borrow a line from Ruthless People, Chris Knighton could very well be the stupidest person on the face of the Earth. Quite an accomplishment at such a tender age.

    M. Scott Eiland (43e415)

  48. “…while gentrification is a real problem…”

    Yeah, it’s a problem if you’re a real traditionalist and want to maintain slums in their natural, untouched, pristine condition.

    Dave Surls (002361)

  49. Chris Knighton is no bigger of an imbecile than Mawy Reilly, IMP, epwj, imdw, VeV, etc…

    JD (318f81)

  50. This guy is the evil opposite, or perhaps simply the next phase, of the author of the classic

    “Sometimes I Feel Like I’m The Only One Trying To Gentrify This Neighborhood

    stari_momak (d5f987)

  51. Carlitos: I’m in Rogers Park too.

    The reconstruction of the Howard El terminal was accompanied by a massive adjacent commercial center including a Dominick’s (local Safeway brand) supermarket. There was a wonderful independent produce store two blocks away (Rogers Park Fruit Market).

    Since the Dominick’s opened, the Fruit Market has doubled its space, added a full-service meat department, and torn down an adjacent apartment building for a parking lot. (They do a huge trade in West Indian and Hispanic meat and produce specialities.)

    I bet there’s plenty of business for everyone in Jamaica Plain, if the merchants know what they’re doing. I suspect Hi-Lo was badly managed.

    And I suspect Chris Knighton is a nitwit.

    Rich Rostrom (cd5c03)

  52. I am a woman of color who sometimes shops at “Whole Paycheck” in Beacon Hill. When those who have helped to gentrify a community grow bored with it, they will move out in about 10 to 20 years leaving it for the poor again. I am educated blessed with a high salary, and I resent the statements about “Whole Paycheck” is for the white and educated…its for anyone who wants to pay those exoroborant prices. When I was growng up in my home state…communities that were not as socio-ecomonically fortunate, would rally together to keep the community their own. They didn’t trash it with graffiti, urination stained hallways, gangs and drugs…etc…perhaps if all the socio-ecomonic communities that live in JP, came together to maintain its cultural charm, they will not have to worry about corporate and gentrifying interlopers….hopefully things will work out for all….for I wouldn’t mind living in JP myself. Namaste’

    Anonymous (aac36b)


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