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Conan: Back Honky
Guarantee you'll be picked up by a New York City cab.
Sep 14, 2007 12:30 AM
Re: Conan: Back Honky
back honky looks a little like steve buscemi.
i've never been up to new york (other than alfred but that really doesnt count) is it really like that? even when you're wearing a suit?
i've never been up to new york (other than alfred but that really doesnt count) is it really like that? even when you're wearing a suit?
By: raubhi
Re: Conan: Back Honky
Tell that to Danny Glover. He filed a complaint with the city's taxi commission saying that he was ignored by five on-duty, empty yellow cabs in a row.
By: tsackett
Re: Conan: Back Honky
By law, licensed cabs (all others are technically illegal) have to pick up anyone. However, cab drivers often don't pick up black people, either because of racism or because they think they'll have to drive them too far from the central part of town, and they won't have a fare coming back.
At one point, the city actually ran a sting operation to fine drivers who would not pick up black fares.
At one point, the city actually ran a sting operation to fine drivers who would not pick up black fares.
By: tsackett
Re: Conan: Back Honky
I'm sure their justification for not picking up black people at night or during odd hours is because they're afraid of getting mugged/shot/killed. To be fair, that seemed to have happened quite a bit in a short period of time, but eventually subsided.
However, no one is getting denied a ride during business hours unless the driver's goal is to make as little money as possible.
However, no one is getting denied a ride during business hours unless the driver's goal is to make as little money as possible.
By: Zeonix
Re: Conan: Back Honky
Its not necessarily racist to ignore some black people. I mean lefts face it the culture of the general black society in NYC is one that does in fact promote degenerative life styles.. IE robbing, mugging and that general sort of 'gangster' actives.. now i am not just saying this only pertains to black people or only to black people in the city. but damn if i was a cabby i would ignore most black people. esp in the city..
By: loser2point1
Re: Conan: Back Honky
Yeeeeaah. Right. Not racist at all. Your just saying that it's totally normal to consider black people as a bunch of robbing, mugging, gangsters living degenerative (?) life styles. Nope, no racism there.
By: tsackett
Re: Conan: Back Honky
Uh...you're completely wrong about "the culture" here in NYC, and you've obviously been blinded by racism.
Are cab drivers inherently racist? I don't think so. I think they take into consideration the way a person presents themselves (Man in a suit vs. Man dressed like a gangster), as well as the destination. If they're being told to go to a bad area, they'd rather just be safe and not take the money than risk the possibility of losing all of their cash and perhaps even their lives. It has less to do with racism and more to do with street smarts. If you get a bad vibe from someone, it's best to acknowledge it and avoid that person.
However, like I said before, you're going to get a cab no matter what during business hours. Most problems arise during the night or during the wee hours of the morning.
Are cab drivers inherently racist? I don't think so. I think they take into consideration the way a person presents themselves (Man in a suit vs. Man dressed like a gangster), as well as the destination. If they're being told to go to a bad area, they'd rather just be safe and not take the money than risk the possibility of losing all of their cash and perhaps even their lives. It has less to do with racism and more to do with street smarts. If you get a bad vibe from someone, it's best to acknowledge it and avoid that person.
However, like I said before, you're going to get a cab no matter what during business hours. Most problems arise during the night or during the wee hours of the morning.
By: Zeonix
Re: Conan: Back Honky
At the store I work at 5% of the customers are black and 95% of the thieves are black.
I didn't make it that way, its just the way it is.
I didn't make it that way, its just the way it is.
By: DaveoftheRave
Re: Conan: Back Honky
I'm not sure how you can say that no one is getting denied a ride during business hours. I'll admit that I'm not talking from personal experience. However, I'm basing my argument here on several things. If you do a little google searching, you'll find a lot of anecdotal evidence, including statements by cabbies. There's the Danny Glover complaint, which is generally just considered the tip of the iceberg. There's the fact that New York's mayor considered this enough of a problem to make it priority for the police department.
I find all this pretty convincing. You, on the other hand, seem to dismissing this as a problem based on some assumptions about how the world works. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to assume that a driver that discriminates will make less money than one who doesn't, and that this is the sort of problem that, if left alone, would just solve itself.
I find all this pretty convincing. You, on the other hand, seem to dismissing this as a problem based on some assumptions about how the world works. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to assume that a driver that discriminates will make less money than one who doesn't, and that this is the sort of problem that, if left alone, would just solve itself.
By: tsackett
Re: Conan: Back Honky
First, I live here so I know exactly what it's like. Secondly, you're using outdated information. The "Danny Glover Incident" happened in '99. That's right. 8 years ago.
If you look for something a little more recent, you'll find things have changed:
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50814F93A540C768DDDA90994DE404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fG%2fGlover%2c%20Danny
A driver who discriminates WILL make less money, because he's picking up less people. Less people = less money, unless he's somehow picking up person after person who wants to travel extremely long distances (which is hardly ever the case what with there being trains and buses everywhere). And, as you can see in the article, the problem HAS corrected itself. The problem had less to do with racism and more to do with what was going on during that time period in terms of crime related incidents involving cab drivers.
If you look for something a little more recent, you'll find things have changed:
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50814F93A540C768DDDA90994DE404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fG%2fGlover%2c%20Danny
A driver who discriminates WILL make less money, because he's picking up less people. Less people = less money, unless he's somehow picking up person after person who wants to travel extremely long distances (which is hardly ever the case what with there being trains and buses everywhere). And, as you can see in the article, the problem HAS corrected itself. The problem had less to do with racism and more to do with what was going on during that time period in terms of crime related incidents involving cab drivers.
By: Zeonix
