hello -
i've been interested in naropa's graduate programs for years now- but what keep putting me off appying is that i keep hearing boulder is a very intolerant area. i'm african american, and i was wondering what alumni thought of this.
should i avoid it? or is it not as bad as i've heard?
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Intolerant
Tue, February 13, 2007 - 9:10 PMI came across this tribe a few weeks ago and having just submitted my app to Naropa, thought I'd sign up. I realize this post is over two years old but I found it a bit shocking (and the poster has unsubscribed from this tribe). I've lived in Golden (30 minutes south of Boulder) for over 10 years and intolerant is one of the last words I'd ever use to describe Boulder unless it was intolerance towards Republicans or something like that. -
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Re: Intolerant
Sat, February 17, 2007 - 3:42 PMIntolerant is a good word for it, this place has a subtle sinister nature that is hard to see if you fall in the majority of 'normative' descriptives. I am a woman of color who when shopping with another person of color was aressted, beaten and thrown in jail for shopping, being harassed and then called on trespassing charges after spending 100 bucks in Whole Foods on Pearl over a misunderstanding and exchange of words with white customers, who faced NO consequences.
I know many racial profiling incidents with the cops here, and I know of some crazy ass stories that other people of color have been subject to here in Boulder.
The thing about privilege, whether that be white priv., male priv., class, sexual(hetero) is that if you don't live outside the margins you wouldn't know what was happening to those who live outside the lines of "acceptance".
I come from California, which has it's own brands of fucked up, but I know of truly liberal and progressive towns, and sorry to say, while Boulder may be better than most, it ain't what it thinks it is.
Naropa is taking on the hard work of doing "diversity work" institutionally and this is admirable, but we have less than 10% population that is non-white. Crazy. -
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Re: Intolerant
Mon, February 19, 2007 - 9:31 AMwell...someone in the offfice at Naropa told me that only 55% or so of students at naropa qualify for 'any' financial aid at all. ...which means that 40% make too much money to receive any aid....which seems kind of weird to me....so even the diversity at naropa is most likely a wealthy diversity..... this is not to make a value judgement...
another thing....we can't forget that intolerance is ...how do you say...multidirectional.... it's easy to feel as though every negative experience we encounter with someone of a different class, race, sex, etc...is an act of intolerance..... ...hence the cliches, "oh, you're just a man"...or "oh, you're just a woman".... the same is true for race and class...
but i would have to say that what boulder lacks in diversity, it makes up for in....well....money.....and hey...everybody likes money....no?
as always,
harmony & blessings
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Re: Intolerant
Sat, February 24, 2007 - 4:24 PMSure there is plenty of money. And money attracts and prefers money. Hence the closing of the section 8 housing list (of course those with section 8 now are grandfathered) all the poor people to LONGMONT! : )
55% is actually a high number of appplicants in private liberal collage land stats. In most schools the number is way smaller!
Look people are people, so why should it be about labels, right? And shit happens everywhere, it's so true, but this place has a head space of being something it just ain't, despite all the good things it may be and the good people who are here. I think it's a matter of shattering the Boulder illusion. -
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Re: Intolerant
Mon, February 26, 2007 - 10:27 AMbut money needs culture, which can't be bought, and which coincidentally...comes free to the have-nots..... -
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Re: Intolerant
Mon, February 26, 2007 - 10:30 AMit's about labels insofar as you are trying to find solutions....
in order to find the solution you have to find the problem......
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