This “Avoid Ghe.tto” App…
Every morning on the ride into work, I listen to a conservative talk radio show.
Most of the time he’s talking crazy talk and I get out of the car saying “he’s reaching!”
Other times I actually agree with him.
I will say that it’s usually an enlightening experience to hear the opinions of others. For some reason I’m more tolerant of conservative views than say….”relationship” writers…not sure why. I used to think I was a moderate until I started listening to this and other similar shows…they both staunchly put me in the liberal camp…maybe because it’s so extreme?
I digress…
This morning he was talking about Gar.min’s “ghetto app”. According to him, there is (or is going to be) an option on the Garm.in GPS devices that allows users to select “avoid high crime areas” when plotting a route.
He griped because people were complaining it was racist or discriminatory to Black neighborhoods.
I like to consider all angles instead of jumping to the easiest scapegoat one…and I honestly didn’t assign “Black neighborhoods” to high crime areas. I assigned “high crime areas” more to urban neighborhoods in general, or really I immediately thought of the area around Geor.gia Tech…prostitutes in some parts, robberies in others…that would be a prime place for an alert right?
Thought about the area along Ponce where residential areas are right by shopping areas…and how they said there were a high number of car break ins.
Neither of those neighborhoods are “Black”. Just urban and accessible.
He also left off that the option was to be available for the pedestrian part of the app.
And that the patent is Microsoft’s not Garmin’s.
And the app isn’t actually called “Avoid ghetto”.
Biggest annoyance…
While I know and get that sometimes people are a bit too insensitive to the “Black condition”…I’m not too sure that this app is a “battle.” I get that it could definitely impact the economic opportunities in those areas on top of the impact the high crime rate does but other than that, how is it racist? I sort of agree that perhaps they should be more worried about resolving the high crime rate than worrying about an app that highlights that the area is…what it is?
And how does this app stop chick from going to M.LK Blvd?
I mean…am I being insensitive myself? Are my conservative ways kicking in with this?
In general, I’m about fixing the root of problems rather than addressing symptoms.
Results that endure!
Oven solutions over microwave solutions!
Stop whining that people are calling you out, and remove the opportunity for them to do so by fixing it!
Also, dear internet : I know controversy brings page hits and retweets, but really? A lot of this reporting is just irresponsible. People seriously think this app is called “Avoid Ghetto”!
Do better!
