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I don't understand the romanization of slums. It's not about poverty. Cleaning up after oneself doesn't require a lot of money, but it does require a certain sense of pride. Oakland would not be any less diverse if it didn't smell like piss (the article's words, not mine). Don't believe me? Visit a predominantly Asian trailer park (they exist). But somehow to a certain kind of young writer the culture of decay is so appealing.

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Slums and cleanliness of society are absolutely about poverty. And to say otherwise is so utterly deranged I don't know where to begin..... The non slum places are kept clean not by pride, but by people being paid to maintain and clean it....

Like I said, it requires nothing more than picking up a broom. There are many places that are quite poor, and yet instead of graffiti you'll see a little old grandma planting flowers in front of her shack. And we should be supporting her, not the people who'd escape reality in a puddle of their own making. To say otherwise is so utterly deranged that I don't know where to begin.

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