Charlestown Townies

Charlestown Townies is a colloquial phrase referring to residents of Charlestown, Boston, United States the oldest and northernmost neighborhood of Boston.

Townie identity

This historically Irish Americans, working class district has experienced significant demographic changes since the late 20th century and to call someone a Townie implies whiteness and places the subject in opposition to higher-income, young urban professionals (yuppies) who have increased in number and are sometimes referred to as "Toonies" in comparison. This binary excludes non-white residents of Charlestown though Black, Asian and Hispanic residents are represented in census data.[1]

Though Charlestown consists geographically of only one square mile the neighborhood includes two separate Housing Authority projects, Bunker Hill and Mishawum (sometimes called "Mish City") and white residents of these projects typically identify as Townies, as do many residents who live outside the projects. Townie identity is at times ascribed or self-defined, and establishes the subject as one whose family has lived in Charlestown for several generations, is white (usually of some or all Irish descent), and is working class or unemployed. Townies who reach middle or upper economic class status typically work in the trades. Moving into Charlestown or marrying a Townie does not entitle one to identify as a Townie, but moving out of Charlestown permits one to continue claiming Townie status. Men and women can be Townies, as long as they spend the majority of childhood living within Charlestown.

"Townieism"

Townies frequently refer to Townieism to describe the unique mentality of many Townies, a result of socialization into a small neighborhood with high crime, alcoholism and addiction rates as well as significant racial segregation both socially and geographically. Townies may self-profess to be racist, sexist and homophobic but upon further investigation in fact often do not actually subscribe to these beliefs and in fact interact regularly and positively with minorities, women and non-heterosexuals. While Irish identity is a major aspect of Townieism, class identity plays a larger role. Townieism establishes an "us vs. them" dynamic in relation to outsiders and includes protection of other Townies via the neighborhood's longstanding Code of Silence.[2] Middle class aspiration is not a characteristic of Townieism and it is typical for families to pass down subsidized housing units through generations. Townies will frequently wear clothing that identifies them as such, usually with a shamrock included, and a non-Townie seen wearing these items may result in confrontation and possible violence.

Townieism accepts that criminal activity exists in Charlestown's past and present, most notably in the form of bank and pharmacy robberies by Townies as well as narcotic sales and use, and does not pass judgement on this behavior. Townies refer to serving a federal prison sentence as "going to college" and the area experiences a rate of drug-related hospitalizations and deaths 50% higher than the rest of Boston.[3] At the same time, recovery support programs maintain a strong presence and nearly every Townie family has members both living in active addition and in recovery.[4] Townieism involves pride in survival of a rough life in a rough area, and a particular refusal to adhere to dominant culture's expectations of a subordinate class similar to Melanie Hubbs' analysis of country music listeners in Rednecks, Queers and Country Music.[5]

Townies in Popular Culture

Depictions of the stereotypical Bostonian in American film often depend upon Townies or their similar neighbors in South Boston. Examples of Townies in popular culture include:

References

  1. ↑ http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Charlestown-Charlestown-MA.html
  2. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/26/us/neighborhood-finally-talks-and-loosens-crime-s-grip.html
  3. ↑ http://www.massgeneral.org/cchi/services/treatmentprograms.aspx?id=1499
  4. ↑ https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/12/13/opioid-problem-grips-charlestown/a2EUdE6PMmtCLXYgx3SlWO/story.html
  5. ↑ Hubbs, Melanie (2014). Rednecks, Queers & Country Music. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-28066-3.
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