Muhammad?
Where did this guy Muhammad come from? Why do the cops think there was someone involved with Hobson named Muhammad? Did his brother mention something that I don't remember?
shareIn No Rounds they convinced their eye witness that one of the two killers might have been Chaldean.
shareI wondered about that. I do recall they tried to convince him that one of the pair (really Joe and Frank) was light-skinned; but not 'white.' But the ID sketch doesn't really look like anyone; and how does Geddes look anything like Hobson other than both are black? Geddes has a shaved head and Billy Hobson had noticeable hair?
Also, is Chaldean a generic Detroit term for someone who is of Arab-descent or looks Arabic?
Thanks.
Also, is Chaldean a generic Detroit term for someone who is of Arab-descent or looks Arabic?
Can't say for sure, but it's starting to sound like it. share
I'm aware of what a historic Chaldean is; but that doesn't seem to be how they're using it in the show, which is what I was asking about.
shareHey, don't know if this thread is still active, but....
The Chaldean thing was bugging me too so I did a little reading up a few weeks back. Apparently, in Detroit (and possibly other Northern cities) Chaldean is just a catch-all term used for anyone who appears to be remotely Arab. From what I can glean it is also used in a mildly condescending manner.
"Is this not a reasonable place to park?" - Raoul Dukeshare
Chaldean simply means Iraqi Christian. It is not deragatory or condescending at all.
shareI think it I heard it is slang for any Arab in Detroit though. Dani is Muslim remember.
shareNot so much slang as ignorance. Some people lump all arabic people under the umbrella of Chaldean...but only out of ignorance.
shareRe-read my post and those that came before it... slowly.
"Is this not a reasonable place to park?" - Raoul Dukeshare
Don'tMention......now re-read THIS post a few times...slowly:
I LIVE in the heart of Detroit, which has the biggest concentration of Chaldeans in the U.S. I have many Chaldean friends. The term "Chaldean" simply means a person of Iraqi descent who is Christian. Now, people who don't know any better will simply refer to all people of Arabic descent as Chaldeans, but that is done out of ignorance.....and it doesn't happen often here, because most people here know better. And the term itself...is definitely not used in a condescending way...nor is it received in that way.
I'm not sure about other cities, but in Detroit, there is some slight antagonism between Blacks and Arabs. Specifically because Chaldeans tend to be the ones who own the liquor stores and gas stations as well as other establishments in the city. Of course in some cases, they might not be Chaldean, but a majority of the time they are.
The antagonism stems from during the 70s when a decent migration of Arabs (which includes Chaldeans but is not limited to them specifically) moved into the Detroit area. White business owners who were moving out of the city were more likely to sell their businesses to Chaldeans and other Arabs than to Blacks. This is also about the same time Detroit became majority Black since there was still hostility towards Blacks for moving out into the suburbs while White-flight was going on.
Arabs were also just as likely to be racist towards Blacks if not more than Whites during that time. In modern day Detroit, it's not as pronounced as it was then (AFAIK), but some of the first generation immigrants still have racist tendencies and some older Blacks view Arabs/Chaldeans with disdain.
I think it's kind of amazing that slipped that sort of subtle race relations into the show since it seems like most people outside of Metro Detroit haven't even heard of Chaldeans. And actually, the show as a whole has done a decent job of presenting the subtle racial relationships that actually exist in Detroit.
Thanks. That's my impression too. I doubt that people dig into the genealogical or immigration backgrounds of people before applying the term. So I doubt that everyone called a Chaldean is an Iraqi Christian.
share