A little about my self:
I've lived in philly my whole life. I was born and raised in north philly (g-town represent !) and love every part of my neighborhood. When I was 11 I moved to 15th and Fitzwater (almost south philly) where I've lived ever since (mind you I'm a teenager).
When your from philly (like me) and you've been going to bed to sirens, fireworks, and gun shots your whole life, you get used to it. It can even be comforting at times (COMFORTING, YES!). I went to public school from pre-k to 3rd grade, and again in high school.

How I see it:
You wont get robbed or picked on or followed if you don't make bad choices. Most importantly, don't be loud. I don't mean literally loud (while that does help), but look at your self in the mirror and think about where you are.
Are you wearing skinny jeans? yes
Are you in north philly? yes
Is every other person calling you a f ag? yes
then don't call yourself a victim.

To be fair, I understand why its hard for someone of a more rural or more relaxed environment to get used to the philly lifestyle. When your not born to show no fear, you will show fear. Not everyone is cut for the streets.

Another part of philly that no one really cared to touch on is the racism. Every neighborhood has its own. While this is a gross over simplification its kinda like this. North Philly is predominantly black. Whites are very much a minority. People love to pick on minorities when they know they have people to back them up. And if your white, you'll get hated on, hard. Just cause your white, and especially if your loud. There I said it.
Also, the north east is also racist, but the table is switched, as is parts of south philly (two street)


The last thing I want to touch on is that philly really isn't awful. It's actually a really nice city with lots to offer. Of course there's room for improvement (a lot of our streets need to be paved over), but over all its nice. I enjoy living here and will always call it my home.