[HsvMike]

Originally Posted by FlourChild

I don't have statistics to post on this, but literally everyone I've ever met who lived (or had lived) in Chicago told me that it was the most racist, segregated city in the US. And...WHERE is Chicago? ILLINOIS. Hardly a southern state. Keeper is absolutely right. Alabama may have pockets of racists, but the only place you'll ever find that doesn't is Heaven.

I can 2nd that one.

[FlourChild]

Originally Posted by DRD

The problem I see in Uneducated, we have to find a way to keep our kids in school and let them be able to compete with the rest of the world. There are countless thousands of kids not learning the basics with stupid laws like no child left behind.

When I went to school if you were slow you stayed in that grade until you got it.

Advancing children without the needed skills does nothing for them at all. All you become is a grade three student in grade four and so on down the line.

I have seen so many abuses of "outcome-based" education, I've lost count. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of black kids who were advanced to the next grade, given straight "A"s, even though nobody had bothered to teach them to read or write. The paternalist principle at work seemed to be "Let's build self-esteem, because maybe then these kids won't be dangerous", but the actual result was that these kids were set up to fail. Self-esteem doesn't mean jack when there are no real-world skills instilled to back up that esteem.

Self-respect should be the priority, based on accomplishments in learning and actual abilities. Any kid, black or white, who's a good reader/mathematician/general scholar, is MUCH better equipped to handle life than some kid who's had sunshine blown up his rear end. Kids in the latter situation grow up to find that no matter how much "self-esteem" they've been taught, they aren't equipped to DO anything legitimate. They've been cheated and lied to.

[roger6087]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

I'm sorry but I disagree with you there. White people in the south live around black people more than any other region of the country. You'd be hard pressed to find a 95% white community in the south (unlike midwest and northeast).

You haven't been to my home town, Brilliant, AL 100% white.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by roger6087

You haven't been to my home town, Brilliant, AL 100% white.

There might be a few areas like that, but it's not typical.

[Reactionary]

roger, snl is right, I'd be hard-pressed to find your hometown

[kevin_1975]

The town I went to school in growing up is all white or was. Kinston, Alabama in Coffee county.

[roger6087]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

roger, snl is right, I'd be hard-pressed to find your hometown

Your both right, just saying they can be found. You would have to get off the main road though.

[pennquaker09]

Add Mountain Brook to that list. But I personally feel that anyone will be welcome in MB.

[CaligirlinNawlins]

Everybody is racist everywhere, its simply different in other regions. and its not really even racism so much as it is "ism." japanese people hate chinese people, muslems hate jews, white people were discriminated against by other white people for being a different nationality. the world would be a better place if everyone stopped thinking they were the ones whose views were the correct ones and just start accepting people en masse. i.e. who cares what other people do/who they are as long as it doesn't hurt you personally

and the thing i've noticed about southern folks is that more people are extremely polite and helpful but less of them are genuinely warm.

and another thing i've experienced since i've been out here is a real "hate whitey" vibe from some black people. i don't like being the target of someone's inner rage that revolves around something that i had nothing to do with in neither a cultural nor historical context.

[Sarges Dad]

Originally Posted by DRD

My wife and I have pictures of the parades they hold, don't think for a second racism is dead in the south.

Racism is alive and well all over the U.S.
I see less racism in Alabama than I do in the north.