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Old 02-12-2010, 10:28 AM
 
9,803 posts, read 16,133,807 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elston View Post
I agree that Alabama could change and probably has. When I think of Alabama I think of lynchings and the little girls killed while at Sunday School, and fat necked troopers with billy clubs taunting ministers and school girls.....I think of the brutality of Loundes County...I think of George Wallace standing in the doorway of the University .... and I think of the majority of the citizens who were content with things just the way they were....because it was their way of life.

I know that Mississippi and Georgia have the same racist past.....but somehow they weren't personified by the worst of their culture.

About 15 years ago, I was off work a few months due to shoulder surgery. My wife looked for paperback books to keep me occupied between therapy sessions.

She bought me 2 of the most interesting books I have ever read----" Walking Across America"---part I and II by Peter Jenkins who walked from up East to New Orleans ( part I) and from New Orleans to Oregon ( part II)

He was a bearded young man just out of college ( 1974) and spent time stopping and working at various places and writing about them.

His original walk was planned with Alabama not part of it, however he had to change it and dreaded the walk thru the state of Alabama from north to south ( Wallace was governor then)

It turned out he was highly impressed with the people he met along the way and the places he visited and people he was invited to stay with.

He left Alabama with perhaps the most praise of any state he walked thru and stated his misconception before the walk was completely different than after.

Yes, it was 1974 and Wallace was governor.

I highly recommend that paperback as I found it quite interesting in the places he stopped, places he worked, and people he met.
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Old 02-12-2010, 10:43 AM
 
9,803 posts, read 16,133,807 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post
Space Camp in Huntsville isn't a world famous destination?

Home - Space Camp® Online

Maybe to the people in Hunstsville it is.

Most people in the US never heard of it.
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Old 02-12-2010, 10:57 AM
 
24,135 posts, read 10,449,310 times
Reputation: 46062
Quote:
Originally Posted by elston View Post
I agree that Alabama could change and probably has. When I think of Alabama I think of lynchings and the little girls killed while at Sunday School, and fat necked troopers with billy clubs taunting ministers and school girls.....I think of the brutality of Loundes County...I think of George Wallace standing in the doorway of the University .... and I think of the majority of the citizens who were content with things just the way they were....because it was their way of life.

I know that Mississippi and Georgia have the same racist past.....but somehow they weren't personified by the worst of their culture.
Nothing like not letting go! That keeps everything alive and at status quo.
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:00 AM
 
24,135 posts, read 10,449,310 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by collegestudentfromalabama View Post
Well, maybe so, but aren't there just places that have a certain appeal? Aren't some states known for their unique histories or culture? We have that, too, granted we are probably like most states in the South. Why can't we embrace the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement here and welcome cultural diversity and new thinking to a marked degree? Why can't we forget our past, completely, and move on? Why can't we establish, or promote, a noted Southern Ivy League college that welcomes students from all over the world? Are we living in the past? If so, why?
I sounds like you are "living in the past" or have not been to BHam during the last 15 years:>)
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:10 AM
 
Location: Floribama
18,940 posts, read 43,348,635 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elston View Post
Alabama still has a reputation for lawlessness, racism and intolerance. When I have to drive through Alabama......I dont make any stops. I know that not everyone who lives in Alabama is like that.....but it is a scary place to be a stranger. There are many people who would not choose to vacation there.
What is so scary about it? What are you afraid is going to happen to you if you stop?
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:13 AM
 
270 posts, read 502,965 times
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Well, maybe you're right. I haven't been to Birmingham in a while. Maybe I should go and get an idea about how things have changed, but I still really feel like this poor little state has had its image destroyed by its racist past. I really don't think its like that now. I like to think that it's changed quite a bit since Wallace was governer (I've only read about him in history books). A lot of people here don't hate diversity; they encourage it. I wish Alabama could be viewed in a different light by the rest of the U.S. We aren't those people who lived then.
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,530,714 times
Reputation: 17829
Quote:
Originally Posted by marmac View Post
Most people in the US never heard of it.
"More than 509,000 people visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville last year"

from

Your Town Alabama: Designing Our Future



The US Space & Rocket Center...As the number one tourist destination in the entire state of Alabama, this attraction offers dozens of demonstrations, including hands-on exhibits and fantastic space-flight simulators

from

Alabama Travel Guide: Alabama Top 10 Attractions



"...with over 15 million visitors since 1970."

from

Home - Space Camp® Online

The 500,000th camper, Samantha Rice, graduated June 15, 2007.

Chelsea Clinton attended U.S. Space Camp during Bill Clinton's first term.
The summer of 2006, one of Tom Hanks' sons attended camp, and he was present for graduation.
The elder President Bush visited during his term as president, and subsequently was used on the U.S. Space and Rocket Center brochure for a period thereafter.
Dan Quayle visited during his term as Vice President.
Al Gore visited during his term as Vice President
Kris Kristofferson attended along with his son Jesse at Parent/Child Space Camp in the summer of 1991.
The cast and crew of Apollo 13 visited Space Camp during pre-production.
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen attended U.S. Space Camp during production of The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley.
Elizabeth Cooper, the daughter of Mercury Seven astronaut Gordon Cooper, attended Space Camp Florida in 1990.
The adult children and grandchildren of Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Jim Lovell attended the Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama
Actress Charlize Theron attended a special weekend Adult Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama
Australian actor Lincoln Lewis attended Aviation Challenge in Huntsville, Alabama in 2003.
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:28 AM
 
9,803 posts, read 16,133,807 times
Reputation: 8266
-----" the number one tourist destination in the state of Alabama"--

Yup, ------- in the state of Alabama-- says it all.
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:30 AM
 
4,739 posts, read 10,395,590 times
Reputation: 4186
marmac - maybe you missed the movie Space Camp starring Lea Thompson.

elston - when you think of "the little girls killed while at Sunday School", be sure to think of Condi Rice and that she overcame that era to become one of the most powerful people in the world.

The State has embraced the Civil Rights Movement, as evidenced by the touristy Civil Rights Trail. 'Forgetting the past' and 'moving on' is incongruent with memorializing and celebrating the State's history.

Welcoming cultural diversity would tend to erase our 'unique' culture - again, incongruent. Alabamians like BBQ and churches.

I'm sure that the students at Birmingham Southern think that they're attending a 'Southern Ivy League college'.

Right on, Threestep.
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Old 02-12-2010, 11:48 AM
 
2,450 posts, read 5,583,755 times
Reputation: 1009
Re: Space Camp
My personal experience from people I know in CA tells me than most people have heard of Space Camp, but don't know where it is. I remember when I was young cereal boxes offering Space Camp prizes or something like that. However, when I told people I was working with NASA in Huntsville there were a few that said "Isn't that where the space camp is?"
I agree with Reactionary that you can remember your historical past and enjoy things you like about southern culture. Alabama has a lot of interesting history. I don't see how that argues against cultural diversity though. I don't know that it needs to encourage it (I would like it more diverse while I'm here, but I also admit that's a purely personal preference and involves my own cultural preferences, not a purely "good" or "bad" thing). You can accept and welcome diverse peoples, without actually actively seeking out diverse populations to move here and while still enjoying the same things you always have. Trust me, there is no danger of BBQ and churches going anywhere anytime soon.
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