What is this "culture?" (Charlotte: theatres, school, restaurants)

[roanokers]

Originally Posted by anifani821

WRONG WRONG WRONG.

Who is being intolerant here? We Southerners are not only tolerating the Great Northeast Migration, we are trying our best to accommodate everyone.

Seems the newcomers are the ones complaining about the South.

No one "secretly hates" newcomers! We will just ignore you and exclude you if you act like jerks. That is true ANYWHERE. That is not exclusive to the South!!!!

There we go again, when I point out what other people are doing, I'm accused of being intolerant.....(to steal one of your phrases) Geeeezzz!!!!!

As far as migrations go. No one has a lock on the culture of a geographic region. Just ask the Native Americians on whose land we all now stand. They had a culture, and they were forcibly removed from their land. So I don't believe that anyone can "ignore and exclude" anyone. That is my whole point. Remember the melting pot, isn't that what America (not Roanoke, Charlotte, Northeast, etc.) is supposed to be.

To reference the "Great Northeast Migration" you speak of, people follow opportunity. Many southerners went north during the industrial revolution, now we are more in a technology/ service age, and people are following the money.

I am simply showing what is happening, not only in Charlotte, but everywhere. Everyone needs to stop being so afraid of people who are different from them.

[roanokers]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

As one Yankee to another, you tell me why it's OK for transplants of any ethnicity to insult the natives. When you're done, then you can explain why you think it's OK for you to insult them.

?????? Again, not sure how I was insulting? My response was in like spirit to the other posts. I'm not sure what you're getting at.

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by roanokers

That wasn't my assumption. If you go and read the original post while taking a minute to put aside the "I'm proud to be a southerner t-shirt", you will see what I was talking about. Or Maybe Not?

The original post was in my opinion very dismissive of all other cultures that may migrate to your city. I thought we lived in the United States of America. From the posts that I have read in this forum and others, it sounds to me like people are standing behind their barricades and lobbing verbal bombs at those on the other side.

Black against white, northerner vs southerners, local vs transplant, etc. I love these forums because people say exactly what they think and feel, no political correctness to muddy things up. These are the same people who smile in your (generic) face everday and secretly hate you, because you aren't in their "group".

America is anything but United, and these posts go to prove that intolerance reigns supreme.

I went ahead and re-read the original post in this thread, a couple of times actually. I still think it's good as it is, and I view it as a response to the "Charlotte lacks culture" type of threads that pop up here and there. I always took those threads to mean that Charlotte somehow lacks the rich history when compared to New York or Boston (as an example). Seems like CG was pointing out there is a very rich culture here and in the south in general just as every part of the great American story as any other place. I also took it to be a response to the "Charlotte doesn't have..." type threads- which obviously boggles most long timers, natives and the like (why the heck would you leave something you clearly really like and go to a location that doesn't have it, and then pine about it). The reference to the civil war was simply a time marker, implying that the existing culture didn't pop up over night.

Possibly, if you're new to the forum, you may see it as a "love it or leave it" post, which is pretty understandable if you see person after person diminish and/or trivialize your heritage and your environment. However it's not that at all, it's at least attempting to open the eyes of anyone that's new here to at least respect the richness of all that Charlotte and the south has to offer (obviously *many* transplants do that, but there's enough that don't).

[Hoagie58]

Originally Posted by roanokers

Whoa Big Fella, be easy....

You can celebrate what you want as long as it's not hurting anyone. Have at it. I'm not invoking racial issues, the original poster made a poorly disguised attempt at doing exactly what you are accusing me of. I made no mention of any southern pride celebrations, only the fact that Carolina Guy was very dismissive of other cultures.

Also just because you live in the south doesn't mean that outsiders (yankees as some southerners call us) have to fully assimilate to the culture that has been there since the Civil War. People bring their heritage with them, and they should all be included. This is a free country, and this election is proving that EVERYONE'S CULTURE MATTERS!!!!

Why do I get the distinct impression that your posts on this specific thread are little more than a campaign for Obama? The OP didnt invoke race in to the conversation. He simply said that the absence of Little Italy or China Town does not mean that an area doesn't have culture. Also, if you'll reread the OP, you'll see that he referenced rural culture that has been in existence since BEFORE the civil war.

No one has said anywhere in this thread that everyone's culture doesn't matter. The gist was that even if you don't care to embrace southern culture, don't disparage it because you feel your culture is superior.

As for your theory about people coming on here, and not muddying the conversation with political correctness- I think that posts asking about "diversity" and "culture" are nothing more than politically correct phrasings of inquiries in to the racial/ethnic makeup of the areas heir interested in.

[roanokers]

Originally Posted by Miker2069

I went ahead and re-read the original post in this thread, a couple of times actually. I still think it's good as it is, and I view it as a response to the "Charlotte lacks culture" type of threads that pop up here and there. I always took those threads to mean that Charlotte somehow lacks the rich history when compared to New York or Boston (as an example). Seems like CG was pointing out there is a very rich culture here and in the south in general just as every part of the great American story as any other place. I also took it to be a response to the "Charlotte doesn't have..." type threads- which obviously boggles most long timers, natives and the like (why the heck would you leave something you clearly really like and go to a location that doesn't have it, and then pine about it). The reference to the civil war was simply a time marker, implying that the existing culture didn't pop up over night.

Possibly, if you're new to the forum, you may see it as a "love it or leave it" post, which is pretty understandable if you see person after person diminish and/or trivialize your heritage and your environment. However it's not that at all, it's at least attempting to open the eyes of anyone that's new here to at least respect the richness of all that Charlotte and the south has to offer (obviously *many* transplants do that, but there's enough that don't).

Finally, someone actually makes sense!!! Adding to your reputation points now. This reminds me of what my Mom would tell me growing up, "sometimes, it's not what you say, but how you say it that makes all the difference". Everyone (myself included) could take a lesson from your post.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by roanokers

?????? Again, not sure how I was insulting? My response was in like spirit to the other posts. I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Read your own posts. Are you telling me that calling people small-minded is not an insult to them?

I read the posts that resulted in this thread. They were insulting. You feel free to use insulting terms for people posting in this thread. You are sticking up for people who made insulting posts.

Keep the Native Americans out of this. Some of them are some of my ancestors.

[roanokers]

Originally Posted by Hoagie58

Why do I get the distinct impression that your posts on this specific thread are little more than a campaign for Obama? The OP didnt invoke race in to the conversation. He simply said that the absence of Little Italy or China Town does not mean that an area doesn't have culture. Also, if you'll reread the OP, you'll see that he referenced rural culture that has been in existence since BEFORE the civil war.

No one has said anywhere in this thread that everyone's culture doesn't matter. The gist was that even if you don't care to embrace southern culture, don't disparage it because you feel your culture is superior.

As for your theory about people coming on here, and not muddying the conversation with political correctness- I think that posts asking about "diversity" and "culture" are nothing more than politically correct phrasings of inquiries in to the racial/ethnic makeup of the areas heir interested in.

"So, I have to ask the following blunt question: if a town is made up of mostly southern (some may say redneck) white people, who's roots go back to well before the civil war, who have southern pride, southern heritage, and everything that makes one southern, does that mean it lacks culture? "


That is a direct quote from the original post. So reading that as Black American, how is that supposed to make me feel.

How about if you were moving to Norfolk, Atlanta, or New Orleans (pre-Katrina) and I said something like "...if a town is made up of mostly southern (some would say ghetto-fabulous) black people, who's roots go back to the civil war, who have black pride, black heritage, and everything that makes one black, does it mean it lacks culture?

You see I didn't get from his post that southern was synonymous with anything other than white.

As far as a campaign for Obama, I was merely pointing out that his candidacy is making ALL PEOPLE feel included in what is going on. I found a connection in the two.

Lastly, your rant about people asking about diversity. If you belonged to a minority group, you would want to know if the "natives" (I use the term loosely) were friendly to your group of people. Since you aren't in the minority, you don't have to grapple with these issues, and get annoyed when other people look out for their own interests if they are not congruent with your own.

[mullman]

Originally Posted by roanokers

If you belonged to a minority group...

Indeed I do: native Charlottean.

[roanokers]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Read your own posts. Are you telling me that calling people small-minded is not an insult to them?

I read the posts that resulted in this thread. They were insulting. You feel free to use insulting terms for people posting in this thread. You are sticking up for people who made insulting posts.

Keep the Native Americans out of this. Some of them are some of my ancestors.

Mine too, buddy. We are all mixed with various ancestry, that is why this is all so crazy to me. I've got two tribes of Native Americans, Italien, African, and Irish blood flowing through my veins.

And to clarify I said that his post was small minded. I didn't say that all people in Charlotte were. Their is a small minded group of people in every place, and I believed that his individual statement represented that ideal.

[global_gal]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

That is not true I know Black southerners , Gay southerners, Latino southerners, asian southerners... We dont have issue with being diverse it those who come from areas that are segregated where they come from with their little Italies , Chinatowns who seem to have "issues"

But you are from NC, what you know, as a resident, is different from an "outsider" making inquiries. Of course diversity exists, but a person with fears/doubts wants to confirm if they too will feel comfortable in a new southern city because historically the south hasn't been viewed as the hotbed of diversity, but that is changing/has changed.

Yes, sometimes people make statements based on ignorance or fear, but offense shouldn't be taken. I don't think inquiring minds doubt diversity exists but part of educating oneself includes asking questions . I like on this board when posters refer to a previous post on the same subject - a big time saver!

I agree that people need to assimilate into an area where they move and value the history and habits of that place, but again some historical events in the south stick in people's minds - again leading to why the "culture" question keeps popping up. A view visits doesn't give the insight that a resident can give, but a forum of opinions shouldn't make or break a relocation or whatever.