Quote:
Originally Posted by dlouw
I have the opportunity to move to the Rocky Mount area, but I have read some unflattering things about the area ... I am white and have read so many things about poor race relations in this area... thought we were all done with that???
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Most of us in the South were "all done with that" about half a century ago.
I grew up in an all-white neighborhood in Arlington VA, and had never met a black child until February of 1958, when I was an 8th grade student at Virginia's very first public school to be integrated. On that first day of integration, 11 frightened black students began attending a school of 1,500 white students. That day, about 40 National Guard troops were stationed around our school with rifles -- and bayonets -- to "keep the peace" and protect us all from possible retaliatory action from hate groups.
While some other school systems in Virginia -- and in most southern states -- had initially closed their schools rather than comply with laws enforcing school integration, nothing bad happened in Arlington. The troops were at our school the rest of the week, scaring the hell out of us all. And then they left.
Although the new situation was "different" for all of us kids, we were children and most children adapt very quickly. Within a few days, we were getting to know each other, and learning about each other. And soon, it was as if we had all known each other for years (even though our parents may have not been comfortable with the situation at first). And we rapidly learned that, despite obvious superficial differences we really were all pretty much the same.
Once we children had learned to really talk to each other (instead of
fearing each other because of some sort of unknown but perceived "differences"), that whole concept of "race" rapidly became irrelevant for most of us. And we were suddenly well on our way to becoming true citizens of the world.
"RACISM" is nothing more than a twisted form of ethnocentrism based on fear of the unknown.
The Human Genome Project (Google it if you don't know about it) proved conclusively that the entire concept of "race" is simply a social construct, showing that there is minimal genetic variation between any two humans, regardless of where those two humans ancestries might have originated. Knowing that, we should pity those people we encounter who still continue to harbor racist ideologies, because they live in a self-perpetuated world of fear and ignorance every day.
Those who want to find ways to hate someone else can always do so, for pretty much any "difference" they can identify. Perhaps the "other" has different colored skin, or wears different clothes, or has different religious viewpoints, or speaks a different language. Or maybe the "other" just comes from a different city or attended a different school. The "other" person is "different" ... so let's hate 'em!
Sound stupid? Yes, of course it is. But there are a few people with generally bad attitudes who really do still act that way. This can happen in Rocky Mount, New York City, or anywhere else.
Most people in Rocky Mount are friendly and welcoming. Air and water quality are great, the weather is nice, and North Carolina barbeque is outstanding.
As with anywhere else, to live a peaceful life, it's probably prudent to ignore people with bad attitudes.
So move to Rocky Mount, celebrate life, and don't worry about all those harbingers of doom.
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