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The area described as Northeast runs all the way from Forest Acres (roughly Decker Blvd.), through Dentsville, over to Farrow Rd., and all the way out to Blythewood and Lake Carolina. A huge, unincorporated area with over 75K people of all backgrounds. From the city line and Forest Acres to Clemson Rd. is like 12 miles.
FWIW
Far as racial issues are concerned, I think everybody is prejudiced in this world, to a point.
The only time I've heard someone vocalize their racial biases out in public there was at a friend's bar there in town (I was in town on business). It was election day and a group of blacks were in the place complaining about the election results (national, state, local), and they expressed the usual sentiments about "those folks over in Forest Acres" and tea party folks.
I guess they were unhappy the Dems got trounced in elections across the country.
My good fellow members on here,first of all,I appreciate your response here even if you haven't had any problems like I described and you don't agree with my views on racism here in Columbia.I am glad for you that's lived here for many years and love this city.Again though,this is my own personal observation based on my own personal experience in the over two years I have lived here,and judging by a few of these responses,I can see that I'm not the lone one here who feels that way.
Some of you however, need to read the OP again,and try to keep all I said in context even if you disagree with what I'm saying.I have experienced more than just dirty looks and in fact everything one could experience just short of a physical touching.There's no need to list each and every negative encounter with every black man or woman to make my point,once again,read my post.
What may help some of you understand my experience better is that first,besides being white,I'm white with a clean shaved bald head,LOL,I couldn't help but laugh at myself on that one.But seriously,those who are already racist,think that your racist,like a skinned head or a White Supremacist,so this only adds to my defect of being born white,I know poor me.
The next thing is,I tend to be out in public a lot and especially downtown,so it naturally follows that I have a lot more contact with people off the streets including the homeless.So this may help explain why more attention is drawn to me and why I see racism here more clearly than others.
I would suggest to anyone on here,as a test,spend some time downtown more and especially at the city transit.Do so with an open mind and you just might have a different point of view.
To LEXINGTON DADid you say a "Troll"?Please give me a break here man.By definition of the word "troll",it looks you and not me who wants to provoke arguments by saying things like that with a mouth that is disconnected from your brain.People who already live here and love it,will continue to live here and those who are thinking about moving here will not move here because of one person's opinion along. "feed on that".
Now on a positive note:I was impressed and still am with the parks here and I love the Greenway here with the long bike/walking trail.There is also much beautiful scenery to take in and a pretty decent nightlife.
It's hard to judge a place based on anecdotal evidence. The fact is, there will be racist, ignorant (or just plain mean) people anywhere you go. Thankfully, most people are not like that in Columbia. Unfortunately, a person can run into more than his fair share of the prejudiced types, and it makes Columbia seem worse than it actually is. I grew up in rural South Carolina, in a town split nearly 50/50 between whites and blacks. I saw a lot of open racism from both sides. I have not seen nearly as much of that in Columbia, and I live in the NE and work downtown. As far as homeless people go, I have been approached by many "street people" downtown. I'm white, and from my experience, very few of these folks have been rude or aggresive. The few who have been were white. That really doesn't say anything about whites or blacks, and that's just my point. We can encounter people of any race who are jerks, but that doesn't say anything about the race as a whole.
My good fellow members on here,first of all,I appreciate your response here even if you haven't had any problems like I described and you don't agree with my views on racism here in Columbia.I am glad for you that's lived here for many years and love this city.Again though,this is my own personal observation based on my own personal experience in the over two years I have lived here,and judging by a few of these responses,I can see that I'm not the lone one here who feels that way.
Some of you however, need to read the OP again,and try to keep all I said in context even if you disagree with what I'm saying.I have experienced more than just dirty looks and in fact everything one could experience just short of a physical touching.There's no need to list each and every negative encounter with every black man or woman to make my point,once again,read my post.
What may help some of you understand my experience better is that first,besides being white,I'm white with a clean shaved bald head,LOL,I couldn't help but laugh at myself on that one.But seriously,those who are already racist,think that your racist,like a skinned head or a White Supremacist,so this only adds to my defect of being born white,I know poor me.
The next thing is,I tend to be out in public a lot and especially downtown,so it naturally follows that I have a lot more contact with people off the streets including the homeless.So this may help explain why more attention is drawn to me and why I see racism here more clearly than others.
I would suggest to anyone on here,as a test,spend some time downtown more and especially at the city transit.Do so with an open mind and you just might have a different point of view.
To LEXINGTON DADid you say a "Troll"?Please give me a break here man.By definition of the word "troll",it looks you and not me who wants to provoke arguments by saying things like that with a mouth that is disconnected from your brain.People who already live here and love it,will continue to live here and those who are thinking about moving here will not move here because of one person's opinion along. "feed on that".
What you described could also be said of any city in the country. Unfortunately, racism exists everywhere in the country. If you had a bad experience in Columbia, sorry...I have had similar experiences in all of the SC metros and others outside of the region. But, there is a difference in using an experience for information or discussion rather than trashing a city. There are some on this board who were called a name in Columbia and have spent the better part of contributions making gross generalizations and trashing all things Columbia. I hope you are not interested in going that direction with your comments. If you are, then it is not worth talking about.
What you described could also be said of any city in the country. Unfortunately, racism exists everywhere in the country. If you had a bad experience in Columbia, sorry...I have had similar experiences in all of the SC metros and others outside of the region. But, there is a difference in using an experience for information or discussion rather than trashing a city. There are some on this board who were called a name in Columbia and have spent the better part of contributions making gross generalizations and trashing all things Columbia. I hope you are not interested in going that direction with your comments. If you are, then it is not worth talking about.
GSP:You are absolutely right,and I believe I said that in the beginning of my post,also mentioning that I've experienced some of the same encounters with racist's blacks within my home town,and no,I am not interested in going in the direction of trashing Columbia as you put it with "gross generalizations"
Also,I can't help who on this board used racist language and have done so to trash columbia or any other city for that matter.I'm just sharing my experience and expressing,very respectfully I might add,my own opinion which as a member on City-Data,I have a right to do the same as you.
I do love this site,but everyone should keep in mind,your not the jury on this issue and don't speak for the whole city even as I don't.but the few on here that have agreed with my observation and many more I've talk too out in public makes me know,it's not just something I've conjured up in my mind and want everybody else to accept.
I understand some have lived here for many years or all there life and hasn't had any problems and maybe too,just don't care because it doesn't affect them.Well,I said it before,good for you.but from knowing and having decent black friends in my life time,I think I'm in a good position to say Columbia has an atmosphere of racism and racial tension within it that is more widespread and open than in any other place I've been yet and though I may be wrong,I think the confederate Flag flying over the State house has cause or at least added to it as judged by many racist's posts in The State news on this issue.
Remember just because you don't have your radio on,doesn't mean music is playing on the air.
Last edited by Peachstate01; 10-11-2011 at 04:42 PM..
It's hard to judge a place based on anecdotal evidence. The fact is, there will be racist, ignorant (or just plain mean) people anywhere you go. Thankfully, most people are not like that in Columbia. Unfortunately, a person can run into more than his fair share of the prejudiced types, and it makes Columbia seem worse than it actually is. I grew up in rural South Carolina, in a town split nearly 50/50 between whites and blacks. I saw a lot of open racism from both sides. I have not seen nearly as much of that in Columbia, and I live in the NE and work downtown. As far as homeless people go, I have been approached by many "street people" downtown. I'm white, and from my experience, very few of these folks have been rude or aggresive. The few who have been were white. That really doesn't say anything about whites or blacks, and that's just my point. We can encounter people of any race who are jerks, but that doesn't say anything about the race as a whole.
PalmettoGuy:No,I just brought up the homeless to say,I'm in close contact out in the public probably a lot more than a lot of people and therefore have an occasion to see and encounter more than someone who's in an office 9-5 everyday and then straight to there house.
You are right though,for the most part the homeless here are non aggressive and I even know a few of them.I can't stand racism though whether it comes from white or black.it all the same either way with no excuses for either side.
GSP:You are absolutely right,and I believe I said that in the beginning of my post,also mentioning that I've experienced some of the same encounters with racist's blacks within my home town,and no,I am not interested in going in the direction of trashing Columbia as you put it with "gross generalizations"
Also,I can't help who on this board used racist language and have done so to trash columbia or any other city for that matter.I'm just sharing my experience and expressing,very respectfully I might add,my own opinion which as a member on City-Data,I have a right to do the same as you.
I do love this site,but everyone should keep in mind,your not the jury on this issue and don't speak for the whole city even as I don't.but the few on here that have agreed with my observation and many more I've talk too out in public makes me know,it's not just something I've conjured up in my mind and want everybody else to accept.
I understand some have lived here for many years or all there life and hasn't had any problems and maybe too,just don't care because it doesn't affect
them.Well,I said it before,good for you.but from knowing and having decent
black friends in my life time,I think I'm in a good position to say Columbia has an atmosphere of racism and racial tension within it that is more widespread
and open than in any other place I've been yet and though I may be wrong,I
think the confederate Flag flying over the State house has cause or at least
added to it as judged by many racist's posts in The State news on this
issue.
Thanks for sharing your observations. Just as you said that noone on this board is the jury, I don't think one person, based on personal experiences has a basis for claiming a racial tension in a city, that is a gross generalization. The confederate flag is a state issue and has not Been on the state house for years.
Thanks for sharing your observations. Just as you said that noone on this board is the jury, I don't think one person, based on personal experiences has a basis for claiming a racial tension in a city, that is a gross generalization. The confederate flag is a state issue and has not Been on the state house for years.
I beg to differ.It's not a "gross generalization"because I am just one poster expressing my opinion as if I'm the only one who feels this way.you need to go back and read some of the other posts that concur with me.
Also,the flag issue here in columbia goes to racism here because many,if not most blacks here feel it's an emblem of racism and should be took down,so it's not just a state issue.You also must have forgot that I said I've tallk to many white guys here who have lived here a long time and told me,they felt Columbia was super racist,so again,it's not just my opinion,just my only post on here.
Let's not forget,there have been marches here at the state House by black citizens living here and others from across the country who have protested against the Confederate Flag flying here.Please don't try to minimize the issue here,stick with the facts. Confederate Flag Sparks Protest Rally,dated March 28th 2010.WMBF News.com
Just this past January brought the 11th annual NAACP day at the dome,which was a march and protest of the Confederate Flag.In fact every year at the Observance of Martin Luther King,there is a march and protest rally which include many of Columbia's black citizens coming out to voice there protests against the flag continuing to fly on the State House grounds.A state issue only,hardly.It's a huge social and political issue that goes right to the heart of what I believe accounts for the super atmosphere of racial tension in this city and I stand by what I say and know from experience 100%
Last edited by Peachstate01; 10-11-2011 at 05:54 PM..
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id you say a "Troll"?Please give me a break here man.By definition of the word "troll",it looks you and not me who wants to provoke arguments by saying things like that with a mouth that is disconnected from your brain.People who already live here and love it,will continue to live here and those who are thinking about moving here will not move here because of one person's opinion along. "feed on that".
