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It makes me laugh when people use, say, New England as an example of positive race relations. The largest city in New England, Boston, which actually has some diversity, historically has had poor race relations. Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are the three whitest states in the U.S. and have virtually no experience in dealing with white-black relations.
Compare this to Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, or Alabama. Yes, there's probably more (open) racism. There's also more racial diversity and an actual history of desegregation.
Tis truth.
I experienced this first-hand living on the East Coast (New England area to be exact) and I have never heard the "N" word (and other racial slurs) so much in my life. It was really disturbing, as it was primarily the upper class that had such a prejudiced and segregated view of society. As part Native American I felt funny/ostracized sometimes as well, which is something I've never felt growing up in Oklahoma/Texas nor anywhere else in the South.
It also appalled me how the hatred between Yankees/Red Sox seemed to be the true feeling of people. I think some of the folks really wanted to kill each other, they way they referred to the other fans/team. It made the Red River Rivalry (Sooners vs. Horns) look like a civilized cakewalk......which it definitely is NOT. hahaha
Last edited by Bass&Catfish2008; 02-12-2010 at 11:40 AM..
yes, i totally agree. but white and blacks are not the only race and being able to get along with just whites and blacks a nonracist does not make.
too bad the south is notoriously racist, both blacks and whites, to other immigrants not white or black.
i don't mind anymore as i can move around where i want to now, i just resent that i had to endure that crap when i didn't have a choice.
the south or any place can be whatever or however they like. yes, it's like i stepped into another reality up north from the south. nowadays, it's so much migration and moving around that many southern cities are full of northerners though now.
one of my bosses lived in Birmingham for a few years, and he is Middle Eastern, he said he loved it in Alabama and that it was full of nice people.
My cousin who is half Spanish and Fillipino has spent alot of time in Birmingham and Northern FL and said that the people were normal there, she never felt that the people were scary or that she was discriminated against, she said it never even crossed her mind untill I asked her.
when me and my girlfriend were in Birmingham and Atlanta we were treated great, I look white and she is obviously Hispanic.
my parents are White and Hispanic and never any discrimination there, and we were in TN,LA,MS and AR.
my friend is Hispanic and lives in rural TN and she loves it there
im not saying there isnt any kind of racism but I just didnt see it or get any bad vibes, there is racism though everywhere, plenty of it here in NM where people claim its one of the most accepting states, and it probably is.
one of my bosses lived in Birmingham for a few years, and he is Middle Eastern, he said he loved it in Alabama and that it was full of nice people.
My cousin who is half Spanish and Fillipino has spent alot of time in Birmingham and Northern FL and said that the people were normal there, she never felt that the people were scary or that she was discriminated against, she said it never even crossed her mind untill I asked her.
when me and my girlfriend were in Birmingham and Atlanta we were treated great, I look white and she is obviously Hispanic.
my parents are White and Hispanic and never any discrimination there, and we were in TN,LA,MS and AR.
my friend is Hispanic and lives in rural TN and she loves it there
im not saying there isnt any kind of racism but I just didnt see it or get any bad vibes, there is racism though everywhere, plenty of it here in NM where people claim its one of the most accepting states, and it probably is.
well, it depends on time and location. i went through some horrible racist experiences which left scars, not just some hurt feeling, from living in the south. i can't even describe online the experiences as they were so nasty.
what's strange is i had moved from kentucky (they were friendly or at least neutral) where i had zero racist experiences to alabama and it's like i went to hell. it may have been the particular school system i was in but it was pretty much equally mixed with whites/blacks and it was from both and it was incessant day after day. to this day, i never saw kids so extremely vicious and aggressive like rabid rottweilers. it wasn't just me because another person of the same race also was treated that way. then i transferred to another school in the same state, same thing pretty much. this was not a small town either. then i went to florida and i experienced less but more in deland, fl, a tad rednecky perhaps. this was where it was hard for me to get a job at the time. i was very young and i applied to work at mcdonalds but everyone was very racist or bigoted it seemed. you could just feel the coldness but it seemed whites/blacks/hispanics got along okay. after that, i went to upstate new york and i experienced none at all. as a matter of fact, i felt free and got work easily with none of the southern claustrophobic/bigoted attitudes. in the south, i remember trying to get a job as a cashier at food lion and the manager shook my hand and said i was too businesslike and didn't even interview me. what's even more heinous was how he said and looked at me with a smirk on his face and his southern pomposity. it's just the way they act and behave too. i almost was developing a complex by all these subjective attitudes that just permeated everything and it seemed every decision process. i was hired in new york without any weird/bigoted vibes or attitudes. i was almost shocked and told the manager i have no experience. he said i can be trained and it's no big deal. that's when i snapped out of it and realized it was not me that was the problem and there was nothing wrong with me. i think southerners overall tend to be too emotional in ways that make them more inclined to bigotry/favoritism/subjective. i do not respect southerners much from my experiences and admittedly, today i have developed toward a negative bias, but not always out of these experiences because i just don't have a particular liking for the south in general despite it. i never liked the atmosphere either.
being an adult in these places is a little different but i do think that the south does have more racism and more virulently racist people than other places usually. it's just a tad more vicious in the south. i found southerners to be exceedingly arrogant and in my inexperience with other places at the time also believed the stereotype that new yorkers were rude etc until i moved there. this eye opener just made me have more disrespect and scorn for southerners because it wasn't true. my rant sounds like i'm sensitive, right? well, southerners are sensitive to a point like coliicky children you don't want to upset or they will be nasty to you. it's not even rational but irrational. i think southerners tend to be more irrational in general or harder for them to be objective.
there is no way that my qualitative experiences don't have some truth in it as for as racism goes.. it was unmistakable in general, though i'm not asserting there is no racism elsewhere because of course there is. i think some places just are not as racist as other places as well as places less openly racist.
well, it depends on time and location. i went through some horrible racist experiences which left scars, not just some hurt feeling, from living in the south. i can't even describe online the experiences as they were so nasty.
what's strange is i had moved from kentucky (they were friendly or at least neutral) where i had zero racist experiences to alabama and it's like i went to hell. it may have been the particular school system i was in but it was pretty much equally mixed with whites/blacks and it was from both and it was incessant day after day. to this day, i never saw kids so extremely vicious and aggressive like rabid rottweilers. it wasn't just me because another person of the same race also was treated that way. then i transferred to another school in the same state, same thing pretty much. this was not a small town either. then i went to florida and i experienced less but more in deland, fl, a tad rednecky perhaps. this was where it was hard for me to get a job at the time. i was very young and i applied to work at mcdonalds but everyone was very racist or bigoted it seemed. you could just feel the coldness but it seemed whites/blacks/hispanics got along okay. after that, i went to upstate new york and i experienced none at all. as a matter of fact, i felt free and got work easily with none of the southern claustrophobic/bigoted attitudes. in the south, i remember trying to get a job as a cashier at food lion and the manager shook my hand and said i was too businesslike and didn't even interview me. what's even more heinous was how he said and looked at me with a smirk on his face and his southern pomposity. it's just the way they act and behave too. i almost was developing a complex by all these subjective attitudes that just permeated everything and it seemed every decision process. i was hired in new york without any weird/bigoted vibes or attitudes. i was almost shocked and told the manager i have no experience. he said i can be trained and it's no big deal. that's when i snapped out of it and realized it was not me that was the problem and there was nothing wrong with me. i think southerners overall tend to be too emotional in ways that make them more inclined to bigotry/favoritism/subjective. i do not respect southerners much from my experiences and admittedly, today i have developed toward a negative bias, but not always out of these experiences because i just don't have a particular liking for the south in general despite it. i never liked the atmosphere either.
being an adult in these places is a little different but i do think that the south does have more racism and more virulently racist people than other places usually. it's just a tad more vicious in the south. i found southerners to be exceedingly arrogant and in my inexperience with other places at the time also believed the stereotype that new yorkers were rude etc until i moved there. this eye opener just made me have more disrespect and scorn for southerners because it wasn't true. my rant sounds like i'm sensitive, right? well, southerners are sensitive to a point like coliicky children you don't want to upset or they will be nasty to you. it's not even rational but irrational. i think southerners tend to be more irrational in general or harder for them to be objective.
there is no way that my qualitative experiences don't have some truth in it as for as racism goes.. it was unmistakable in general, though i'm not asserting there is no racism elsewhere because of course there is. i think some places just are not as racist as other places as well as places less openly racist.
Though I don't want to offend you or pick at any of your scars, but don't you think that even though these terrible people had southern accents, shouldn't you blame just the mean spirited individuals and unfair school districts (trust me man they're everywhere) instead of blaming the whole half of the U.S. that they happened to be in? Because there are millions more southerners that I'm sure you never met and stereotyping on the basis of a handfull of people doesn't make you any more right.
well, it depends on time and location. i went through some horrible racist experiences which left scars, not just some hurt feeling, from living in the south. i can't even describe online the experiences as they were so nasty.
what's strange is i had moved from kentucky (they were friendly or at least neutral) where i had zero racist experiences to alabama and it's like i went to hell. it may have been the particular school system i was in but it was pretty much equally mixed with whites/blacks and it was from both and it was incessant day after day. to this day, i never saw kids so extremely vicious and aggressive like rabid rottweilers. it wasn't just me because another person of the same race also was treated that way. then i transferred to another school in the same state, same thing pretty much. this was not a small town either. then i went to florida and i experienced less but more in deland, fl, a tad rednecky perhaps. this was where it was hard for me to get a job at the time. i was very young and i applied to work at mcdonalds but everyone was very racist or bigoted it seemed. you could just feel the coldness but it seemed whites/blacks/hispanics got along okay. after that, i went to upstate new york and i experienced none at all. as a matter of fact, i felt free and got work easily with none of the southern claustrophobic/bigoted attitudes. in the south, i remember trying to get a job as a cashier at food lion and the manager shook my hand and said i was too businesslike and didn't even interview me. what's even more heinous was how he said and looked at me with a smirk on his face and his southern pomposity. it's just the way they act and behave too. i almost was developing a complex by all these subjective attitudes that just permeated everything and it seemed every decision process. i was hired in new york without any weird/bigoted vibes or attitudes. i was almost shocked and told the manager i have no experience. he said i can be trained and it's no big deal. that's when i snapped out of it and realized it was not me that was the problem and there was nothing wrong with me. i think southerners overall tend to be too emotional in ways that make them more inclined to bigotry/favoritism/subjective. i do not respect southerners much from my experiences and admittedly, today i have developed toward a negative bias, but not always out of these experiences because i just don't have a particular liking for the south in general despite it. i never liked the atmosphere either.
being an adult in these places is a little different but i do think that the south does have more racism and more virulently racist people than other places usually. it's just a tad more vicious in the south. i found southerners to be exceedingly arrogant and in my inexperience with other places at the time also believed the stereotype that new yorkers were rude etc until i moved there. this eye opener just made me have more disrespect and scorn for southerners because it wasn't true. my rant sounds like i'm sensitive, right? well, southerners are sensitive to a point like coliicky children you don't want to upset or they will be nasty to you. it's not even rational but irrational. i think southerners tend to be more irrational in general or harder for them to be objective.
there is no way that my qualitative experiences don't have some truth in it as for as racism goes.. it was unmistakable in general, though i'm not asserting there is no racism elsewhere because of course there is. i think some places just are not as racist as other places as well as places less openly racist.
do you mind if I ask what race you are? sorry to hear about your troubles
asian + south don't go together all that well. certain combinations just don't go together.
i'm okay with that, it's just that i had no idea that was the problem when i was younger and i had no choice in where i was living. when you are young, you tend to be naive but i was the one who bore the brunt of the onslaught and it was very cruel. not a good experience for anyone.
this happens to varying degrees when anyone is a minority in an area. but i was a minority in kentucky and in upstate new york too but it was nicer. so i think it has to do with area and certain places just by a combination of factors may be worse for some ethnic groups. i never saw that blacks had those kinds of issues in the south because there are so many, so that is why i had mentioned context. i mean a white person walking into a ku klux klan rally isn't going to automatically be disliked but another race might, it's just common sense.
so when people talk about what place is friendly or not, you have to consider context and certain factors. one person's experiences and perceptions may be very different from anothers in the same place for varying reasons.
i know there are southerners that are nice people and those same type of mean spirited or bigoted people in other areas. i was just saying in general every place has a different social climate more conducive to some vs others.
i am not saying the south or anywhere should or have to change anything. i think any place has a right collectively to be however they want.
asian + south don't go together all that well. certain combinations just don't go together.
i'm okay with that, it's just that i had no idea that was the problem when i was younger and i had no choice in where i was living. when you are young, you tend to be naive but i was the one who bore the brunt of the onslaught and it was very cruel. not a good experience for anyone.
this happens to varying degrees when anyone is a minority in an area. but i was a minority in kentucky and in upstate new york too but it was nicer. so i think it has to do with area and certain places just by a combination of factors may be worse for some ethnic groups. i never saw that blacks had those kinds of issues in the south because there are so many, so that is why i had mentioned context. i mean a white person walking into a ku klux klan rally isn't going to automatically be disliked but another race might, it's just common sense.
so when people talk about what place is friendly or not, you have to consider context and certain factors. one person's experiences and perceptions may be very different from anothers in the same place for varying reasons.
i know there are southerners that are nice people and those same type of mean spirited or bigoted people in other areas. i was just saying in general every place has a different social climate more conducive to some vs others.
i am not saying the south or anywhere should or have to change anything. i think any place has a right collectively to be however they want.
That's a lie. I'm half Filipino and I've lived here my whole life. Nobody cares about Asians here, not a big deal. Really the only race problems are between blacks & whites, everyone else gets by just fine. I've been through small towns in the middle of nowhere and the people were just as friendly. Nobody is out to lynch an Asian, they are not seen as a threat.
That's a lie. I'm half Filipino and I've lived here my whole life. Nobody cares about Asians here, not a big deal. Really the only race problems are between blacks & whites, everyone else gets by just fine. I've been through small towns in the middle of nowhere and the people were just as friendly. Nobody is out to lynch an Asian, they are not seen as a threat.
that's your perception and i am not lying.
lynch an asian? prejudice or racism isn't just as extreme as lynching. you sound very unrealistic, not me.
i don't care if you've lived in the south your whole life and by the way, you sound very uninsightful and so maybe that is why you get along so well. it's easy to if you're that shallow. the south gets along with everyone but it's just between blacks vs whites? that is the most ridiculous assessment i've ever heard. the south is more comfortable with blacks and whites rather than asians. i doubt that it was my imagination that i noticed both blacks and whites get along hunky dory with eachother and call asians every slur imaginable. i also made it clear that those who have problems with blacks in the south are usually very old or from much older generations. i think it's YOUR assessment that's off the mark.
you calling someone a liar over thier own experiences and perceptions is very assinine and ridiculous.
i already stated that this was in the '80's and so it was more racist then but the south is still pretty much more racist.
the south did not get the reputation of being racist out of thin air.
half filipino? lol. i am full asian and i look full asian. you live in tennessee! go back and read my posts on this thread. i already stated that tennessee and texas was more friendly in my perception. can you read?? i was referring to basically the extreme southeast.
the south did not get the reputation of being racist out of thin air.
No, a lot of the reason it (we) "got it" was born from that the the Southern states (in this case, defined as those which had de-jure Jim Crow laws on the books) were just less hypocritical about it all.
For some odd reason, it made a certain sect of liberal northerners feel better about themselves. They could point to that, hey, we don't have poll taxes, or segregation laws on OUR books. Harumph, Harumph...
Of course, that was only cosmetic. BUT...in the pursuit of self-righteousness and scab-picking, who gave a damn?
The birds really came home to roost once "forced busing" got started. Suddenly, all those northern politicians who had previously supported every federal intervention measure against the South, put their mouths and agendas in reverse. It was sight to see, dammed if it wasn't.
In my experience the South seems pretty nice. People are definitely a lot more gregarious and outgoing and seem at least somewhat interested in asking how you are, where you're from. I remember when I was visiting Georgia Tech and went to some restaurant with my dad... I guess we stuck out to the hostess because of our Northern accents, and she asked us where we were from and what brought us to Atlanta, etc very friendly. Pretty much everyone we met was friendly, even the homeless people.
I have had some run-ins with outright jerks in the South, but that's also happened up here in DC. Idiocy is a plague that affects all countries, states, cities and continents.
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hahaha
