Is Iowa still promoting the State to Minorities? (Iowa City, George: movies, school)

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Not that funny at all, but way off topic.

What if someone who is a minority decides to move in and he or she isn't a gang banger or a welfare seeker and will gladly go to events celebrating European culture?

If that person is a good person I could care less what color they are. I just would not beg or promote an area to any group of people if it is based on color.

I would promote areas to good poeople who are willing to work hard and pay taxes.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Steve_W

If that person is a good person I could care less what color they are. I just would not beg or promote an area to any group of people if it is based on color.

I would promote areas to good poeople who are willing to work hard and pay taxes.

From your post, I see that Iowa isn't promoting the state to people who want to work hard and pay taxes. I wonder why?

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

From your post, I see that Iowa isn't promoting the state to people who want to work hard and pay taxes. I wonder why?

Pirate,

I really don't know what Iowa is doing to promote the state to minorities. From what I hear they have a pretty flawed welfare system that maybe has attracted people to Iowa who may have been minorities.

Who knows.......I now live in Omaha which has its own problems.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Steve_W

Pirate,

I really don't know what Iowa is doing to promote the state to minorities. From what I hear they have a pretty flawed welfare system that maybe has attracted people to Iowa who may have been minorities.

Who knows.......I now live in Omaha which has its own problems.

My theory: Few minorities want to move to Iowa, especially professionals. Most black professionals are headed for Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Dallas. The only way Iowa has been able to attract more minorities to the state after the demise of the John Deere plant in Waterloo is through other means. The Hispanic population has been growing due to alot of agricultural jobs. If Iowa could promote itself to professionals more, then professionals of every race would be headed for Iowa. Iowa is rather inexpensive compared to many states, there are good people who live there, and there are things that can bring a person here, but places like Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, etc. seem more attractive to professionals.

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

My theory: Few minorities want to move to Iowa, especially professionals. Most black professionals are headed for Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Dallas. The only way Iowa has been able to attract more minorities to the state after the demise of the John Deere plant in Waterloo is through other means. The Hispanic population has been growing due to alot of agricultural jobs. If Iowa could promote itself to professionals more, then professionals of every race would be headed for Iowa. Iowa is rather inexpensive compared to many states, there are good people who live there, and there are things that can bring a person here, but places like Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, etc. seem more attractive to professionals.

Also I think people are more comfortable around people of the same race. If I had options as a white man to move to a predominantly black community or a white community I would pick the white community.

I think it can be as simple as familiarity.

Who knows, I think it would be a bad idea however to promote jobs to people of a certain race over other races. Things have a way to even up and working themselves out.

Forcing diversity will come back to bite a city in the ass in my opinion.

[txcollegeboy]

I am half hispanic, but don't really have anything in common with Mexican culture. Iowa seems a hell of a lot better than San Antonio.

[Chicago60614]

I think the state is more looking to attract hard working, honest, optomistic people. I doubt the color of their skin really has a lot to do with it, it's not like Iowa is 1950's Alabama or something.....

I don't think the state is really spending much time/money on a distinct drive to attract specific minority groups. There really isn't much of an economic/social point in that...other than being more diverse. I'm all for diversity, and I know the leaders of Iowa want it to be more of a diverse state, but you can't MAKE people move to the state. A lot of minorities overlook Iowa anyway cause its economy isn't booming, it's mostly white, and many people might feel like they really stand out.

I'm all for a diverse state, but I don't really think it's inherently BAD that the state is mostly one color. It just is what it is.....

Anyway, most diverse places like Chicago are so segregated that it's basically the same thing. Hispanics on the southwest side, whites on the north, blacks on the south. There's very little interaction between the groups - and honestly most of the groups really could care less about what's going on outside of their immediate neighborhood/life/concern.

[txcollegeboy]

How would diversity benefit Iowa?

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Not that funny at all, but way off topic.

What if someone who is a minority decides to move in and he or she isn't a gang banger or a welfare seeker and will gladly go to events celebrating European culture?

Going to events that celebrate European culture isn't the point. I wouldn't expect some black dude to get excited about St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, St. George's Day, Columbus Day or any other white ethnic holidays, just as I shouldn't be expected to care about MLK day, Cinco de Mayo, Asian new years, etc.

I'll level with you, Pirate, virtually all white people do not want black people around who do the stereotypical things like talk in movie theaters, cut in lines, commit crimes, use profanity while grabbing their crotch in public, let their illegitimate children run around screaming and cussing, cause crime, spend money they don't have on "outfits" and rims, blatantly and shamelessly use public assistance and other things like that. Unfortunately for a black person on the up and up, they're going against these sort of stereotypes. However, I think black people who do not do these sort of things are usually recepted very well. I think a black professional wouldn't have much trouble being accepted here, but I do know that there aren't many of them here so it's a little difficult for them to find others to "connect" with. I've heard about black professionals from Des Moines who travel to Kansas City all the time in order to be around other black professionals.

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I, but I don't really think it's inherently BAD that the state is mostly one color. It just is what it is.....
.

I agree. No one criticizes Japan for being all one color and no one is saying that Japan needs more black people in order to be a better place.

[Lehmaac]

I'm surprised you enjoyed Whiteboyz, Rhino, considering that it makes fun of uninformed people making judgments and assumptions about communities and cultures they have no firsthand experience with.