Areas where African Americans live (Missoula, Red Lodge: day cares, neighbourhood, to live)

[ckhthankgod]

that makes it right? Come on, it's not like they didn't know the intent in calling the lake that.

Also, where is this accent info.? That is interesting, but from my experience in the South, it was pronounced "nigra".

Originally Posted by Reziac

Of course back when the original name was applied, the now-infamous "impolite" word was no more impolite than "black" is today. It was just how "negro" was pronounced in an Elizabethan accent (which BTW is preserved in the present era as the Appalachian hillbilly accent).

[decembergirl]

My grandparents migrated out of Germany after Hitler started his little hate war over there and moved here. I am so glad that we found pretty much the same bs that they were trying to leave behind. I could have been born in Germany and have a better paying job, more vacation time and even if I was paying twice the amount for gas I bet my utilities wouldn't be bending me over quite as bad as Northwestern Energy just did with their 20% hike in rates that the Montana Public Service Commission just approved. Bah! The economy will soon get us all...regardless of our backgrounds.

[ElkHunter]

This thread is about wore out. It's not even close to what the OP asked. People are moving it to hate and discontent. That's not what it was intended for. I WILL shut it down if it doesn't get back on track.

[Timberwolf232]

I'm with Elkhunter... I can't see where race has anything to do with moving to a new place. History is history, can't change that now. All we can do is live the best we can. True friends are true friends regardless of where we all came from.

I think it would be a good idea if every man was required to serve in the military between high school and college, (unless enrolled in ROTC). More of the USA would know who their brothers were and I think society would be more responsible in general.

In my unit I was the racial minority for a while, but you know what? I never felt like it. Never even really thought about it, and I've gained some lifelong friends.

[ElkHunter]

I'll bet you have. True shipmates are hard to come by. I realize the shipmates is a naval term, but in each branch, we had them.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

I'm with Elkhunter... I can't see where race has anything to do with moving to a new place. History is history, can't change that now. All we can do is live the best we can. True friends are true friends regardless of where we all came from.

I think it would be a good idea if every man was required to serve in the military between high school and college, (unless enrolled in ROTC). More of the USA would know who their brothers were and I think society would be more responsible in general.

I've had similar thoughts. Kids just out of high school go on to college with no real idea of what they want, because they just don't have enough Real Life Experience. So... have two years of national service due immediately after high school, where they do all those jobs that are presently taken by illegal aliens (and which USED to be done by our own high school kids). Give them room and board and a minimal wage (with no income tax and a nice tax break for their employer, who would not be required to cough up payroll tax or workman's comp tax), but have their work-stint count toward financial credits for higher education, so it's not just time wasted. The money paid as wages stays in the U.S. rather than being shipped home to the Old Country, the kids get to learn about Real Life from the bottom rung (instead of thinking they deserve to be high on the ladder at the start) and the demand for illegal immigrant labour is negated.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

In my unit I was the racial minority for a while, but you know what? I never felt like it. Never even really thought about it, and I've gained some lifelong friends.

Yep... The D.I tells you, oops, I meant TELLS YOU that you aren't black, you aren't white, you aren't striped, you aren't anything but soldiers, SIR YES SIR!! And ya know what? it works. Pretty soon you don't care about your buddy's race, you just care about covering each other's butts in the field, where your life is in your buddy's hands. It builds TRUST, and that makes "racial barriers" disappear.

So to the OP... come be our friend, our neighbour, our trusted buddy. Be one of us, and most of us will accept you with open arms. As to those who don't -- eh, well, there are idiots everywhere, and they'll find some reason to hate *someone* no matter what. Don't let them dictate your life decisions.

[Timberwolf232]

Not a bad idea at all. I think it would help with a sense of community. The only ones that would really gripe are the spoiled snotty rich kids, but who really cares if they gripe?

Our Drill Sargent used to tell us we were not black, white, jewish, mexican etc... but we were all EQUALLY USELESS...

It was hard not to laugh when he talked, as he was from Puerto Rico and sounded exactly like Ricky Ricardo.... so he would walk in and start yelling and all we could think of was "Lucy, I'm home from de club." Heh heh. Good times.

[hapyguy]

The last demographics that I read were for 2006 and if I remember correctly, the percentage of the Montana population that is African American is around 0.9%. I grew up in Billings and travelled a bit for sports and have travelled through many times on vacations back there. The places that I noticed with the largest populations of African Americans were in Billings, Great Falls, and Bozeman. Maybe this is because of the military installations and schools in these areas and how they generate a greater diversity of cultures.

[hapyguy]

I grew up in MT and currently reside in Phoenix. I have been all over the U.S. (and the world) and have found this place to be exceptionally accepting of interracrial marriages and quite open to diversity of all kinds. Ten years ago, I experienced large amounts of racial tension having been married to a black woman in semi-rural NC. PHoenix seems to be a place for people to come and start new and live their ideals regarding racial harmony or at least to change their current beliefs about them and become more accepting of racial blending.

[ElkHunter]

It's gone.

give me a gripe if you want to. I can take it.