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Tom, so your experience in real life speaks louder to you than what the media portrays? GREAT! Do I sound anything like who you're talking about, since I'm native to ny? I did vote for kerry, but I won't apologize. I guess you'd rather not hear how I feel about bush, so I'll spare you.
Please produce the article in NY times that disparages WV, because for the years I've read it, I seem to have missed that one.
I happen to know there's a huge fan base for mountain stage music @ WFUV (fordam university) enough to dedicate airtime daily. Even WFUV didn't realize people were tuning in from as far away as CT, long island, and in western NJ on a clear day. They found clever ways to elevate their antennas for the chance to hear it, because it hasn't been picked up by all NPR stations. Josh Ritter made his way down to huntington with his city folk- music flows everywhere if you're willing to hear, and as is the usual hospitality, WV was happy to have him.
Tom, whoever you are, your happiness doesn't depend on how anyone else lives their lives. Depends on you. Have your chevy, eat your hot dog however you care. Whatever opinions are mine, I'll share if you'd like to try them for a spin, but take it or leave it as you wish. I'd be worried about your mental health if all my personal preferences decided your life.
I suggest you point your ire at the media doling out this false information. Talking heads are a bunch of hacks inciting hatred every chance they get. Culturally, people are people everywhere. When media prey upon peoples fear of the unknown, they've been victimized by the very system they use to educate themselves about the world. That's true of every state in the union, and every country on the planet. Now, what are we going to do about THAT when it's on your TV? Will you continue to be guilty of the same, using name dropping of a prestigious paper like the NY Times trying to steer WV'rs into thinking that NY has negative attitudes toward them? That's a baldface lie that I won't let you get by on.
So I encourage everyone to view CNN.com under any story about Hillary's 60% lead in WV. Bloggers immediately say WV is inbred, racist, uneducated. Allow me to quote a few bloggers.
What the people of WV should be doing, is working to educate themselves on the issues, and not the color of someone's skin.
They have phones there?
Obama has already conceded WV–he keeps saying so in Oregon. I think after PA he knows he can't win over the back woods whites, and why should he try? WV has a very small population. He's going to focus on the remaining larger, more liberal states.
People of WV. I challenge you to overcome racial divides and lies and vote for OBAMA. Hillary is not the nominee so don't waste your votes. This is exactly what the republicans want so let's end this.
West Virginia is, and always will be, backwards. Perhaps she'll hold a victory speech on the back of a pickup at a Klan rally.
That's because people in West Virginia are poor and uneducated.
Is WV somewhere in the middle of pacific ocean with no TV and internet? Geezzzz
who cares?? is this really news? we already know she gets the redneck vote!!! most in WV keep all in the family anyway — why wouldn't they all agree on HER??!!!
zzzzzz…nobody cares!!
W Virginia is the U.S. equivalent of Uzbekistan…
Do they even have electricity in this state land??
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If these outraged you as much as they outraged me, send CNN a message telling them you aren't going to sit back and have these horrible comments made about our great state. I have already massaged them.
I hope that the misconceptions of West Virginia carry well into the future.
I want the best and the brightest to come here...not the weak in mind who broadcast their inner fears with vile words and thoughts.
Its an issue of worthiness. A reward. West Virginia is not for everyone...
It's for Americans...that's who I want to see here...the remander..that mass of scum should stay where they are and putrify their own states, cities and neighborhoods.
The people who come here see it as a peaceful reward to their spirits and minds.
The others have no place here anyway...
Our people, deep in their hearts know they belong here...and many who have left, wish they, somehow, could have stayed here and long to eventually return...
So, that said, what made your decision to not support hillary and give it to obama? I can say emphatically I thought his speeches were inspiring to say the least. What made him presidential material for you?
She has changed her tune numerous times to cater to lobbyist and special interests. Most politicians do this, but she chooses missrepresent her actions and motives; specifically on healthcare.
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The other part of what you've said- I'd like to point out something. When blacks and whites get along like peas and carrots, nobody calls the press and puts it on the 6 o'clock news. The media thrives on stirring up uglinest parts of people, and unfortunately other peoples issues have been projected onto the citizens of this state. I can honestly say the only prejudice I've seen came from another transplant (from alabama). I've got a black neighbor in charleston who enjoys the same hospitality that I have since I came here. The woman who owns my laundramat is black, and folks don't go elsewhere as a result. Interacial couples are not stared down the way they are in states like Va or NC. Can you honestly tell me you've seen WV'rs be hateful? I'm betting not.
I actually agree. In fact, my treatment in WV has been better overall than my treatment in my home state of PA in regards to me living as a Black woman and random people being rude to me. But being polite is very different from truly empathizing with someone and trusting someone who is very different from you to lead the country you live in and love.
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So if there ARE no race relation problems in WV, whats the problem? There are race relation problems with other people who want to instigate. Seems it burns their butt that people treat each other decent here, as if that's somehow abnormal. They're very ill, and see it for what it is. They only win if people like you and me let them by feeding into the hype. You'll shine bright on your own merits if you can never let weasels break your stride. Learn that lesson early in life, you'll go very far. I'm speaking woman to woman to spare you needless suffering from tremendous emotional abuse. It's only real if you live out their lie that you're inferior, and completely meritless if you get on with your own life work to shine the way your maker intended. Don't let the bastards drag ya down.
There are race relation problems in WV; just like in the rest of this country. How they manifest themselves are different...that's all. I've lived in lily-white areas in PA; and while people may not burn a cross on your lawn or put a noose on your porch...you grow up feeling like an alien...because people treat you that way. It was amazingly hurtful to not have anyone to go to school dances with or have people meet you and within a whole 2 minutes of talking to you say, "Wow, you sure don't talk like a Black person!". It's ignorance...and it comes from lack of exposure. However I am grateful in that it has actually made me stronger; I am not so delicate to be subject to emotional abuse because my day-to-day living is something that would break most people who do not live as a minority in this country.
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Now, why blacks voted for bush twice... that I'd love to know!
Bush did not win the Black vote when he ran...I'm pretty sure.
To me it is simple. Obama goes to a church that preaches the evil of whites and how many bad things America does in the world---his wonderful wife says she was always ashamed of America and did papers in college on the evils of America. To me that is a couple who hates America. Obama tells voters he is against NAFTA then tells Canada that satement was just for politics and he didn't mean it. What bull. He is the worst thing to ever happen to the U S. Elected or not.
And the faithful followers of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson (including the right wing Christian political wing) are somehow innocent of this very same thing?!
Have you read some of the utterly hateful and inane things they have said regarding 'Americans' not like themselves? Blaming 09/11 on feminists, liberals etc, ad nasuem?
Well, I certainly know why I didn't vote for Obama. I dislike people who are not real. I checked into Mr. Obama long before Rev. Wright hit the news, and I knew what I wanted before the media tried to tell me what to want.
I dislike some white people, I dislike some black people, neither makes me a racist.
Global Poverty Act (S.2433) might be an eye opening read.
And I have to say the same is true for my earlier post ,check out these sites they are not only eye opening , they will blow your mind as to what our own government is planing for us. while putting up this smoke screen >
MissShona, thank you for commenting on my blog. I responded to you there.
My hope is that the day will come when we'll relate to each other as human beings, and that our empathy or trust will not be dependent on an outward shell. After all, despite all our physical, mental or emotional differences, we have one very important thing in common. At some point, we'll all decay back into this earth. Skin color, money or education make no difference. Our humanness makes us more alike than any of our differences.
Again, projection is powerless without introjection
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Originally Posted by MissShona
my treatment in WV has been better overall than my treatment in my home state of PA in regards to me living as a Black woman and random people being rude to me. But being polite is very different from truly empathizing with someone and trusting someone who is very different from you to lead the country you live in and love.
There are race relation problems in WV; just like in the rest of this country. How they manifest themselves are different...that's all. I've lived in lily-white areas in PA; and while people may not burn a cross on your lawn or put a noose on your porch...you grow up feeling like an alien...because people treat you that way. It was amazingly hurtful to not have anyone to go to school dances with or have people meet you and within a whole 2 minutes of talking to you say, "Wow, you sure don't talk like a Black person!". It's ignorance...and it comes from lack of exposure. However I am grateful in that it has actually made me stronger; I am not so delicate to be subject to emotional abuse because my day-to-day living is something that would break most people who do not live as a minority in this country.
Bush did not win the Black vote when he ran...I'm pretty sure.
Bush demographics can be verified in archives. Forget trusting me, you need to look for yourself. Exit polls were saying they felt alienated by dems, so they were voting AGAINST dems wholesale, not for a candidate.
Now, for the rest of it- here is where philosophies of personal responsibility come into play. I've been a minority just about everywhere I've gone in life. Mostly that's because I've worked in male orientated jobs. Military, oil biz etc for 20 yrs. I can assure you nobody went out of their way to make my life any easier, and at times had to do the work of 2 people to get around their BS. I was a minority at college being the only suburbanite amongst the savy city cats. I've spent most of my life being the new kid on the block. I've had quite some adventures to date, and none of it would have been possible had I not reached for it and earned it on merit.
You're a WVU student, and among all WVU students who earned their degree without a powerful daddy, you have achieved bragging rights and expertise that no one can erase. The student loan association cannot repo what you've learned. You get to walk through life being certain of your competance in the field. The ones with powerful daddys do not, and what they build for themselves in life is forever lesser than as result.
I say this as respectfully as I can, because I wasn't blessed with the gracious southern genes of my grandmother, and my skills for diplomacy are less than stellar. Maybe it's because I've had to be fluent in language specific to rough neck guys on the job- these interactions go both ways, leave their marks. I wouldn't insult you by sympathizing with you. Way I feel about that is it only validates the two way crime (a contract you signed off on). There is the crime that some weasel tries to put on you, then there is the crime you do to yourself by making it real with your attitudes and actions. Poetry of en vogue- free your mind, and the rest will follow. Those words are priceless to any human being, because throughout history of this planet, no race, culture or creed has been left unscathed by oppression, exploitation or prejudices. Religious jewish males say a prayer daily thanking their god they were not born a woman. I'm grateful, because I LOVE being female, I wouldn't trade it for anything. They weren't worthy.
I won't give slack to WV'rs who run on the same platform of self defeating behavior either. Know that they have more in common with you than not, having been stigmatized for centuries by outsiders as this thread suggests. When they start making it real by internalizing garbage, I'll call them on it too. BS is BS no matter who is dishing it out or who is willingly poisoning themselves with a LIE of the mind.
Here, NOW, I can only encourage you to proudly lead by the example of your own life. It would be ridiculous to indict you based on whatever dennis rodman or gangsta rappers would do. You really want to spend your life martyred for the entire black community? that's a tough row. There are some folks in this country whose only exposure to black culture isn't Duke Ellington, Will Smith or Bill Cosby, but the gangsta rap music their kids brought home, and they're mortified by the level of disrespect in that music. What's more, it's repulsive to sudanese refugees, who cannot comprehend why this is acceptable behavior. There is more black on black violence putting young men in prison than interacial stuff, and it's heartbreaking for everyone to watch. NOT just the black community. The pope, the teachers, the dalai lama are shedding tears over it too.
The 12% of this country are educating the rest of us with what messages? When you call them on it, I already know they'll give themselves the excuse of oppression, that everything is rotten, and they feel empowered being destructive. That is how they perpetuate the enslavement, and how you wind up paying the price of misinformation for their idiocy. The media will portray OJ as blacker on a magazine cover, but like WV'rs who believe they're being singled out, elements of the media have nasty things to say about every political party, race, religion, creed, region, country.... the media is telling us ALL everyday that we're rotten. Are they correct? If not, they need their credentials revoked, and the standards of journalism restored far beyond the national enquirer garbage everywhere around us. We are, as humanity, being SNERTED by a proffession we need to trust for vital information. See that propaganda as a criminal act, and suddenly the whole world looks different.
I'll add this one last thing: when people are rude, it's about them. Their upbringing, their narcisism, their lack of humanity, their immaturity, their whatever. They haven't the sense to be ashamed of themselves. More often than not I've found that the real problem is the cultural differences in definition of what is rude. Regardless of reason, taking on their handicap is entirely voluntary. Nobody in this life owes you anything, and you don't owe them either. The honor system doesn't apply to everyone, only the ones who live it out with you in your chosen civilization. Discernment of who, where, and how much of anything is in your life is all on you as a human being, just like the rest of us human beings. We cannot control the world, but we can decide how we will, or won't, respond with our energy. WV is not responsible for how blacks represent/interpret themselves any more than you are responsible for how they represent/interpret themselves. When you draw a line around yourself saying 'I'm black, I won't date white guys in my chosen school', you have willingly divorced yourself from humanity for your own reasons then projected the blame onto them for not including you. Equality is a two way street. Will you live out this honor system and be my equal? I will only offer invitations to my equals.
Get those chains off your mind, and quit stooping to the level of seeking respect from those without self respect or the approval of pompous morons! This lecture was given with tough love to all human beings throughout the world. Do with it what you will, I will not carry you.
Bush demographics can be verified in archives. Forget trusting me, you need to look for yourself. Exit polls were saying they felt alienated by dems, so they were voting AGAINST dems wholesale, not for a candidate.
What exit polls...where? When? Sort of hard to research this without specifics. I however don't know a single Black person who ever voted for GWB; including my Black Republican ex-Marine uncle (who did vote for his father by the way).
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Religious jewish males say a prayer daily thanking their god they were not born a woman. I'm grateful, because I LOVE being female, I wouldn't trade it for anything. They weren't worthy.
This is a good example of how misunderstandings can cause the wrong interpretations. I am also a religious Jew. Jewish women substitute the following in place of that line, "...G-d...who has made me according to his will". In Judaism, men are "tied" to time-bound religious duties and may only perform many religious acts (such as reading from the Torah, saying public prayers) when with 9 other men. Women on the other hand have a greater and more important responsibility of instilling values in families and taking care of the family. There work is continual...not time based. Men thanking G-d for not making them a women comes from relief...not disdain. Jewish women are regarded as the cornerstone of the single most important element in Judaism...the Jewish family. Oh, and every Friday night, the entire family will serenade the mother by singing "Aishes Chayil" (Woman of Valor) and anyone who witnesses that will see that Jewish women are hardly inferior.
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WV is not responsible for how blacks represent/interpret themselves any more than you are responsible for how they represent/interpret themselves. When you draw a line around yourself saying 'I'm black, I won't date white guys in my chosen school', you have willingly divorced yourself from humanity for your own reasons then projected the blame onto them for not including you. Equality is a two way street. Will you live out this honor system and be my equal? I will only offer invitations to my equals.
Get those chains off your mind, and quit stooping to the level of seeking respect from those without self respect or the approval of pompous morons! This lecture was given with tough love to all human beings throughout the world. Do with it what you will, I will not carry you.
I don't follow; or maybe you are not directing this at me. I date Jewish guys (try to); most of whom (well in the US) are White. When I was in school...I wasn't Jewish though...but I did not limit myself then either. And dating in school is different anyway...which is what I didn't get. Taking someone to a dance does not mean you will marry them. But no one wants to take "the Black girl" to the dance...although she may be everyone's friend otherwise. That's what I was getting at...not my own misunderstandings and limitations that I place on myself.
When I was in high school there were two black girls I would have dated...but we dated into our own culture...they would not have considered a white guy to date for fear of reprisal from their family...times have changed and in a few generations we will not see races at all...A noted CPA in North Carolina said that to me ages ago and I see it happening...We will end up with the Asian yellow and a shade of light brown...who cares...
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Again, projection is powerless without introjection
