I'm not scared of you Texas (Austin, Santa Fe: credit, home, neighborhood)

[KittyToy]

I'm not scared of you at all!

I'm totally lying.

I'm moving from the smallest town in Idaho to Austin TX...granted, I moved to this small town from San Diego, and I've been told I should just go back to SD.

Mostly because of my color.

I'm of mixed race (black and puerto rican) and I've been told by people, as well as read posts here that people of color aren't generally accepted in Austin. Is this true? I mean really...I'm moving from a town of 30,000 people all of which are white, and I have never felt any racism here...but then again...there are always sideway glances when I walk into a store, I generally think it's because I'm pretty...could it be because I'm black? Back to the subject at hand though...

I've been to Austin, and maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's my blinders I wear when it comes to racism, but I've never felt that I was ever singled out. But there are some people on here though that make it seem like Austin is CRAZY segregated.

In San Diego, I was never called upon/at because of my race, but then again, SD is such a melting pot of culture and race, that people just didn't care. But moving south, I'm afraid that there are some people...downright ignorant people who DO that. Especially in a bar/club atmosphere.

Is this true? And not only in the bars and 'clubs' but seriously, when applying for jobs, school...etc? Are people singled out because they're not 'white' in Austin?

[tongpa-nyi]

Austin is a "melting pot" almost as much as San Diego. You will probably get some anti-Austin responses telling you that it's horrible here, but I wouldn't pay those any mind.

I think you deserve the credit for not experiencing racism in your small town or in SD or during your visit to Austin. It indicates that you're not paranoid and you don't look for negative reactions. There have been many social psych studies that demonstrate a person's beliefs about racism, sexism, heightism, weightism, homophobia, and every other form of discrimination, have a dramatic effect on what they perceive.

In one such study, people were given prominent facial scars by professional makeup artists, then they looked in the mirror to see how they appeared. Then all the participants were swabbed with what they were told was a compound to help seal the mark on their face so that it wouldn't rub off. However, about half the participants had the mark removed without their knowing it, and none of them (in either the control or test groups) were shown a mirror again. They were taken to a public place for a while and then returned to "home base" where they answered a questionnaire about how their appearance affected the way they were treated. Those who believed they had the mark but didn't were just as likely to perceive people staring at them or discriminating on the basis of their appearance as those who really did have the mark.

It seems that our perceptions of other people's perceptions are just as important as the actual reactions of others. If we believe the world to be a hostile place, then that's how we'll experience it.

Welcome to Austin, planet earth, home of ordinary human beings. Some people are racist, most aren't. Just like any other place.

[hoffdano]

I like your attitude.

I think Austin will treat you well. Welcome!

[jobert]

We like diversity and eclecticism in Austin, and chances are you might be the first puerto-rican from Idaho to move here making you "one-of-a-kind".

[mark311]

Originally Posted by KittyToy

In San Diego, I was never called upon/at because of my race, but then again, SD is such a melting pot of culture and race, that people just didn't care. But moving south, I'm afraid that there are some people...downright ignorant people who DO that. Especially in a bar/club atmosphere.

I moved away from San Diego about 6 years ago, but I lived there all of my life up until then. The people making the segregation comments on here about Austin would surely make the same comments about San Diego if they actually lived there for a long time and knew all the areas there. You could drive through Del Mar, Encinitas, Ramona, and Rancho Santa Fe and see very few if any black people on any given day. There are areas in Austin that are similar. It doesn't mean that it's segregated or that there is racism. However, you could pick a neighborhood to live in within Austin where there are few black people. It doesn't sound like that would bother you since you liked San Diego, but it bothers some people that are from bigger cities where that isn't normal.

[burlshoe114]

If you can handle Idaho, you can handle any place with ease!!
I grew up in Spokane until I was 19, and my husband and I were married in Wallace Falls, ID, courtesy of my father's car club. They paid for 90% of the wedding in exchange for being able to have the wedding as part of their car tour entertainment.
You are going to have so much fun in Austin! It is going to be like a champage cork popped!

[ATX Wahine]

I think you'll dig it here. You can swim in glorious anonymity here in Austin and that's something I've come to really love about this city.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by KittyToy

I'm not scared of you at all!

I'm totally lying.

I'm moving from the smallest town in Idaho to Austin TX...granted, I moved to this small town from San Diego, and I've been told I should just go back to SD.

Mostly because of my color.

I'm of mixed race (black and puerto rican) and I've been told by people, as well as read posts here that people of color aren't generally accepted in Austin. Is this true? I mean really...I'm moving from a town of 30,000 people all of which are white, and I have never felt any racism here...but then again...there are always sideway glances when I walk into a store, I generally think it's because I'm pretty...could it be because I'm black? Back to the subject at hand though...

I've been to Austin, and maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's my blinders I wear when it comes to racism, but I've never felt that I was ever singled out. But there are some people on here though that make it seem like Austin is CRAZY segregated.

In San Diego, I was never called upon/at because of my race, but then again, SD is such a melting pot of culture and race, that people just didn't care. But moving south, I'm afraid that there are some people...downright ignorant people who DO that. Especially in a bar/club atmosphere.

Is this true? And not only in the bars and 'clubs' but seriously, when applying for jobs, school...etc? Are people singled out because they're not 'white' in Austin?

I wouldnt sweat it. We only know 4 african american couples (all professional, one mixed race) but I have asked them about this type of stuff. They said austin is fine - there is some racism, but not a lot. Maybe if you are in the lower income areas it might be more of an issue.

One african-american friend said her teenage daughter gets asked out by white guys all the time. However her daughter wants to date black guys, but the black guys all want to date white girls, plus there arent very many to choose from.

It isnt that AA arent accepted, there just arent very many (7%?).

[jread]

Originally Posted by KittyToy

I'm not scared of you at all!

I'm totally lying.

I'm moving from the smallest town in Idaho to Austin TX...granted, I moved to this small town from San Diego, and I've been told I should just go back to SD.

Mostly because of my color.

I'm of mixed race (black and puerto rican) and I've been told by people, as well as read posts here that people of color aren't generally accepted in Austin. Is this true? I mean really...I'm moving from a town of 30,000 people all of which are white, and I have never felt any racism here...but then again...there are always sideway glances when I walk into a store, I generally think it's because I'm pretty...could it be because I'm black? Back to the subject at hand though...

I've been to Austin, and maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's my blinders I wear when it comes to racism, but I've never felt that I was ever singled out. But there are some people on here though that make it seem like Austin is CRAZY segregated.

In San Diego, I was never called upon/at because of my race, but then again, SD is such a melting pot of culture and race, that people just didn't care. But moving south, I'm afraid that there are some people...downright ignorant people who DO that. Especially in a bar/club atmosphere.

Is this true? And not only in the bars and 'clubs' but seriously, when applying for jobs, school...etc? Are people singled out because they're not 'white' in Austin?

Nobody in Austin gives a flying crap what color you are. There has been some significant trolling on this forum lately from a few well known trolls (as well as a few new ones) who like to say other wise, but they are flat wrong. And if you have lived in Idaho then there is no way Austin is going to feel racist to you..... no way in hell.

I live in South Austin which is very diverse and full of mixed-race couples, gay couples... you name it. Austin is not a racist nor judgmental city, and I am SICK of the lies to the contrary.