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Yeah. I agree. My thing is no region is any more racist than another and has its own share of bad people. There is no race that is immune to having racism within their own race. I've seen it firsthand. Having said that, most people in any race and any region are good, caring people. That's what I focus on, not what identity group they belong to. If you're a good person, you're my friend no matter who you are. If you're a jerk, I want nothing to do with you, no matter who you are. In my experience, at the end of the day, I think most people across the board are that way.
I think the difference is between by law/de jure and by choice/reality/de facto. The South gets the reputation it gets is because it was law for so long and that is the key component, as de facto/choice can and does occur anywhere. So, in turn, the South didn’t necessarily have to be blatant, because the law played that role, regardless of how one felt about it or not.
I’d also say that integration can and does occur across the country at different levels. There are places/neighborhoods/schools/churches that have been integrated in the Northeast, that I know of, for decades and some that aren’t. Some of this can come down to what degree as well.
I’m saying this in general and not necessarily specifically to you, by the way.
A middle-class or working-class person from Massachusetts or Rhode Island is going to be, on average, much more overtly racist than any person you will ever meet in the South. Remember, most people from the American South are Protestant, and as a general rule, Protestant people tend to be more demure than Catholic people, even accounting for the implications of Scotch-Irish ancestry and Southern hospitality. You have got to be kidding me if you think white Southerners are more than racist than Italian-Americans and other “white ethnics” from the Northeast.
Several years ago, an Italian-American woman in Cheektowaga, NY was caught cursing and hollering at a black man outside of a Dollar General store on videotape. Sadly, the woman kept using the “N-word” over and over again. Of course, the video recording was posted to YouTube and blasted all over social media. That woman is a good example of the type of person I unfortunately grew up around in working class areas of Rhode Island.
Somewhere, in the interwebs, there is a video of a southerner being racist. You're gonna find it hard to believe but it's out there.
CityData is hilarious... the claims made on here by some...
People are racist all over the world. I'm not from the South but people thinking racism is only isolated to one section of the country is indeed, hilarious.
Purchased and read this book and found it fascinating. It explained a lot of America's cultural (European) origins and why some geographically similar areas are actually quite different.
People are racist all over the world. I'm not from the South but people thinking racism is only isolated to one section of the country is indeed, hilarious.
It is just that racism was more heavily institutionalized in the south. It had the force of law and those in power considered it to be legal and a key part of the social fabric.
I can't think of any place (globally) that does not have some racism. The US is not even the worst offender but we have the greatest spectrum of opportunities and what racism we do have gets in the way more often. The south has come a long way in my lifetime but the stigma remains.
A middle-class or working-class person from Massachusetts or Rhode Island is going to be, on average, much more overtly racist than any person you will ever meet in the South. Remember, most people from the American South are Protestant, and as a general rule, Protestant people tend to be more demure than Catholic people, even accounting for the implications of Scotch-Irish ancestry and Southern hospitality. You have got to be kidding me if you think white Southerners are more than racist than Italian-Americans and other “white ethnics” from the Northeast.
Couldn't agree with you more. As someone who grew up in one of the largest and most diverse North American cities, I've always said that immigrants (and 1st gens) of any race or ethnicity are the worst bigots I've ever known, and I say that as a child of European immigrants.
Having said that, I now realize after over 8 years in TN that when people talk about racism in the South, they're often talking about black on white racism. Yes, it exists, and in my experience, it's worse here than it is up north. I can understand why that would be the case, but it's hard not to notice it.
It seems like all the things popular in the south like football and basketball are popular outside the south. The culture seems like American culture to me.
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