Racism/Georgia (Atlanta, Powder Springs, Dallas: how much, find a job, public school)

[Joss]

People are people, no matter where they live. We all have tendency to group together by whatever we perceive as our "norm".... and peek out at the "others". That's simply human.

Overt racism, however, the intentional insult or injury of the "others", is probably less prevelant now in the South than the rest of the US simply because the South has been viewed under a microscope over it for the last 50 years. It's simply inconceivable to me that ANY minority in the South would now experience it, and quietly endure it. The media and courts are totally accessible should it occur and quite effective at exposing it and dealing with the people doing it.

Aside from this, there will always be individuals on either side of the racism fence, all too willing to recite their "horror stories", especially when they can be anonymous in a forum such as this.

And those curious non-Southern folks of you that suck this up.... well if that spins your clock, so be it. The rushing influx of people into the South is evidence that more people come here than leave. So, all the bad Southern stereotypes not withstanding, they must be finding it agreeable.... or we're somehow holding them hostage.

"...be afraid, be very afraid..." LMAO!

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by RetiredTeacher

Georgia is becoming progressive? I do not see it. The Gainesville High School flags display was an excellent way to show how diverse their student body is and hopefully foster a little inclusiveness. Unfortunately, they are going to move it indoors out of fear that rabid anti-illegal alien people will use it as a flashpoint for protests. Evidently, the principal there has already heard rumblings to that effect. And predictably, some veterans groups want all the flags except the American Flag removed. I hope Georgia someday does show some progressive tendencies but I do not see them now.

~~~~~~
I don't know much about Hall county's experiences in becoming culturally diverse--but from what I infer--not removing the the flags of different nations from outside the school was a significant step.

Hall county/chicken industry.
Many of my relatives were Depression era Georgia farmers--it was a hard life and the fear of change/etc is deeply ingrained.

The real issues seem to always be 'Poverty and Crime'? I don't have any answers.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by RetiredTeacher

Atlanta is a very diverse city but once you get outside of the city and you are hispanic or black or Asian be wary. Cobb County in particular is a haven for right-wing white right-wingers who think they are Christians and are snobby to anyone who does not look and think just like they do.

We live in southeast Cobb County, and I've not seen anything remotely like that in the Marietta/Smyrna/Vinings/Mableton area, but Cobb County as a whole is a large and relatively diverse geographic area by itself, and some parts in the far western edge are quite rural, so there's always the possibility that some folks are not as good at playing with others as they should be.

I'd be curious where you've encountered such folks, though...

[RetiredTeacher]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

We live in southeast Cobb County, and I've not seen anything remotely like that in the Marietta/Smyrna/Vinings/Mableton area, but Cobb County as a whole is a large and relatively diverse geographic area by itself, and some parts in the far western edge are quite rural, so there's always the possibility that some folks are not as good at playing with others as they should be.

I'd be curious where you've encountered such folks, though...

I lived just off Piedmont Road a couple of miles from Town Center Mall. I know al the areas you mentioned except the "far western edge." I know Marietta the best, then Smyrna and Vinings.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

We live in southeast Cobb County, and I've not seen anything remotely like that in the Marietta/Smyrna/Vinings/Mableton area, but Cobb County as a whole is a large and relatively diverse geographic area by itself, and some parts in the far western edge are quite rural, so there's always the possibility that some folks are not as good at playing with others as they should be.

I'd be curious where you've encountered such folks, though...

~~~
I haven't had the opportunity to travel much out of the SE/US--but from what I have read and from reports provided in abundance by the media--I believe that most communities respond in a similar manner to 'Population Shifts'.
ie--
My Mother has lived in NE DeKalb for decades --not far from Emory. One of the more 'Liberal' or evolved areas, I suppose. During the 90's when Chamblee became the International Corridor things began to change and crime increased, property values were threatened. Residents became concerned and negative opinions were expressed.

Then there's Norcross. Many residents are 'Old Redneck Southern Farmers' and have not forgotten what it took to provide for families in a rural area. Gwinnett, Cobb, Forsyth, etc are booming now but this is recent.

My elderly uncle actually cried when his little house was finally sold for commercial development--that was his home. I think that is how many people feel???

[RetiredTeacher]

Originally Posted by bhs119

~~~
I haven't had the opportunity to travel much out of the SE/US--but from what I have read and from reports provided in abundance by the media--I believe that most communities respond in a similar manner to 'Population Shifts'.
ie--
My Mother has lived in NE DeKalb for decades --not far from Emory. One of the more 'Liberal' or evolved areas, I suppose. During the 90's when Chamblee became the International Corridor things began to change and crime increased, property values were threatened. Residents became concerned and negative opinions were expressed.

Then there's Norcross. Many residents are 'Old Redneck Southern Farmers' and have not forgotten what it took to provide for families in a rural area. Gwinnett, Cobb, Forsyth, etc are booming now but this is recent.

My elderly uncle actually cried when his little house was finally sold for commercial development--that was his home. I think that is how many people feel???

I would imagine that would be a very normal and usual way to react. I know a couple who bought a house on a lake north of Atlanta (cannot for the life of me remember the name of the lake). They are now beginning to feel the sprawl coming their way. I read an article in the AJC not too long ago which predicted the center of the Atlanta metro area would be Marietta by 2050. Looks like it may happen even sooner than that.

[gt6974a]

There's more reverse racism than the typical sterotypical white hate black. Fulton County politics is a perfect example of this. Threatening black voters that if they vote for the 'whitec' guy it will be like going back to the 60's and getting hosed down by water.

Although, much criticism is going towards the illegal hispanics that now populate the North Metro areas. Everyone is on them.

[carolinajack]

wow jean i thought me and my wife were odd--I am black american, she is white and our baby daughter is Asian.

We will be moving back to my hometown of Mt pleasant SC once our daughter starts to go to school, we cant educate her in the Northern Public Schools with the rampant social agenda.

anyhow, we have the same fears and I think they stem from the rural areas of SC and Georgia where people arent as educated and therefore are more racial backwards. There are good people there too but often the racist give them a bad name and you cant be sure who is and who isnt. stick to the cities of atlanta and savannah or come to good old Charleston SC

[carolinajack]

i agree with Isabella,

having grown up in SC, Fl, Tx and Miss and having lived as an adult in Pa, NY and RI and Oregon, I can attest to the fact that it is more racially segregated here up North where the Irish live with the Irish, the Italians with Italians, Jews with Jews and blacks with blacks.

I was and still am amazed by that lack of integration, though they think they are more educated and enlightened up North, they are as racist if not more so than people in the South.

[smichboyd]

Regarding the original question in this thread: I'm from and Savannah and loved it. I lived downtown and would do so again in a heartbeat. I don't particularly enjoy Atlanta, except for a weekend visit. I also love St. Simons and Jekyll. If I wasn't going to live on the coast, I would definitely pick the northeast corner of GA. Athens and the surrounding areas north. Love the beauty of the area, cute little towns, and a bit of funky culture.

I've moved from Savannah because I married a gentleman in the military and now I've lived in 7 states and have visited 38. I generally find that some degree of bias exists everywhere, although it may not necessarily be racist. I had a friend in Alaska who is native Alaskan (Athabascan). At first he didn't want to get to know me (we worked together) at all because he assumed that I would be a racist since I was from the South. After we got to know each other I asked him why he was so unfriendly at first and he told me. I pointed out that he had been much more biased than I had been by assuming something negative about me simply based on where I was born. The good lesson here is that even though almost everyone has some degree of bias, most people don't mean to create harm, and once you get to know them a bit better they can overcome a large degree of that bias. I have seen that happen over and over again.