idaho question about racism (safe, money, areas)

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by Trace_Rinaldi

Im serious, I think these threads like the "Proud Gay Men" one are just dolts thinking they will get a bunch of yahoo's to start spouting off because EVERYONE knows Idaho is full of skinheads, and hate mongers.. RIGHT?? They post one thing, and never post again... Im just sayin..;-)

I wonder if its a Psy Ops campaign started by Govenator Aaanald... We must stop Cauleeforneans from moving to Aidaho, Aaaahrrr!!!! Thay are fleeeing like woonded to the Joppa!!HAha

BTW, Darkish Skinned Italian (depending on sun-time) here too Ray! When we were kids we could have passed for Mexican's easily most summers..HA!! When in Idaho they think Im Indian or something cause I aint been lynched yet!! I once had a close call at this Klan road block in Riggins though..ROFL!!!

LOL... yeah, that's true, though the proud gay men thread actually had some believeable character development. Once the whole relationship dynamic occurred to me in follow-up to my initial "WTF??!!", I just realized this fellow has some really pathetic character development. To fail at trolling... kinda the bottom of the barrel there. Maybe I should skip the marital counseling schpeal and fall back to "stay in school"... maybe a little extra time on that one, too.

And if this is an operative for Ahnold dissuading those who flee Cali, best to assign this one to the stereotypical "idiotic Idahoan" role instead of his current one, 'cause he's got the ignorant, phoney d-bag routine down pat.

And yeah, I'm a Euro-mutt myself, but the Italian parts from both paternal grandparents were a blessing to mine and my sis's skin tone.

[ampris2000]

thanks for all your replies.....
and the funny ones too, i like humor.

anyway, all i can go by is what i have heard about idaho and i guess that comes from the past linking of the aryan nation that is / used to be there.

that's all.

no trolling or anything like that......


thanks again everyone....

yes, i did use the search feature, but wanted to ask about those cities in particular.

[Jeff Jarrett]

The state of Idaho has one one the lowest homicide/crime rates in the country. If you are scared to visit Idaho because you think it's so dangerous here than you will [MOD CUT] in your pants or worst have a heart attack if you ever visit somewhere like Detroit or Washington D.C for example.

[Sandpointian]

Hi Ampris2000,

I welcome you to Idaho. I think you will become enchanted with our state and our people (especially here in Sandpoint!). Some quick responses...

does it matter if light skinned ???
>> It might help...I am just kidding!!
>> I really don;t think color matters much, at least not much differently than any other place. I would be naive to suggest that you won;t get a passing comment here and there or some looks, etc. People are human beings and human beings do not have much of a track record of improving through the generations..
>> However, I think the bulk of the attention you will received will be curiosity. Demographics alone dictate that you will be a rare commodity. Hell, I would stare, though perhaps only to determine if I know you.
>> But given the posting, you being on guard will probably double the amount of attention you think you might be getting than in actuality.

anyways
she was thinking of maybe getting married in idaho at a bread and breakfast type of thing

>> Marriage is good--though it make you nutty from time to time--congrats
>> Idaho would be beautiful for a wedding. I am partial to the melancholy of late summer.
>> B&B's are great. Stay at Church Street House in Sandpoint. Heather is wonderful and a hell of a b-fast chef... or at Elkins Resort on Priest Lake (a magical world)

it is in kooskia and we would need to drive through
lewiston and clearwater.
>> Whoops!! You'll know more about those places than me... Cannot help there

are these safe areas to drive through and be in ?
>> I think you need to apply standard rules of common sense and you'll be fine
>> Avoid midnight to 2am in any place with lots of liquor, lots of unemployed, places where people have lost their homes to foreclosures, young people 18-24 trying to prove their manhood, uneducated and ignorant of all of the above, those who have lost their girlfriends to guys with your looks and/or build and driving up in a car that clearly shows your wealth advantage over others.


>> Instead, do not expect things just take them as they come and consider how beautiful your wife looks in the mountain air. Try to learn more about Idaho and about the livelihood of people here.

You do these things and all of a sudden the glass will be 95% half full...which given everything in this world right now, just ain't half bad.

S

[Scriv]

If this guy isn't a troll, I sure hope he is able to see the very understanding, accepting, rational, tone of the responses to his question. I wonder if he believes the same sort of replys would be extended, had the roles been reversed, and his post were directed to Michigan about Detroit or Flint?

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by ampris2000

thanks for all your replies.....
and the funny ones too, i like humor.

anyway, all i can go by is what i have heard about idaho and i guess that comes from the past linking of the aryan nation that is / used to be there.

that's all.

no trolling or anything like that......


thanks again everyone....

yes, i did use the search feature, but wanted to ask about those cities in particular.

Okay, that's cool. Those of us who take the reputation of Idaho's citizenry seriously certainly appreciate your follow-up. And I take back anything insulting I said, though your fiancee really ought to be able to talk about this stuff with you if you're actually so misinformed as to fear for your safety in the place she wants to have your wedding. Hopefully you understand why that aspect of your situation is a rather unbelieveable predicament.

All the same, it's a bit too believeable for comfort. I've watched enough marriages fall apart due to lack of communication (and quite bitterly and destructively at that!) that I can't over-emphasize the importance of being able to talk these things out. She should be able to make you comfortable with her choice for a wedding locale. One day all the romance and luster of your young love will fade (it's a guarantee, ask 100% of couples), and if you don't have the ability to come to terms with one another, you'll have problems. Communication is the key to those elderly folks you see still deeply in love, holding hands, etc. I'll spare you the random judgment, though... Internet isn't a good place for that unless people come out as downright idiotic and misrepresentative and need to be shut down or put in their place. People can do what they want, but I literally prefer to catch people early on relationship communication issues 'for the children' (not a cliche here).

Back to topic, is your fiancee from Idaho originally? Does she have friends there? Overall, what made her interested in that area for a wedding? You will find that region quite beautiful if you enjoy the outdoors. Also, you'll find the small town vibe to be much friendlier than many areas in the U.S., surprisingly so with your preconceived notions. (Some friends from large urban areas have even confided in me that Idahoan friendliness seems sarcastic at first, just due to what those friends are conditioned to expect.)

If you're friendly in return, people won't even care about the color of your skin. I won't promise you that you won't get some looks (outside college towns, you'll be a novelty... just a statistical fact); but if you keep a confident sense of humor, you'll find that people were just trying to get a read on you. It's curiosity, which is far from prejudice. Feeling entitled to special treatment or behaving like a stereotype are the only ways you could go wrong. Be friendly/accepting and keep the thick-skinned sense of humor you showed here and you'll be refreshed with how quickly Idahoans make you feel at home.

[ampris2000]

thanks again.

no, she is from canada.

i grew up in the south in a small town....north carolina, so small towns and friendliness is no strange thing to me.

i don't even fit the normal stereotype so i'm not concerned about that.

i'm friendly naturally too.

like i said, i was just going off of what i have heard in the past. is idaho stuck with that reputation cuz of past groups wanting to "base" there ?

thanks for the tips about marriage. we communicate alot though. plus, both of us are "clingy". so perhaps we're ahead a bit of the game perhaps....

it's not that i am afraid, just wanting to be wise and of course not be dumb to just assume and not ask to find out.

[stingraynm]

Nice. Your fiancee chose well in Northern Idaho, especially around Kamiah. That area is beautiful.

And yeah, that sour reputation just resulted from an Aryan Nations group that had a compound (very few members; less than 200, I believe) at Hayden Lake near Coeur d'Alene. They were there in the mid-to-late '90s. In all actuality, the locals couldn't stand them, but Idaho has many libertarian leanings, so the "disagree with what you say but fight to the death for your right to say it" sentiment is common enough that that militia was just disregarded as a silly extremist faction of inconsolable buffoons so long as they didn't actually become violent.

Well, eventually some of them became violent (just a few random, isolated incidents, really... no mob mentality), immediately leading to efforts to uproot them. Those efforts culminated when they were sued by an assault victim who could connect them to the compound for a worth exceeding the worth of their compound. Since many of them were, in effect and quite expectedly, mentally unstable or legally fugitive "bums" from out of state, the loss of the compound and subsequent legal investigation ensured that they left the area. After all, that locale doesn't exactly offer cheap living/land in proportion to high school dropout pay. I'm sure a few managed to stick around, but they abused their libertarian autonomy (which emphasizes responsible, respectful living in exchange for the freedom to act crazy/stupid) with the locals and aren't tolerated any more. If you were attacked by a skinhead, then the skinhead would be the one getting beaten down and arrested by a bitter mob, not you.

The national media just over-hyped the Aryan Nations presence in the region, and since Idaho doesn't make much other than travel/recreation and R&D news, I think the rest of the country just got that small impression of Northern Idaho and blew it out of proportion. Many of us also discuss the possibility that some Idahoans may spread those rumors to dissuade people from relocating to Idaho, and while I like the idea of making the sort of people who believe stereotypes stay away, the racism rumor is malicious and has made moving out of Idaho much more of an adjustment for me and my friends than it should have been. It gets old fast when I have to contend with explaining that issue almost every time someone finds out where I'm from. I didn't know how many people believed racism to be common in Idaho until I moved. Apparently some people just look at a map and see stereotypes, and I pity them for the obvious lack of travel that suggests. That social barrier of suspicion, along with my sentiment against prejudice, is why I am offended by that stereotype whenever it appears.

There are a lot of people (and more diversity than statistics would lead you to believe) in Idaho, and while folks in some more rural areas are conservative/libertarian to the extent that they may not take kindly to urban-centric, anti-hunting, federalist, self-entitled banter, Idahoans overall tend to be very welcoming and appreciate anyone who enjoys the state they enjoy. From the humble way you've dealt with those of us who were initially put off by your remarks, I'd say you'll be just fine visiting Idaho.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Amp, its good to see your not a hit and run poster.. FWIW I was in N. Idaho recently in the small farm town we have land near. There was a local interracial couple he was black(about Wesley Snipes on the darkness scale) if that really matters, and she was white. They had kids, and seemed to be well liked and accepted at the local super market. I only took note because it was being discussed in another thread here. Point being, this is a very small farm town, if they feel safe enough living there, you certainly will be safe visiting and getting married in Id.

As for Idaho's rep. Its old, tired, re-hashed remnants of a couple high profile cases that happened many years ago. If you search the forum, you will see much discussed about this too.
Like I think Ray mentioned, not much news comes out of Idaho. The stuff that does sort of sticks in peoples brains.. Im sure Idahoans will have to suffer with Larry Craig jokes until sun burns out..LOL.

BTW if you happen to see Mark Fehrman, PLEASE dont go running away screaming Its HIM its HIM its the racist Cop!!!!!!!!!!...Buahahahaha..

Just funnin....

[norcalmom101]

How come every time a new user asks about race or other discrimination they get insulted and labelled a troll by those extolling the wondrous open-mindedness of Idahoans? I for one find it offensive, and think labelling other users a troll without substantial basis is a form of trolling.