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Yeah, I think most people find it really annoying when people engage in negative stereotyping, can't seem to be able to judge people on their own merits, and don't bother enough to get out of their own comfort zone to actually get to know people different than themselves that they trash. It's just unnerving. (See what I did there)
Seriously, I don't think being a "liberal gay Jew from California" is what would keep you out of a higher level of society (whatever that means) in Louisville or most Kentucky cities. People generally don't feel inclined to go out of their way to help people who hold them or their community in distain.
In many social circles, the people have gone to school together from kindergarten. They attend high school (often a few particular private ones) together, join the same fraternities and sororities, and continue being friends as adults and then their children become friends. I've seen that plenty.
My best friend was told during a mock job interview by someone high up in the legal community to remove the New Jersey Democratic Committee, which she worked at for a years, from her resume because it could hurt her job prospects. She's also Muslim and a visible minority. She experienced racism/Islamophobia for the first time moving here.
My mom just had her life threatened yesterday while driving simply for having CA plates on her car.
A huge majority of my classmates and their friends and social circles and employers all have a very close connection somehow and are mostly conservative Republicans. I know some classmates tolerate me for professional reasons, but have a problem accepting gays. One friend actually admitted that to me when he found out about some classmates.
The fact that the removal of the Confederate monument from its place in front of UofL was such a heated topic...c'mon.
I've discussed this with many other people here who I know side with me on many/all political issues. We all feel the same. Some of these are born and raised in Kentucky, others like me are transplants who plan on making this only a temporary home.
I know nobody will like what I've said, but this is a thread for differing opinions, no? I've said my experiences. I don't hate it here, no. There are some great things about living here. But I highly dislike the political climate of the state and the societal structure and the intolerance I've noticed.
Then someone will say I'm being intolerant for not being ok with intolerant people. Why should I be open-minded to bigoted people? Why should I be okay with people using the N word and thinking gays are an abomination and thinking that Obama is a communist fascist socialist Muslim dictator and thinking that every Muslim is a terrorist and thinking that women don't deserve equal rights and thinking that everyone and their sister and cat and horse and lizard should carry a machine gun at all times? That's definitely not all of Kentucky, but I never experienced that mindset before moving here. It's not something I will ever be ok with and those are people that I will never associate with. So yes, it is unnerving knowing that the majority of this state would love to take my rights away. It's a liberating feeling when I go to other cities. For example, I lived in Philly this summer. I never once worried about anyone finding out I'm gay. Never once worried about going on a date with a guy and being ridiculed, or even worse. It was relaxing not hearing racial epithets in public or seeing hate-filled and bigoted comments to local news articles on Facebook.
In many social circles, the people have gone to school together from kindergarten. They attend high school (often a few particular private ones) together, join the same fraternities and sororities, and continue being friends as adults and then their children become friends. I've seen that plenty.
My best friend was told during a mock job interview by someone high up in the legal community to remove the New Jersey Democratic Committee, which she worked at for a years, from her resume because it could hurt her job prospects. She's also Muslim and a visible minority. She experienced racism/Islamophobia for the first time moving here.
My mom just had her life threatened yesterday while driving simply for having CA plates on her car.
A huge majority of my classmates and their friends and social circles and employers all have a very close connection somehow and are mostly conservative Republicans. I know some classmates tolerate me for professional reasons, but have a problem accepting gays. One friend actually admitted that to me when he found out about some classmates.
The fact that the removal of the Confederate monument from its place in front of UofL was such a heated topic...c'mon.
I've discussed this with many other people here who I know side with me on many/all political issues. We all feel the same. Some of these are born and raised in Kentucky, others like me are transplants who plan on making this only a temporary home.
Jessem...I think you are probably being a bit unfair. Louisville is VERY progressive and accepting. For gosh sakes I remember the diversity of the driver's license branch. There was not but maybe one white person in there.
Louisville has the 11th most gays per capita and there are dozens of jewish temples and islamic mosques. Is it CA? Well no...but LA is VERY redneck in parts....simi valley? inland empire? come on jesse, racism is everywhere.
Its ok to like Philly but its apples and oranges....actually I was speaking to the owner of Spinellis once. He moved here from Philly and much prefers it. It is much easier to move to the top of the food chain here...exspecially for an attorney! You will be a dime a dozen in Philly, but Philly is the big city east coast version of Louisville. Very gritty, very urban, yet overshadowed by its neighbors. It sounds to me like you may appreciate Louisville more in a few years. Plenty of gay partners restoring homes all over, especially Old Luisville.
OBTW, the confederate monument IS getting removed....and I totally agree with you on KY. The state of KY holds Louisville back and I hate the state of KY for that. I also cannot stand ignorant rednecks and outside Louisville and select parts of NKY and Lexington, that indeed describes much of the state. Sorry but its true.
Jessem...I think you are probably being a bit unfair. Louisville is VERY progressive and accepting. For gosh sakes I remember the diversity of the driver's license branch. There was not but maybe one white person in there.
Louisville has the 11th most gays per capita and there are dozens of jewish temples and islamic mosques. Is it CA? Well no...but LA is VERY redneck in parts....simi valley? inland empire? come on jesse, racism is everywhere.
Its ok to like Philly but its apples and oranges....actually I was speaking to the owner of Spinellis once. He moved here from Philly and much prefers it. It is much easier to move to the top of the food chain here...exspecially for an attorney! You will be a dime a dozen in Philly, but Philly is the big city east coast version of Louisville. Very gritty, very urban, yet overshadowed by its neighbors. It sounds to me like you may appreciate Louisville more in a few years. Plenty of gay partners restoring homes all over, especially Old Luisville.
OBTW, the confederate monument IS getting removed....and I totally agree with you on KY. The state of KY holds Louisville back and I hate the state of KY for that. I also cannot stand ignorant rednecks and outside Louisville and select parts of NKY and Lexington, that indeed describes much of the state. Sorry but its true.
I find Louisville to be very progressive, especially with the young generation. But the older generation here is more conservative than the older generation in other big cities. Once there are not as many older people in power and with a say in stuff, I think the city will change even more. However, it's the surrounding counties that get to me the most. Most of Jefferson County is very progressive and I love that. But on the weekends, you get the surrounding counties that are much more conservative coming into Louisville.
I actually spoke to an older married couple about that one time. She was from Louisville, lived in the Bay Area for a long time, and moved back with her husband to retire with the lower COL. They bought a home in the Highlands. They are both extremely liberal. They lived in Louisville at one point a couple years ago between their time in the Bay. They wanted to live here a bit to save up money, go back there for a few years, then come back here for good. The husband taught in Bullitt County. One Friday he overheard two students discussing weekend plans and one invited the other to his group going out in Louisville that weekend with plans to "beat up some n****rs and f****ts." He disciplined the kids and the parents didn't understand what was wrong with those words or that plan.
That's one anecdotal story, but I think it shows the divide between Jefferson County and surrounding counties. Just like any other city, once you leave the city, it's far less progressive and more closed-minded. The only difference here is that Jefferson County and Louisville are not that big so that influence is much closer to you. Riverside County is too far from West LA that a lot of them will never venture over there. Huntington Beach is known for receiving the 909ers on weekends so a lot of people avoid the area's beaches and nightclubs. San Bernardino County is probably white trash meth capital of the country and far worse than anything you could find in Kentucky. Again, though, far removed the core of LA and you RARELY encounter that vibe in the city of LA. In Philly as well, parts of surrounding counties are known for being white trash racist homophobic Islamophobic Trump supporters, but you're not as likely to run into them on a daily basis.
The percentage of gays in Louisville is impressively high. As for that aspect, though, that's an entirely different conversation I could have. I appreciate the fact that the gay community is so well accepted here and that so many people feel comfortable enough to go to Nowhere Bar and Play and places like that, but there still seems to be some hesitation. I could talk about that for another long while, though. The percentage is impressively high though, but again, it's the surrounding counties that ruin that.
I know this post has come off as quite negative, but trust me when I say there are plenty of worse places I could see myself in. Louisville is far from the bottom of my list of places to live in. There are really only a few other cities I'm looking for jobs in. If I can't get a job out of state, I know Louisville has less competition and I'll be perfectly happy living here. I can't wait to see some of these new apartment complexes get built downtown and all over the city. I already checked out the newly redone 800 Tower and if I stay in Louisville, I'm definitely moving in there unless one of these new ones being constructed is finished and I can afford them. I'll be happy with it and I'm happy seeing so much construction going on all over the city to improve it.
I'm glad the statue is being removed, but it's just an example I could think of of the state holding Louisville back. The bad publicity that brings to the city makes the city looks like dumb rednecks too. The university and city wanted it removed. Everyone I spoke to regarding it agreed it should be removed and understood the reasoning behind it. But the people who think KY was part of the Confederacy and think the flag is Southern Pride, along with people like Matt Bevin and Kim Davis, continue the ruin the reputation of Louisville also. I know they are not in the city and I do love how progressive the city itself is. I just don't enjoy how geographically close the conservative white trash are.
And that's not to say everyone in a place like Bullitt County or any other county is all rednecks. I know plenty of people from other counties who are very accepting and progressive. But that mentality is just more common in a place outside of Jefferson County.
Even the people I know from NKY are quite conservative. I met someone this weekend who asked me how I like Louisville moving from LA. I told him the truth but in a shorter version. I enjoy the city. I like how affordable it is, the food is great, the 4am last call is fun, change of seasons has been nice, I like the older buildings. However, I don't enjoy how conservative this region is minus Louisville. He said he just met some girls who moved from NKY to Louisville because it's so much more liberal than NKY.
I don't usually say much bad stuff about Louisville on here because I do like it. It's a great city for where I'm at in my life, but I just wanted to say what's been on my mind in regards to the state as a whole being backwards minus Louisville, Lexington, and pockets of NKY.
I find Louisville to be very progressive, especially with the young generation. But the older generation here is more conservative than the older generation in other big cities. Once there are not as many older people in power and with a say in stuff, I think the city will change even more. However, it's the surrounding counties that get to me the most. Most of Jefferson County is very progressive and I love that. But on the weekends, you get the surrounding counties that are much more conservative coming into Louisville.
I actually spoke to an older married couple about that one time. She was from Louisville, lived in the Bay Area for a long time, and moved back with her husband to retire with the lower COL. They bought a home in the Highlands. They are both extremely liberal. They lived in Louisville at one point a couple years ago between their time in the Bay. They wanted to live here a bit to save up money, go back there for a few years, then come back here for good. The husband taught in Bullitt County. One Friday he overheard two students discussing weekend plans and one invited the other to his group going out in Louisville that weekend with plans to "beat up some n****rs and f****ts." He disciplined the kids and the parents didn't understand what was wrong with those words or that plan.
That's one anecdotal story, but I think it shows the divide between Jefferson County and surrounding counties. Just like any other city, once you leave the city, it's far less progressive and more closed-minded. The only difference here is that Jefferson County and Louisville are not that big so that influence is much closer to you. Riverside County is too far from West LA that a lot of them will never venture over there. Huntington Beach is known for receiving the 909ers on weekends so a lot of people avoid the area's beaches and nightclubs. San Bernardino County is probably white trash meth capital of the country and far worse than anything you could find in Kentucky. Again, though, far removed the core of LA and you RARELY encounter that vibe in the city of LA. In Philly as well, parts of surrounding counties are known for being white trash racist homophobic Islamophobic Trump supporters, but you're not as likely to run into them on a daily basis.
The percentage of gays in Louisville is impressively high. As for that aspect, though, that's an entirely different conversation I could have. I appreciate the fact that the gay community is so well accepted here and that so many people feel comfortable enough to go to Nowhere Bar and Play and places like that, but there still seems to be some hesitation. I could talk about that for another long while, though. The percentage is impressively high though, but again, it's the surrounding counties that ruin that.
I know this post has come off as quite negative, but trust me when I say there are plenty of worse places I could see myself in. Louisville is far from the bottom of my list of places to live in. There are really only a few other cities I'm looking for jobs in. If I can't get a job out of state, I know Louisville has less competition and I'll be perfectly happy living here. I can't wait to see some of these new apartment complexes get built downtown and all over the city. I already checked out the newly redone 800 Tower and if I stay in Louisville, I'm definitely moving in there unless one of these new ones being constructed is finished and I can afford them. I'll be happy with it and I'm happy seeing so much construction going on all over the city to improve it.
I'm glad the statue is being removed, but it's just an example I could think of of the state holding Louisville back. The bad publicity that brings to the city makes the city looks like dumb rednecks too. The university and city wanted it removed. Everyone I spoke to regarding it agreed it should be removed and understood the reasoning behind it. But the people who think KY was part of the Confederacy and think the flag is Southern Pride, along with people like Matt Bevin and Kim Davis, continue the ruin the reputation of Louisville also. I know they are not in the city and I do love how progressive the city itself is. I just don't enjoy how geographically close the conservative white trash are.
And that's not to say everyone in a place like Bullitt County or any other county is all rednecks. I know plenty of people from other counties who are very accepting and progressive. But that mentality is just more common in a place outside of Jefferson County.
Even the people I know from NKY are quite conservative. I met someone this weekend who asked me how I like Louisville moving from LA. I told him the truth but in a shorter version. I enjoy the city. I like how affordable it is, the food is great, the 4am last call is fun, change of seasons has been nice, I like the older buildings. However, I don't enjoy how conservative this region is minus Louisville. He said he just met some girls who moved from NKY to Louisville because it's so much more liberal than NKY.
I don't usually say much bad stuff about Louisville on here because I do like it. It's a great city for where I'm at in my life, but I just wanted to say what's been on my mind in regards to the state as a whole being backwards minus Louisville, Lexington, and pockets of NKY.
Excellent posts and I cannot really disagree with you. Best of luck in your search...just as Louisville is a super underrated medium (or small big city?) Philly is probably the most underrated actual big city. TONS of problems there not in Louisville. Louisville's crime "wave" is small beans compared to the violence in Philly. Cost and traffic? fugeddahboutit
With law, I heard your second job is easier in Louisville than your first...bc there are too many lawyers, many new law grads only make 70k in Lville. But f you work in a big city and come back, you might make 300k just 3 years later. Crazy like that!
In many social circles, the people have gone to school together from kindergarten. They attend high school (often a few particular private ones) together, join the same fraternities and sororities, and continue being friends as adults and then their children become friends. I've seen that plenty.
You are surprised that people who have grown up together remain friends? Why is this an issue? Honestly, I would think it would be off if it were different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
My best friend was told during a mock job interview by someone high up in the legal community to remove the New Jersey Democratic Committee, which she worked at for a years, from her resume because it could hurt her job prospects.
As my daughter was told in Northern VA, hardly a conservative bastion. There are, as of May 2016, 476,000+ more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state of Kentucky. There are 135,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in Jefferson County. What do you say we try to refrain from engaging in false narratives? Kentucky may vote Republican nationally but they tend to register Democrat and vote that way locally. (Remember Kim Davis? She was a registered Democrat) The fact of the matter is that it just isn't prudent when applying for any job to list something that shows a strong politican affiliation, regardless of party. You just never know who will be reading that resume.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
She's also Muslim and a visible minority. She experienced racism/Islamophobia for the first time moving here.
Your friend's timing might be a large part of the issue as far as Islamophobia. Some of the families I work with up here have talked about how that distrust has grown in the last couple of years, and particularly this political season it has gotten much worse. If they are having problems in the highly tolerant, highly educated, highly minority populated Northern VA region, I imagine the heat in more conservative, less educated, less diverse areas is more intense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
My mom just had her life threatened yesterday while driving simply for having CA plates on her car.
Oh please... Did they tell her they wanted to kill her because she had California plates? Or because she did something driving that set them off and they threw that in for good measure?
Give me a freakin' break. I have driven in Louisville and other parts of Kentucky for the 35 years of my husband's military career with plates from all over this nation, including 2 1/2 years with San Bernardino, CA plates without anyone making a comment, let alone threatening me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
A huge majority of my classmates and their friends and social circles and employers all have a very close connection somehow and are mostly conservative Republicans. I know some classmates tolerate me for professional reasons, but have a problem accepting gays. One friend actually admitted that to me when he found out about some classmates.
And? Got news for you, that isn't just a Kentucky thing. Most people have trouble understanding and/or accepting those that are different from them - just read your own posts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
The fact that the removal of the Confederate monument from its place in front of UofL was such a heated topic...c'mon.
Because UofL is a public university, removing it was the right thing. However, and I say this as someone who has every reason to dislike those types of icons, wiping away history does not fix it. We have, as a society, in some important ways become far less tolerant over the last 20-30 years and rather than trying to educate and sway people with different views, the tendency now is to declare them evil, ignorant, or assign a negative moniker (like bigot or redneck) and demand they march in lock step. There is probably no saying of late that drives me as nuts as I am intolerant of intolerance. Talk about blatant hypocrisy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
I've discussed this with many other people here who I know side with me on many/all political issues. We all feel the same. Some of these are born and raised in Kentucky, others like me are transplants who plan on making this only a temporary home.
That I understand. I can not wait to get back to my sweet, simple Kentucky.
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Jessemh431: A question that does not involved politics, orientation, or intolerance:
A while back, you posted that you "dislike nature". Now, I can understand preferring city life to outdoor activities - but I have a hard time comprehending those who actively "dislike nature", especially since humanity is part of nature and depends on it (admittedly "cultivated" nature) for all the necessities of life.
Perhaps "dislike nature" is shorthand for preferring urbanity - but can you please explain why you "dislike nature"? Is it just the heat, ice storms, mosquitoes, poison ivy, etc. that you don't like, or is it nature as a whole?
To me, and I expect to many others, proximity to beautiful natural places is one of Kentucky's finest assets. Having such an asset does not preclude also having cities with cultural assets like those you and others have cited, but is a bonus - residents can have easy access to both city life and rural felicity. Both have much to offer and to enjoy - it is not necessary to dislike one in order to prefer the other, at least not in my own view.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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People are at each other's throats more now than they were when I was in my teens and early 20s, both locally and nationally. Based on previous posts I think Jeremiah is about 10 years younger than me and thus can't remember the days when Ds and Rs worked together to stop acid rain, etc. I remember in middle school when the teacher would ask which party people liked better there was mostly silence because there was so little difference. What is going on today is mostly due to social media - comments sections on online news articles, Twitter, Facebook, web forums like this, etc. Today anyone with a keyboard can be Archie Bunker. Most people knew there was divisions in our society but now you can clearly see it. I think after a while things will calm down again because they always have, the 1960s and 1970s were tense but the 1980s through early 2000s were mostly calm.
You are surprised that people who have grown up together remain friends? Why is this an issue? Honestly, I would think it would be off if it were different.
It's not that they're still friends, it's that they're cliquey about it. And everyone that's "popular" goes to the same exact elite private school.
Quote:
Your friend's timing might be a large part of the issue as far as Islamophobia. Some of the families I work with up here have talked about how that distrust has grown in the last couple of years, and particularly this political season it has gotten much worse. If they are having problems in the highly tolerant, highly educated, highly minority populated Northern VA region, I imagine the heat in more conservative, less educated, less diverse areas is more intense.
Definitely bad timing, but coming from NJ, she never experienced this there. She moved back, visited often while in school here, and has never once experienced any negativity in NJ.
Quote:
Oh please... Did they tell her they wanted to kill her because she had California plates? Or because she did something driving that set them off and they threw that in for good measure?
Yes, actually. She got out of her car and yelled at her for having CA plates. I don't remember the exact quotes my mom relayed to me, but it involved things like "you f***ing Californians ruin everything you liberal POS. GTFO of my state and go back to your liberal hell hole. You don't belong here. FU I'd come in there and mess you up if I didn't have my baby in the car with me right now."
Jessemh431: A question that does not involved politics, orientation, or intolerance:
A while back, you posted that you "dislike nature". Now, I can understand preferring city life to outdoor activities - but I have a hard time comprehending those who actively "dislike nature", especially since humanity is part of nature and depends on it (admittedly "cultivated" nature) for all the necessities of life.
Perhaps "dislike nature" is shorthand for preferring urbanity - but can you please explain why you "dislike nature"? Is it just the heat, ice storms, mosquitoes, poison ivy, etc. that you don't like, or is it nature as a whole?
To me, and I expect to many others, proximity to beautiful natural places is one of Kentucky's finest assets. Having such an asset does not preclude also having cities with cultural assets like those you and others have cited, but is a bonus - residents can have easy access to both city life and rural felicity. Both have much to offer and to enjoy - it is not necessary to dislike one in order to prefer the other, at least not in my own view.
I really do not feel comfortable being in nature. It's beautiful to look at in pictures, but I have no desire to go camping, hunting, fishing, boating on a rural lake, hiking, etc. Being in the middle of a busy bustling city is, ironically, what comforts me the most. I find nature beautiful to look at, I am doing my best part to preserve natural resources, going as far as hopefully finding a job in environmental law. But I do not feel comfortable being in the wilderness. I understand this is at a more personal level a reason that I don't exactly fit in 100% and I knew that would be the case coming here.
One thing, though, is that even though Kentucky has great access to nature, it's mostly in the form of wilderness and such. I know we are far from a coastline and not having a beach is explainable, but it would be cool if we had something like Lake Travis and and Barton Springs Pool like Austin has. Austin is definitely unique in the way it has both of those and I purposely moved to an apt complex with a pool so that I would have at least some type of water to swim in. This is not a knock on Louisville at all, though, because it can't help its geography and it's something I knew when moving here. I just think it would be a great thing if we could do something like that along the Ohio or elsewhere
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