this is why people talk bad about Louisiana (Hammond, Jackson: living, law)
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How could he be so stupid? Did he not realize that this would get out and come back around too fast? Yet they say most of the idiots in Louisiana live below "the lake".
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Originally Posted by LOUISIANA'SLEGEND
1. SOCIETY WILL EAT THEM ALIVE IN LOUISIANA If you live in Louisiana you kno for a fact people will frown up at an interracial couple. If it was up to me I'd be hesitant to issue a marriage license too, unless they gave me strong evidence that you can handle the pressure of a society that doesnt approve of it. Theyre children indeed may get picked on about what color they are.(you act too white or too black, or dam do I have to pick a color?)
I'm assuming you mean certain parts of Louisiana right? I mean I know racism is all around but the interracial thing is more than common around here.
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2. CULTURE OF COLORS Living in Louisiana you know culture is very strong, but your background will determine what type of culture you adopt. African culture and black indian cultures are very strong here in Louisiana. The creole, cajun, european cultures are strong also. The thing is alot of it historically are associated with its own kind and not mixing with others. Now I know these days we as a people have lighten up a little as far as sharing and mixing cultures, even Mr Bradwell (the punk who didnt issue the marriage license to the interrracial couple), says he has black friends who are understood are not interracially married. He might laugh and joke around with them, but you think he's going to gladly, openly involve them in his cultures? better yet will they? will either one of them even want to enjoy each others cultures while the opposite "culturite" are involved? Not likely. What im trying to say is, one thing to consider in an interracial relationship is the potential culture clash which can be a constant issue. The couple will forever have to deal with the issue of racial culture within there marriage which may cause grounds for separation or divorce
Half of those cultures came from "MIXING UP". If Quadroons were acceptable in thee 1800's what's wrong now.
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3. ITS LOUISIANA, DUH. Louisiana is old school, we change very slowly as far as history. People are still accustom to the old was of segregation and believe races shouldnt mix as much. Its doesnt even have to be about race, how about gays? You say you are gay here, society will equally eat you alive as quick as they will a mixed couple. Its just simply hard to bring the new century to Louisiana without a painful struggle.
Again not all of Louisiana is that bad, although I do notice a difference from Baton Rouge and westward.
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4. ALWAYS TAKE WAY OF THE LAND IN CONSIDERATION. When you make a decision here in this state, especially business moves, always consider the ways of the land. Mr. Bradwell's and the couple's life could have been threaten based on the decision that was made. Both lives may get harrassed, discrimated against, or threated by supremacy groups, elitist, civil rights people, etc. Lets not forget about Jena 6 and all the other incident that spurred from racism in this state. Mr. Bradwell may have a very valid reason to say do what he did, I think so considering how this state is.
I'm starting to think that maybe I live in a bubble..
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Hard to say what you'd do or even make an opinon until you consider those things. I tell you what though, Id follow my heart and I'd give the license, but as a Louisiana resident I know to be very cautious and aware of what may come about because I went against the grains of Louisiana.
Either way it's no excuse
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Originally Posted by BRMan
And, in fact, isn't that what he said ? I don't agree with what he did, but it's not like he was the final word on the matter - he told the couple he personally wouldn't marry them:
In this situation, if he had no legal reason to not marry them he should of just done it and gotten it over with. You can't let personal opinions get in the way of business, especially an opinion that dumbfounded involving someone else's life.
And you shouldnt be surprised. Segregration still lives in the Louisiana(white flights: Shreveport/Bossier, Alexandria/Pineville, Monroe/West Monroe. check the demographics!!!!) Thats just Louisiana, but with that said you cant actually blame the guy for doing his job.
Its very common for people here to say, I went to an all white school/black school, or say i grew up around all blacks/whites. So when one race crosses over, its very overwhelming for the other to take it in.
Im gonna go against the grain and say, I understand why he did it and I'll give you a few reasons.
1. SOCIETY WILL EAT THEM ALIVE IN LOUISIANA If you live in Louisiana you kno for a fact people will frown up at an interracial couple. If it was up to me I'd be hesitant to issue a marriage license too, unless they gave me strong evidence that you can handle the pressure of a society that doesnt approve of it. Theyre children indeed may get picked on about what color they are.(you act too white or too black, or dam do I have to pick a color?)
2. CULTURE OF COLORS Living in Louisiana you know culture is very strong, but your background will determine what type of culture you adopt. African culture and black indian cultures are very strong here in Louisiana. The creole, cajun, european cultures are strong also. The thing is alot of it historically are associated with its own kind and not mixing with others. Now I know these days we as a people have lighten up a little as far as sharing and mixing cultures, even Mr Bradwell (the punk who didnt issue the marriage license to the interrracial couple), says he has black friends who are understood are not interracially married. He might laugh and joke around with them, but you think he's going to gladly, openly involve them in his cultures? better yet will they? will either one of them even want to enjoy each others cultures while the opposite "culturite" are involved? Not likely. What im trying to say is, one thing to consider in an interracial relationship is the potential culture clash which can be a constant issue. The couple will forever have to deal with the issue of racial culture within there marriage which may cause grounds for separation or divorce
3. ITS LOUISIANA, DUH. Louisiana is old school, we change very slowly as far as history. People are still accustom to the old was of segregation and believe races shouldnt mix as much. Its doesnt even have to be about race, how about gays? You say you are gay here, society will equally eat you alive as quick as they will a mixed couple. Its just simply hard to bring the new century to Louisiana without a painful struggle.
4. ALWAYS TAKE WAY OF THE LAND IN CONSIDERATION. When you make a decision here in this state, especially business moves, always consider the ways of the land. Mr. Bradwell's and the couple's life could have been threaten based on the decision that was made. Both lives may get harrassed, discrimated against, or threated by supremacy groups, elitist, civil rights people, etc. Lets not forget about Jena 6 and all the other incident that spurred from racism in this state. Mr. Bradwell may have a very valid reason to say do what he did, I think so considering how this state is.
Hard to say what you'd do or even make an opinon until you consider those things. I tell you what though, Id follow my heart and I'd give the license, but as a Louisiana resident I know to be very cautious and aware of what may come about because I went against the grains of Louisiana.
You may not like this, but I really don't care. Just because life would have been harder for their potential children doesn't mean he should try to deny their happiness. If they love each other, then they should tell society to shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
You say society would eat them alive in Louisiana. They have two choices: Leave Louisiana, or stay and fight back. I am African-American, but I am mixed with Irish, Louisiana Creole, and Native American(mainly Choctaw). The Choctaw, Louisiana Creole, and Irish are mainly from my mother's side of the family, who is from Louisiana. She grew up a light-skinned black women in small-town Louisiana and she caught alot of crap for it. She stayed strong and fought through it. She eventually left, but she goes back sometimes because her family is there. And besides, Louisiana wouldn't be the only place where an interracial couple would be eaten alive. I knew someone from Alabama who caught crap for being mixed. You can catch crap anywhere for being in an interracial couple. Yes, in Louisiana, it is on a very scary level. It wouldn't scare me. Alot of people make fun of me anyway for not being "black enough" or for being "too weird" for them. I already live outside of the norms, so that reason wouldn't phase me.
The culture of colors, well, that isn't how I do things. I haven't "adpoted" a particular culture. I was born in New Orleans, but I left at the age of 6 months. I have a citizen of the world way of thinking. I would be more than happy to invite people into my culture and would hope other people would welcome me into theirs. I do my own thing, but pick up other things. I eat jambalaya when my mother cooks it, but I have also picked up other things and made it part of my culture, such as Hello Kitty, sushi, foreign films, and some other things. I don't give into that "color of culture" thing. I do what I want and if other people don't like it, well, too bad. I do what I want.
It's Louisiana, well, so what. I do what I want and that couple should do the same and forget everyone else. If that couple gets ostracized, they should go and make new friends and find people who will accept them the way they are.
The way of the land: Well, I don't care if change comes slowly, if the persons who see this interracial couple do not like them, well, too bad. So what, change better happen immediately. That "change comes slow in Louisiana" well, I don't care. I look at it as "get used to change". The way things were done before weren't right, so things better change.
That is my outlook on life. Two options for the couple who wanted to marry interracially: leave Louisiana, or fight back and let people know "I am who I am, I'm staying, don't like it, go shove it somewhere".
As for the children having problems, well, I had alot of trouble growing up as an African-American teenage male in the rural parts of metro Atlanta. There were people hating on me, calling me names just because I was black. There were kids, black, and white, who made fun of me for not being "black enough" because I didn't fit that "stereotype" for being black. Trust me on this, not being a mixed child won't shield a person from problems. Even now, some people scream crap at me from inside their vehicles(mostly in Paulding County).
I am aware of segregation in Louisiana. No surprise to be. I visited my mother's hometown of Bogalusa. The town is about half white and half white, and I didn't see a single white person in the section of town where my mother's old house was. I was also told that when the local schools started integrated, much of the white population that did live in my mother's neighborhood left.
Here's an idea for them. Get "married" by a different justice of the peace.
No. He's a government official. He has no right to refuse to perform a marriage for people who are legally entitled to marry, no matter his reasons.
Telling the couple to get a different jp to perform the marriage is like telling someone to look for another job where they're willing to hire black people, or buy a house in a different neighborhood where they don't mind having black people or interracial families live there. We didn't make all the progress we have made by rolling over for this kind of nonsense.
There sure seems to be a lot of legal experts here . How do any of you KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HE IS REQUIRED TO MARRY THEM ? Can any of you provide a link to some kind of law , regulation , whatever , that states that he has to perform the ceremony ?
And here's another thought . Maybe his concern really was for their children . I'm not saying his reasons are valid , but that maybe people are being a little quick to holler racism .
It isn't technically a "ban", but the rest of the world does not view the USA as heriocally as we would all like to believe. These kinds of marriages have been banned in the South as well as other parts of the USA. Alabama didn't even repeal its law against interracial marriage until 2000.
And same sex-marriages are still illegal in almost all of the states and not recognized by the federal government.
I fear that if inter racial marriage were put to the vote, the way same-sex marriages have been...the majority in several states would outlaw them once again.
Last edited by elston; 10-17-2009 at 06:30 AM..
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