Are people in Tennessee bigoted (view espoused by U. of Tenn. graduate I met at work) (Knoxville: university, moving to)

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Knoxville is very gay-friendly.

Well, it's not San Francisco or Provincetown, but I have many LGBTQ friends and Knoxville has a very conducive atmosphere.

I was talking with someone at work in Kent, WA today, and he said he graduated from the University of Tennessee. I asked him where in Tennessee he was from, and he said Chattanooga. I asked him what brought him to the Puget Sound area, and he explained that people in Tennessee are bigoted, and that there are too many people who go to church.

I asked him why he thinks that Tennessee is bigoted, and he said that he people in Tennessee are opposed to LGBTQ rights. However, in my opinion, being opposed to LGBTQ rights is not being bigoted. I am opposed to gay marriage, which was the position assumed by virtually every politician in the USA, including very liberal politicians such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, less than 10 years ago during the presidential election campaign of 2008.

Recently, I met a young woman in Seattle on a business trip from Nashville. She had moved to Nashville about two years ago from a northern state (Pennsylvania). She said that she loves Nashville, and she said that moving to Nashville was the best move she could have made for her life and career.

Therefore, why would a Tennessee native or long-term resident, and graduate of the state's leading university, be so disenchanted with life in Tennessee and believe that its people are "bigoted?" In contrast, why would another person, not a native of Tennessee or elsewhere in the South but a female from the northeastern USA, be very satisfied with her move to Tennessee?

[LesLucid]

Bigots are everywhere, and decent people can be found everywhere too. I refuse to associate with people who are arrogant and bigoted.

[Serious Conversation]

Most of Tennessee is politically and socially conservative. Church attendance here remains high, especially in small towns and rural areas.

One thing to keep in mind is that many small town and rural residents have historically met very few out LGBTQ people. I grew up in a very traditional family, and have a lesbian cousin. Her parents were absolutely floored to start out with, but eventually grew to accept her daughter and her partner. They are religious and will never "approve" of it, but they are polite to the partner.

Metro Nashville is a completely different world from small town and rural Tennessee. Nashville is attracting people from all over the country and the world, and that brings a diversity of ideas and beliefs you aren't going to find in small towns populated by locals whose families have been there for years.

[creeksitter]

Chattanooga is and has been one of the more religious main cities. Cleveland, an exurb, is HQ for the Church of God.

It is also very progressive in an economic development / ecological sense. It's interesting that people automatically lump these together. Newcomers are attracted to the progressive elements and may increase the city's tolerance & diversity. Maybe already have.

Knoxville has always been more diverse theologically.

Nashville has a theological past (main industry was bible publishing). That has been blown away by the recent boom. Lots of immigrants as well.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by Highpointer

I was talking with someone at work in Kent, WA today, and he said he graduated from the University of Tennessee. I asked him where in Tennessee he was from, and he said Chattanooga. I asked him what brought him to the Puget Sound area, and he explained that people in Tennessee are bigoted, and that there are too many people who go to church.

I asked him why he thinks that Tennessee is bigoted, and he said that he people in Tennessee are opposed to LGBTQ rights. However, in my opinion, being opposed to LGBTQ rights is not being bigoted. I am opposed to gay marriage, which was the position assumed by virtually every politician in the USA, including very liberal politicians such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, less than 10 years ago during the presidential election campaign of 2008.

Recently, I met a young woman in Seattle on a business trip from Nashville. She had moved to Nashville about two years ago from a northern state (Pennsylvania). She said that she loves Nashville, and she said that moving to Nashville was the best move she could have made for her life and career.

Therefore, why would a Tennessee native or long-term resident, and graduate of the state's leading university, be so disenchanted with life in Tennessee and believe that its people are "bigoted?" In contrast, why would another person, not a native of Tennessee or elsewhere in the South but a female from the northeastern USA, be very satisfied with her move to Tennessee?

The simple answer is that you ran across a malcontent that hates where he grew up. These are the type of people that have to negatively comment on anything considered to be positive about where they grew up. They just can't help it. Many of them will never truly be happy anywhere.

I see it all the time whenever a positive article is posted about where I grew up. It is always someone that grew up there & moved away, yet they can't help themselves to comment and complain about how boring it is, or how people are close-minded/judgmental, or whining about the politics, and so on and so forth. If someone feels that way & moves away that is fine, but one would think that they would be enjoying their life in their newfound paradise enough that they wouldn't bother to comment. I have a few issues with where I grew up, but I sure don't waste my time making snide internet comments about it. Sorry to rant, but this kind of stuff annoys the hell out of me.

Anyways, sure there are a few bigots, just like anywhere else.

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Knoxville has always been more diverse theologically.

Nashville has a theological past (main industry was bible publishing). That has been blown away by the recent boom. Lots of immigrants as well.

Knoxville started out with a wider range of immigration, didn't it? I'm not an expert on Tennessee history, but it seems like I read that somewhere.

[arabus]

I would suggest he is bigoted towards church going people. No?

[creeksitter]

There are old families in Knoxville from Italy, Switzerland, Greece, and Palestine.

More recent worldwide immigrants are often associated with UT and ORNL.

[creeksitter]

I would suggest he is bigoted towards church going people.

There are churches in TN that welcome LBGTQ people. Sounds like the co-worker never encountered them.

[llsmith42]

Originally Posted by GunnerTHB

The simple answer is that you ran across a malcontent that hates where he grew up. These are the type of people that have to negatively comment on anything considered to be positive about where they grew up. They just can't help it. Many of them will never truly be happy anywhere.

I see it all the time whenever a positive article is posted about where I grew up. It is always someone that grew up there & moved away, yet they can't help themselves to comment and complain about how boring it is, or how people are close-minded/judgmental, or whining about the politics, and so on and so forth. If someone feels that way & moves away that is fine, but one would think that they would be enjoying their life in their newfound paradise enough that they wouldn't bother to comment. I have a few issues with where I grew up, but I sure don't waste my time making snide internet comments about it. Sorry to rant, but this kind of stuff annoys the hell out of me.

Sound observation. Glad to see someone else finds this annoying!

[NYS2Tennessee]

I have noticed more outwardly bigoted people in TN than in northern states. I'm not saying there are more, just from my observation that some people here are more outspoken about their views.
I think a lot of that does have to do with some religion. People are much more religious here, and some churches still spew on about the evils of gay marriage.

I personally find people opposed to gay marriage to be bigoted. I try not to associate with people like that.

I don't care what politicians believed about gay marriage 10 years ago. People grow, learn, and change.