3 ms·

I mean, I get it, but for a lot of people their parents live in a place where professional and social opportunities are impossibly low. Living there, or even wi

I mean, I get it, but for a lot of people their parents live in a place where professional and social opportunities are impossibly low. Living there, or even within a quick trip there, is just not reasonable IF you want more than (e.g.) the state you were born in can provide. I grew up in Mississippi. I knew from childhood I would leave, because even in the pre-Trump era it was dominated by an ugly, reactionary, racist, homophobic, and sexist brand of conservatism -- blended with a side order of "Lost Cause" romanticism about the Civil War. It is, to be super super clear, a toxic place I yearned to escape from. (It should probably tell you something that the more urbane, cosmopolitan, tolerant, and diverse city I've made my home in for nearly 30 years is in Texas. When Texas is trading up, you KNOW you started low.) The author is privileged that his parents live in a reasonable place.

itsoktocry 4y ago
>The author is privileged that his parents live in a reasonable place. You preach tolerance and reasonableness, and paint (at least) 10% of the US population as with the same brush.
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  This sounds a lot like "it's intolerant not to tolerate bigotry," which is, in the vernacular of my birth state, a dog that won't hunt.
wallawe 4y ago
This is nonsense. I lived in Vicksburg throughout my formative years and yes it has its fair share of rednecks but it's also go more diversity than most places in the US, e.g. Austin, TX. Yes, there is a poor standard of living in many areas, but there's also an amazingly rich cultural history (not just for whites). The problem is you are choosing to view an entire state strictly through the lens of politics when there are different groups, viewpoints, and communities to be a part of outside of the "conservative" ones you despise. You come across as the privileged one tbh in that you can afford to leave and move on to better opportunities in different regions. Many of the poorest people in the nation live in MS and they could use our help rather than our condemnations.
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  >got more diversity than most places in the US, e.g. Austin, TX. You have a weird measure of diversity; I suspect what you really mean is "nonwhite people," but that's not a very good metric on its own. Per census.gov, Vicksburg and Austin are about equivalent in terms of racial demographic split. Vicksburg is about 2/3 black and 1/3 white, with little else in the mix. Austin is about 2/3 white and 1/3 hispanic, with little else in the mix. Where I live -- Houston -- puts both to shame in terms of demographic mix. There is nowhere in Mississippi that approaches the makeup of a city like Houston. I left on the strength of scholarships, so yeah, privilege in some ways, but probably not the way you meant. I stand by my assessment of Mississippi. Does that mean there aren't pocket communities that are tolerant and progressive? Obviously not. But you have only to look at the fortunes of the state itself to see how little power those pockets have. Does Jackson have drinkable water yet? >Many of the poorest people in the nation live in MS and they could use our help rather than our condemnations. This part is true, but other than voting for Federal policies that constrain rogue, reactionary state governments there's little one can do. The Trumpist majority controls the Magnolia state, and is likely to keep doing so. I was unwilling to live my life under such conditions.

itsoktocry 4y ago

>The author is privileged that his parents live in a reasonable place. You preach tolerance and reasonableness, and paint (at least) 10% of the US population as with the same brush.

ubermonkey 4y ago
This sounds a lot like "it's intolerant not to tolerate bigotry," which is, in the vernacular of my birth state, a dog that won't hunt.

wallawe 4y ago

This is nonsense. I lived in Vicksburg throughout my formative years and yes it has its fair share of rednecks but it's also go more diversity than most places in the US, e.g. Austin, TX. Yes, there is a poor standard of living in many areas, but there's also an amazingly rich cultural history (not just for whites). The problem is you are choosing to view an entire state strictly through the lens of politics when there are different groups, viewpoints, and communities to be a part of outside of the "conservative" ones you despise. You come across as the privileged one tbh in that you can afford to leave and move on to better opportunities in different regions. Many of the poorest people in the nation live in MS and they could use our help rather than our condemnations.

ubermonkey 4y ago
>got more diversity than most places in the US, e.g. Austin, TX. You have a weird measure of diversity; I suspect what you really mean is "nonwhite people," but that's not a very good metric on its own. Per census.gov, Vicksburg and Austin are about equivalent in terms of racial demographic split. Vicksburg is about 2/3 black and 1/3 white, with little else in the mix. Austin is about 2/3 white and 1/3 hispanic, with little else in the mix. Where I live -- Houston -- puts both to shame in terms of demographic mix. There is nowhere in Mississippi that approaches the makeup of a city like Houston. I left on the strength of scholarships, so yeah, privilege in some ways, but probably not the way you meant. I stand by my assessment of Mississippi. Does that mean there aren't pocket communities that are tolerant and progressive? Obviously not. But you have only to look at the fortunes of the state itself to see how little power those pockets have. Does Jackson have drinkable water yet? >Many of the poorest people in the nation live in MS and they could use our help rather than our condemnations. This part is true, but other than voting for Federal policies that constrain rogue, reactionary state governments there's little one can do. The Trumpist majority controls the Magnolia state, and is likely to keep doing so. I was unwilling to live my life under such conditions.