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And Oregon didn't repeal its black exclusion laws until 2002. And just over 20 years before that there were riots in Boston over desegregation of schools. It'

And Oregon didn't repeal its black exclusion laws until 2002. And just over 20 years before that there were riots in Boston over desegregation of schools. It's so funny, this romantic notion that many from the north have of how supposedly enlightened they are, while the south is a bunch of backwater hicks. I know, I used to have it too, as did my wife then, who was Canadian. People thought we were crazy when we moved to Texas. I really had my eyes opened. I encountered far more tolerance in Texas than anything I'd ever experienced up north. Try being black in some communities in Vermont. See how well you do. Compare it with New Orleans. Of course you can find racism and racist enclaves anywhere, but this asinine idea that "the south" is some sort of backwater racist hole while the north is a pristine liberal utopia is nonsense. Also, I hate to disabuse you further, but I should also point out that the population of the capital of Alabama, Montgomery, is 60% black and 30% white. Whites are firmly a minority in the capital. Atlanta: 50% black, 40% white. New Orleans: 60% black, 30% white. I could go on, but it's boring. I'm not even listing any of the several large southern cities that are majority Hispanic. The south has an incredibly diverse population. And sure, it had a dark history of racism (so does the north) but FFS it's not 1860 anymore.

ethbr0 3y ago
As someone who's lived all over, the primary difference in the south is that there are large African American populations. Try being black in South Dakota or Maine. Racism and othering exists everywhere, but physical proximity and interaction with the class in question moderates it heavily. It's harder to hate someone you know personally: that's why segregationists were such staunch opponents of any social integration.
retrac 3y ago
As a Canadian I was tempted to use my own experiences of people spouting stuff that made me think I had fallen in a time warp to the 1950s. But that's subjective. And the above thread was about the southern USA. I was not trying to pile on the south bashing so much as to simply point out that pockets most people would consider remarkably regressive persist, not specifically in the south per se, as just in North America at all. I was particularly interested in the last bit: 60% majority in favour, yet 25 counties majority against. Localized, varies by community. It's like that in Ontario too.

ethbr0 3y ago

As someone who's lived all over, the primary difference in the south is that there are large African American populations. Try being black in South Dakota or Maine. Racism and othering exists everywhere, but physical proximity and interaction with the class in question moderates it heavily. It's harder to hate someone you know personally: that's why segregationists were such staunch opponents of any social integration.

retrac 3y ago

As a Canadian I was tempted to use my own experiences of people spouting stuff that made me think I had fallen in a time warp to the 1950s. But that's subjective. And the above thread was about the southern USA. I was not trying to pile on the south bashing so much as to simply point out that pockets most people would consider remarkably regressive persist, not specifically in the south per se, as just in North America at all. I was particularly interested in the last bit: 60% majority in favour, yet 25 counties majority against. Localized, varies by community. It's like that in Ontario too.