Hubble head

True, can't forget about our little third world city down there...The bible buffers are a little further north.

[ November 11, 2002: Message edited by: science ]</p>

Marruk

Rufus

All the places in the south that I have been to have been greatly different to life here in Southern California. They may be diverse but please understand I live in a city where there are hundreds of nationalities and no real majority of any type. I go to classes and there are maybe 5 white people, 5 black people, 5 muslims, 5 islamics, 5 mexicans, 5 puerto ricans, etc, etc. So going to the south from my expericences in one of the most diverse areas in the U.S. was quite a culture shock and although I may have looked like everyone else I really felt like an outsider.

RufusAtticus

In my county the schools are about 20% White, 20% Hispanic, 60% African American. One thing that makes the diversity in the south different from the rest of the nation is that out side of say Atlanta, it isn't a that much of a melting pot. Instead of lots of migrants from diverse backgrounds trying to fit in, the South consists of old and established communities (300+ years in many areas) with strong family ties. Heck, a black woman at my wife's family church introduced herself to me as my wife's "black grandmother."

In the south there is still a lot of prejudice. However, in my experience it seems to be social or political prejudice, not actual racial prejudice.

~~RvFvS~~

[ November 11, 2002: Message edited by: RufusAtticus ]</p>

I ate Pascal's Wafer

I don't know, there's still some racial prejudice in the areas I've been to. In my town, for example, the redneck whites violently hate the blacks, and vice versa. It seems to me that the hatred they have for each other is a direct result of their race.

That said, I do think larger prejudices are a result of social and political views. I know a good Christian, republican black person is more likely to be accepted than an Atheistic, democratic white person. Still, the racial prejudices are still there.

-Nick

Marruk

I also noticed the seperations of classes, and I think that is what really bothered me. (This is just my experience and does not represent the entire bible belt)

Here I when I go out I see groups of freinds that are made from all different nationalities. For example the group that I usually go out with consists of a freind from Thailand, a Portugeese friend and a guy decended from Mexico. Or I am like an honorary sister to a young black kid in my mom's neighborhood and occasionally I'll take him to the movies or something.

When I've gone to places in the south I have seen almost complete seperation with few acceptions. I was horrified when I lived in Texas to hear white people repeat ugly stereotypes about other races and to brag about their extortions of hispanic imigrants.

Before visiting these areas I had never in my life (with the exception of my crazy mother) experienced someone saying such horrible ignorant things. I'm sure not all white people in the south act or think this way, but it bothered me when I saw little interaction between different races.

Uzzah

Considering I live in Chattanooga, I'll agree with you.

Uzzah

GreggLD1

Well, definitely Arkansas.

As a kid, I went with my mom and aunt to visit some relatives in Texas. We drove through Arkansas. We were getting very hungry. But we saw no signs for restaurants. Only signs for churches. Churches, churches everywhere. Churches to the right. Churches to the left. Churches ahead. Churches behind.

Finally we came up over a rise to behold an enormous sign:

YOU NEED GOD!

My mom (no atheist she) said plaintively:

"I need food!"

I laughed in the back seat for twenty minutes. You hadda be there.

Gregg