07-30-2013, 11:06 AM
Arkansota Wrote:I guess what I'm saying is that people from the south aren't all racist.
This is an accurate statement.
Quote:and the South is not racist
This is not.
Unfortunately, we can't just declare these things and make them true. The sad truth of it is multi-fold. I live in a very liberal city, and there's still a great deal of racism present. Sure, black people aren't going to be lynched, and blatant signs of racism are dwindling. But even just 15 years ago a black man, in Texas, was tied to someone's trailer hitch and drug behind their truck until he died...because he was black. Racism still exists in the south, and you'll see that once you move to Arkansas. That doesn't mean that all of us southerners are racist, but enough people are that it still permeates the south.
When you move to Arkansas, go to the grocery store and see how the black people are treated. Maybe they won't be noticeably harassed, but notice the smaller things like when racist white folk look a random black person in the eye and then quickly avert their attention - something they wouldn't do to other white folk. Or who stops to let who in a door first. Or a quickening of pace, especially at night, when a black person is around. Or a greater attention to their surroundings and personal possessions.
Racism still exists, even in this very fine open-minded liberal town that I love so much. While the hangin' tree isn't used, anymore, racism is still around. And, people are sheep. There's both overt and covert racism here. Overt might be when someone uses the n word, or does one of the things above. Covert is when none of their little croney friends calls them out on it, or anytime someone uses "I have a black friend" as an excuse. This is still racism. The evil you allow is the same as the evil you commit.
That said, it might behoove you to really look at your statements and see how fact based they are before stating them confidently as such. We all get caught up in this trap, from time to time, where we decide things are the way we think they are and the truth of the matter is that they're just not. For the most part, it's no big deal, but when you present these false-truths to a wide group of, typically marginalized, people and the "truths" you state are further marginalizing, it shines you in a bad light. Stating that the south isn't racist really negates the experiences of millions of people - black, latino (hello, Arizona and their wall and random civilians asking Latin-Americans to display their green cards even though the latter were BORN here), asian, etc... - and it can be really hurtful to deny people of their experience. It's the same or worse than saying "America has no problems with gay people".
I understand what you probably meant was "Not everyone in the south is racist" but that's a far cry from "The south isn't really racist"...especially when you haven't lived here and experienced it yourself. The same is true when you state opinions in favor of dissolving anything beyond "LGBT" and possibly "I" if the mood strikes you when in reality you meant "we shouldn't necessarily dissolve the individual components that make up the big gay alphabet, but I personally only identify with the "G" and hope that community remains strong." These statements are further marginalizing to a fringe group of people who already have enough of that from people who AREN'T well meaning and who DO state their (ignorant)opinions clearly.
The words you use can regularly make your life easier or much much harder, and the same for those around you. Words are so incredibly important, and I'd highly encourage you to choose them more carefully - especially when you're exposing other people to them such as here in GS.
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