Is this crap considered acceptable behav ior in Geo

“I saw on TV tonight about a high school in Georgia where a bunch of white kids got together and held a separate prom for whites only. Last years prom was the first integrated prom in the school’s history and some whites didn’t like it even though it was a success. I am all for private assembly and they have every legal right to have a private prom but where is the outrage? The community didn’t stand up and say it’s wrong even if it’s legal. The school board and principle didn’t stand up and say it was wrong. The damn governor wouldn’t even comment on it. All these white kid’s parents were OK with it?

Now I know I’m an Ohio Yankee and all and I’m judging a whole state but is this considered acceptable behavior in Georgia? Can it be call acceptable in ANY American state?”

“Nigal, stuff in the south *can* be waaaaaay different. I was looking at the town of Harrison, Arkansas this winter... reading up on it, thinking it might be a nice place to visit/move, not far from the Buffalo River.

Imagine my surprise at reading an article from their own paper saying how Harrison is known as a "sundown town." As in, blacks better be out by sundown, or else.

It said how maybe in the 1800s a black man had raped a white woman and was hung. I think at that time any and all blacks were run out of town.

So the article went on to interview people, like some woman... why is Harrison lacking black people? She said, oh I just think people come here so their kids can attend the kind of schools they're used to. It's not a superior thing, although they are good schools.

He interviewed a bank guy or real estate guy... why do you think Harrison has such a bad reputation? I don't know. I suppose I could do something about it, but just haven't.

And this was the clencher, where my mouth dropped open and I knew I'd be strung up if I ever went into that town.. He interviewed THE LOCAL KU KLUX KLAN LEADER..... **BY NAME!!**

Guess I don't recall what Mr. KKK said. I was too floored.

Many people from the South will say they've never met a KKK person. But, boy... it's true.... one bad apple (or TOWN, in this case) spoils the reputation for many other towns. I am still flabbergasted by what I read about Harrison.

Also, I will be going on a Ntl Forest Service Passport in Time program (Chili, too) in June, to look for remains/signs of the Underground RR in southern Illinois. I was doing some research online and found some interesting stuff about how an "old slave house" existed in southern Illinois before and during the Civil War. They sold slaves before the war... and hunted down, jailed and then sold others who had escaped to supposed freedom in Illinois.

A sad chapter in our country's history, but interesting........ I'd rather think of it as a fiction novel than a historical account.”

“I read an article about this the other day. To answer your question, I guess in some places in Georgia this is fine. If the parents and grandparents are bigots, I suppose it's understandable that the kids turn out that way, too.

You have to remember that in some places, people are still upset about how the Civil War turned out.”

“Shameful and unbelievable!!!”

“Everybody wants to be better than somebody. When your claim to fame is skin color you have reached the bottom.”

“I hate to tell ya folks, but the South Is still the South. Many folks here still resent Reconstruction and are still fighting the 'Unfawtunate Wawah of Nawthun Icuhsion'.

Just to be fair, I have met some unreconstructed racists from all over the nation. The difference is, most Southerners are not hypocritical about it.”

“Oh. To answer your question Nigal, by and large, yes...”

“By the title, I was hoping this was a thread slamming on Geobeet. Oh well, this should be good too.

I saw this story the other day and thought I had been transported back to the 50’s. You may be aware that former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes was voted out of office for pushing through legislation that dropped the Confederate symbol from their flag. Georgia got their first Republican governor in more than a century because he promised “Confederate heritage groups” (read white supremacists) a vote on the flag. More than a few want to bring back the treasonous, seditious flag featuring the rebel bars and stars.

When my Italian-American friend took a transfer to Atlanta, he bought a home in a rural area about 40 minutes outside the city. The neighbors were a little alarmed and questioned his wife pretty extensively about her heritage. They were curious to find out if she were all Irish or had some Italian blood too.

We obviously still have a long way to go in this country.”

“I think it is so very sick the people act to one another.You would think that after all this time that all this hate out be old news I guess things will never change!

8|”

“Are you kidding me, I see this everywhere. Let's see, folks are disallowed from the NAACP, NOW, and other organizations. Shucks, even the over 60 groups won't allow me in. Why is it only a crime when "whites" or "white males" do it?”

“I was up in Gainesville, FL (which is north FL, for you geographically deprived. It's quite "southern" there) this past weekend, and my father told me an interesting story.

He had heard of this bar in High Springs where he works and he decided to check it out. He walked in, and there were only blacks there and they looked at him as if they were a bit surprised. An elderly gentleman came up to him and very politely told him, "You're more than welcome to stay, but just so you know, this bar is divided into two parts. The black people come to this side, and the white people go to the bar next store, one door down."

In my experience growing up, a lot of people prefer it that way in the south. Not everybody, but many do, and segregation is voluntarily practiced by both blacks and whites.”

“That's really not uncommon here in south carolina either.It was just a few years ago that they took the "stars and bars" off their flag.”

“The Grand Wizard of the KKK lived in Harrison, AR during the 80's and early 90's. I am not sure if the same guy is the grand wizard, I haven't been to a meeting in a while.”

“Yes, it's pretty surreal, Nigal.

My own pet theory is that it's a holdover from some prehisoric xenophobia... from when it could definitely have been dangerous to meet people who were 'different'.

Tied up with that is the sad fact that some people simply have to have someone to look down on. I guess they need the ego boost.

And isn't it ironic that some people, even from Ohio, can slur an entire nation of people. They can call them cowards and make jokes about their hygiene... and generally pat themselves on the back for THEIR 'supremacy'. Yes, How Ironic.


So... Why don't more people speak out against garbage like that? What happens when they do? What happens when a persom pisses off the Prom Queen and her clique?

You know.”

“Busted!!!”

“Father Goose is right. I grew up in a small town in Michigan that was exclusively white. It was commonly know that any "unapproved" blacks in town, even passing through in a car, would end up spending the night in jail and then be escorted to the county line by a Sheriff's deputy. G*d help them if they tried to live there. The only people of color allowed to live in town were an Indian family (as in from India) because the man was a doctor. They still took a lot of crap. I went to school with the boy, he was an honors student and ended up being valedictorian of his class. I remember someone giving him a real hassle in the lunch line one day. They tried to force him to get to the end of the line. Somebody intervened with "Hey, don't you know he's Dr. ********'s son?" I'll bet he didn't go anywhere in town alone, ever.


What's really ironic is that that town was a major stopover in the underground railroad during the 1800s. It was also a major center of abolitionist organization and activity. The history teacher covered this with quite a bit of enthusiasm when teaching the local history unit (8th grade). He took A LOT of crap for this, including frequent vandalism to his home. When the last standing "station" from the underground railroad, an old brick house on the west end of town, was scheduled for demolition there wasn't a whole lot of local support for stopping it. It's gone now.

Discrimination and bigotry isn't exclusive to the South by a long shot. It's just better hidden up north. I've had a lot of friends tell me they'd much rather deal with Southern bigotry because it's obvious, expected and they can plan accordingly. They've been "sideswiped" by the northern bigotry because it was hidden and cought them by surprise.”

“I have been laying low lately, but still reading the forum. I feel a need to respond to Nigal and others. To answer you questions Father Goose is right, by and large yes, but let me say that there are a lot of people in every state who feel this way. Not just Georgia. As a 5th generation Georgian I personally do not think it is acceptable. There are lot of good people who think the same as I do in all areas of Georgia. My parents and their parents saw nothing wrong with this train of thought, but as times change so do people. I have raised my children to realize that all people are equal and they will hopefully pass this belief on. Don't catagorize an entire state for problems that are nationwide, but are not as hypocritical in other states. This idea of thinking is not ok, but there are lots of people here that are "good folks"”

“I went to high school in the late '60s in Montgomery County Maryland.

My father was a milkman and he knew the Wash D.C. area very well.

In 1962, during the "white flight" from the cities, our family "followed the Jews" to Montgomery County(west of D.C.).

Prince George's County(to the east) was the more rural redneck side of the District.

We went to the schools with probably the most Jews and certainly the most affluent non-Jewish kids......smart move, Dad.

Remarkably, there was a small cadre of kids who tried to distribute American Nazi Party literature in my high school.

Among the kids of some very well off Gentiles there was some rather nasty anti-Jewish talk, as if it were very routine and common to feel such disdain for a group of Americans.

For black people the feelings were even more negative.

My Dad was one of the first Catholics to work at a certain drug store chain in D.C. when he was a teenager in the '30s.

I believe D.C. had "whites only" restrooms and water fountains for some time.

The Washington Redskins(until 1936, the Boston Redskins) were one of the last teams to accept black players.”

“Yes, there is bigotry up north too. Take that from someone who lives in what is probably the most diverse place in this entire nation. There are people here from cultures and countries that are pretty obscure. But, at the same time, I find more tolerance here than what I experienced in parts of Florida (and I know that there are folks who will say that Florida is not representative of the deep south). But, make no mistake about it; just because we are living in the 21st century doesn't mean we have made many strides in co-existing.”

“Hey, I have hairy knuckles.”

“I still want to know what Geobeet did!”

“LOL @ aero! I thought the same thing when I first saw it.”

“I think Geo has been squirrel hunting in Philadelphia.”

“A pair of pliers, their toenails, and a bottle of lemon juice.”

““And isn't it ironic that some people, even from Ohio, can slur an entire nation of people. They can call them cowards and make jokes about their hygiene... and generally pat themselves on the back for THEIR 'supremacy'. Yes, How Ironic.”


Big difference there , I wouldn’t arrange a function that excludes French people. You make quite a stretch between funning on an eccentric, haughty, snooty nation and excluding a race of people. Their lack of abilities in warfare as well as their lack of bathing is an established fact. My joking about the French is merely “observational humor“. And before you claim I pat myself on the back and call myself superior cut and paste my words where I say this. Otherwise shut the phuck up @$$bag. [swing and miss cracker]

Moving on to the rational folks…

Monkeyboy does bring up a good point about exclusive groups and the first thing I thought about was Agusta. I think it’s a bit different when an organization or private club sets their own membership. As I said in the first post it’s not so much a legal matter but a social problem. I also agree with those who said it’s not just in the south that this kind of crap happens. Indiana is a hotbed for the KKK. The Grand Dragon of years past lived in Plains City right outside Indianapolis. I have seen this type of racism here in Ohio as well. When I went to the Red River Gorge I stopped in one of those carry outs you see everywhere. Made out of CDX plywood and tar paper. I got to talking about how pretty the area was with the guys in the store and they asked where I was from. They had been to Dayton and said, Yeah, it’s a lot nicer here. We ain’t got all the concrete and #&%!$s down here.”. I was so stunned I could only get out, “It’s not that bad.” and left.”

“Are you kidding me, I see this everywhere. Let's see, folks are disallowed from the NAACP, NOW, and other organizations. Shucks, even the over 60 groups won't allow me in. Why is it only a crime when "whites" or "white males" do it?

Good point!”

“I grew up in Lower Alabama at a time when the fight for Civil Rights was being fought. My father was an advocate for equal treatment at a time when it was damn unpopular for a white person to take that stance. I guess I had the distinct privilege of growing up in a household where people were not measured by the color of their skin.

However, I can remember the deep sentiment others felt in keeping the South segregated. It was a way of life that was not easy for a generation to give up. While I do not now see such a high degree of emotion being exhibited by bigots, you would have to be either blind or stupid to think that rascism does not exist all over the country.

While I think we have made progress, I don't think we have eradicated rasism. I think it is a trait that is taught. When parents quit teaching hate to their children, maybe this planet will truly become a better place to live.”

“I am still flabbergasted by what I read about Harrison
lizs


liz, i grew up in harrison. i was only in 7th grade when i moved to tulsa.....imagine my culture when i was thrown into an inner city school. WHOA! you can't imagine! i had never been around blacks at all and here i was in a rough school, no friends, trying to figure it all out. as you can see, i turned out great. last year we built a new store in harrison and i got to spend some time there. i was out in the parking lot talking to an old friend and he goes...hey, see that man coming out of arby's? he's the nation KKK grand poobah(erwhatevah). i had no idea it was that bad. when you're a kid, it just doesn't dawn on you. my parents never taught me racism so i guess that helped...”

“I'd have to guess that the French lost more KIA, WIA and MIA in the European wars of the twentieth century than did the U.S.

Also many of their citizens of the Jewish persuasion were exterminated in the '40s.

I look at the German conquest of France in 1940 as more of a German success than a French failure.

When U.S. and British forces re-took France in '44 many American boys were very poor guests.
In large part they treated the women like whores and the French people like idiots for their ignorance of the English language.”

“Nigal, this article was in the newspaper a few days ago and it mentioned some things you left out.

Yes last yr was the first yr for for integrated prom, yes this yr the whites were going to do a white prom and the main prom (not called black prom) was still going to be held. What it didn't say on the TV or you failed to mention was that there was quite a few whites who were going to both proms because they didn't like having to choose and ignore their friends white and black.

This school per the article was one of the last remaining schools that had decided last yr to have a integrated prom. So it looks like some progress had been made and with the white kids going to both progress will continue.

There is still a lot of racism in the south and at least you can see it but like others have said in this thread the north hiddens it.

One of the biggest problems I think you will see in the south is interracial dating. When a white and black date they still get all kinds of stares and comments when they are out together. I don't see the same kind of problems when whites date other races like Mexican, Asians, South Americas and so on. Why is that, probably due to the problems whites and blacks have had in the past and will continue to have.”

“Nigal-
Be careful who you feel superior to.”

“So, are there any blacks on THIS website?

I don't believe so.

I've never come across a black person backpacking or hiking either. But, I suppose it's more a function of where I live.”

“I feel superior to everyone regardless of their race, sex or creed. I am a renaissance man.”

“"Nigal-
Be careful who you feel superior to."

Who did I say I'm superior over? I never said this.”

“I have encountered black hikers, backpackers and car campers. I have a coworker (who's black) who backpacked and canoed the Okeefenokee when he was in college. He was studying the flora and fauna as a biology student. He still hikes a lot but he never really got into backpacking.

I think it's a cultural thing more than anything else. I think whites have more historical "backpacking icons" to relate to (Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, etc.). Funny though, my "backpacking heroes" when I was a kid were Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. Those two chickas really knew how to tough it out!”

“racism exists everywhere, not just the south. in PA, it's not as obvious as an all-white prom, but it still exists in more subtle ways.

things are improving, i live and work in a rural area; it's rare that you hear racial slurs or comments and it's always deemed inappropriate. i see a few blacks in rural areas and i've never heard of outward discrimination or threats, they're accepted, or so it seems through my naive eyes. but i'm sure there are plenty of people out there with bigotry in thier hearts.”

“"Are you kidding me, I see this everywhere. Let's see, folks are disallowed from the NAACP, NOW, and other organizations. Shucks, even the over 60 groups won't allow me in. Why is it only a crime when "whites" or "white males" do it?

Good point!"
Mutt
08:29:04 AM

Not such a good point:

1) The NAACP doesn't bar whites from joining. I've known white NAACP members.

2) I don't know about NOW, but I wouldn't jump to any conclusions too quickly.

3) The Prom is very different from a political organization Kids events are different than adult groups.”

“I've been debating posting this due to how some folks will take it but here goes.

You have to keep in mind that there is a few hundred years of conditioning of black people that if they go in the woods they will get killed.

During slavery, slave owners fostered the idea that the "wild dark woods" were sooooo much more dangerous than the plantation. Wild animals and wilder whites roamed the woods looking for runaways. There was a degree of truth to this too as there were professional bounty hunters and slave catchers in just about every county. The slave culture did everthing they could to instill a fear of anything other than being a slave. You will be safe as long as you stay in your place was the mantra. After emancipation the same waryness of the outdoors remained, especially after dark. Think about it, lynching was a common practice even up to and shortly after the civil rights movement of the 60's and 70's. What black person would willing go out into a VERY rural setting and pitch a tent for the night?

I think the the last vestiges of that terror campaign are still with us. That conditioned aversion became cultural. Yes there are those who break that mold (as there always is) but by and large the outdoors (other than city parks) is not something that many black people enjoy today.

I'm not saying that is the definative reason but it is a factor.

Chili is dead on. Kids are taught to be racists and bigots. When that stops, the ignorance will die out. From where I stand I see it dieing every day.”

“I don't think an all-white prom would would make it past anyone's lips here in California (although an all-gay or all-minority group prom might get a little farther).

Organizations that form to promote a race bothers me. In engineering, for example, we have the Society of Women Engineers, National Society of Hispanic Engineers, etc. I know they are not racist organizations, but the concept of labels being important bothers me. I would not join the National Society of White Engineers (if there was one). (Organizations that preserve culture don't bother me.)

By the way, I think anyone can join the NAACP.

The student population at my school is very diverse. I must say that I really enjoy my students. I have sure learned a lot about other countries and cultures from them.”

“Geobeet, that is not acceptable behavior. ;)”

“Poor Geobeet. Everyone thinks he's a troublemaker.

Oh wait, he is...well at least he's good at it.”

“Chili is dead on. Kids are taught to be racists and bigots. When that stops, the ignorance will die ou."
humanpackmule
10:20:15 AM
05/06/03

I disagree with that statement. I think most racism comes from when you get out of high school or at least when I got out of high school (1968). I never went to school with a black and any experience I had with them came after I got out of high school. In those days blacks and whites did not get together to do things. The whites lived in their area and the kids went to all white schools while the blacks lived in their area and the kids went to all black schools.

IMO at lot of the problems (racism)started when they started court ordered busing (1969 in Nashville). Kids were taken from their neighborhood school and bused into a area they didn't want to be in. Parents (white and black) protested this but up until 2 yrs ago we had busing. Finally they decided that the schools were integrated enough to stop this court ordered busing.

Did this court ordered busing make a difference, I don't think so.”

“Nigal-
Zee Fwench......but of course!”

“I dunno Ewker. I've met some pretty hateful kids in my day.”

“So when is Geobeet ever going to rise to his own defense?”

“He's probably out starting more crap.


j/k....”

“LOL!”

“Ewker, are you suggesting that kids just inherently dislike people of different cultures or colors?

I think if you take kids from different cultures and put them all together, they will get along just like kids, skin of color be damned.

However, if you throw into that mix a group of kids who have been taught to dislike people of other races, then those kids aren't going to try to get along with any of the group that doesn't match their idea of acceptable.”

“Geo's probably out scorin' rat poison on the street.”

“"Nigal-
Zee Fwench......but of course!"

When did I say this Tom. I never said I was superior over the French. If not taking seriousely a nation that gave us the LeCar is wrong I don't wanna be right! 8)

Wee wee moon-sherry.”