Saltyk said:
jamail77 said:
Well, some of the worst examples of racism in recent years have all happened in Northern states. [snip] In the last ten years there have been no Southern race riots (with Ferguson literally being the closest example you can find, though I'm certain most would consider it to border the South rather than being a part of it, results may vary, though).
When one looks at the 2010 US census, this starts to make a great deal of sense. Over half of the US black population lives in the South. 55% of the black population lives in the South. In the Northeast, it's about 17% and less than 10% in the West. Isn't it amazing that there are rarely racially motivated incidents where over half of the black population lives? [snip]
Basically, what I'm suggesting is that when people are used to one another, we stop caring. [snip]
Yes, racist attitudes still exist in the South, but they are generally looked down upon. We have transitioned. When my mom was young, she saw a KKK member standing on the side of the road taking donations (you read that right). I've only ever seen KKK members in documentaries and TV newscasts.
And just because someone makes a racist joke, it doesn't make them racist.
[snip]
As for the types, I care little to get into a debate about that.
I don't think saying some of the worst examples of racism have happened in Northern states is any definite proof to your theory. Those are isolated incidents, not long standing trends. They seem to indicate something about the state because they are heavily focused and reported on versus things that do a better job of indicating more widespread and serious problems. That's not to say they aren't indicative, but I don't think it's sure fire proof either. For a similar example, people freak out over the gun shootings we have all the time, but overall violence, including gun violence, is actually lower than it has been before. We have more isolated mass shootings and a media that can cover them more efficiently and to more people due to technological and economical progress, so that scares people that we're going to shambles when we're not. We should still address our isolated mass shootings of course just like we need to address isolated race riots.
I'm not sure whether mentioning New York gives your theory weight either. Race issues tend to be exacerbated in very big cities especially those with big, systematic wealth gaps. You could probably find as close a city as you could get to New York in the South with similar race tensions, just without the same policies about them. I'm not sure though. I was just always under the impression big cities have had race tensions no matter where you go in the world or how far you go back in time. I might just be naive though.
Other than that, that's actually great reasoning and completely understandable. I've heard this argument before and it tends to be backed up by the most bizarre reasoning and evidence, but you have solid reasoning and evidence behind your belief. That's what I get for assuming based on my past negative experiences having this discussion. Thanks for the clarification by the waay.
I personally know nobody who would consider Missouri not part of the South, but you did say results may vary. Officially it is a Midwestern state. While Midwestern states often are in an ambiguous limbo in regards to whether we should classify them as South or North, Missouri is often considered a Southern state by those I know. Its representatives during the civil war were overwhelmingly pro-Union, yes, but that's what caused so much infighting in the state, citizens felt unrepresented. There was also the Missouri Compromise though, so I guess you could argue that historically cancels out any Southern status, but the fact it was a slave state in the Union was kind of awkwardly looked upon for years before the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Maybe we should just classify Missouri and many Midwestern states as limbo states. Might be easier. Haha.
I would also like to point out that it could be possible that neither the North nor the South is better in the racism department and one is just more overt than the other. When 55% of the population is black it's hard to be overtly racist without major repercussions, but when that proportion drops it could be easier to be overtly racist. Or, blacks may feel less represented by the community and by their government and be more willing to make a fuss over it versus when they are mostly surrounded by themselves. I have no scientific evidence to back that up, just a possibility. You could be right that it has more to do with people getting used to one another. I'm not even saying the hypothetical I'm throwing out is even likely. I'm just playing devil's advocate I guess. I don't know why I'd want to do that though:
I also find it interesting you bring up how you've never seen the KKK. Other posters in this thread who grew up in Texas have argued that Texas as a whole isn't that racist, but it does attract pockets of racism. Every single one responded to me that they can go an hour or 2 away and find a well known KKK headquarters/building/whatever. I'd have to go much farther to find anything like that. To be fair, they did point out that most people know to steer clear and few endorse the KKK, but their notability comes from how they can continue on without community outrage and a decent sized membership no doubt. That's not to say this makes Texas more racist than a North state. I am just pointing out because I find it interesting how you have never seen them, yet 3 other posters know of them being only so far away. It's interesting to hear 2 different perspectives on that honestly, you having never seen them and others knowing they're there but to frown upon them. Of course, you didn't say you were from Texas, just that you live in the South, so it's not as though the perspectives are THAT comparably interesting. I don't know, I get interested by the weirdest things.
I'm not sure why you bothered pointing out that making a racist joke doesn't have to make you racist. I didn't say anything about that. Were you just contributing that to the thread in general?
I didn't mention the types to get into a debate by the way. I was just throwing it out to give some perspective to the question of whether something is racist just because it's not overtly racist.