In my experience the more rural an area is usually the more racist it is (my hypothesis to this is that these individuals are not exposed to different cultures very much). For instance racism in Atlanta and other large cities is WAY lower than out in the sticks (i.e south rural Georgia, rural north florida), and having lived in virginia I can say the same applies to Virginia. Guys its important to understand that racism can happen anywhere. Honestly i'm really tired of people saying oh the south I went there once on a trip in 1962 and I saw an act of racism so that means any state below the mason dixon line is racist and dangerous to live in
PS: How could you see they thought they were superior even if they didn't do anything racist .
PSS: Have you ever once set foot in Georgia and personally observed an act of racism?
First of all thank you very much for answering my questions.
Secondly, what I will be saying is my personal experience and is in no way a generalization of affairs in the South.
I have not lived in a rural area, but I would still agree with you that they are probably more racist.
I did not go to the South on barely one trip in 1962. On the other hand, after growing up in Connecticut, my parents moved to Tallahassee, FL when I was in High School. It is a city and not a rural area by any means but is not as big as Atlanta. Tallahassee is way up in the panhandle of FL and not even close to "real" FL. The people there seemed completely non-Floridian (no cubans/beaches/hot as hell weather), and seemed more Texan/Georgian type of place. What do I mean by that? First of all, people there had a heavy Southern accent when they talked. Unlike most places in US, kids thought they sounded cool when talking in a Southern accent. Moreover, most people were very fat - football player type. The women were fat as well. In my high school, with sharp contrast to Connecticut, way fatter chicks were considered "hot".
The first day I arrived to FL, I was taken aback by an experience I had with my guidance councellor in high school. Prior to this I had absolutely no experience with racism, and I used to think that it is a thing of the past. There were a few black kids in my class in CT, and they had absolutely no differences with white kids. Well, in FL the guidance councillor in school wiped the phone with a tissue paper after a black kid used it and made a face as if she was disgusted. He had left the room before that. This was in the presence of a bunch of white students.....and then she asked me "Do you like black people?". I was shocked to say the least!!!!
How could you see they thought they were superior even if they didn't do anything racist
Well....First of all white kids would hang out with white kids only. ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE white kid had a black friend. There were some "wiggers" and of course other whites laughed at them. But not one mainstream "cool" white guy in his right mind would have a black friend. Sharp contrast to NJ/CT/NY.
Interracial couples were NONEXISTENT. You would think that in a high school where 400 kids were black and 700 were white, there would be 1 or 2 interracial couples. NOPE!
When white kids talked to blacks, they were very arrogant. The body language was not friendly one but one that looked more like they were trying to show "who is the boss". Just the way they would stand - with head stretched up high and body all tight. Furthermore, I felt that Blacks there were used to years of being treated like crap, and when they talked to whites, they would be more respectful than normal.....
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When a white guy walks into a store, the clerk would talk with respect, occasionally laugh, and talk more with him than a black guy. Very different from North.
This is what I have personally seen in NJ or CT of years of being here (AND yes I do think that these represent the North): There are many blacks guys who are friends with white guys. I see WAY more Interracial couples. Whites are not arrogant to blacks. And sure as hell, if a guidance counsellor dares to wipe the phone after a black kid has used it, SHE WILL GET HER ASS SUED BY THE WHITE KIDS STANDING IN THAT ROOM, who will undoubtedly let the black guy know what is going on.
Please dont think that this as an attack on the South or anything like that. I respect people from the South and the North equally. I just may not like some aspects of their behavior. Also, it is a typical misconception among people in the south that there is racism all over America SO IT IS OK FOR THEM TO BE RACIST. In psychological terms this could be called self justification because by blaming others we just shared the blame and somehow reduced it. Sure somene can dig up news and articles about racism in NJ, NY, and CT; but on a day to day basis, I felt these areas are way way better than Tallahassee.
