I would like to make one thread with all the terrible things coming from the south

And, where was that school system that tried to sneak religion into the classroom disguised as a Panda, Dover, PA.

An old snipe about small towns that have no entertainment establishments, usually farming communities. They're said to "roll up the sidewalks" because nobody's out and about after dark (no place to go).

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Just a few thoughts...
Back in the early '80s, I attended Millsaps College, a Methodist school in Jackson, MS. My girlfriend was bi. Now, things back then weren't like they are now, and being bi wasn't what all the kewl girls did, especially in Jackson, but still one of our favorite nights out was to go with her lesbian girlfriend and our gay buddy to the drag queen fashion show at Emerald City, a gay bar.

Mathew Sheppard wsan't killed in the south.

The police raids that started the Stonewall riots were in New Yawk City.

Syd, have you traveled much? This isn't the first time I've seen you bashing the south. You ever spent any time here?

 

Yes I have spent time in the south, and like I said I've met tons of excellent southern people. The thing is to tie this into neodude's post, yes, there are retarded conservatives everywhere in America, and around the world. I'm fully aware of asinine things that happen in the north too, it's just when they happen here they're much more isolated and shocking. It's all relative, a rural/culture conservative in Rhode Island is going to be less conservative then down south, even in general regardless of location from overall culture. This is my point, things like this are often the norm in the deep south, not the exception, a cultural phenomenon that doesn't even get noticed anywhere around them until it becomes national news and the country as a whole starts going wtf.

 

I grew up here in the 50s and 60s and I've seen some drastic changes. First, you have to give credit for those changes and you have to realize that some people are slow to change (not an excuse, just human nature). Second, the reason you hear about these outrageous incidents is, they are no longer the norm.

Most school systems are pretty up to date, but there are still some pretty conservative assholes teaching and once in a while one makes it to the Principe's position.

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True story, there have been massive advances in the south, especially considering a very large demographic of people are still alive who remember segregation, fire hoses, and heck even vote George Wallace to win 5 states in the 1968 election. There's a large hold out section though, and as an overall culture the southern United States is probably the most conservative area in the western world. Sometimes people need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the present/future. We did it with civil rights, we just did it with health care, next up, culture as a whole.

 

In a free country the only change you can force is action against others. People are free to hate anyone they want, believe anything they like, and free to express those beliefs. The only way to change hearts and minds is through education, particularly of the young. Carrying people "kicking and screaming" can be hazardous to your health. Times changed, and they are still changing; and it has been a rewarding experience to watch our society go through these changes. I'm not saying that we should call it done by any means, just that you can look back and say, "WOW,things sure are different."

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There is another way, at least in the nineties; that was Ethics in the Family. One but needed to understand how the difference was necessary between Things and People's ideas. In essence it should be conceived from perception of one family onto the other. (???)

 

I forgot about this gem from a few weeks ago. See the problem is I think the teabaggers are literally destroying decades of progress. Oklahoma has become so militant and over excited in their effort not help federal prosecutors investigate crimes against gays and lesbians that they cited the wrong damn law and instead stripped protection for race and religion, literally going back in time by over 50 years.

http://www.edgedallas.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=103986

 

To be honest I'd say the South is still recovering from the Civil War.

 

You would be right. Many still fly the Confederate Battle flag here.

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Agreed!

Some parts of the south were still seriously fucked when the depression came along, the TVA among other things seriously helped end complete and utter poverty in some places.

Oklahoma has no excuse though except straight up sucking. Besides, if all US states and America as a whole was founded on deception, mainly of the indians Oklahoma by far takes the cake for most deceptive state. Oklahoma was born to be terrible.

Religious conservatives will ruin us all unless we make the general populace disgusted with them. Otherwise you get a liberal revolution that lasted 5 years and another Reagan-esque conservative revolution that will go on for another 20 years. These conservatives are far worse(i.e. to the right) than the ones of the past though, relative to the left/right spectrum of 1980 vs 2010. Also much more militant.

 

I know...
I've been stuck in Oklahoma for a year now and it's by far the most depressing, lonely, isolated place I've ever seen. I've basically cut off all contact with humans because the people here just make me lose faith in our entire race. It's seriously the saddest place I've ever been, I can't wait to get the hell out of this shit-hole.

Yeah, there's a certain attitude with many conservatives these days that brings to mind religious reasons for political ideology, which to me just speaks of a disconnect from the real world.
Religion should have no part in deciding the policy and law of a nation, especially in the year 2010.

 

Speaking of this, I think it's fine to remember the past and show respect for your ancestors who valiantly stood up and fought a stronger enemy for something they genuinely believed in, however misguided it was.
But all this "South will rise again" crap and the ignorance that usually goes along with it is kind of lame.

 

This is what worries me, the fact this is 2010 yet our new found conservative movement is getting its ideas from the 1940's basically. I guess in my own way I'm just as paranoid as the teabaggers. Their movement scares me though, I think we're at a turning point and this election and more importantly the one in 2012 on where our country is going to head in the long term. Ideally I would like to think the teabaggers and their ridiculous militancy and uniform social-religious conservatism and fear of change is just a symptom of a larger disease that is people like Beck, Palin, Hannity, ect. But a disease can be stopped, otherwise it will turn into a plague, i.e. an actual long term social movement that will forever fuck our country into the laughing stock of the first world, if we even remain a first world country simply for the fact some people need to be dragged kicked and screaming to accept the present.

Things like what Oklahoma just did seriously bother me too even more so if the Republicans gain congress and hold it for the fact the supreme court is also about to go slightly more conservative. Stevens is about to retire, and it would seem simple enough, liberal judge retires, replaced with liberal judge by Obama, but NPR did a really good article on what's at stake due especially to Stevens ability to sway Kennedy:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124597191&ps=cprs

Even Stevens who was appointed as a moderate by Ford mentions how much more conservative even the conservatives on the court have become.

 

He's right about this!! I live in Seattle and if you drive 20 miles north, it's pretty damn "Southern". If Seattle didn't have the population size it does, Washington would have been a red state in the last two elections.

 

aw i thought you like vinita

 

Well you know, I started out in misery, (Missouri). Why do you think the plains Indians moved around all the time, they couldn't stand hanging around in that damned place.

 

The Old South (Dixie) is still recovering, and is still butt-hurt. The New South has moved on. New South people don't care to talk or think about the war.

It would be hard to draw a map of the New South because it is such a patchwork mess. In this state, such mid-sized cities as Asheville and Wilmington would be in the New South, as well as tiny college towns like Boone, Brevard, and Cullowhee (the 'h' is silent). But I'm not so sure about Charlotte, due to the power of the banking industry there. Other than Charlotte, the rest of the top ten cities would be blue, floating in an ocean of red. But the state as a whole voted blue last time, because of population densities.

I don't think you are overstating this at all. Unlike Reagan conservatives, they have absolutely no respect for the separation of church and state. I think they have seen enough of what goes on in the Middle East to develop dreams of making fundamentalist christianity the law of the land here. Liberals of all kinds would be treated like christians are treated in Iran.

There is a form of brainwashing going on, similar to what we used to see with communist radicals in Europe and Asia. It's intellectually toxic.

I wonder how long it has been this way. I grew up being told that everything outside of the Old South was liberal.

It can be slowed, but I'm not sure it can be stopped in the Internet Age. Those who use fear as a tool of political leverage are not going to forget how to use the web or Fox News to their advantage.

 

Since the 1800's, the west if full of emigres.

 

I think putting Oklahoma in "The South" is stretching things a bit.

As to flying the Stars & Bars, I will not feel compelled to feel shame for the misdeeds if my ancestors unless I may also feel pride for their accomplishments.