Wow. I'm being hammered by my Southern friends about Vermont's health care decision.

[Jamastiene]

78. That is so true.

Also, many of the "isms" attributed to the south also exist elsewhere too.

I was once in a band with a guy and a girl from NY. When the guy found out I was gay, he said he didn't care if I was a "carpet muncher" as if that was the right thing to say. He didn't think twice about it. He was down here in NC for about 6 or 7 years. He brought his prejudices against black people with him too. I was always firmly against that and let him know right away. His then girlfriend, later his wife, had her own prejudices she brought with her too. She sat there in the guitar store reading "The Color of Crime," a known white racist publication that is even listed on the SPLC's site as skewed to make all crime seem to be perpetrated by black people. I told her a hate group published it and she didn't seem to care. She brought her racism with her down here too.

The guy wanted me to join an all white blues band that would not let a black drummer I knew play even though drummers are hard to come by in this area. I refused to play with them and told them and him flat out why. That's just ridiculous. They either wanted a full band or not. I wasn't going to join in with their stupid prejudices. The guy that led that band said it was his girlfriend who did not want black people in the band. It was a convenient lie for him to tell when he was confronted for his racism. I pointed out to him that I know how Richmond County, NC is when it comes to women. No woman ever controls any man here. They don't even allow women in the homeless shelter here. So, I knew he was flat out lying. After that one experience with that band, I never talked to any of those people again, including the guy from NY that I had played with (after teaching him that "carpet muncher" was not a good thing to call a lesbian) for 6 years.

What kills me though is that I can go one county west of me in this southern state and the racism is not so prevalent. So, to label the entire south or even an entire state as "the problem" when it comes to the "isms" is very ignorant. There are pockets of racism everywhere. It is the same with homophobia. Asheville is known as the San Fransisco of the south by many. It's right here in the same state where I live. Yet, in my hometown, most people think everything up to and including raping a lesbian, is the right thing to do. I know that because it has been my experience with this place. Even members of my own family think raping a lesbian is the right thing to do to "straighten her out." There are also people who are appalled by that sort of thing even here too though. So, while the ruling class is extreme in its homophobia, there are individuals who are against the horrible crap done to gay people here.

I don't think it is a north/south/east/west thing. I think it comes down to individual by individual. Of course, there are pockets of those problems in certain cities in all states, including some southern states, but there are intelligent people, who are not ignorant hatemongers, here too.