The Dumb South: What to make of regional difference

[Lee-Lee]

48. I grew up in a very racial mill town in NC

And have traveled and lived all over. I'm not black but given my background (Native American and Filipino) a lot of people assume I am on appearance.

The only place I've actually ever been denied service in an establishment? Philly. It was obviously a practiced technique at this bar- we ordered beer, bartender filled obviously dirty glasses half full of a beer we didn't order. When we complained, he said "If you don't like how we do it here I suggest you go find a place more welcoming to your tastes".

If you set aside all the names called to me by people I arrested, the number of times
I've been called a racial slur to my face in the last 2 decades is remarkably low- but I had it happen in Pittsburgh and Chicago multiple times a brief visits. Chicago is the only place I've been called a "Chigger", I give them props for originality.

Now, I realize that growing up in NC I am sure I've become somewhat numb to how some things are here. But in my experience it's actually other areas where it's worse.

Now, 30 years ago when I was growing up? Yeah, I am sure that every stereotype about the south held true.

But I have watched a whole lot of change over the last 3 decades. The south has made remarkable gains in race relations and changed a lot for the better as each new generation is less tolerant of racism.

The north and Midwest, on the other hand, have never seen themselves as needing to change or made a widespread effort to change. So those areas have stayed the same as they were 20-30 years ago, and in my experience that's worse in many ways than what the south has grown into.