Rural living.

[LWolf]

138. Race is interesting in

my mostly white area.

The largest minority demographic is native; there's a reservation an hour or so to the north. I've spent some time there and talked to their leaders; they do struggle with racism. Not so much among the general population, but among "official" agencies who don't respect them.

I've seen racism here; it's not the norm. Sort of. Our kids, my students, are generally shocked at racist events if we look at a current event. A few have racist tendencies, gotten from their parents, but they keep it hidden, because peer pressure in a small environment where you can't hide or slip through the cracks is something that they don't want to deal with.

The real race issue here is cultural. We have a hispanic community, and they are mostly accepted and included. We have some AA and asian students; most of those, though, are adopted into white families. It's not the skin or hair or features, but the urban culture associated with race that is viewed with suspicion. Just as the rural culture is viewed with suspicion by urban dwellers. It's a two-way street. Here at DU, though, it's just a one-way street, unfortunately.

It's interesting to read through these responses; a careful read shows that not every rural community across the country is alike; there's rural diversity across the nation, just like other demographics. Democrats are supposed to celebrate diversity and be inclusive; at least, I used to think so.

The narrative trying to portray BLM as thugs or domestic terrorists is designed to scare those who aren't there first hand to see the reality, to keep them in racial and cultural blinders. We need a way to overcome that.