Prejudice and Racism in Idaho (Boise, Hailey: best cities, live, restaurants)

[cluckk]

I've read this thread abit and now, perhaps you'd like an answer to your question.

Idaho did have a large problem with the White Supremacist types. There is still a large presence of it but it has thinned out or hidden much since the problems of the Aryan Nations. By the way most of these groups were centered in Northern Idaho, not Boise.

You will find in the Bose/Caldwell area a large ethnic community. There are large numbers of hispanics. I also know there is a fair sized Korean population. I have never seen any outright, aggressive prejudice, but of course there will be some prejudice since all humans have their tendencies to pre-judge according to past experiences or lack-there-of. For example ask your parents what they think of Russians--they probably have a dim view.

I am glad to hear of some Afghanis that are doing well here in the states. In '84 I was in Basic Training with several who had come here to escape the Russians and had joined our Army with the intent of learning to fight to go back to Afghanistan to help beat the Russians. It saddens me to think that they could now be our enemies. The ones I knew were such friendly people. Hopefully they are part of the rebuilding effort.

[zrahin]

Hi cluckk, thanks for your post. Your perspective certainly helps. I can't resist commenting about your last paragraph. Afghans are the most hospitable, friendly, and caring people in the world. When the Russians left in the early 90s, the Pakistani, Arab, and East European foreign religious fighters who participated in the fight against the Russians were left with no one to pick a bone with. So they took over Afghanistan to use it as a base to wage a holly war against the west.

As part of the reconstruction effort, I went to Afghanistan in 2003. And there are a few Afghans who oppose our being there, but that’s the minority and not a reflection of the Afghan people as a whole. I met with a lot of Afghans including family members, professionals, religious leaders, and beggars on the streets who expressed their gratitude to me as an American Afghan for having liberated them from a regime that suppressed them physically, mentally, spiritually, economically, intellectually, and religiously. Afghan people are the victims here. So how could we even think that they could be our enemies?

[dullnboring]

Strange that I saw this thread since I don't click in the Idaho forum really (it was on the main page).

I say "strange" because a buddy of mine who I grew up with is Afghan-American (came over to the U.S. when he was two years old) and did his undergrad at Boise State University. Growing up in the multicultural Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, where there is actually a fairly high concentration of Afghans as well (I believe second only to the San Francisco Bay area), he experienced a bit of culture shock being an area that was so white and Christian. Most people assumed he was Latino and prior to 9/11, when he told them he was actually from Afghanistan, people had little knowledge of the culture or where it even was. He experienced a handful of "incidences" during his time out there, none relating to his being Afghan since it's not obvious to the naked eye (he's a secular Muslim and dresses and looks just like any other American), but rather to people mistaking him for Latino (a few little snide remarks, a few drunken racial insults hurled his way, etc.). As a whole, he enjoyed his time in Boise. He was worried prior to going to school there of the situation given Idaho's notoriety as having a significant White nationalist presence, but he had no run-ins with them, that he knew of although he did mention steering away from some people occasionally that he saw that fit the "skinhead" look. As a whole, there are very few blacks and Arabs and Middle Easterners in Boise, a small Asian community, and a small-ish (6% according to the most recently released figures) but growing rapidly Latino population. My friend moved back to the DC area after graduation and admits that he really missed the multiculturalism, of not feeling like he sticks out so much, although he still speaks generally fondly of his time in Boise.

[zrahin]

WOW, more than 300 people have read this post, 4 commented, and only 9 have taken the poll. This surprises me because people are so irrelevant to the issue of prejudice and racism. If silence is acceptance, then there is something for the minorities to worry about. I hope I am wrong.

[izzy]

Or the readers are from other states and can't answer your question. Like myself. I'm in CA.

Izzy

[chris]

or it could be that these posts in particular come from people who are paranoid in their thinking and worry about things that you can simply change by rising above them, rather than living in fear of them.

To explain further:

I've experienced way more racism in Seattle than Boise.

I've experienced way more interaction with LDS in Seattle than Boise.

I feel less safe in Seattle than I do Boise and Seattle has way more crime.

Why would I live in the Seattle area since all these things that you guys are worried about exist here? It's because that's life and generally you won't find a place that solves these types issues for you... If you go into an area fearing the worst, you'll find it for sure.

[zrahin]

Chris, with the exception of affordability, California is paradise on earth. I am forced to settle elsewhere to provide a decent living for my family and raise my children with good values. Like you said, these things do exist. So I have to research and make the right decisions to minimize any risks.

[dullnboring]

I didn't respond to the poll because I generally don't respond to polls. There's no real reason why. However, I also find it sort of worded odd in that its sort of weird to give a behavior a percentage rating. Sort of like someone asking "How nice is he?" and then asking "Fifty percent? Thirty percent/" I'm not sure if I'm explaining that well but basically, it's just sort of a bit confusing which is probably why some people didn't respond.

[zrahin]

My apologies to people who were confused by the poll. It should have been worded like: what is your perception of the percentage of people who are prejudice in the Boise greater area.

100% of people are prejudice
80% of people are prejudice
50% of people are prejudice
25% of people are prejudice
10% of people are prejudice
0% of people are prejudice

[burdell]

Originally Posted by zrahin

My apologies to people who were confused by the poll. It should have been worded like: what is your perception of the percentage of people who are prejudice in the Boise greater area.

100% of people are prejudice
80% of people are prejudice
50% of people are prejudice
25% of people are prejudice
10% of people are prejudice
0% of people are prejudice

I didn't respond since I've only had the pleasure of about a week in Boise so far and I'm caucasian., no great basis to judge.

And since you didn't specify racial prejudice I'd think the number would be quite high as there's any number of things people are prejudiced about:race, religion, economic status, ethnicity, political leanings, etc., etc., etc.

In the long run I think the GREAT thing about the US is that despite all our differences we somehow manage to make it all work pretty well.