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Until after the 1930's Mississippi had a larger black population than white population. Racism is everywhere, but the higher percentage of population of any underclass competing for jobs, the higher the level of prejudice will prevail. Mississippi still has the highest % of blacks of any state in the nation. I had a friend from Minnesota that could not comprehend how Mississippi had such a problem with black people. Over the years, after that original question I have heard him say two things that made me aware how much the population diversity affects prejudice. The first was that he never saw a black person until he was 10 years old. (that would be amazing to anybody raised in Mississippi) The second was his joking several times in a negative way about "pollocks". As far as I know nobody in Mississippi ever had anything against "pollocks" because they were so few that they did not impact our way of life. I moved away years ago but return often. Mississippi has changed but the differences in white culture and black culture is starker there than anyplace I have ever seen. Many white people identify race with culture to such a degree that they cannot separate the two, nor do they fully comprehend how years of discrimination help create that culture. The black culture in Mississippi is the angriest I have ever seen, and the hopelessness they feel is expressed to the outside world as anger and rebellion . Going to a McDonald's and being waited on by a team of black people in poorest areas of Mississippi is an excursion into a hostile, mean environment. I recognize that societal anger is justified, but it re enforces the preconceived notions about black culture that some whites have already developed. Mississippi also has a very large poor white population. They compete for the few jobs that are around and tend to get them. They then have a feeling that they "work for their money" while blacks get benefits that they cannot. (All of these statements are of course generalizations.) I was raised in this very race aware culture, but as a young person I was lucky to find several older black friends that made me aware that it was not race I was uncomfortable with, it was the poverty culture that I saw in public places. As I have grown older and met and become friends with black people from all over the USA and the world I do not believe I see race anymore. But I and many others, who were born into racism, have become enlighten and moved onto a view that is just as sinister.... class-ism. For years liberal whites had no problem making fun of undereducated, poor southern rednecks, and those rednecks now join undereducated poor black southerners as the group that will be left behind. Poor language skills (and straight teeth) have become the new way to determine who we will look down upon in the world inside and outside of Mississippi. To summarize, I think Mississippi is in the same place with this shift from racism to class-ism as the rest of the country. But being the poorest and blackest state in the nation it may take years for outsiders to realize that Mississippi too has moved into the "post" racist world and joined the country’s other elitists in our distain for the uneducated. Black or white.
I agree with some things you said, but be careful with generalizations. You assume the black servers are angry at you for being white. But maybe the servers were having a bad day. Sometimes I was treated with hostility by black servers at restaurants in the South, and I'm black. This reminds me of when I lived in Hawaii in the 90s. The state has a reputation amongst many whites as being "racially inhospitable." I was at a Burger King, and I remember a white businessman losing it because he thought the filipino server was being racist for not taking his(the businessman) order fast enough. Turns out it was probably all in his head.
And yes, I agree there is some racism in the North, but let's be real. Have a white girl in Mississippi bring home a black boyfriend. I can see the parents going into a raucous. On the other hand, mixed black-white boy girl relationships are EXTREMELY common up here where I live in Wisconsin. So I may not be generalizing when I say Mississippi has changed, but it has a LONG way to go.
Yes, I've read a bit more about the documentary since. The documentary itself is a good topic of discussion - not the OP's assertion that she will get attacked by men in white sheets for being a person of color - that's utter ignorant nonsense and ironically plays to the same fear and mistrust between races that Freeman and the documentary were trying to dispel.
I admire Morgan Freeman, his philosophy has always been "the best way to end racism is to stop talking about it". He refuses to celebrate and criticizes Black History Month because he sees it as dividing the races, not bringing people together. He doesn't see African Americans - he sees only Americans. He did a good thing with funding a non-segregated prom, with only good intentions. Not seeing the documentary, I hope it wasn't sensationalized by HBO. The fact that the OP entirely missed the point doesn't sound good.
Sadly, old ideas die slowly. For the old generation, black and white, it's hard to get rid of the segregationist ideas of the past, most of the new generation (the kids at the dance) could care less. It seems this little town is going back to a segregated prom next year as well.
Quite frankly, Morgan Freeman doesn't represent the views of most African-Americans just like Jimmy Carter doesn't represent the views of most white Americans. Ceasing to stop talking about racism, and acting like it doesn't exist just makes the other side win. Life is not an HBO special. Many Africans-Americans, YOUNG & OLD, have many concerns with institutionalized racism perpetuated by some whites. Freeman's kumbaya is a lofty goal, but recognizing and fixing problems are more realistic.
.....Many Africans-Americans, YOUNG & OLD, have many concerns with institutionalized racism perpetuated by some whites. Freeman's kumbaya is a lofty goal, but recognizing and fixing problems are more realistic.
Whatever the solution to racism is it won't come from the 60+ generation.
It's going to come from the youth.
Youth like those Morgan was trying to reach in "Prom Night in Mississippi" (Due on DVD in Jan 2010).
In confronting racism why should there be one right and best solution?
Here's an interesting article on Morgan. He is an idealist.
He has interesting views on helping racial issues.
Including getting rid of Black history month.
Is Morgan Freeman Right? | keithboykin.com (http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2005/12/21/is_morgan_freem - broken link)
I was just wondering if someone could give me their perspective on whether or not it is safe for an out of town African American in the town of Tunica? I just purchased a week at a resort there but now I am hearing lots of "horror" stories about the way of culture and how the majority of people in that area are still stuck in the 40s-50s-60s. Can anyone clarify if this is true? I live in Virginia Beach, VA and RARELY EVER have I came into contact with racism and I do mean RARELY EVER. But after watching a HBO special on a Missisisippi town called Charleston and then hearing stories from others I am reluctant to make the trip. I love to travel and will go anywhere but not if there is a chance I wont return...lol
Here's an interesting article on Morgan. He is an idealist.
He has interesting views on helping racial issues.
Including getting rid of Black history month.
Is Morgan Freeman Right? | keithboykin.com (http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2005/12/21/is_morgan_freem - broken link)
I don't see it as idealism, maybe it's an elevated form of realism. He doesn't deny racism exists - his message is, I think, directed at history, fear, hatred. We all know the history, let the past be the past and start over, stop making excuses, stop hating, stop being afraid. His condemnation by Jesse Jackson is a plus in my book - someone that has made his living by being an activist, some say feeding off, of racial tension.
I've never walked in Morgan Freeman's shoes, but it's clear he is a product of a segregated south, growing up in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. And in spite of his success starting in the 80's he still lives in Mississippi. Jackson's history is a bit different - in the 60s he was a young activist working for Martin Luther King but he was also already riding around in limosines. He was never part of King's gang that was being beaten by nightsticks and chased by dogs...and racism ceased being a cause, but an occupation. So who is right? Jesse Jackson or Morgan Freeman? Well to answer the question - what would happen to Jesse Jackson if racism went away overnight? What would happen to Morgan? Who would still have a job?
But now we are getting off topic, but it's a much better subject than the original post (and the original poster appears to be long gone).
I agree with some things you said, but be careful with generalizations. You assume the black servers are angry at you for being white. But maybe the servers were having a bad day. Sometimes I was treated with hostility by black servers at restaurants in the South, and I'm black. This reminds me of when I lived in Hawaii in the 90s. The state has a reputation amongst many whites as being "racially inhospitable." I was at a Burger King, and I remember a white businessman losing it because he thought the filipino server was being racist for not taking his(the businessman) order fast enough. Turns out it was probably all in his head.
And yes, I agree there is some racism in the North, but let's be real. Have a white girl in Mississippi bring home a black boyfriend. I can see the parents going into a raucous. On the other hand, mixed black-white boy girl relationships are EXTREMELY common up here where I live in Wisconsin. So I may not be generalizing when I say Mississippi has changed, but it has a LONG way to go.
I don't know what "Wisconsin" you live in, but the one I live in (a suburb of Milwaukee) most parents here would be equally upset if their white daughter would bring home a black boyfriend, and rightfully so, and it has nothing to do with racism, either. Furthermore, I don't see it as being "EXTREMELY common" here at all...not even close. Then again, I don't see it as being EXTREMELY common...anywhere, period.
Finally, Wisconsin could learn a lesson from Mississippi in terms of desegregation, I have never seen the races mix so harmoniously until I moved to Mississippi, as opposed to the segregation I see in Wisconsin.
I don't know what "Wisconsin" you live in, but the one I live in (a suburb of Milwaukee) most parents here would be equally upset if their white daughter would bring home a black boyfriend, and rightfully so, and it has nothing to do with racism, either. Furthermore, I don't see it as being "EXTREMELY common" here at all...not even close. Then again, I don't see it as being EXTREMELY common...anywhere, period.
Finally, Wisconsin could learn a lesson from Mississippi in terms of desegregation, I have never seen the races mix so harmoniously until I moved to Mississippi, as opposed to the segregation I see in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin doesn't have to learn ANYTHING from Mississippi because you must have your head buried in the sand if you think mixed relationships are just as acceptable in Mississippi as here in Wisconsin or almost anywhere in the Upper Midwest. Have you ever stepped foot in Madison? A huge number of white girls are with someone of another race (usually black or hispanic). I didn't see this in MS or even Arkansas where I spent a lot of time. I know Milwaukee has their segregation problems, but dating across racial lines is a LOT more acceptable there than in MS. And what do you mean "rightfully so" most parents would be upset if their white daughter brought home a black boyfriend. If this has nothing to do with bigotry or racism on behalf of the parents, then it has to do with what?
I think you're building a straw man. I agree that the poster is a little "overly concerned" about this particular area, but don't you think he/or she is bringing up a legitimate concern based on the HISTORY of the area? I know that Mississippi has improved in racial matters. But so has Harlem, and it has a much lower crime rate. However, if a white person brought up safety concerns about Harlem, and me knowing that the community is much safer and has less racial tension, I am not going to mock and joke about the person who brought up those concerns.
Mississippi isn't the only state that has a past. Slavery in the U.S. began in Virginia. Do you feel safe there? The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Tennessee. How about your safety there? What about one of the other 30 some odd states where slavery and oppression existed?
As a white male from Mississippi, believe me when I tell you, we just want to get along, live and let live, and do the best we can. The vast majority of Mississippians are no different than the vast majority of the rest of the country.
Why will the rest of the country not let us move on from our past without being held under a microscope, and reminded of it every day. Why are we assumed to be the same Mississippi of the 1960's?
A little research would have shown the OP that Mississippi has one of the lowest, if not the lowest number of hate crimes in the nation. Research would also show that Mississippi has the highest percentage of African Americans in the nation. Tunica County is no exception.
I agree with some things you said, but be careful with generalizations. You assume the black servers are angry at you for being white. But maybe the servers were having a bad day. Sometimes I was treated with hostility by black servers at restaurants in the South, and I'm black. This reminds me of when I lived in Hawaii in the 90s. The state has a reputation amongst many whites as being "racially inhospitable." I was at a Burger King, and I remember a white businessman losing it because he thought the filipino server was being racist for not taking his(the businessman) order fast enough. Turns out it was probably all in his head.
And yes, I agree there is some racism in the North, but let's be real. Have a white girl in Mississippi bring home a black boyfriend. I can see the parents going into a raucous. On the other hand, mixed black-white boy girl relationships are EXTREMELY common up here where I live in Wisconsin. So I may not be generalizing when I say Mississippi has changed, but it has a LONG way to go.
My uncle dated a black lady, and none of our family went into a 'raucous'. I'm married to a dark skinned lady from Belize and my family didn't go into a 'raucous', as a matter of fact, they are crazy about her. Try actually living here, or at the very least spending some time here. You may find that you see more diverse couples than you think, with no-one giving a second look. As for your comments in a previous post about the huge number of white girls in Madison, Wisconsin dating black or hispanic guys, I don't see how that is relevant. Do you want people in Mississippi to date who they want to date, or date someone of a different race just for the sake of doing it? What does it matter if there are fewer mixed race couples as long as they aren't mistreated because of it? Just for the record, I see white/hispanic couples here too.
My uncle dated a black lady, and none of our family went into a 'raucous'. I'm married to a dark skinned lady from Belize and my family didn't go into a 'raucous', as a matter of fact, they are crazy about her. Try actually living here, or at the very least spending some time here. You may find that you see more diverse couples than you think, with no-one giving a second look. As for your comments in a previous post about the huge number of white girls in Madison, Wisconsin dating black or hispanic guys, I don't see how that is relevant. Do you want people in Mississippi to date who they want to date, or date someone of a different race just for the sake of doing it? What does it matter if there are fewer mixed race couples as long as they aren't mistreated because of it? Just for the record, I see white/hispanic couples here too.
I'm not asking people to date other races for the sake of doing so. I'm just making observations. When I notice common behavior in one community, usually I conclude it's acceptable. It's more common to see gay relationships in San Francisco. It's more common to see interracial relationships in Wisconsin. Since it's more common, I figure it's more acceptable. So I think that's pretty relevant.
I have quite a few relatives up here involved in interracial white/black relationships; including three uncles whom have been married to the same white ladies since the 60s & 70s. There has NEVER been anti-miscegenation laws in Wisconsin & Minnesota. Our border states (Iowa, Illinois) even got rid of those laws in the 1800s. Mississippi just repealed its anti-miscegenation law close to 1970, and the federal government had to force them to do it. Some towns in Mississippi still have separate white/black high school proms (And I suppose this has nothing to do with race ).
So you still want to believe black/white male-female relationships are just as acceptable in Mississippi as they are up here?
Just because MS no longer has an anti-miscegenation laws, doesn't mean there's still not a lag period between the repeal of the law, and "what's culturally acceptable" in the state. You gave me examples of white men in relationships with black females (Of course this has always been going on in the south, whether or not the females were forced into the relationship or not) But what about black males with white females? That's the real test.
Your anecdotes are touching, but anecdotes don't always tell the whole picture. Again, I'm not downing Mississippi. It has some wonderful people whom have come a long ways in terms of race relations. But there is still progress to be made, and "denying problems" doesn't lead to solutions.
Last edited by windhoek7; 10-21-2009 at 12:02 PM..
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