The racial divide
I drove down to South Carolina this weekend to attend a horse race. The South really is another planet to a kid from New Jersey. I have some family in North Carolina and am somewhat familiar with the area, but there are few similarities. Having grown up in the North, I have a somewhat jaded view of the South from studying their history pockmarked and defined by racism. Indeed, whenever I see the Confederate "Stars and Bars" my thoughts immediately jump to plantations and the Civil War. My trip made me question the way I interpret the way others view racism.
It was a stereotypical college road trip, and, stereotypically, I will say it was a blast. We drove from Baltimore to Camden, S.C., which are perhaps polar opposites. What jaded me the most was stopping about 20 miles north of the South/North Carolina border at around midnight before we made the final stretch into Camden. We stopped at a gas station that should, by all accounts, have been condemned. The comments from one of my passengers kind of perturbed me. He was concerned about how "sketchy" the people were who were loitering outside and said that maybe we should go to another station
With that statement, all I could think about was even though everyone in the car was taught that the Stars and Bars were a symbol of oppression, the North hasn't necessarily made greater strides toward racial equity than the South has.
This became a topic of discussion during the car ride. I am curious how Americans from all walks are taught race relations in schools and in homes, both black and white.
America was built on the backs of slaves and from the blood of Native Americans. Thank God now we are equal. But how far have we come? It's easy to give political rights, those are cheap, but to ensure true equity in a society is expensive. The difference between slaves and the working poor is the working poor are cheaper to provide for as a society. I laugh every time I go to Wisconsin and talk about race issues at the dinner table. The liberal attitude assures me that Wisconsin is a very accepting place, but it's easy when everyone looks, acts and talks the same.
It was a stereotypical college road trip, and, stereotypically, I will say it was a blast. We drove from Baltimore to Camden, S.C., which are perhaps polar opposites. What jaded me the most was stopping about 20 miles north of the South/North Carolina border at around midnight before we made the final stretch into Camden. We stopped at a gas station that should, by all accounts, have been condemned. The comments from one of my passengers kind of perturbed me. He was concerned about how "sketchy" the people were who were loitering outside and said that maybe we should go to another station
With that statement, all I could think about was even though everyone in the car was taught that the Stars and Bars were a symbol of oppression, the North hasn't necessarily made greater strides toward racial equity than the South has.
This became a topic of discussion during the car ride. I am curious how Americans from all walks are taught race relations in schools and in homes, both black and white.
America was built on the backs of slaves and from the blood of Native Americans. Thank God now we are equal. But how far have we come? It's easy to give political rights, those are cheap, but to ensure true equity in a society is expensive. The difference between slaves and the working poor is the working poor are cheaper to provide for as a society. I laugh every time I go to Wisconsin and talk about race issues at the dinner table. The liberal attitude assures me that Wisconsin is a very accepting place, but it's easy when everyone looks, acts and talks the same.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
alum06
posted 4/04/08 @ 4:05 PM EST
you might think about the difference between being racist versus being racially aware. Additionally, it can be argued that America is still a long way off from being equal. (Continued…)
Verdant Force
Ryan M Harrison
posted 4/07/08 @ 2:58 AM EST
A wonderfully written article. It's nice to know that not everyone is blinded to the racial issues that exist in America. As a whole, I think America is past blatant institutional/public racism. (Continued…)
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