Bias against Southerners misses the mark

Pasco Times ^ | July 11, 2005 | RICHARD COX

[robowombat]

Bias against Southerners misses the mark By RICHARD COX Published July 11, 2005

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Does prejudice exist in Pasco County, an area with a very diverse population and seemingly very progressive?

I am certain that African-Americans, Hispanics and people from other countries, the poor and homeless, as well as members of certain religious faiths, experience treatment different from the mainstream populace. However, I am a member of a minority who has experienced attitudes and reactions from many individuals who assume that I am intellectually and socially challenged.

A very large percentage of the population of New Port Richey in particular is from the Northeast. I personally like the outspokenness, mince-no-words attitude, the ability to criticize as well as accept criticism without being offended, that seems to represent the culture in which Northerners grew up.

My family members seem to have the disadvantage of being born and living most of our lives in the South, in our case, Tennessee. I grew up in Knoxville, a city that many people seem to associate only with the fanatical behavior of our college football fans, and my wife is from a small city near Chattanooga.

There still seems to be a stereotype that some people associate with Tennesseans. When those individuals heard the distinct accent of my wife, my stepdaughter, and myself, it seemed to conjure up that redneck image one might associate with the humor of Jeff Foxworthy and other Southern comedians. That image is of a culture of ignorant hillbillies (certainly due to inbreeding!), barefoot, living in a shack with no indoor plumbing (but certainly an outhouse in back), having a dog living under the front porch, and owning an overgrown lawn populated with broken-down, dilapidated automobiles. And, yes, we all chew tobacco and sit on the front porch swing playing the banjo. Everyone also flies a Confederate flag and reminisces about the War Between the States.

I first noticed this attitude when my stepdaughter, an honor student, came home from middle school several days in tears because several other students harassed her daily, calling her an ignorant redneck and hillbilly among other derogatory terms. My wife and I have experienced the sudden change in facial expressions from many when they hear our accent. They seem to associate our accent with ignorance, and speak in simpler terms so that we can understand what they are saying. Telephone conversations often produce the same reaction.

I beg to differ. Tennessee is the home of several major universities, four major metropolitan areas with all the drug and gang problems associated with other large cities, and the most visited national park in the United States. Oak Ridge, in the Knoxville area, probably has as high a percentage of residents with doctorate degrees as any city in the United States. Tennessee has a musical heritage equal to none, and it is not exclusively country or bluegrass genres. Many nationally prominent politicians are from my home state, including three former presidents.

Tennessee has produced many famous musicians, actors, scientists and other intellectual and talented natives.

Well, to set the story straight, rural areas of most states have their own populace and dwellings that approach this stereotype.

My wife and I grew up in your average suburban neighborhoods, we both graduated from major universities and had successful professional careers, and, to risk seeming boastful, are probably as intelligent and knowledgeable, if not more so, than the average American. Believe it or not, East Tennessee, the section of the state we are from, fervently supported the Union during the Civil War.

I have noticed in the Pasco Times notices of meetings for various groups from areas of the Northeast and from other countries. Perhaps Southerners in our area should form a similar group. With apologies to an African-American group with a similar title, we could call our group the NAASF, the National Association for the Advancement of Southern Folks, Pasco County Branch. I hope there are enough local Southern residents available to attract to our organization.

--Richard Cox, a retired middle school science teacher and department head, lives in New Port Richey

[Wampus SC]

"A man steps up to the plate and admits his mistakes, forthrightly, and without equivocation; pardon me for forgetting that I wasn't dealing with one."

Then do so.

The astute, unlike you, will grasp what I'm about to say. I'll state this without equivocation - There was no mistake. Everything I've said here was intentional. Thought out in advance. Planned. Premeditated. On my own initiative. Tactical.

What'cha gonna do?

[Wampus SC]

That's exactly what I expected. Good thing - one by one they're being exposed as complete frauds. Just on this thread alone we've seen one intellectual/moral fraud and one who sure looks like he's misrepresented who he is. So much for them having any credibility.

[A Jovial Cad]

I'll take this in dismissive order, step-by-step:

And your #1173 was different from that how, other than I provide documentation?

You provided NO "documentation": you "provided" quotes ripped out of context in an effort to change the subject from your own base behavior in an attempt to dodge the question put to you. The question was put to you sir; please answer it, instead of trying to hide behind the skirts of evasion.

You can be so infinitely presumptuous as to think you can set time limits on everyone, but it doesn't work that way outside your head

Ah, but I "set" no "time limits" on anyone: I found it curious that you'd respond, ten days after the fact, to a post that was straightforward and unambiguous. When a post such as that goes so long unanswered the mentally astute among us assume one of two things: the respondents are incapable of answering, or they are unwilling to answer.

You are a curious third breed: someone congenitally unable to formulate a coherent answer, so he waits, like the intellectual coward you most certainly are, till he believes he will not garner a response.

I waited a decent interval so that anyone who believed you could take you up on your offer

That is simply a lie. You "waited" until you thought you wouldn't get a response by throwing some crap out early in the morning, and then hoping it wouldn't be noticed.

As you saw, nobody took your offer

And that was very telling about the type of specimen that makes up the ranks of the silly, ragged Lost Cause Squad around here: "confederates" who'd make Robert Lee puke to think he was in anyway associated with them; trash that would cause Stonewall Jackson to bellow "get them out of my Corps!"

It means nobody believed it

No, it "means" no one was willing to step up to the plate and be a man among your scummy associates. That's all.

You don't get it, but that wasn't about modernman and espazzola, it was about you. You. Examples of chances you had to show that your rhetoric about the level of discourse here wasn't empty and hypocritical. You passed them up. And you're still behaving the same, showing again that your high sounding words are empty, one sided, partisan propaganda

There is a term for this kind of quaint, dreamy nonsense: it is called projection. Indeed, I find it amusing that, over and over and over and over and over again, you simply will not answer the question put to you: do you, or do you not, believe it is appropriate to attack a person's parents because you're losing an argument with him? It's not a complicated question, or even one fraught with big philosophical queries: it's very simple. YES or NO.

Based on your sputtering so far, I think most decent people have their answer...

In short, you're a fraud. A fraud who continues to commit fraud, and can do nothing but commit more and more fraud

In short, you're a perpetual liar. A liar who continues to lie, and can do nothing but keep lying, over and over. And proud of it to boot...I wonder what else is lurking just beneath that barely concealed pointy hat?

And so does everyone else...

[A Jovial Cad]

What'cha gonna do?

Laugh. Along with everyone else with an IQ broaching 60...

The astute, unlike you, will grasp what I'm about to say. I'll state this without equivocation - There was no mistake. Everything I've said here was intentional. Thought out in advance. Planned. Premeditated. On my own initiative. Tactical

"Tactical"...LOL...just like a Navy Seal or a Green Beret, eh? "Tactical"...what a joke. Those of us who've served in the real military are not impressed with your "tactical" keyboard assault. But nice typing form. Where'd you learn to do that so impressively? East Popcorn State U?

...snicker...

Then do so

I have. You haven't been up to the challenge.

[A Jovial Cad]

That's exactly what I expected. Good thing - one by one they're being exposed as complete frauds

The only "fraud" that's been "exposed" is yourself - post by ridiculous post.

Just on this thread alone we've seen one intellectual/moral fraud and one who sure looks like he's misrepresented who he is

Indeed, we have. And both such specimen's respond to the name "Wampus SC" on this forum.

I'm curious, espinola: do you notice a very familiar pattern here? I think we're dealing with a retread. Or perhaps someone who was posting under two different names all along...

[A Jovial Cad]

Check out this phony. Notice the peculiar way in which his posts bat around all different hours of the day with no pattern to the schedule? I'll bet dollars to donuts that there are two realities with this specimen: 1. Unemployed. 2. Homeless shelter Internet access. Or something similar.

Just a best guess: but I'll bet it's not far from being wrong in some way, shape, manner, or form.

[M. Espinola]

The one in question likes living near mosquito invested swamps, prides himself on treating his neighbours like filth, and has openly stated he likes being a redneck, thus the only thing expected from such a despicable individual, is more of the same.

[M. Espinola]

"as they are arrogant,self-serving, ignorant, hate-FILLED, self-righteous,mean-spirited DAMNEDyankees, what else did you expect????"

You must get treatment - these are not normal statements.

[Wampus SC]

Wow! Look at all those posts! Sure got you going, huh, cubby? I'll cut to the chase.

"answer the question put to you: do you, or do you not, believe it is appropriate to attack a person's parents because you're losing an argument with him? "

I'll dispute that I was losing, but answer the question.

I do NOT think it's appropriate to attack someone's parents. THAT'S WHY I DID IT! Now go figure.

'cause here we are. How about you? Do you think it's inappropriate to attack someone's parents in ALL cases? Or is it just inappropriate when certain people do it? Which is it?

[Wampus SC]

"That is simply a lie. You "waited" until you thought you wouldn't get a response by throwing some crap out early in the morning, and then hoping it wouldn't be noticed."

You're just being silly now. If I hadn't wanted a response from you, I wouldn't have addressed a post to you - one which you'd see the next time you logged onto FR regardless of the time it was posted. And a post is noticed whenever someone happens to come along and read it. Basic stuff. Sheesh.

[Wampus SC]

What'cha gonna do?

"Laugh. Along with everyone else with an IQ broaching 60..."

OK, you and the rest whose IQ has finally reached 61 are laughing. Laugh. You've already said that. And it's still just as before. Does this mean I can ignore you now?

While we're at it, please explain why your laughing at me should be important to me.

[Wampus SC]

"I'm curious, espinola: do you notice a very familiar pattern here? I think we're dealing with a retread. Or perhaps someone who was posting under two different names all along..."

So you think I'm a retread or posting from two different accounts? Well, we could sit here talking about that for days. But I'd never be able to prove I'm not, and you'd never be able to prove I am. So lets ask someone who has the means to verify it one way or another, shall we?

Jim, Mods: please check your records of IP's and other info and address Jovial Cad's concern that I'm a retread or posting from multiple accounts. If I'm a retread, please tell him who I'm a retread of, and show the IP's involved. Likewise, if I'm posting under multiple names, please tell him what these names are and what IP's are involved. Thanks in advance.

[Wampus SC]

Nice try, but recall that I haven't made any claims about myself, what I am, or what I do. Unlike those made by the most evil member of your hate filled cadre that delights in its prejudice against people based on where they live. "Check out this phony. Notice the peculiar way in which his posts bat around all different hours of the day with no pattern to the schedule? I'll bet dollars to donuts that there are two realities with this specimen: 1. Unemployed. 2. Homeless shelter Internet access. Or something similar.

Just a best guess: but I'll bet it's not far from being wrong in some way, shape, manner, or form."

You're right! It's not far from wrong at all! Take a bow!Golly gee, Mr. Wizard, we're agreeing on something!

There's a 3rd possibilty you overlooked. A post here and there, with no set time is also the pattern of someone who freeps in spare moments when they're not supposed to be doing something else.

As opposed to an unvarying pattern of continuous posting of dozens of posts during business hours. (No, I'm not saying you do that. I know you don't.)

[Wampus SC]

"The one in question likes living near mosquito invested swamps, prides himself on treating his neighbours like filth, and has openly stated he likes being a redneck, thus the only thing expected from such a despicable individual, is more of the same."

You left out "likes to show how gullible M. Espinola is". Repeatedly. Hoo boy, you really lapped that stuff up, and still are. Must be bliss not to realize that you're the butt of repeated jokes around here. :) I'll also add "likes to show that the only way to get M. Espinola to believe anything about the South or Southerners is to mimic his stereotypes and pull his leg about it."

[Wampus SC]

"Modernman, do you include me among people who would like to lynch African Americans if they could? Either you do, or you don't. Which is it?"

"If you and your fellow neo-confeds were able to get your own country, I think that you would. Not necessarily because they were black, but because many black people in the South would be actively opposed to the idea of living in a revived CSA. In fact, I think you'd be more than happy to use violence against anyone living in such a new nation who opposed its secession from the US."

It's good you dropped the anti-black racism aspect of your charge that I'd like to lynch people. Because, as post #1195 shows, you don't know my race. It could be anything. OK, I see that your ideas are opinions based on assumptions of what I might be like. That's OK, everyone's entitled to opinions and it's human nature to have them. These might be based on false assumptions, so let's examine them.

1. "Not necessarily because they were black, but because many black people in the South would be actively opposed to the idea of living in a revived CSA." -- that assumes that an independent Southern nation would would be a restart of the CSA from right where it was in 1865, with no changes. It could not be the same. Many changes, physical and social, have taken place in the Southern states since 1865, and a new nation would reflect those changes. It would not necessarily be the CSA at all, since the CSA is long gone. Please see post #1200 again.

2. "In fact, I think you'd be more than happy to use violence against anyone living in such a new nation who opposed its secession from the US." -- For that to be true, I would have to be in favor of Southern secession from the US. That has not been established - I've never said that I am. In other discussions you've said you put stock in the scientific method -- so here you have an hypothesis you can test and either verify or discard. How? By my posting history. So post a clickable link to any post where I say I favor Southern secession from the US, or state that no such evidence exists. Then we'll talk about the rest.

[stand watie]

!!!!!!!!!!!!

free dixie,sw

[stand watie]

how would YOU of all people KNOW what NORMAL is???

obviously, there is nothing between you ears but AIR & possibly not even that.

free dixie,sw

[M. Espinola]

"how would YOU of all people KNOW what NORMAL is???

This question from someone who thinks there will be a renegade neo-confederate enclave will be forcible caved out of America? Get some medical treatment chump.

[M. Espinola]

Look, Backward Bob, when 'Stand' finally admits himself for overdo treatment, you are strongly advised to join him. (The doctors may need treatment themselves after attempting to treat the both of you.)

The Civil War is over, the side you backed is over, and so is you're way of existing. Wake up.

[stand watie]

once more (SIGH!) you're too all-around DUMB to be a FReeper, but you would make a REALLY FINE DU-dummie.

BE GONE to DU!

free dixie,sw