On 8/15/2014 12:15 PM, sf wrote:
> When you don't live in those states, you don't understand the racial
> divide. My DD went to the South (MO or MS - I don't remember) as part
> of her community service one year in JH.

Community service? JH? Juvenile Hall? (just kidding)

> It was so bad that there
> were actually white and black sides of a single street.

Wow. Your daughter must be a lot older than I am.

She and a
> friend were stopped and admonished (nicely) by a well dressed,
> grandmotherly looking, black lady driving down the street, who told
> them they were on the wrong side and should be walking on the other
> side. The racial divide is very deep and whites don't appreciate
> uppity blacks.

Oh good lord. "don't appreciate uppity blacks"? What year are you
talking about?

I've lived in the south most of my adult life. I sometimes felt some
racial tension in the Memphis area. But not from everyone. And it was
mostly the blacks shutting out the whites. I used to buy my breakfast
at a store down the street on the way to work.

One of the black women practically shunned me (Pinkie, it said on her
name tag). She'd just grunt and served me grudgingly. SHE had an
attitude. Her co-worker, Vergie, didn't.

So one day I cooked up a batch of red beans & rice with andouille
sausage and took some in a container to Vergie. I figured she must get
tired of eating the same old fried chicken, potatoes and greens every
day. She thanked me and heated up the red beans & rice in the
microwave. Vergie told me later Miss Pinkie said to her, that smells
good. What is it? And Pinkie tasted it and said "Dayum! Dat shit is
*good*!" From then on, Pinkie was nice to me when I came in to order
breakfast.

Now... way down here in SC? Sorry, but no one is still trying to fight
the Civil War. The people here are very friendly. They go out of their
way to talk to you (and no, I'm not talking about The Club). People
don't get shot just for walking down the street around here. So please
don't try not to generalize "southern attitudes".

Jill