Foxx Relieved To Leave Racist South

[billbuckhead]

FOXX RELIEVED TO LEAVE RACIST SOUTH

Oscar-winner JAMIE FOXX is relieved to be living in multi-cultural Los Angeles, after growing up surrounded by racist bullies in Texas.

The RAY star claims racism is prevalent in the southern states of America and believes nothing has changed since his teenage years in the 1980s.

Foxx tells Playboy magazine, "There are certain aspects of racism that I couldn't deal with then and I don't have to now."
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[MadHound]

1. Well, give it a chance Jamie, racism is everywhere

Even in LA.

[mmonk]

3. Precisely what went through my mind

[TahitiNut]

4. So's water. But in large amounts it's a flood.

:shrug: So, try telling the residents of the 9th ward that "water's everywhere."

[wtmusic]

5. Amen

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

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[mondo joe]

11. What, you think Jamie Foxx doesn't KNOW that?

How igorant of his own experience do you think he is?

[MadHound]

28. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't,

I would say that making a statement such as he did, he probably doesn't. Texas is a much more in your face type of place. However I think that if Mr. Foxx's car breaks down in a lily white neighborhood in the Valley that he'll find out just how "tolerant" LA's finest can be. Or better yet, let's see Mr. Foxx have car problems out in the barrios and see how tolerant he finds that community.

All communities in this country are racist friend, every single one. Malcom X found this out fifty years ago, and it is still true today. Hell, I live north of the Mason Dixon line myself, yet there was a community in our state that had a lynching about five years ago. Of course the local cops called it a suicide, but funny how that suicide can close on the heels of this fourteen year old boy was seen kissing a white classmate.

I just find this sort of statement to be a disservice to our country. If we continue to believe the myth that racism is only a Southern thing, then it is allowed to flourish elsewher. We need to confront racism on a national basis rather than on a regional basis.

[mondo joe]

32. Gee, do you think it could be you and he have had different experiences?

Or do you think Jamie Foxx doesn't know what it's like to be a black man?

Or do you think you might be oblivious to degrees?

[MadHound]

49. No, I'm not oblivious to anything.

However I think that you are refusing to see the racism in your own backyard. Let's look at LA. We bitch and moan about how there is racism that is rampant in our mass entertaiment, movies, television. Where is the vast bulk of that content made? LA. Who makes the vast bulk of that racist content? People who live in LA. What influences those people? Gee, could it be a racist society of LA?!

And this is repeated ad nauseum throughout this country. It isn't the South only that is racist, it isn't the North only that is racist. It is this entire country, our entire culture, nationwide. Yes, there are differences in how that racism is manifested, the South is more up front about it, while elsewhere it is more subtle. But the quantity and quality is virtually the same.

[mondo joe]

56. Who said there is only racism in the south? Anyone???

Neither Foxx nor anyone here said there ISN'T racism in LA or anywhere else.

Foxx addressed the amount of racism he encountered.

And I don't know why I or anyone else should not grant him the basic human respect that he knows his own experience.

[MadHound]

63. Well judging from the reaction that I'm getting in this thread

Apparently there are a lot of people who wish to continue to live the myth that racism is only a Southern issue. And yes, we should grant Mr. Foxx the respect for his experiences. However we should grant that same respect to all people, but somehow that seems to be a problem around here, at least judging from my experience.

[mondo joe]

66. Since no one here ever said anything like that you can only be PROJECTING

which is a shame, but not a surprise.

If I say "I moved to the south because I didn't like the cold" does that mean it's ONLY cold in the north?

You clearly have a problem admitting or recognizing degrees.

And I'll gladly respect that you know YOUR experience and he knows HIS experience. But your insistence on disrespecting others AND putting words in their mouths doesn't make it easy.

[MadHound]

75. Speaking of projection friend

Gee, I've mentioned that there is indeed racism in the South, in the North, and elsewhere. I've noted the regional differences, more in your face in the South, more subtle in the North(and even cited a source). And nowhere did I disrespect Foxx, nor put words in his mouth.

Yet you're insisting that I did all of these things. Mote, beam, eye, get it?

[mondo joe]

77. Sure you have -- you called another poster "naive" for daring to have

an opinion you disagreed with. You spoke of others treating racism as an exclusively Southern phenomenon, though no one here said any such thing.

Good luck rationalisiing it all for yourself.

[MadHound]

82. Mischaracterize much?

Judging by the responses I've received here for daring to suggest that racism is present across the country, yes, I think that there are people who are wishing that racism was a South only problem. Such a concept should be self evident, but when I dare to bring it up, people like yourself jump all over it, including you. Why is that? Am I hitting a nerve? Or are you simply in denial?

[Tomee450]

114. Yes

there is racism everywhere but it's worse in the south. In many parts of the south, the word N----r is openly used. In many parts of the south it's as if the civil rights era never occurred. Texas, Georgia and Alabama are particularly bad. I think it was in Alabama that the voters decided not to remove segregationist language from the constitution. Blacks have been warned not to go to far outside of Atlanta for their own protection. In Georgia, the racists in the state legislature are trying to disenfranchise minority voters.

My relatives in Texas don't travel too far outside of the larger cities. It was in Texas that almost half the black population of a small town was imprisoned on drug charges, later found to be untrue. When questioned about their feelings when it was revealed that the main accuser was a liar, the jurors still stood by their decision. It was in Vidor, Texas that a black man who tried to integrate the housing projects was forced to leave out of fear. I know there is racism in the rest of the country, but in the south blacks have to be fearful not only of law enforcement, but of ordinary people. Remember James Byrd?

[Pepper32]

122. Blacks have been warned not to go to far outside of Atlanta for their own

Really? When did this memo go out and do you have a link? This has not been my experience at all!

Racism exist every damn where in this country. In Michigan if you drive to far out of Detroit you have great chance of being harassed by cops. If a black person drives through an all white neighbor they will get those "your not wanted here stares." I could go on and on...

'Whites only, please'
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=251536&area=/insight/insight__body_language/#

Suspects dispute hate crime
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/26/433793c716f81
The AAPD reported that along with urinating on an Asian man and woman passing by his apartment on Sept. 15, the 20-year-old male suspect and his roommate threw objects and screamed racial slurs at the couple.

2 Nelsons Too Much In Trafalgar Square?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20050930-111823-9096r.htm

Outrage Erupts At Anti-Affirmative Action Rally
http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2005/10/outrage_erupts.php


FRESNO, California (AP) -- When Fresno's mayor decided to travel to Louisiana and invite 400 hurricane evacuees to relocate in California's
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/04/unwelcome.evacuees.ap/index.html

Suit worsens racial rift among city firefighters
Tensions escalate in stations, on the street as bias trial nears
http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1128336944242730.xml&coll=2

rural Central Valley, other local officials begged him to reconsider.


In Chicago, a white couple has been ordered by a federal judge to sell their home of 20 years and clear out within 120 days. Their neighbors, a black Puerto-Rican man and his Puerto-Rican wife, charged them with racial harassment and sought damages of $10 million. The whites, a Mr. and Mrs. Kraft and their grown children, were accused of vandalizing the neighbors' house and of taunting them. The Krafts deny doing anything.


http://www.freep.com/news/locway/walmart22e_20050922.htm
The issue of the Wal-Mart touched off heated discussions, including some racially tinged remarks at sessions in August.


The tone of Tuesday's meeting was set early when Commission Chairman John Walsh said, "The issue of race will not have an impact on the meeting tonight."

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. Well no shit, but there are definitely varying degrees.

Sorry if it hurts your feelings to know there's a lot more racism in the South than in other places, but by most accounts, it's true.

[mmonk]

27. and does denial that racism

is in every state of the union hurt yours?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

37. Uhm, no.

I actually said there was racism in every state. There's just more in some places than in others. So do you have a point?

[mmonk]

44. My only point is that regionalizing it

can lead to marginalizing it.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

47. It can - if you're incapable of holding more than one thought in your mind

Anyone with half a brain can make a comment about something being bad in one place while acknowledging it's also bad somewhere else. Yeah, I know a lot of people can't do that, but honestly, are you going to reach those people anyway?

[mmonk]

70. I've met alot of people that look at it as

a southern problem. That's the point of my posts, not a defense of racism in Louisiana.

[MadHound]

36. I have no vested interest in this. I neither live in, nor love the South

I just find these sorts of arguements that the South is a hotbed of racism to be disingenous at best. It allows people in the North to pat themselves on the back and crow about how tolerant their neck of the woods are, while meanwhile they continue to discriminate in hiring, firing, pay, incarceration, etc. etc. right on down the line.

Yes, I do agree that racism in the South is indeed more in your face, but I don't think that the quantity or quality of the racism in the North or elsewhere is any less, it is simply more subtle and below the surface. Malcom X recognized this decades ago, and from what I can see, and friends have told me it is still quite true.

So perhaps it is best that we all realize that racism is a nationwide problem, and work it from that angle. Simply relegating it to a regional problem isn't going to change a damn thing, it will simply allow it to flourish elsewhere.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

38. No one's patting themselves on the back here.

Even in the smallest quantities, racism shouldn't be accepted or tolerated.

But since when is there a problem with calling a spade a spade? You can say that there's a huge pollution problem in Los Angeles, but pointing THAT out doesn't mean there isn't a pollution problem in Pittsburgh or Atlanta. Acknowledging a problem is large in one area doesn't ignore the problems elsewhere - it's just saying what it is.

[MadHound]

68. To a point you're correct

However it seems that when the issue of racism comes up, everybody is more than willing to jump all over the South, but are unwilling to take a look at the problem in their own backyard. When is the last time you heard somebody jump all over Clevland for being a huge racist town? I was suprised yesterday that there was a thread talking about how insanely racist Indiana is, which is quite true. But folks in the MSM don't talk about Indiana when they speak of racism, just the South.

I find such studied avoidance of the subject of racism outside of the South to be quite harmful to our society as a whole. We all need to take a look at racism as a nationwide problem, not just a regional one.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

78. You're right with regard to the media

But then again, the media seems to be altogether incapable of dealing with more than one story at a time. They practically forgot there was a war going on for 2 weeks during Katrina.

You're also right to believe that there most definitely are people stupid enough to think racism only exists in the South, but I think we can give some people the benefit of the doubt as long as they don't give you the impression that they're that blind (at least on DU).

[Name removed]

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[mondo joe]

71. Let's try an experiment: there is warmth and there is cold everywhere in

the US.

Can we identify where there are areas of greater warmth?

When we identify areas of warmth does it mean it exists only there?

When the weatherman says it will be hot in Alabama does that mean it will be below zero in New York?

[Name removed]

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[zanne]

61. Why is the south so touchy?

You can't say anything about a southern state without being pounced on. What's up with that?

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[NorthernSpy]

9. PERFECT response!

:thumbsup:

[slackmaster]

72. Not sure whether you mean Louisiana or Los Angeles

But you'd be just as correct either way.

[MadHound]

84. I was speaking of Los Angeles,

Perhaps it is that confusion that got some folks riled up:shrug:

[Shakespeare]

104. Tell ya what. I grew up in the deep south and then lived in L.A., too.

And in Washington D.C. and San Francisco.

As much as it shames me to admit it, racism is exponentially worse in the deep south, and east Texas is among the worst.

I'm all for keeping the gratuitous south-bashing to a minimum, but I'm also big enough to admit that where I came from still has bad, bad problems.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Listen to the man. I started posting about this a few years ago

on DU and not many people wanted to believe it.

[Name removed]

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[CBGLuthier]

13. Wrong; Blanche K. Bruce Mississippi

http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/725/Blanche_K_Bruce_Mississippis_first_Black_Senator

Through these positions he amassed enough wealth to purchase a plantation in Floreyville, Mississippi. In 1874, Mississippi’s Republican-dominated State legislature elected Bruce, a Republican, to a seat in the U.S. Senate. He served from 1875 to 1881, advocating just treatment for both Blacks and Indians and opposing the policy excluding Chinese immigrants. He sought improvement of navigation on the Mississippi and advocated better relations between the races. Much of his time and energy he devoted to fighting fraud and corruption in federal elections.



And if you are really trying to argue that there isn't a strong racist element in Boston then I would like some of whhat you are smoking please.


EDIT: Horrible typos.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. We'll agree that there is racism everywhere.

Some areas, however, will be easier to work with than others.

Generally, whites are blind to their racist beliefs in areas outside the south, But in the south, they feel justified in their beliefs. And if they feel justified by their beliefs, then they willingly support police policies which overly target blacks and hispanics and they willingly support cronyistic practices that prefer white owned businesses over minority owned.

That's game.

[kwassa]

91. There were black senators only before Reconstruction ended and

the Federal troops pulled out in the 18970s, leaving all blacks prey to the terror of the Klan and other night riders.

[CBGLuthier]

97. Yes, I know

However the post I replied to stated that there were none.

And there still have not been a hell of a lot of them so I don't think any one in any state in this country has a right to be smug.

[acmejack]

15. I was lost in Boston once

In a lovely area of rundown tenements and it certainly appeared to be a Black ghetto. There is plenty of racism in this country to go around. It needs to be addressed everywhere. Action in addressing this issue is more productive than pointing fingers and saying how much worse it is somewhere else.

Racism is abhorrent, irregardless of degree or geographical location, is it not?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

39. You might've heard of another run down part of Boston.

It's called "Southie". That's where poor Irish (read: White) people live. It's a ghetto too. Granted, in recent years it's become more multi-ethnic than it used to be, but that doesn't change the fact that there are white people living in ghettos in Boston too.

[tx_dem41]

41. Believe me...there are white people living in "ghettos" in the New ..

Orleans area...St. Bernard Parish. Its kind of sad that we feel we have to defend the non-racism of our areas by citing that we have poor white people.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

45. I think classism is more prevalent today than racism.

Which is not at ALL to say that racism isn't a problem - I do NOT want to send that message. But I think your economic class is a greater source of discrimination and prejudice now than race alone (and I say race alone in acknowledgement of the fact that african-americans are disproportionately among the poor.)

And yes, it's sad that I have to fill a simple statement with mountains of disclaimers just to avoid getting flamed.

[tx_dem41]

50. I wasn't flaming you Vash. If you noticed, I did the same thing you ..

did. You're one of the DUers I most agree with usually, so I got a little riled up at your post.

I agree with your comment on classism.

Have a great day!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

59. No, I know you weren't flaming me!

I'm sorry if I implied that - I didn't intend to at all! I was just saying others might.

[tx_dem41]

65. I know you well enough thru your posts to know that...

you can take it! :)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

81. I've certainly never been accused of being shy around here.

:)

Hell, I've been called just about everything in both directions. It really doesn't mean all that much to me anymore. I know what and who I am. I also know when I'm proven wrong that I'll admit it freely. But I'll never back down. :-)

[tx_dem41]

33. Louisiana had a black senator...

P.B.S. Pinchback.

And btw....Senator Brooke from Mass was a Republican. Why didn't you enlightened Mass Dems nominate an African-American for the Senate?

If Brooke were in office today, many on DU (and I'm certain many Northerners) would call him an Oreo, Uncle Tom, and a house n*****. But, I guess that's not racism, right? :eyes:

[kwassa]

93. Comparing Reconstruction ere Senators to the modern era is absurd

All current members of the Congressional Black Caucas, all 40 + of them are Democrats.

During Reconstruction, federal troops were there to maintain order and equality, which ended as soon as they left. Blacks were then disenfrachised by the terror campaigns of Southern white civilian groups like the Klan.

[tx_dem41]

95. The poster I was responding to did not make that distinction...

I was just correcting his misstatement. I know the whole history of Reconstruction.

[LostinVA]

98. We would only call him an Uncle Tom if he was Repub spewing

white supremest garbage, like Rev. Peterson. I know you were very much against DU African Americans calling him an Uncle Tom yesterday. I'm gay, and I sure know when someone is being homophobic... even if that person is themselves gay.

[zanne]

76. I'm with you, billbuckhead

And I'm tired of having to tippy-toe around the subject of southern racism. It's there, and being in denial doesn't change that.

[QC]

120. Since you are obviously so concerned about racism...

then why do you limit yourself to the southern variety? That sort of convenient and self-absolving concern is what makes some people a bit "touchy." It's the sort of thing Dickens referred to as "telescopic philanthropy," when people get so caught up in injustice far away that they can't be bothered to concern themselves with injustice closer to home.

[Zomby Woof]

96. Boston is more segregated than Atlanta

There are more KKK members per capita in Boston than in Atlanta, Jackson, Memphis, or Montgomery, among other southern cities.

Boston's racism is more hypocritical and passive-aggressive than the south's version. Malcolm X himself deplored northern racism as more insidious and dangerous, because of its backstabbing quality.

No white southerner on DU is excusing racism. We just believe in deploring it universally, rather than giving it an exclusive southern accent.

[kwassa]

101. These are all silly comparisons. Racism IS different in the South.

Like it or not. The history is completely different. This is not to excuse the racism in the North, but it is false to say that

1) Racism is worse in the North than the South

2) Racism is terrible everywhere

Racism varies by a wide variety of factors, and someplaces are definitely more racist than others, usually by how culturally backwards they are. Rodney King not withstanding, Los Angeles is really not a very racist place because of the big mix of cultures, and the general cultural freedom everyone enjoys to do their own thing. Some cities are more racially polarized than others, usually those with a backwards or dying economy. Those with a long history of racial separation are often still quite segregated, where people are the most static and the least economically mobile. Chicago and Boston are the most known in the North as polarized cities.

But the South has the long history, and a continuous historical relationship between blacks and whites, and is more invested in maintaining it. It is too caught up in the Southern identity to do anything else.

[whatever4]

12. I do, I believe

Here in Missouri, south St Louis, I believe. It isn't even the south, but once you get out of the city, the "n" word is AOKAY with these people.

Here's one example, my husband told me about. Last week, a teenage boy raped and killed a teenage girl he knew from school, http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov_localnews_051006_macefuneral.ca7b61f6.html

It turns out, the boy had a website, where he talked about all kinds of screwed up stuff. But here's the part that matters to this discussion - many what appeared to be fellow students and other teens got on that web site after he killed her. They went on and on, my husband said, about what they hope happens to him in prison. The words rape and the 'n' word were used frequently. Apparently, the racism is rampant even in the mellow midwest, in the suburbs, not just the country lanes. My husband said he was disturbed by what these teens were saying, how hateful and racist it was. This is the first time I've ever heard him say he was shocked by what teenagers do or say; he did not expect to read OUR kids saying stuff like that, OUR local kids. But, they do. They really do. They think nothing of not just saying, but actually TYPING those words, on a public forum.

I don't have the link to the website, because I didn't want to read it, and I'm not even sure it's still up. All I know is it disturbed a guy that is usually unshockable, to the point he had to mention it to me. It upset him at work.

I believe.

[ruggerson]

6. But this is more Southern Bashing

and we all know what great things and great Presidents this region of the country has brought to the rest of us.

[billbuckhead]

10. We also know the shame this region has brought to our nation

New Orleans is just the latest example of despicable racism. It's long past time for the South to quit holding America and the world back.

[Name removed]

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[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

24. I'm inclined to agree.

I think Lincoln made a huge mistake. There always has and always will be a huge regional divide.

[Nevernose]

35. I'm game.

You think we can get plate tectonics to sit down and shut up long enough to make it work?



Or maybe it would work like a divorce?

"Okay, you get Texas, Ohio, and Indiana, but we get Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oregon. We agree to take both North Dakota and North Carolina, but only if you agree to take South Dakota and South Carolina.

We get most of California, but you get eveything in the Mojave desert more than fifty miles from the Coast. Except Vegas. We get Vegas, and that's a deal-breaker. C'mon, it's not like you ever really enjoyed it anyway...

Okay, you can have Reno and Biloxi, but we we get Vegas, okay? Okay.

And though we get California, you'll get generous visitation rights to the tombs of both Reagan ande Nixon, but when you pack your stuff and get out, you have to take the Ahhnold with you, as well as all existing copies of 'Rambo: First Blood Part Two' and 'Red Dawn.'

What's that? You don't want Florida? Well we don't want it, either. How about we sell it at auction and split the proceeds fifty/fifty?"

[whatever4]

87. Well...I didn't say it'd be *easy*

Oh, now the details...yes, I know, this is ridiculously complicated. I know. And would take a war, probably no way around that. But I think we're headed for war anyway, and some folks might say the divide is already happening in Louisiana.

I just want a part of America to remain American, and I'm not sure that's going to happen if we remain one nation, because "their" America only has one color.

I want to live in the America with all colors. All the colors. I like them all. And sexes too, I like all the orientations, and I think they're fun, different people are interesting. I think we ought to keep sex, sexual preferences, and all that fun stuff. Sex is good. These mf's are going to be reproducing artificially soon, imho.

FYI nasty comment aside to the leading racist right now, FUCK YOU Bill Bennett; if we wiped out all the WHITE babies crime would go down too. And so would WAR, you over-educated prick.

[dogfacedboy]

40. Along those lines, I think America is ready

to be broken up into several nations. These could be created along regional lines. For instance, my area, Northern Illinois could join up with WI, MI, IA, MN, and Northern Indiana. We don't have very much in common with the West or South anyway. It would be great. There is a strong enough economy in this combination to sustain it. The majority in this combination is "blue", so the righties would be forced to work with us. If they didn't like it, they could move to, say, Alassippiiana or Texahoma.

[Avalux]

99. These types of posts are insensitive

There are many of us who live in the states you propose to discard. I live in Texas, it is my home. I don't necessarily want to be told to pick up and move somewhere else.

[dogfacedboy]

115. Then work toward taking it back.

Texas is a great State, but you good folks down there let the likes of the rad right take control. Do something about it.
I don't propose discarding any State. I propose actively removing the rightist elements one way or another. Sorry if I was "insensitive", but these aren't times for "sensitivity". These are times for action. Consider the right wing to be Britain, and the rest of us to be those who chose to kick Britain out. It's that serious of a matter. Only the strong survive. It's not a time to "play nice".

[QC]

117. "These are times for action."

Action? Like talking big on message boards? :eyes:

Rest assured that liberals in so-called "red states" are fighting the good fight every day. That's why we object to coming here, where we are supposed to be among friends, and being shit upon.

That's why we're "touchy," in the words of another post.

[dogfacedboy]

119. You're not being "shit upon". I'm just saying do what must be done.

Stop acting like a victim. That's what right wingers/fundies do.
I'm sorry to offend. I live in a State that has a progressive machine in place. That is why we rule here. Build a machine. Believe me, the rest of us are on your side. And as far as "talking big" goes, if you're not gonna talk big and loud, you won't get what you're after. That is part of what I mean when I speak about "times of action". Only the strong can crush the right-wing scum.

[QC]

121. You have been at DU for all of five days.

Welcome!

Believe me, though, those of who have been putting up with the same old bashing for more than four years do feel shit upon. It's been going on here ever since the place went online, and such divisiveness serves no purpose--or no good one, anyway.

[dogfacedboy]

124. I may have only been posting here

for all of 5 days, but I've been fighting OUR fight since I was a Junior in HS---30 years ago. I guess I'm just battle hardened and thick skinned. You're absolutely correct-divisiveness serves no purpose. I just don't understand what was so wrong with what I said.
It was meant to be a pep talk. Fire under the ass, and all that.

Thanks for the welcome, QC!

[Nevernose]

21. Tell Ohio to stop holding the nation back!

Neo-Nazis plan Toledo march...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1832722&mesg_id=1832722

And as far as there being a mostly-black 8th ward, there certainly aren't neighborhoods like that outside of the South, are there?

[TahitiNut]

22. Haven't you heard?

It's just A-OK and peachy-keen to have embedded racism in the South ... as long as it exists anywhere. After all, why should we bother cleaning up racism in the South as long as it's not eliminated everywhere else?

:sarcasm: <-- for the tongue-in-cheek-challenged

[DemBones DemBones]

14. I wish I had a nickel for every South-bashing post

that's been at DU since 2001.

[THUNDER HANDS]

30. you'd have enough to buy your own trailer park

:evilgrin:

[ArkDem]

18. .

:boring:

[NNN0LHI]

19. I got some news for Foxx

There are just as many if not more racists in the blue states. I know I live here. He will find out.

Don

[mondo joe]

26. Yeah poor ignorant Jamie Foxx - he has no clue about his own experience -

does he?

[Southpaw Bookworm]

43. Right on, Mondo

Guess it's all in his head.

[Bridget Burke]

29. He doesn't have to deal with "certain aspects of racism" now...

Because he is rich & famous. People living in other parts of LA might tell another story.

He was born in Terrell, Texas, a small town north of Dallas. Most Texas cities are pretty damned multi-cultural, too.

[mondo joe]

34. He didn't arrive in LA rich and famous, did he?

What a silly thing to say.

[Bridget Burke]

48. "I consider myself to be a Southern gentleman"

From an earlier interview:

www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=5904

"There are a lot of similarities between Ray and myself. For one thing, anyone who is brought up in the South is brought up in the real world. When I go to New York I think, 'I can't believe how many people there are here and how much concrete there is and how much steel there is and how many buildings there are. Los Angeles is too nice and there are palm trees and sunshine. In the South there is a real dose of how people feel, and that sense of things had been in the southern people for so long. But Ray Charles was one of the first people to stick his hand out and try to stop that racial domino. That 'I am better than you' domino. I wanted to bridge that gap at the boundary of the railroad track, which was what separated the blacks from the whites in the South. I was on the wrong side of the tracks, so the only time I saw white people was when someone was going to jail or when the insurance man came to the door. That was my acting class. My granny would say, 'Tell him I ain't here,' and I would say, 'I told him that last month,' and she would say, 'Well, you better make something up.' There is also a distinct southern way of talking to women. I consider myself to be a southern gentleman. And there is a way of being 'country dumb'. I can be 'Mr. L.A.' and be cool and all that, but I know that on the inside there is something else going on."

www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=5904

Foxx is a bright & successful artist who presents different aspects of his past in different interviews. The "granny" who hid from the insurance salesman in this version also encouraged him to play piano. He went to LA after Juilliard, so he was already on the way up.

The type of racism he faced in his boyhood has more to do with living in a podunk town than in "the South." Texas has some big, multicultural cities where things are different. He moved to LA for his career & he's done well.

Edited to add: This clip from the Playboy interview has appeared worldwide. Has anybody read the whole thing?

[mondo joe]

51. Did he move to LA rich and famous? Or not?

His experience in LA - or at school for that matter - was not that of a rich and famous person.

I don't know why people can't just have the basic respect for another person to accept that they know their experience.

[Bridget Burke]

54. I accept that he knows his experience....

And that he tells different versions of his life to different interviewers.

[mondo joe]

58. And these versions are not inconsistent with one another. n/t

[kwassa]

94. How segregated are Texas cities in their housing patterns?

Multi-cultural does not mean equal or even integrated.

[Bridget Burke]

105. My immediate answer for Houston is "not very segregated"...

I'm less familiar with other Texas cities. The Brookings Institution published study that showed Metropolitan Neighborhoods are generally becoming less integrated. They even have maps!

www.brookings.edu/metro/publications/20040428_fasenfest.htm

The Predominantly White (Yellow) areas at the top of the map are abuot half suburbia & half semi-rural.

I live inside the loop, in one of the "mixed" neighborhoods.

(Jamie Foxx brought up the word "multicultural.")

How does your city rate?

[mmonk]

31. Pawning racism off on the south allows

for it not to be addressed nationally.

[QC]

46. Bingo! You and MadHound get it!

Pretending that racism is limited to a particular place allows those who live in other places to congratulate themselves on how marvelously virtuous they are and turn a blind eye to injustice in their own back yards. Otherwise, they might have to consider their own role in injustice and perhaps even face the possibility of doing some real work and maybe even--heaven forbid--giving up some of their own privilege in order to address that injustice.

Most people prefer cheap, easy sanctimony, which is what most of this thread and its many clones consist of.

[mmonk]

55. Correct

The movement to end affirmative action, for example, is a national movement (pretending its not needed anymore). There are other weighty issues such as disproportionate adequate legal protection or racial profiling or racial brutality in police forces which exits in major departments from New York to L.A., etc.

[Shakespeare]

108. That is true, but only to an extent.

The more we who are from the south continue to deflect criticism by saying "but racism is everywhere!" do ourselves and our region a disservice.

The country as a whole likes to pretend that we've got our racism problem licked, but Katrina ripped the blinders off of that. That it happened in the deep south is not entirely coincidental, either, and we should stop trying to claim that it is. Foxx grew up in Terrell, Texas--that's in east Texas. East Texas is one of the nastiest, redneck-iest, most racist areas I've ever had the misfortune to spend time.

Michelle Shocked, who's also from east Texas, summed it up pretty well when she said "East Texas is a place it's better to be from," with emphasis on the past tense. She rejected the region long ago, just like Foxx did--and she's a white woman.

[Dawgs]

52. Great, another "the South sucks" thread...

Why not attack NASCAR fans while your at it?

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[zanne]

74. You only invite more criticism...

When you overreact. The original post was about Jamie Foxx saying something unflattering about the South. Now, you're talking about us attacking Nascar fans? We have to be able to look at a problem and comment on it without a fear of being pounced on by an offended southerner. The Civil War was over 100 years ago. Get over it.

[brentspeak]

106. I'm an offended northerner

And I'll comment on it: This thread is simply an invitation for more South bashing here at DU. There's a good reason why so many good Democrats from red states have departed these boards.

[zanne]

113. Which red-staters have departed these boards?

Can you give me a list, because I haven't noticed anything like that.

[dogfacedboy]

53. Been in Chicago my entire life. It's one of the most

segregated cities in the world. I've been in Southern cities that were much more integrated. Now, to be fair, many years ago, Chicago was made up of mostly immigrants who "stuck together". Italians lived with Italians. Irish lived with Irish. Blacks lived with Blacks. So on and so on. But now that every group is assimilated, what's the excuse? Within the city limits, MOST African-Americans live in two parts of town-the South and West Sides. I grew up on the West Side watching the "White Flight" of the 60's and 70's. Back then, moving to the 'burbs wasn't about moving up in the world. It was about running away from the "negroes".
It was outrageous. Straight up hatred toward African Americans moving into the neighborhood. Up here, there are all Black suburbs, and even those are differentiated by "class", i.e., 'burbs for rich Black folks, 'burbs for poor Black folks, and 'burbs for Black folks in between. I never, ever heard my parents use the N word, but you know what? They, and many other people here can be very creative in coming up with alternative words. It's always disgusted me.

[TreasonousBastard]

73. Back in the '60s...

we had a number of cleaning women come in and help my mother with the house. Blsck, Hispanic, European immigrants...

Georgia was the best. A black women who grew up in the fields down South, and was one of the most hard-working and honest women you would ever want to meet. We trusted her with money and certain other things we preferred not to have the neighbors or relatives deal with. Georgia was an angel.

One day, Georgia said she had to leave, to our dismay. We were shocked that she was moving back to South Carolina.

Her explanation was that although racism was rampant and institutionalised down South at the time, she at least knew where she stood. She couldn't live in New York any more where people were polite to her, but called her names behind her back.

Things seem to have gotten a lot better in the South, but still not good enough. Things have only gotten a little better everywhere else.

Racism in the big cities can be swept under the rug and hidden in the noise of the city, but it's still there. A cancer being treated with painkillers.

[mmonk]

80. Reminds me of the beginning of school

integration. Charlotte/Mecklenburg NC integration was pulled off fairly well. So when it came time for Boston schools to be integrated, the government thought it would be a good idea to have officials and students from Charlotte to help Boston. The reaction from Bostonians was that they didn't racist Southerners show them how to do it. But the integration process in Boston became a national spectacle of problems. The problem of racism is national and no one should forget it, especially now, as a new court might try to turn back the clock.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

86. "It's wrong to limit racism to a geographical area--besides, the north is

more racist"

Does nobody see the WTF in posts like that?

[mmonk]

88. it's kinda interesting to say its wrong (limiting it geographically)

and practice it by saying more racist.

[LostinVA]

100. Yeah, I do, and was just going to answer it

I lived for 17 years in a conservative, racist part of NJ, 17 years in a moderate NC town, and the last few years in a liberal VA town, and this is what I can honestly say: there are just as many racists in blue states as in red. The difference? I'll just quote an old saying and leave it at that:

"In the North, they let Blacks get high but not near, in the South, they let them get near, but not high."

This has indeed been my experience.

[kwassa]

102. Which is better? High or near?

I would think high is a lot better than near.

[rasputin1952]

89. You know, "there are certain aspects of racism...." what are the

aspects of racism he could deal with?

This is a phenomenally ignorant statement to make, but I guess that some racism is acceptable to some people...as long as it is racism they agree with...:shrug:

As I fear, racism is rampant throughout the world. Makes little difference who you are, we all find reasons to dislike some elements that make up our world. I have tried to avoid racism my entire life, I have fought against it, and will continue to do so; but until people who have a voice in the media, cease making absurd statements, I figure we will be in this up to our necks.

I try to judge people I know on an individual level, I trust my sense of fairness...but when I see people that have no concept of fairness, regardless of what race or religion they happen to be, I just avoid them, they are generally bad people.

We all know that racism is not a white to black situation, it exists across all levels...and it seems to me, that the sooner we understand that, the sooner we can end all of this inane crap....:)

Just my two cents as a member of DU...:)

[incapsulated]

125. Foxx is a black man

What in the world do you think he means?? That he finds racism acceptable in some forms?

Certain aspects I can deal with means, oh, living in an area where white people use the word "nigger" without shame vs living somewhere that would be unacceptable, generally speaking. There is a little example for you.

Live with those two "aspects" of racism and maybe you would come to the same conclusion.

Frankly, I don't give a shit what any white person thinks about how people of color feel about where they choose to live because of racist issues.

This thread makes me puke.

[mmonk]

90. Racism isn't something that one can escape from

by crossing state lines. The south is recognized for it's history of slavery and institutionalized racism. However, ever since the emancipation proclamation, the United States has practiced an apartheid society for much of its history since. We must stay vigilant and get our elected dems to fight concerning court appointments for there is where the fight for racial equality lies.

[progressivebydesign]

92. Oh it's still there...

My niece and her boyfriend moved into a family member's home in a smallish town in North Carolina. Because he is of hispanic descent and she is not, they were harrassed mercilessly and threatened. They have since moved North. I cannot fathom that people would harrass a stranger like that in 2005, just because of their race.

[mmonk]

103. wow

I don't know if that would work in the small North Carolina town I grew up in. About 1/3rd of the population is Hispanic as is the business establishments. The only radio station is hispanic as well.

[rasputin1952]

110. Much to the disgrace of humanity, racism will never really go away...at

least as long as people are foolish enough to believe that a person's skin color or ethnicity really matters...we are all human beings, and that is all that matters in the grand scheme of things.

We seem to have an innate sense to dislike, because of distrust, of the things that we deem different. Makes no difference what race/ethnicity/religion etc people are, we notice they are different, and we become wary.

I have known people that have been accepted into groups because of their skin color; not all of these people were much on character, it was their hue that got them in...something that should be deemed inappropriate in any group; after all, aren't we looking for the best people that could make a group work well? Does a persons skin color or any other single attribute determine how a person will act in certain situations? We, as humans, need to break down these barriers...I doubt this will happen in my lifetime, but my son may benefit from the groundwork we have laid.

[dogday]

107. Glad to be back in LA?

Let me see if I remember correctly, there have been many incidents of racial bigotry in that town. Rodney King's trial set off a wave of incidents and O. J. trial divided the town. Let's face it, everywhere you go, you can find it.

[mmonk]

109. He who paints with a broad brush

paints himself.

[nomaco-10]

111. A reply from a born and raised southerner.....

I live in a blue county in the red state of Tennessee. Memphis and Nashville are blue, but rural areas very close to the cities and most of the east are red. Posters need to be aware that we red state, blue voters are electing candidates and officials at the local level and have deep ties to our state. I have an elderly Mother, two sisters and a brother in Tennessee. Three out of four of us are dedicated democrats and work diligently every election cycle to get out the dem vote. I have deep roots and family ties in my community and have no plans to ever leave it.
Parts of the deep south, especially southern Mississippi, Alabama, North and South Carolina and the southwest states of Texas and Oklahoma have areas that continue to have some serious issues regarding race relations. Kentucky and Georgia have made much progress as well as Tennessee in recent decades.
We stay because we love our state and want to effect change for the good. We persevere even when we are blamed for lost elections and are referred to as trailer park bubbas or a bunch of illiterate hillbillies. We're proud dems in the trenches trying to make a difference. We should be lauded for our efforts not constantly rebuked for not having done enough.

[AspenRose]

112. I grew up in TX and while I've surely experienced some racism, the most

virulent, hostile form of racism I ever experienced in my face was in Indiana. It was shocking.

It was after that I learned about the history of Klan activity in Indiana. What an eye-opener.

And I think Chicago is one of the most segregated places I've ever been to.

[McCamy Taylor]

116. I grew up in the URBAN south and he is 100% correct, Small town worse.

Southerners who deny it are full of bullshit. Northerners who deny it, dont know what they are talking about.

Racism in the South is of the Institutionalized variety to a much greater extent than in the rest of the country. This is what makes it much more hateful to both the victims and the perps.

If I were african-american I would leave the south so fast it would make your head spin. The only city in the south I might even consider living in is Atlanta.

[really annoyed]

118. Hey Foxx, come to Detroit

It's located in one of the most segregated counties in the United States.... In Michigan, a "blue" state.

Racism is a universal problem that will never be solved. The best we can do is try to be kind and soften the blow of racism in our communities.

[Pepper32]

123. Puh-leazze it's bad there too. See post 122