I’m sorry you are disappointed in my response but I’m not sorry I wrote it. Recall that I think the people I interacted with were great and the kkk comment was from one of my passengers, it’s how he felt as a young black man, I don’t question or judge it and was happy he felt comfortable enough to share his feelings with me, until he got in my rental car I didn’t even know his name just his face as another team member of my son. I would have felt scared of being in that situation regardless of what state I was in. On an unfamiliar rural road in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere, at sunset, sometimes with no cell service with a bunch of kids that I’m quasi responsible for. Looked like a scene from unsolved mysteries.
I don’t discount your experience as a LEO or as a person who grew up there but remind you that everyone perceives things differently. I have a few close friends some of which are Caucasian / white. To this day they never seem to notice when I’m being singled out because I’m not like them. Examples, and these have and still do happen here in Ca and elsewhere:
1. We walk into a store or mall, they get helped I get followed.
2. We eat at a restaraunt, they get served first, referred to as sir and their glasses are always full. My food comes out late, same food as their’s just “special” for some reason, im referred to as you or the server just points at me as a que for me to speak and I also have to flag someone down for my drink refill.
3. Again eating at a restaurant, I put the name in for the table, I do most of the talking yet they get the bill (his is the only time they notice something is not right and they only notice sometimes).
My point is racism is alive and well everywhere in the U.S. so is white privilege, you just have to be on the look out for it. Are you looking out for it? If not, who has the narrow view (intentional or otherwise)?
I don’t blame my friends for not seeing it, I probably would not notice it either if it benefitted me and I grew up with it.
Before going to N.C. The participants spoke openly with those that had been there before during a previous JR. Olympics, when a Filipino lady that could have been my aunt said “the last time we where there in 2015/2016 my husband and I went to a mall and were met at the door by a security guard who asked, “what is your business here?”” So yes it was on my mind when I left for the trip but I’m glad that I didn’t experience anything like that when I was there as i would like to go back to visit the u.s. white water rafting center. I wouldn’t want to live on the east coast though, I think the weather sucks and would have a hard time planning around it. Muggy in the am, hot as hell in the afternoon and rain and lighting in the evening. I even got a few flash flood warnings while i was there. Plus it snows in some states like NY, I don’t ever want to live in a place where i have to shovel snow to get my car out to go to work and shovel it again afterwork to get my car back into the garage.
@Jameson Clark , I don’t view my startement as one of judgement but one of fact. Does TN border NC? Yes. Is TN where the kkk was founded and is currently based? I believe so but I could be wrong. If this is true is not reasonable to think that kkk members may be in nearby NC? Sure it is. Just like I’d expect to find sharks near In and near the ocean not Death Valley.
@Ramblin Wreck my comment about lack of a middle class is based solely on the homes I saw while driving in n.c., they were either sprawling estates with lots of land or shacks some of which didn’t look habitable. Nothing in between like track homes or communities I’m used to seeing. It reminded me of kodiak Alaska where you either have money or you don’t.
Im surprised that my post has garnered so much attention. I actually typed a longer more detailed one at first but thought it was too long and detailed to post, wrong as I ended up retyping a lot of it in this response.
The story about professional poop scoopers is interesting but like survey results I don’t believe everything I read. $185k is the fully burdened rate and includes benefits and a retirement plan, gross pay is likely closer to $100k, $65k net. If I wanted or needed a second job that wouldn’t be it as I don’t I have great benefits already. Uber driver or bar tender is more my style.
Best places to live is the same way. Ever notice that some airline magazines list the best “fill in the blank”, example steak houses. I been to a few now listed in the magazines and couldn’t disagree more with the rating, that is some/most of them should have been rated worst not first in the state. How about boat test . Com have they ever given a boat a bad review?
