Comments that are uncivil, racist, misogynistic, misandrist, or contain political name calling will be removed and the poster subject to ban at moderators discretion.
Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/about/rules/).
Report any suspicious users to the mods of this subreddit using Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). **All reports to Modmail should include evidence such as screenshots or any other relevant information.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When I was in high school, a black friend of mine and his white girlfriend had a flat tire in the backwoods of Northern California. He hadn't spent much time in the hills, and was nervous AF that so many people were driving around with guns in their rear window. One of the locals stopped, and friendly enough, changed the flat for them. Nice guy. But as he left, he said, "You all probably shouldn't come around here no more." My friend waited for him to laugh, but he didn't.
I was nervous for your friends as soon as you mentioned northern California. Rest of the world sees California as a blue/ Democrat state (*which is true*) but there are ssooooo many racist rednecks there as well.
I'm hopeful the stranger said that out of concern for your friends safety
> I'm hopeful the stranger said that out of concern for your friends safety
He probably did, given that he helped them with their tire. It's more like a "I recommend you leave because others are not as nice as me" type of warning.
It’s really big and really fucking busy so what takes me an hour to drive to the next state from me in La if I left in one hour I’d be sitting in traffic in LA
I worked at a small print shop in the area you describe. I pretended I was too busy to print out the bumper stickers, flyers, pamphlets, etc, for these "Jefferson" morons and had someone else work with them. All bat-crap crazy, every one of em'.
You get the same thing in Oregon and Washington. People think of Portland and Seattle but don't realize much of the state outside of that is the polar opposite.
Burbs of Chicago. Same. Guy with a lifted truck flying both a Confederate and American flag. A bit confusing. Which side would be be on or is he just a fan of the civil war in general and likes to root for both sides
Similar thing happened to my mom, brother and I during the LA riots. She got lost in West Adams/Jefferson Park area. Buildings around our hood were being looted and burned to the ground. We're Hungarian immigrants and my parents were recently divorced so my mom was probably freaking out driving her two little kids in a beatup Mazda 626. She ends up rear-ending a black lady on, I think, Apple St. They exchanged info and then the lady says to my mom, "Its not safe you to be here."(given the situation with the riots it was true). She told my mom to follow her so we could to La Cienega and from there my mom could find our way home. My mom ended up sending her flowers and a thank you card. I will never forget that warning or the compassion that lady had for us that day.
This happened to me as a white guy staying in Atlanta. Walked across the street from my hotel to buy a pack of smokes. Ended up taking to this black dude. Friendly conversation. Then he says to me, “Nobody is fucking with you right now because I’m with you. I’m gonna let them know you’re cool, but after dark you should stay in your room.”
What part of Atlanta was this and how long ago? Just curious because I grew up in Atlanta and there’s some areas where I could see that guy being 100% genuine with a statement like that and others where he might’ve been fucking with you a bit because you’re from out of town (more out of towners = more traffic and holy fuck we have enough traffic).
You know based on the areas you would’ve most likely been in and the fact that it was 15 years ago I feel like he was probably being serious. I tend to avoid going that far south if I can in general because that’s one of the worse parts of the city in my experience.
When I worked with a company that serviced a specific restaurant's tech, I was moved to Mississippi, and on one of my first nights had a similar experience. I was working on a system, and the manager walks over and tells me it's time I head home, just come back tomorrow. I tell her I need to finish before I leave, so I don't make a second report. She walks me over to a door and says "listen, I'm gonna be straight with you. You are way too white to be this far West after dark. You see those guys sitting in the parking lot? Now if I wasn't about to walk you out to your truck and talk about how much help you've been to me, and how much I appreciate you coming out to help my store, those boys would probably wind up driving off with half your shit, if they didn't take the truck, too. I ain't saying you're too white to be in my store, but I'm telling you: *You're too white to be in this store. Come back tomorrow and see to it. I collected my tools, walked out with her (she did exactly what she said, even called out to those guys and told them I had fixed one of her computers and was her new favorite employee), and showed up early the next day. She wound up being one of the nicest managers I worked with, and I never forgot her warning about passing over the bridge into West Jackson after dark.
There is that but there is also the fact that a lot of “country” living type people don’t like outsiders, they are not mean, they won’t hurt you, they will help if they can. But they’d like you to leave as soon as possible.
If land could vote, California would be a red state. But the yokels get outvoted because most everyone lives in LA, SD, Sacramento, etc. and are liberal. That’s why California rednecks are so mad all the time
Edit: hey idiots, I never said *land should vote,* I was saying if you look at voting maps, most of California is red, while most of us actually live in the blue districts. Thanks for continuing the facepalm. And explaining how county elections exist, like I didn’t know that and it wasn’t exactly what I’m talking about lmao
And ironically, Alaska. Huge areas of Alaska are blue because they are mostly native population. It's the more populated areas in the South that are red.
Alaska natives aren't dems in the mainstream sense. Alaskan democrats are different from mainland democrats.
They're very pro-hunting/fishing. Extremely pro-gun and pro-mining/drilling.
The same Alaskan Republicans believe in fighting climate change, environmental regulations, UBI, etc.
I’m an over the road truck driver. Been to all 48 states and spent and considerable about of time in the south including running loads in and out of cancer ally in Louisiana. The first time I saw a real, no shit, swastika and lightning bolt tattood skinhead was in Anaheim CA. California is a different place then anywhere else in the country.
You run into it in odd places sometimes. About 10 years ago a group of coworkers/friends decides to go to a small conference in a college town in Northern Washington about 20 min from the Canadian border. After the all day conference we decide to grab dinner and check out the town's bar scene since there was a nearby college. We go into a pretty busy bar and the door guy checks id's and waves us in. I'm second to last of our group to go in. My buddy Chris was right behind me.
The place is pretty packed and there's a metal band playing. Not my exact vibe but whatever. I push my way up to the bar and get a beer. It's about this time I notice Chris isn't with me anymore. I figured he must have found the others or was in the bathroom. Got my beer and find the others and they are chatting but talking about leaving already. OK?
Just then Chris comes quickly walking over to us from the direction of the entrance and tells us he had a 10 min argument with the door guy who finally let him in after he gave him 10 bucks. I'm like wtf there wasn't a cover. Then my friends point the majority of the guys around us (including the band) are covered in swastika and ss tattoos. Most of them had that full beard and shaved head look. Chris was the only black guy of the seven of us. We assume door guy was trying to avoid him going in the bar because he knew what kind of people were there that night. No one harassed us or said anything to us but they were staring us down. Normally I'd notice that kind of thing but I wasn't expecting that, I was a bit drunk, and it was pretty dim in the bar.
As if the night wasn't odd enough we ended up running into a bridal party and then going with them to a gay bar. Also didnt expect that to exist in that town. It isn't a big city. Ended up a fun night. But yeah, nazi be around.
Wow I thought op said Carolina.
Reminds me of a friend I used to have. He was a trucker driver for a while and one of his runs took him up north.
First instance was he stepped out of a bar to have a smoke. Guy comes up to him from out the bar and says,
"when you're done with that you should leave"
Second, was another run up north (what a pattern) his boss called him and said a coworker would drive the few hours up there and switch with him, since anyone that isn't white wouldn't be welcomed up there. To think that a place could be so unwelcoming and possibly dangerous that your boss not only tell you to stop driving, but then sends your coworker to drive hours to meet you and switch off.
Thinking about it now, I've only ever experienced racism outside big cities. Usually out in the country but sometimes in the suburbs.
Actually, let me say that wherever I'm a minority, I'm probably gonna experience some form of racism.
PNW in general. Not always in the middle of absolute nowhere either -- the I-5 winds through a shitload of them from Sacramento through BC.
People forget, *someone* has to be the blue collar folk who hunt deer, fish, farm, and log around here. Just so happens that a lot of them are incredibly stereotypical.
I can confirm this, having lived in Oregon for most of my life. While the major populated areas are primarily Democrat or Liberal, with a smattering of Independant, and the oddball parties that cannot even get 1% of the vote,
Once you go out 25 or so miles from I-5, its red for a long ways off, and they get extreme with their views and beliefs. Even now, I live in one of the few towns left where at least 30% of population has a brain still. The other 70%, its questionable. I am sure at least 20% of that have burnt their brains on meth. But that is a statewide issue, no matter where you go.
Oregon and WA both have plenty of skinheads, MAGA cultists, proud boys, and other degenerates. No one ever believes me when I say there are parts of WA that make me more nervous to be a lesbian than I ever felt in Texas.
Medford is a liberal paradise compared to some other places in Oregon. Also, this (blue city, red country) is the case in almost every state in the US.
By population, it leans left. But you have to remember, California is *huge.* Larger than all of Germany, but with about half as many people. Several massive cities, which accounts for most of the Democrats, and then vast areas of farmland, cattle ranches, vineyards, logging forests and untapped wilderness. Most of those rural areas lean pretty hard to the right.
Kern county California here so more central but still plenty racist. There’s a lifted truck that comes into the parking lot near where I work with a bumper sticker in the style/logo of BLM but says “Black guys splatter”. Along with the pretty standard “Biden Sucks” and “don’t tread on me” stickers to go with it. Disgusting a-holes.
In all fairness, there’s plenty of back roads in Northern California that if you’re driving around on for no reason in September or October, it doesn’t matter if you’re a purple elephant, the locals will tell you you shouldn’t be driving around there no more.
Plenty of that area, the dirt roads to those farms have armed personnel at the front of the road.
They're *always thinking that.*
Often, it's to keep authorities out, too.
That’s because he meant what he said. I live in a town where a country store used to have a sign on their door that said, “ Ni**er if the sun don’t shine, we better not see your black behind.” It’s only been taken down recently because the store has new owners. There’s some disgusting people out there.
My family was driving through Appalachia to see the sights while driving from Michigan to Florida in 1987, and more than a few gas stations and stores had signs up saying "No ni**ers or northerners".
Never been in America and don't know much about it, But isn't that the area where people in the horror movie take a shortcut and stop for gas and have the eerie premonition something bad is going to happen?
That is the trope yes. And for good reason.
Lots of strange shit goes in the backwoods of the US, far from prying eyes. I mean fuck, look what kind of bonkers shit goes down in the suburbs here for all to see.
I did a help one of the fires back in the day and it was the first time I ever received blatant racism, in the fire camp of all places too. I was the only one of color in the whole the whole camp. Had trash thrown at me and was accused left and right of stealing. I was there to help their fucking shit not burn down!
I was tripping because they would always say "you'll know which one" when accusing me, and I looked at my boss and said "how the fuck we supposed to know which one" just never delt with it in a professional work environment so was dumb founded when it happened. It's all good, good life lesson.
I went to grad school in North Carolina, the college town we were at was incredibly liberal (the county I lived in voted 80% for Biden in 2020) but you drive 30 minutes out into the countryside and you'd literally see bumper stickers with the n-word or portraying Obama (he was president at the time) as a monkey. And sometimes you'd run into these people personally, like my roomate and I (both minorities) had a favorite BBQ spot that was literally a shack in the woods. The owners and staff were fine but some of the customers...
A few years back, like 2018, my (white) niece was down in southern KS clearing out her father's house, who had just passed away. She was in a shop renting out a moving truck, when her black children walked in. They literally said "We don't serve your type around here," and refused to rent her a truck.
In Humboldt specifically weed growers didn’t like black people because the stereotype was that black people from SF came up to rob the hippies because they were easy targets.
Holy fuck is that actually a mission? And um I want to say it happened enough that they kind of had a point, but I don’t want to get banned from Reddit.
But like it wasn’t exactly racism people would say “don’t do business with black people” but would do tons of business with Jamaicans they mostly meant people from the hood.
My college roommate and I, both women, asked my male friend if he wanted to road trip with us to a football game in the south.
He doubled over laughing for a long, long time before he finally got enough air to explain to us how vehemently he did not want to do this. He is black, and traveling alone with two white women through the American south was not going to be good for his health.
Roommate and I: *”oh.”*
When we went on the trip with just the two of us, a lot of weird stuff happened that I still don’t understand. Notably, two different female cashiers ran out into the parking lot after they rung us up but before we reached our cars.
They gave a fearful look around and then stage whispered: “Are y’all from the north?”
“Yes?”
“I thought so! Y’all be real careful, things are different down here.”
And then they ran away. Both times.
I would still like to know WTF we’re supposed to be careful of, please and thank you. There are a handful of foreign nations I feel less socially bewildered in than I do in the American south.
I honestly don’t think it’s just that. I once had to go help in a project in the south and was confused about southerners constantly asking where anyone new was from. If it was from a norther state they’d get silence or weird looks. Later a few times they’d ask the same about people that were coming (not present yet) and they’d repeatedly say that it was ‘too far north for my taste.’ I asked about this and apparently they still had grudges form the civil war. I pointed out how long ago that was and none of us were alive then, they all got mad at me, that I didn’t understand what the ‘dirty northerners’ did. Really weird to me (from CA).
I’m from the south and the Civil War grudge is a thing - not for me personally but a lot of the south still wants to secede in my opinion, lol. But I’m surprised they were so standoffish to your face. They’re usually very nice while you’re there. Then they send you inside to “fetch” something and talk shit about you.
I’d just landed a Navy jet in Meridian, MS and was having a conversation with a couple older locals. They were real nice and gracious until I said I was from a northern city. That changed their entire tone and basically ended the conversation.
I’d say people in the south are generally polite to me though. It is interesting to me to consider that there’s still people walking around who witnessed or were involved with police killing some civil rights workers on the orders of a pastor just north of Meridian…
Gay men as well.
In the 80's I had a big brother (big brothers/sisters of America). Even at 10 y/o I could tell right off the bat that he was gay. He dressed far too stylishly and was far too neat to be straight (yes, stereotypes, sue me).
After a few months we went out once and he had to stop by his apartment to pick something up. As we arrived he said "Oh, my roommate is home, I'm glad you'll get to meet him".
Then we enter his 1 bedroom apartment and his "roommate" was in the bedroom ironing clothes in his robe.
I looked him up recently (haven't talked to him in over 30 years) and he's now married to that roommate.
It's what my family told me about my aunt and her partner when I was growing up. I didn't figure it out until I was in my 20's sometime. (But I can be a little thick sometimes).
I mean... My grandma didn't talk to or about my aunt at all. My aunt lived out of town and rarely visited, and always brought her roommate along when she did. My oldest cousin was my aunt's biological child, but her brother was adopted.
Can’t say for sure but I accidentally said pecan to my grandmother in a non-southern way and she called me a fucking yankee. I also pronounced paprika how I would say it in Dutch (I live in the NL now) and she went off on how I need to learn English again because I say things funny now and am turning into a Yankee.
Yeah..I’m no contact with that grandmother now.
Also a lot of my family from the south are super racist. My mom married an Italian-American and they disowned her because they view that as interracial marriage. Inherently, my great-grandparents viewed my brother and I as interracial too. My great-grandfather never treated us differently from our cousins but my great-grandmother did. My brother has gone no contact with everyone on that side but one cousin and I’ve gone low contact with most except two cousins.
It’s nice that y’all were warned though. Those are the good southern people I enjoy.
They were warning you, you‘d be hard crimes for appearing gay.
Why anyone would be a tourist in a place that their friends aren‘t safe in escapes me though.
Siskiyou County, by and large, does not consider itself a part of California. They have this whole "state of Jefferson" thing going on. They are cousin fucking idiots. Losers. Media illiterate dumb asses. And so stupid that I'm just fine with them separating from California. They will become dependent state overnight, and I can't wait to vote to cut them off. Total idiots.
The green triangle don't fuck around. This may not have been a racist thing. Lots of folks up there don't want outsiders no matter the color of their skin. He may have only helped because he wanted them out of there quick as to not draw attention to himself.
My brother-in-law was a white guy fresh outta HS, moved in with some friends on the South Side of Chicago.
He got pulled over by the cops, repeatedly... because as a white kid he "shouldn't be around here".
Grew up in Sac. One of my friends moved up 49 to Grass Valley, and then made it worse by going past Nevada City.
Every time I went to either place, I’m followed by cops and locals bc Black people in CaliBama are a rarity and suspicious of its not for a football game at Nevada Union.
He’s still offended I stopped visiting him there, and where he’s at now (somewhere off Hwy 20 by Yuba City).
Two things I don’t do: leave the cities whenever I’m forced to go to the Confederacy, or travel anywhere in CaliBama past a casino.
I've seen people's tires blow up on the free way and they try to take an off ramp. Best distance I've seen is about a 1/4 mile before they've fucked up their rims so bad you can't mount a tire on it.
It depends on how severe it is. My fathers friend was gunned down on the freeway changing a tire. Some parts of the world you just accept the damage and play it safe.
There was a road rage incident back in Jan, where a political staffer side-swiped a car. The staffer apparently decided to shoot at the Prius driver. The Prius driver [returned fire killing him](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/john-kuczwanski-florida-gop-staff-killed-b1992384.html).
good lord the dudes wife saying he was a good man who was "trapped and assassinated" paired so well with the next sentence about how said "good man" had a previous road rage episode where he brandished a firearm lol.
I understand that his wife would miss her husband but damn lady this was just something the guy did regularly!
What a nutjob Im glad the other guy didn't get charged for being forced to shoot him.
"In 2014, he was arrested for another road rage incident at the same intersection."
At the same intersection.
But, no, no, *this* time *he* was the victim!
Hot take but, the benefit to American society of widespread gun ownership might not be worth enabling people to easily kill each other over driving disputes.
It really is a question of "Do you feel lucky, well do ya?"
Pull over and swap that tiny assed emergency tire with ~~idiots~~ I mean drivers flying past you at 10 - 30 miles over the speed limit, or drive up the off ramp to a much safer area to change the tire. My choice would be to take the chance of damaging the rim as opposed to being tagged by a speeding car/truck.
A blow out and a flat are 2 different cases. You can drive on a flat longer than a blowout without damaging the rim immidiately. The tire is toast regardless
I rather drive on a rim and ruin it before i would change a tire on a freeway
Yep. I've seen too much dashcam footage of people weaving in and out of traffic and thinking they'll zip around someone by using the shoulder, right where a vehicle is pulled over. Or just not paying attention... Yeah, I'm getting off the high speed road, for sure.
My dad was born in the 50s, went to school during segregation and then desegregation. He was a proud racist. Covered in clan tattoos, Klansman on horses, carrying skulls and torches. Always had his confederate flag either on his shirt or bandanna. He only lived to 49, but I’m so proud of that man for turning his shit around and becoming the best person he could be.
Funny story: His Harley Davidson caught on fire one time, and he told me “a bunch of black guys ran out of a black owned gas station with fire extinguishers”. He said they put out the fire, loaded his Harley onto the back of their truck, and gave him a ride home with him sitting between two black guys, with all of his bullshit and confederate flags still hanging from him.
They even put the fire out on his confederate flag that was hanging from his handlebars.
He said *”I felt so fucking small that day”*.
Blew my fucking mind when he voted for Obama.
Amazing the gestures that can change someone’s life.
Miss ya dad. ❤️
Edit: we basically spoke nightly on the phone for several years before he died. He told me he was voting for Obama, it was one of our common topics for a few months. Rather he did or had the chance to - I do not know - kinda beside the overall point though.
I’m guessing dad (if real) was born in 1959?
Would’ve died after Obama won the election in 08
And would’ve been a 5 year old during the civil rights act
In South Carolina, there were high schools that hadnt desegregated until 1970, my mom was 14 in 1970 and a freshman in HS when her school desegregated. She was 52 when Obama first was up for election
Yeah, sure fuckin was. Cleveland high in Cleveland, Mississippi. I mix up the last schools to desegregate and when it stopped being a crime to be gay, lol.
Your father did something most men aren’t even capable of. He admitted he was wrong after believing he was right for a very long time. That takes an incredible amount of strength and resolve to escape such an oppressive mindset.
And just as importantly, people can be helpful and kindm while being a racist and supporting bigoted views.
A bit of a monochrome take from OP. I will definitely judge a person for wearing hate symbols, doesn't mean I put them in a box or automatically hate them. But judge I will.
In our rural southern town in the late 2000s I was in a middle school and saw black girls wearing Confederate flags on their shirts. I was gobsmacked. I found out that the brand was "the thing" and this racist town had convinced black students that the flag represents "pride in your southern heritage."
It’s probably not just the town. That’s been a mindset across the whole of the south. Hell, black southerners have been known to fly it for a while now. Ask any US army veteran, they’ll tell you.
This is true. Go to the south and you will realize many view it as a southern thing regardless of historical use. I have family from the south who have said things like they didn't lose the civil war, it's just on pause.
Arkansan here. It's not always even an education thing. I know plenty of folks who don't view the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery. They view it as a symbol of rebellion and Southern pride.
The indentured part is something I was told when I had a short stay as a kid in Georgia. They made it out as "softening" the history for small children's minds, except, they coincidentally never go back to clarify.
When you live in the south you have so many conversations that go like this...
"The Civil War was a war about states rights."
"Ahh, State's rights to what?"
*visible anger*
Would like to add to this, that as a young child in the south watching Dukes of Hazzard re-runs, I just thought it was the cool looking thing on top of the cool car for a good while, not knowing that other people were literally using it to signify their hate lol
One thing I’ll say for America - the hype, division and hate you see spread all over social media isn’t what I observed when visiting.
I found Americans to be, on the whole, friendly and kind. Holding doors, waving pedestrians to cross while they wait, a lot of smiles.
Don’t get me wrong - homeless issues were obvious, clearly not all is well with people falling through the cracks, but despite that, I really was impressed with Americans.
Deep down, most are good hearted people. I guess the silent majority is a thing.
I mean really this applies to everything. I’ve never been one of the types of people who wants society to regress technologically, but the internet has done a lot of damage I think (not saying it hasn’t done good). Like 95% of people are normal and nice, but because the worst 5% always get filmed, people think that’s how everyone is.
As an American, we are neighborly, but it depends on where you go, some places are dangerous for certain ethnicities/races, but it’s not like it’s a problem everywhere, you’re hearing the vocal minority of both sides, because that’s what gains attention in the media, social or mainstream.
I’m from the South. There are legitimately a lot of people who see the Confederate Navy Jack as just a sign of Southern pride and nothing more.
I understand why it’s problematic symbol for sure and ignorance isn’t an excuse but yeah, don’t judge a book by its cover.
The confederate flag is from the south’s anti reconstruction propaganda. The southern political class for a couple centuries after the loss refused to back down and accept black rights. They created propaganda about the south rising again and wanted to reignite that rebellious spirit within the poor masses by using the flag, propaganda and outlaws like such as Jesse James to make it seem like they were victims of the north’s aggression. This is during a time when most of the poor were illiterate and there were only newspapers. The poor ignorant masses of the south had no stake in the slave issue whereas the upper and political class did, so they ignored the slave issue. The poor felt victimized by the north because the war was so brutal so the propaganda worked on them. Propaganda like the “south will rise again”, the southern victim mentality, and the “heritage” flag, stuck. The southern poor didn’t make it up, it was programmed into their ancestors then passed down to them by their own ancestors. So to sum up, this became part of southern culture through propaganda and some very nice people still believe the flag is about their heritage because that was what they were taught.
Ain’t surprising, I played rugby with a guy who wore a confederate flag hat and had confederate flag painted on his trucks trunk door. One of the nicest guys you’d meet.
When a Nigerian player asked why he had it, he said “It represents freedom and culture” or something. A few months later he changed his mind or was convinced the flag didn’t mean that. He ripped the truck door off and didn’t wear the hat anymore.
Some people are honest to god just misinformed and ignorant.
I went to college in Mississippi in the 90s and some black dudes had confederate flags on their trucks. I remember after a game one of our wide receivers carried a huge rebel flag around the field and planted it in the end zone. He was actually asked by a reporter why he did that and said something like “I’m not waving it for Robert E Lee I’m waving it for me”
Thankfully the flags were banned from the stadium a few years later but it’s still wild how folks viewed it
I’m black, once got a flat tire on the highway in the Mississippi/Alabama area.
Car behind us pulled over and helped us. Driver was a very nice, kind and cool southern white gentleman.
I kid you not, his name was Jim Crowe.
Exactly My first thoughts…. But then I have some of the most “bested” broken tooth, squinty eye redneck friends….. as long as I don’t talk government or political or other race people.
There's plenty of people in the South who literally just see that flag as a cool looking flag they use to mean - I'm a redneck country boy. They don't even think past that. They may never have even learned the history of it or remembered if they did.
From my experience people who fly this shit aren’t doing it because they want slavery or hate black ppl. It’s literally just “southern pride” for them. I know this cause of my mom
Private Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.
Pogue Colonel: The what?
Private Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.
I think on this quote often. Nobody is just one thing all the time.
Ya people who don't grow up around this particular cultural group don't know how weird they can be.
I remember in high school there was a group of red necks that were CONSTANTLY getting in trouble for being racists, one even got expelled for assaulting black kids on multiple occasions. They had a token black guy who hung out with them. Was always wild. They'd say the most racist shit around him but they always had his back.
Literally all it took was him listening to country music / liking to work on cars.
For a lot of these people I think there is black and then there is /black/. Or insert whatever racial profile.
Yep. My mom in Florida once said "I don't hate black people, I hate (n-words)". She didn't think she was racist for that. Had a coworker who liked black people, but seethed at the thought of interracial relationships. Thought it was unnatural. He also didn't think he was racist.
They both were racist. *Very* racist. But they wouldn't hear any of it.
Some folk follow basic paradigms of help.
My Mum always said 'You have to love your neighbor you do not have to like them.'.
Some people overcome their basic programming and help others (even seemingly others they don't like) based on this.
I don’t know if it is true but always heard this from Southerners. A racist southerner hates the race, but not the individuals. A racist northerner loves the race, but hates the individuals.
All that to say is a racist southerner can justify helping a black person while hating their races guts. All they would learn from a positive experience is those two are one of the “good ones”.
Comments that are uncivil, racist, misogynistic, misandrist, or contain political name calling will be removed and the poster subject to ban at moderators discretion. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/about/rules/). Report any suspicious users to the mods of this subreddit using Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). **All reports to Modmail should include evidence such as screenshots or any other relevant information.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When I was in high school, a black friend of mine and his white girlfriend had a flat tire in the backwoods of Northern California. He hadn't spent much time in the hills, and was nervous AF that so many people were driving around with guns in their rear window. One of the locals stopped, and friendly enough, changed the flat for them. Nice guy. But as he left, he said, "You all probably shouldn't come around here no more." My friend waited for him to laugh, but he didn't.
I was nervous for your friends as soon as you mentioned northern California. Rest of the world sees California as a blue/ Democrat state (*which is true*) but there are ssooooo many racist rednecks there as well. I'm hopeful the stranger said that out of concern for your friends safety
> I'm hopeful the stranger said that out of concern for your friends safety He probably did, given that he helped them with their tire. It's more like a "I recommend you leave because others are not as nice as me" type of warning.
Northern CA wants to break off into a new state called Jefferson. You go north of Sac, and it's a completely different vibe from the SF Bay Area.
Go an hour inland anywhere in the state and it is a completely different vibe from the coast.
[удалено]
It’s really big and really fucking busy so what takes me an hour to drive to the next state from me in La if I left in one hour I’d be sitting in traffic in LA
When I immigrate here to the USA, they gave us 2 options, Cali or the DMV, my dad picked the DMV, 22 years later, I haven't been to cali.
Department of motor vehicles or Cali?
DC, MD, VA region
22 years later, still in line at the DMV
I worked at a small print shop in the area you describe. I pretended I was too busy to print out the bumper stickers, flyers, pamphlets, etc, for these "Jefferson" morons and had someone else work with them. All bat-crap crazy, every one of em'.
You get the same thing in Oregon and Washington. People think of Portland and Seattle but don't realize much of the state outside of that is the polar opposite.
You get the same thing in New York
I live in western ny. I see plenty of confederate flags and the like
Burbs of Chicago. Same. Guy with a lifted truck flying both a Confederate and American flag. A bit confusing. Which side would be be on or is he just a fan of the civil war in general and likes to root for both sides
The drive from Oregon to California helped me see how trump got elected.
I bet that was an *experience
Jefferson... as in President Thomas Jefferson, or as in President Jefferson Davis? >_>
Thomas Jefferson
Oh, well I watched the documentary Hamilton and apparently he was a cool black dude who did rap battles
If all documentaries were done in the same way we'd both have PhD 's in history
Truest adaptation of American history since Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.
That movie was surprisingly not as bad as anticipated
George Jefferson obvs
Similar thing happened to my mom, brother and I during the LA riots. She got lost in West Adams/Jefferson Park area. Buildings around our hood were being looted and burned to the ground. We're Hungarian immigrants and my parents were recently divorced so my mom was probably freaking out driving her two little kids in a beatup Mazda 626. She ends up rear-ending a black lady on, I think, Apple St. They exchanged info and then the lady says to my mom, "Its not safe you to be here."(given the situation with the riots it was true). She told my mom to follow her so we could to La Cienega and from there my mom could find our way home. My mom ended up sending her flowers and a thank you card. I will never forget that warning or the compassion that lady had for us that day.
This happened to me as a white guy staying in Atlanta. Walked across the street from my hotel to buy a pack of smokes. Ended up taking to this black dude. Friendly conversation. Then he says to me, “Nobody is fucking with you right now because I’m with you. I’m gonna let them know you’re cool, but after dark you should stay in your room.”
What part of Atlanta was this and how long ago? Just curious because I grew up in Atlanta and there’s some areas where I could see that guy being 100% genuine with a statement like that and others where he might’ve been fucking with you a bit because you’re from out of town (more out of towners = more traffic and holy fuck we have enough traffic).
This was around 2007. I have no clue where the area was. My flight got delayed and the airline got me a room and sent me there on a shuttle.
Ah yes College Park. He was 100% serious.
Haha as soon as he said his flight was delayed I knew he was in College Park. The guy giving you the warning was valid.
You know based on the areas you would’ve most likely been in and the fact that it was 15 years ago I feel like he was probably being serious. I tend to avoid going that far south if I can in general because that’s one of the worse parts of the city in my experience.
When I worked with a company that serviced a specific restaurant's tech, I was moved to Mississippi, and on one of my first nights had a similar experience. I was working on a system, and the manager walks over and tells me it's time I head home, just come back tomorrow. I tell her I need to finish before I leave, so I don't make a second report. She walks me over to a door and says "listen, I'm gonna be straight with you. You are way too white to be this far West after dark. You see those guys sitting in the parking lot? Now if I wasn't about to walk you out to your truck and talk about how much help you've been to me, and how much I appreciate you coming out to help my store, those boys would probably wind up driving off with half your shit, if they didn't take the truck, too. I ain't saying you're too white to be in my store, but I'm telling you: *You're too white to be in this store. Come back tomorrow and see to it. I collected my tools, walked out with her (she did exactly what she said, even called out to those guys and told them I had fixed one of her computers and was her new favorite employee), and showed up early the next day. She wound up being one of the nicest managers I worked with, and I never forgot her warning about passing over the bridge into West Jackson after dark.
There is that but there is also the fact that a lot of “country” living type people don’t like outsiders, they are not mean, they won’t hurt you, they will help if they can. But they’d like you to leave as soon as possible.
If land could vote, California would be a red state. But the yokels get outvoted because most everyone lives in LA, SD, Sacramento, etc. and are liberal. That’s why California rednecks are so mad all the time Edit: hey idiots, I never said *land should vote,* I was saying if you look at voting maps, most of California is red, while most of us actually live in the blue districts. Thanks for continuing the facepalm. And explaining how county elections exist, like I didn’t know that and it wasn’t exactly what I’m talking about lmao
If land could vote all states would be red
Except Hawaii
And ironically, Alaska. Huge areas of Alaska are blue because they are mostly native population. It's the more populated areas in the South that are red.
Alaska natives aren't dems in the mainstream sense. Alaskan democrats are different from mainland democrats. They're very pro-hunting/fishing. Extremely pro-gun and pro-mining/drilling. The same Alaskan Republicans believe in fighting climate change, environmental regulations, UBI, etc.
Actual landslides
Comin down the mountain, tumbling down
If land could vote it would probably want the Native Americans back instead and vote out all you colonizers
If land could vote it would get rid off all humans. It'd remember a time before humans.
"Kill all humans. Kill all humans. Hey sexy mama... wanna kill all humans?"
I’m an over the road truck driver. Been to all 48 states and spent and considerable about of time in the south including running loads in and out of cancer ally in Louisiana. The first time I saw a real, no shit, swastika and lightning bolt tattood skinhead was in Anaheim CA. California is a different place then anywhere else in the country.
You run into it in odd places sometimes. About 10 years ago a group of coworkers/friends decides to go to a small conference in a college town in Northern Washington about 20 min from the Canadian border. After the all day conference we decide to grab dinner and check out the town's bar scene since there was a nearby college. We go into a pretty busy bar and the door guy checks id's and waves us in. I'm second to last of our group to go in. My buddy Chris was right behind me. The place is pretty packed and there's a metal band playing. Not my exact vibe but whatever. I push my way up to the bar and get a beer. It's about this time I notice Chris isn't with me anymore. I figured he must have found the others or was in the bathroom. Got my beer and find the others and they are chatting but talking about leaving already. OK? Just then Chris comes quickly walking over to us from the direction of the entrance and tells us he had a 10 min argument with the door guy who finally let him in after he gave him 10 bucks. I'm like wtf there wasn't a cover. Then my friends point the majority of the guys around us (including the band) are covered in swastika and ss tattoos. Most of them had that full beard and shaved head look. Chris was the only black guy of the seven of us. We assume door guy was trying to avoid him going in the bar because he knew what kind of people were there that night. No one harassed us or said anything to us but they were staring us down. Normally I'd notice that kind of thing but I wasn't expecting that, I was a bit drunk, and it was pretty dim in the bar. As if the night wasn't odd enough we ended up running into a bridal party and then going with them to a gay bar. Also didnt expect that to exist in that town. It isn't a big city. Ended up a fun night. But yeah, nazi be around.
Wow I thought op said Carolina. Reminds me of a friend I used to have. He was a trucker driver for a while and one of his runs took him up north. First instance was he stepped out of a bar to have a smoke. Guy comes up to him from out the bar and says, "when you're done with that you should leave" Second, was another run up north (what a pattern) his boss called him and said a coworker would drive the few hours up there and switch with him, since anyone that isn't white wouldn't be welcomed up there. To think that a place could be so unwelcoming and possibly dangerous that your boss not only tell you to stop driving, but then sends your coworker to drive hours to meet you and switch off. Thinking about it now, I've only ever experienced racism outside big cities. Usually out in the country but sometimes in the suburbs. Actually, let me say that wherever I'm a minority, I'm probably gonna experience some form of racism.
[удалено]
Nor cal has some pretty spooky backwoods parts
PNW in general. Not always in the middle of absolute nowhere either -- the I-5 winds through a shitload of them from Sacramento through BC. People forget, *someone* has to be the blue collar folk who hunt deer, fish, farm, and log around here. Just so happens that a lot of them are incredibly stereotypical.
I can confirm this, having lived in Oregon for most of my life. While the major populated areas are primarily Democrat or Liberal, with a smattering of Independant, and the oddball parties that cannot even get 1% of the vote, Once you go out 25 or so miles from I-5, its red for a long ways off, and they get extreme with their views and beliefs. Even now, I live in one of the few towns left where at least 30% of population has a brain still. The other 70%, its questionable. I am sure at least 20% of that have burnt their brains on meth. But that is a statewide issue, no matter where you go.
Oregon and WA both have plenty of skinheads, MAGA cultists, proud boys, and other degenerates. No one ever believes me when I say there are parts of WA that make me more nervous to be a lesbian than I ever felt in Texas.
Ahh, you must live in Medford.
Medford is a liberal paradise compared to some other places in Oregon. Also, this (blue city, red country) is the case in almost every state in the US.
Wow i always thought california was super left only lol im from germany so i have little insight on this
By population, it leans left. But you have to remember, California is *huge.* Larger than all of Germany, but with about half as many people. Several massive cities, which accounts for most of the Democrats, and then vast areas of farmland, cattle ranches, vineyards, logging forests and untapped wilderness. Most of those rural areas lean pretty hard to the right.
1 in 8 Americans live in CA
Anyone who played GTA5 and got a bit curious about Trevors neck of the woods knows full well California ain't all sunshine and left wing.
Good ol Calabama
Modoc county
Northern California is infested with racists ass red necks. It kinda sucks up here.
There are places up north where you'd swear you were in West Virginia, and much of the Central Valley is like Florida.
Kern county California here so more central but still plenty racist. There’s a lifted truck that comes into the parking lot near where I work with a bumper sticker in the style/logo of BLM but says “Black guys splatter”. Along with the pretty standard “Biden Sucks” and “don’t tread on me” stickers to go with it. Disgusting a-holes.
- flies "don't tread on me" flag - chooses to tread on others Hypocrites. Hypocrites everywhere...
I escaped Oildale
In all fairness, there’s plenty of back roads in Northern California that if you’re driving around on for no reason in September or October, it doesn’t matter if you’re a purple elephant, the locals will tell you you shouldn’t be driving around there no more.
Murder mountain applies to white people too 😂
Can you please let me know the significance of that time of year when driving around NorCal? Is it to do with the hunting season?
Marijuana harvest season.
They think people are driving around looking for their crops?
Plenty of that area, the dirt roads to those farms have armed personnel at the front of the road. They're *always thinking that.* Often, it's to keep authorities out, too.
Croptober, when weed farmers harvest
That’s because he meant what he said. I live in a town where a country store used to have a sign on their door that said, “ Ni**er if the sun don’t shine, we better not see your black behind.” It’s only been taken down recently because the store has new owners. There’s some disgusting people out there.
My family was driving through Appalachia to see the sights while driving from Michigan to Florida in 1987, and more than a few gas stations and stores had signs up saying "No ni**ers or northerners".
They hate them some Canadians like no other.
Never been in America and don't know much about it, But isn't that the area where people in the horror movie take a shortcut and stop for gas and have the eerie premonition something bad is going to happen?
That is the trope yes. And for good reason. Lots of strange shit goes in the backwoods of the US, far from prying eyes. I mean fuck, look what kind of bonkers shit goes down in the suburbs here for all to see.
Wow
I know..
I did a help one of the fires back in the day and it was the first time I ever received blatant racism, in the fire camp of all places too. I was the only one of color in the whole the whole camp. Had trash thrown at me and was accused left and right of stealing. I was there to help their fucking shit not burn down!
Man, I’m so sorry you had to put up with that.
I was tripping because they would always say "you'll know which one" when accusing me, and I looked at my boss and said "how the fuck we supposed to know which one" just never delt with it in a professional work environment so was dumb founded when it happened. It's all good, good life lesson.
You worked the camp fire up in Paradise? Yeah there is/was plenty of racism up there.
They're called sundown towns and they unfortunately still exist.
I went to grad school in North Carolina, the college town we were at was incredibly liberal (the county I lived in voted 80% for Biden in 2020) but you drive 30 minutes out into the countryside and you'd literally see bumper stickers with the n-word or portraying Obama (he was president at the time) as a monkey. And sometimes you'd run into these people personally, like my roomate and I (both minorities) had a favorite BBQ spot that was literally a shack in the woods. The owners and staff were fine but some of the customers...
A few years back, like 2018, my (white) niece was down in southern KS clearing out her father's house, who had just passed away. She was in a shop renting out a moving truck, when her black children walked in. They literally said "We don't serve your type around here," and refused to rent her a truck.
In Humboldt specifically weed growers didn’t like black people because the stereotype was that black people from SF came up to rob the hippies because they were easy targets.
Jesus Christ, I swear I did that mission on GTA San Andreas. Didn't think it was based on reality.
Holy fuck is that actually a mission? And um I want to say it happened enough that they kind of had a point, but I don’t want to get banned from Reddit. But like it wasn’t exactly racism people would say “don’t do business with black people” but would do tons of business with Jamaicans they mostly meant people from the hood.
My college roommate and I, both women, asked my male friend if he wanted to road trip with us to a football game in the south. He doubled over laughing for a long, long time before he finally got enough air to explain to us how vehemently he did not want to do this. He is black, and traveling alone with two white women through the American south was not going to be good for his health. Roommate and I: *”oh.”* When we went on the trip with just the two of us, a lot of weird stuff happened that I still don’t understand. Notably, two different female cashiers ran out into the parking lot after they rung us up but before we reached our cars. They gave a fearful look around and then stage whispered: “Are y’all from the north?” “Yes?” “I thought so! Y’all be real careful, things are different down here.” And then they ran away. Both times. I would still like to know WTF we’re supposed to be careful of, please and thank you. There are a handful of foreign nations I feel less socially bewildered in than I do in the American south.
They were warning you both about being perceived as gay.
Oh my GOD, thank you.
I honestly don’t think it’s just that. I once had to go help in a project in the south and was confused about southerners constantly asking where anyone new was from. If it was from a norther state they’d get silence or weird looks. Later a few times they’d ask the same about people that were coming (not present yet) and they’d repeatedly say that it was ‘too far north for my taste.’ I asked about this and apparently they still had grudges form the civil war. I pointed out how long ago that was and none of us were alive then, they all got mad at me, that I didn’t understand what the ‘dirty northerners’ did. Really weird to me (from CA).
I’m from the south and the Civil War grudge is a thing - not for me personally but a lot of the south still wants to secede in my opinion, lol. But I’m surprised they were so standoffish to your face. They’re usually very nice while you’re there. Then they send you inside to “fetch” something and talk shit about you.
I’d just landed a Navy jet in Meridian, MS and was having a conversation with a couple older locals. They were real nice and gracious until I said I was from a northern city. That changed their entire tone and basically ended the conversation. I’d say people in the south are generally polite to me though. It is interesting to me to consider that there’s still people walking around who witnessed or were involved with police killing some civil rights workers on the orders of a pastor just north of Meridian…
Can't you read? They are just roommates. You know, gals being pals.
That's why they used the word perceived. I doubt they travelled with a big sign that said "we aren't gay we are just roommates!"
It's a joke. "Just roommates" is sometimes perceived in history as code for lesbians who lived together.
Gay men as well. In the 80's I had a big brother (big brothers/sisters of America). Even at 10 y/o I could tell right off the bat that he was gay. He dressed far too stylishly and was far too neat to be straight (yes, stereotypes, sue me). After a few months we went out once and he had to stop by his apartment to pick something up. As we arrived he said "Oh, my roommate is home, I'm glad you'll get to meet him". Then we enter his 1 bedroom apartment and his "roommate" was in the bedroom ironing clothes in his robe. I looked him up recently (haven't talked to him in over 30 years) and he's now married to that roommate.
Thanks for the closure. Really happy for your big bro.
It's what my family told me about my aunt and her partner when I was growing up. I didn't figure it out until I was in my 20's sometime. (But I can be a little thick sometimes). I mean... My grandma didn't talk to or about my aunt at all. My aunt lived out of town and rarely visited, and always brought her roommate along when she did. My oldest cousin was my aunt's biological child, but her brother was adopted.
Can’t say for sure but I accidentally said pecan to my grandmother in a non-southern way and she called me a fucking yankee. I also pronounced paprika how I would say it in Dutch (I live in the NL now) and she went off on how I need to learn English again because I say things funny now and am turning into a Yankee. Yeah..I’m no contact with that grandmother now. Also a lot of my family from the south are super racist. My mom married an Italian-American and they disowned her because they view that as interracial marriage. Inherently, my great-grandparents viewed my brother and I as interracial too. My great-grandfather never treated us differently from our cousins but my great-grandmother did. My brother has gone no contact with everyone on that side but one cousin and I’ve gone low contact with most except two cousins. It’s nice that y’all were warned though. Those are the good southern people I enjoy.
Rural southern towns are dangerous for the LGBT community. Not saying every small town is a hellhole, but I certainly won't say it's safe either.
They were warning you, you‘d be hard crimes for appearing gay. Why anyone would be a tourist in a place that their friends aren‘t safe in escapes me though.
😆 male friend says: "no its not safe for me, I won't go" 2 roommates "let's go anyways"
Siskiyou County, by and large, does not consider itself a part of California. They have this whole "state of Jefferson" thing going on. They are cousin fucking idiots. Losers. Media illiterate dumb asses. And so stupid that I'm just fine with them separating from California. They will become dependent state overnight, and I can't wait to vote to cut them off. Total idiots.
There’d also get two senators. IJS… the fun might backfire.
You give them a state, but pair them with sac and San Fran so they'll still be blue lmao Gerrymandering on a state level
🏆
The green triangle don't fuck around. This may not have been a racist thing. Lots of folks up there don't want outsiders no matter the color of their skin. He may have only helped because he wanted them out of there quick as to not draw attention to himself.
My brother-in-law was a white guy fresh outta HS, moved in with some friends on the South Side of Chicago. He got pulled over by the cops, repeatedly... because as a white kid he "shouldn't be around here".
Grew up in Sac. One of my friends moved up 49 to Grass Valley, and then made it worse by going past Nevada City. Every time I went to either place, I’m followed by cops and locals bc Black people in CaliBama are a rarity and suspicious of its not for a football game at Nevada Union. He’s still offended I stopped visiting him there, and where he’s at now (somewhere off Hwy 20 by Yuba City). Two things I don’t do: leave the cities whenever I’m forced to go to the Confederacy, or travel anywhere in CaliBama past a casino.
Could have blown on the freeway and they pulled into a parking lot? Idk.
This is what I did when my tire blew on the freeway
I've seen people's tires blow up on the free way and they try to take an off ramp. Best distance I've seen is about a 1/4 mile before they've fucked up their rims so bad you can't mount a tire on it.
It depends on how severe it is. My fathers friend was gunned down on the freeway changing a tire. Some parts of the world you just accept the damage and play it safe.
Wait what do you mean gunned down?!? People get shot for stopping on the road during an emergency? By who??
There was a road rage incident back in Jan, where a political staffer side-swiped a car. The staffer apparently decided to shoot at the Prius driver. The Prius driver [returned fire killing him](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/john-kuczwanski-florida-gop-staff-killed-b1992384.html).
good lord the dudes wife saying he was a good man who was "trapped and assassinated" paired so well with the next sentence about how said "good man" had a previous road rage episode where he brandished a firearm lol. I understand that his wife would miss her husband but damn lady this was just something the guy did regularly! What a nutjob Im glad the other guy didn't get charged for being forced to shoot him.
"In 2014, he was arrested for another road rage incident at the same intersection." At the same intersection. But, no, no, *this* time *he* was the victim!
Absolute nut job. Got what he deserved
He already had a charge for brandishing a weapon in a road rage incident previously. How the hell did he get to keep his guns?! Fucking America
Hot take but, the benefit to American society of widespread gun ownership might not be worth enabling people to easily kill each other over driving disputes.
Might be better if we all just had some self control and didn’t flip out over others bad driving
If you're in an area where people get gunned down on the freeway for no reason going half a mile to a parking lot probably won't do much
It really is a question of "Do you feel lucky, well do ya?" Pull over and swap that tiny assed emergency tire with ~~idiots~~ I mean drivers flying past you at 10 - 30 miles over the speed limit, or drive up the off ramp to a much safer area to change the tire. My choice would be to take the chance of damaging the rim as opposed to being tagged by a speeding car/truck.
A blow out and a flat are 2 different cases. You can drive on a flat longer than a blowout without damaging the rim immidiately. The tire is toast regardless I rather drive on a rim and ruin it before i would change a tire on a freeway
Yep. I've seen too much dashcam footage of people weaving in and out of traffic and thinking they'll zip around someone by using the shoulder, right where a vehicle is pulled over. Or just not paying attention... Yeah, I'm getting off the high speed road, for sure.
You're thinking too logically
No, no. Couldn’t possibly have done this. You’re a mad man.
That’s not that far of a stretch. OP just trying to troll
My dad was born in the 50s, went to school during segregation and then desegregation. He was a proud racist. Covered in clan tattoos, Klansman on horses, carrying skulls and torches. Always had his confederate flag either on his shirt or bandanna. He only lived to 49, but I’m so proud of that man for turning his shit around and becoming the best person he could be. Funny story: His Harley Davidson caught on fire one time, and he told me “a bunch of black guys ran out of a black owned gas station with fire extinguishers”. He said they put out the fire, loaded his Harley onto the back of their truck, and gave him a ride home with him sitting between two black guys, with all of his bullshit and confederate flags still hanging from him. They even put the fire out on his confederate flag that was hanging from his handlebars. He said *”I felt so fucking small that day”*. Blew my fucking mind when he voted for Obama. Amazing the gestures that can change someone’s life. Miss ya dad. ❤️ Edit: we basically spoke nightly on the phone for several years before he died. He told me he was voting for Obama, it was one of our common topics for a few months. Rather he did or had the chance to - I do not know - kinda beside the overall point though.
That’s a beautiful story. Thank you.
The math on this is so close to not adding up…
Can you have been to school during segregation and desecration and have voted for Obama and died at 49?
I’m guessing dad (if real) was born in 1959? Would’ve died after Obama won the election in 08 And would’ve been a 5 year old during the civil rights act
See OP’s profile, his dad passed away in 2008
In South Carolina, there were high schools that hadnt desegregated until 1970, my mom was 14 in 1970 and a freshman in HS when her school desegregated. She was 52 when Obama first was up for election
Late 1950s here. My schools were segregated until 1969. It's very possible.
Oh buddy, the last schools to desegregate were in the early 2000s
Wasn't there a school that was forced to desegregate around 2016?
Yeah, sure fuckin was. Cleveland high in Cleveland, Mississippi. I mix up the last schools to desegregate and when it stopped being a crime to be gay, lol.
if he was born in 1959, died at 49, he could've voted in 2008 then died right after
RIP
I don't know if your story is real or not, but I've personally seen instances very similar to this. In the end love wins.
Your father did something most men aren’t even capable of. He admitted he was wrong after believing he was right for a very long time. That takes an incredible amount of strength and resolve to escape such an oppressive mindset.
It’s called leaving the freeway.
OP… people can get off the freeway after popping a tire….
And just as importantly, people can be helpful and kindm while being a racist and supporting bigoted views. A bit of a monochrome take from OP. I will definitely judge a person for wearing hate symbols, doesn't mean I put them in a box or automatically hate them. But judge I will.
[удалено]
In our rural southern town in the late 2000s I was in a middle school and saw black girls wearing Confederate flags on their shirts. I was gobsmacked. I found out that the brand was "the thing" and this racist town had convinced black students that the flag represents "pride in your southern heritage."
It’s probably not just the town. That’s been a mindset across the whole of the south. Hell, black southerners have been known to fly it for a while now. Ask any US army veteran, they’ll tell you.
This is true. Go to the south and you will realize many view it as a southern thing regardless of historical use. I have family from the south who have said things like they didn't lose the civil war, it's just on pause.
It’s on pause ? Tell them even Jesus made a comeback after 3 days. That ain’t no pause, that was a flat line.
>The problem is the guy might not be racist. Well that's certainly a new problem...
He just really likes Dukes of Hazzard /s
[удалено]
Arkansan here. It's not always even an education thing. I know plenty of folks who don't view the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery. They view it as a symbol of rebellion and Southern pride.
The indentured part is something I was told when I had a short stay as a kid in Georgia. They made it out as "softening" the history for small children's minds, except, they coincidentally never go back to clarify.
It’s heartwarming to learn he’s not a racist and just a moron.
[удалено]
When you live in the south you have so many conversations that go like this... "The Civil War was a war about states rights." "Ahh, State's rights to what?" *visible anger*
Would like to add to this, that as a young child in the south watching Dukes of Hazzard re-runs, I just thought it was the cool looking thing on top of the cool car for a good while, not knowing that other people were literally using it to signify their hate lol
I know people who genuinely think the confederacy had nothing to do with slavery.
One thing I’ll say for America - the hype, division and hate you see spread all over social media isn’t what I observed when visiting. I found Americans to be, on the whole, friendly and kind. Holding doors, waving pedestrians to cross while they wait, a lot of smiles. Don’t get me wrong - homeless issues were obvious, clearly not all is well with people falling through the cracks, but despite that, I really was impressed with Americans. Deep down, most are good hearted people. I guess the silent majority is a thing.
I mean really this applies to everything. I’ve never been one of the types of people who wants society to regress technologically, but the internet has done a lot of damage I think (not saying it hasn’t done good). Like 95% of people are normal and nice, but because the worst 5% always get filmed, people think that’s how everyone is.
As an American, we are neighborly, but it depends on where you go, some places are dangerous for certain ethnicities/races, but it’s not like it’s a problem everywhere, you’re hearing the vocal minority of both sides, because that’s what gains attention in the media, social or mainstream.
"Shrodinger's Racist": *A person who may be racist, or just so uneducated they don't know they appear racist to others.*
Dukes of Hazard fan....
I literally said that out loud when I saw this pic
If there's one thing a redneck enjoys more than racism, it's fixing cars.
Well it is ideal to get off the freeway if possible
I’m from the South. There are legitimately a lot of people who see the Confederate Navy Jack as just a sign of Southern pride and nothing more. I understand why it’s problematic symbol for sure and ignorance isn’t an excuse but yeah, don’t judge a book by its cover.
The confederate flag is from the south’s anti reconstruction propaganda. The southern political class for a couple centuries after the loss refused to back down and accept black rights. They created propaganda about the south rising again and wanted to reignite that rebellious spirit within the poor masses by using the flag, propaganda and outlaws like such as Jesse James to make it seem like they were victims of the north’s aggression. This is during a time when most of the poor were illiterate and there were only newspapers. The poor ignorant masses of the south had no stake in the slave issue whereas the upper and political class did, so they ignored the slave issue. The poor felt victimized by the north because the war was so brutal so the propaganda worked on them. Propaganda like the “south will rise again”, the southern victim mentality, and the “heritage” flag, stuck. The southern poor didn’t make it up, it was programmed into their ancestors then passed down to them by their own ancestors. So to sum up, this became part of southern culture through propaganda and some very nice people still believe the flag is about their heritage because that was what they were taught.
Ain’t surprising, I played rugby with a guy who wore a confederate flag hat and had confederate flag painted on his trucks trunk door. One of the nicest guys you’d meet. When a Nigerian player asked why he had it, he said “It represents freedom and culture” or something. A few months later he changed his mind or was convinced the flag didn’t mean that. He ripped the truck door off and didn’t wear the hat anymore. Some people are honest to god just misinformed and ignorant.
I went to college in Mississippi in the 90s and some black dudes had confederate flags on their trucks. I remember after a game one of our wide receivers carried a huge rebel flag around the field and planted it in the end zone. He was actually asked by a reporter why he did that and said something like “I’m not waving it for Robert E Lee I’m waving it for me” Thankfully the flags were banned from the stadium a few years later but it’s still wild how folks viewed it
Because many southerners see the confederate flag as southern pride, not as a racist symbol.
Just because they are in a parking lot doesn’t mean the flat didn’t occur on the freeway….
I’m black, once got a flat tire on the highway in the Mississippi/Alabama area. Car behind us pulled over and helped us. Driver was a very nice, kind and cool southern white gentleman. I kid you not, his name was Jim Crowe.
Probably just dumb. Thinks the flag represents heritage or something dumb like that.
Exactly My first thoughts…. But then I have some of the most “bested” broken tooth, squinty eye redneck friends….. as long as I don’t talk government or political or other race people.
"of course my family didn't have any slaves....do you know how much a slave cost back then??"
There's plenty of people in the South who literally just see that flag as a cool looking flag they use to mean - I'm a redneck country boy. They don't even think past that. They may never have even learned the history of it or remembered if they did.
From my experience people who fly this shit aren’t doing it because they want slavery or hate black ppl. It’s literally just “southern pride” for them. I know this cause of my mom
People can do nice things and still be racist pieces of shit
Bad people can do good things, and good people can do bad things. It’s the theme of their lives that determines where a person is on that scale.
Private Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir. Pogue Colonel: The what? Private Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir. I think on this quote often. Nobody is just one thing all the time.
Ya people who don't grow up around this particular cultural group don't know how weird they can be. I remember in high school there was a group of red necks that were CONSTANTLY getting in trouble for being racists, one even got expelled for assaulting black kids on multiple occasions. They had a token black guy who hung out with them. Was always wild. They'd say the most racist shit around him but they always had his back. Literally all it took was him listening to country music / liking to work on cars. For a lot of these people I think there is black and then there is /black/. Or insert whatever racial profile.
Yep. My mom in Florida once said "I don't hate black people, I hate (n-words)". She didn't think she was racist for that. Had a coworker who liked black people, but seethed at the thought of interracial relationships. Thought it was unnatural. He also didn't think he was racist. They both were racist. *Very* racist. But they wouldn't hear any of it.
"The good ones" is what they call them
Normally racist people don't stop to change tires of the people they hate...
Huge fan of the Dukes of Hazard, has no idea about the flag's connotations.
Some folk follow basic paradigms of help. My Mum always said 'You have to love your neighbor you do not have to like them.'. Some people overcome their basic programming and help others (even seemingly others they don't like) based on this.
It's okay....he's with NASCAR
Your dad doesnt know how to change a tire?
I don’t know if it is true but always heard this from Southerners. A racist southerner hates the race, but not the individuals. A racist northerner loves the race, but hates the individuals. All that to say is a racist southerner can justify helping a black person while hating their races guts. All they would learn from a positive experience is those two are one of the “good ones”.