<p>I've been reading through the Parent Forum on CC. There is a post there about why kids leave schools etc... For some reason there are two posts that mention kids leaving Clemson because of "Southern Racist Attitudes'. First of all, if it's not so much the case at Clemson over any other school, someone should get on and set them straight. If it is the case, can someone explain what this means? I'm from the midwest and I'm white. I've seen racism before but I'm not sure what "Southern Racism" is.</p>
<p>A lot of people believe, based on both stereotypes and reality, that racism is extremely pervasive in the South. That’s what “Southern Racism” means. Now, I’m not saying that this is true or this is false; I refuse to pretend as if everyone in the South is a racist braindead hick because I know for a fact that that is not true, but I’m not going to go the other way and pretend as if it doesn’t exist either.</p>
<p>Does Clemson specifically have that kind of reputation?</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at Clemson and we are from MA. He has not had any problems with any bad attitude towards him because he is from “the north”. He did meet someone at orientation during the summer that said that he could not be friends with him because he was a “yankee”. Other than that encounter, he has never mentioned any problems. He has meet many people from all over the country and loves it there.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of that (either specific examples or a general reputation) for Clemson U. The thing is, there is not a single school in America that has a campus free of morons and if someone happens to run into a whole clump of those morons it might give them a bad impression of the rest of the school.</p>
<p>I’m also a freshman from Massachusetts, I have encountered some people who are somewhat racist and some people who don’t like yankees but other than that, i haven’t had any major problems with people. I think that some of these smaller incidents may annoy some people enough to make them leave. I’m sure you can find people who are racist everywhere you go unfortunately. I have friends from the south, california, the north and of different races (african american, hispanic, asian, caucasian) at Clemson so I haven’t really been bothered by it at all.</p>
<p>While I live in another part of the state I make it to the Clemson area enough to know that outside of the school the area is little rural, but it sits right next to a fairly large metro in Greenville-Spartanburg. Like most areas of the south the influx from the north and other places has greatly changed these rural areas over the last 20 years. What you encounter when you leave the campus will simply be a product of where you go, like anywhere else in the country. If you are white and go to some areaas you will see racism just as you will from any other race and go into certian other areas. This is life and is no different than anywhere else in the world. Believe me I know I have been all over this country and world and seen it.
Now a days I would bet the number of kids at Clemson who parents where born in SC is not what it use to be. As someone else has already pointed out it is no different from most any other school. Clemson’s pushes to get the best kids from around the country so you are seeing about 35% student body from outside SC, and they will bring with them the view and opinions from thier own part of the country.</p>
<p>There is racism in the south but it is only different than that of the north or west or mid-west fact is they all exist and I am not sure how one could be judged to be worse than any other. It is an evil we live with and must fight reguardless of where we find it. To make statements that things were so bad a student had to leave makes me wonder more about the student then the school.</p>
<p>Check these pages out about some of things Clemson students did that was racist in the recent past. (MLK Party)</p>
<p>Article:
[Clemson</a> MLK Day Party Mocking Blacks Stirs Up Controversy - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com](<a href=“http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/137032/clemson_mlk_day_party_mocking_blacks.html?cat=9]Clemson”>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/137032/clemson_mlk_day_party_mocking_blacks.html?cat=9)</p>
<p>Pictures:
<a href=“http://www.racialicious.com/2007/01/30/clemson-university-students-also-throw-gangsta-party-on-mlk-day/[/url]”>http://www.racialicious.com/2007/01/30/clemson-university-students-also-throw-gangsta-party-on-mlk-day/</a></p>
<p>
Without making excuses for that (which really is extraordinarily tacky), Clemson is no better or worse than most other universities in that respect.</p>
<p>Racist jingle at Tufts:
<a href=“http://www.thefire.org/public/pdfs/8248a205683e611ca7239c8d6fa3439e.pdf?direct[/url]”>http://www.thefire.org/public/pdfs/8248a205683e611ca7239c8d6fa3439e.pdf?direct</a></p>
<p>“Halloween in the Hood” party at Hopkins:
[Johns</a> Hopkins fraternity suspended after racially themed Halloween party - Examiner.com](<a href=“Examiner is back - Examiner.com”>Examiner is back - Examiner.com)</p>
<p>“South of the Border” party at Santa Clara:
[Theme</a> party provokes outrage - News](<a href=“http://www.thesantaclara.com/news/2007/02/15/News/Theme.Party.Provokes.Outrage-2722134.shtml]Theme”>http://www.thesantaclara.com/news/2007/02/15/News/Theme.Party.Provokes.Outrage-2722134.shtml)</p>
<p>College kids, even very intelligent ones, can do some exceedingly dumb things. Clemson is no exception.</p>
<p>But with SC having a high population of blacks, maybe people will have a bit more sense about the things they do. Clemson is a cool place and the South is not as racist as most people think. Being a black SC resident the really racist thing I get offened by living in SC is the Confederate Flag in general and at the St. Capital (not a really big issue to get work over about). Other than that most people tend to mingle with each other, but no joke you see a huge divide of people when it comes to hanging out. Like in high school and while I was a Clemson over the last two summers, students perfer to hang out with people who like them, so like in a class picture for my case it would come out as a bunch of black people and some hispanics (the minorities) sitting all around and you have whites together (with a few minorites) in the sprinked of the picuture, and then a small group of everyone(all races) around the permieter. NO JOKE. But, each race will greet each other with respect. Its not like when a white person sees a black person they say “Hows it going N!!!” and the black person is like “Nothing much Cr***”. ROLF!! Everyone is preety cool with each other here and people pride themsevles on Southern Hosipitalty no matter what race. Really if anything was an issue is Southerns making fun of Yanks(Northerns, not just people from New York) who come down here. ROLF! JK!</p>
<p>I think the common response “racism is everywhere” isn’t answering the question. Obviously in the previously Confederate south, racism will be more prevalent. I have two cousins at Clemson, one who has voiced her concerns with people making comments that she’s the “token black girl” or that she is “white on the inside.” Also, she has voiced that people unnecessarily add the word “sistah” or “girlfriend” to the end of sentences directed to her. These are minimal incidences, but incidences nonetheless. I am not the type of person to let people’s moronic actions to inhibit my education and I am still awaiting my admissions decision from Clemson. I guess the moral of the story is, yes, there are going to be people with backwards mentality, but the amount of people who are open-minded, loving, and accepting run far more abundantly at Clemson. The small percentage of the population who may think it is still 1834 shouldn’t stop anybody from making the most of their education as Clemson is an outstanding institution of higher learning.</p>
<p>I was not trying to use “racism is everywhere” to answer the question but rather to explain the someones take on “Southern Racism” is just a variation on perceptions of racism they bring with them from their own life experiences.
What I was trying to express is the fact that racism is no greater in the south than anywhere else. It is different but having had the chance to live allover the country I can guarantee that it no more prevalent in the south than anywhere else, just expressed differently.
In fact I would even go so far to say that in some places in the north racism is much “prevalent” than in most of the south. In the south the issues of race are something we continue to deal with and accept almost universally that we have not yet solved. In many other parts of the country they see the south and shake their heads at how bad the south is, but they in their naivety fail to realize that they have yet to confront the issue of racism in their own backyard!<br>
Ask yourself this which racism is worse: The man who sneers at you to your face and lets you know he thinks you not his equal or the man who does it behind your back but never to your face? Both are ignorant but at least I know who I would rather deal with!</p>
<p>this is one of the biggest things I am worried about. i want to go away to school and learn new things and all that. Clemson seems like a great place to do this. However, i live in Southern California, my twin sister was the only blonde in our high school for 3 years. Its not racism that im worried about its actually being the majority for once. Its going to be a huge culture shock. I just hope that people in the south are as welcoming and understanding as everyone says they are. But on a side note, if they have steak n shake it can make it all better, that place was sent from god. haha very close runner up to in-n-out.</p>
<p>Well I know that Clemson ranks high on the list for happiest students (not biggest party school) with a large student body, and so many kids from OOS if it were a problem I think it would be reflected in the overall feeling about the school by the students</p>
<p>Good point. I saw that stat on the site… Stats do not lie… im pretty excited to visit. There is still a good time at clemson right? haha</p>
<p>Thanks for all of this input. Like kyleram07, I’m from Southern California, where I really don’t experience any racism. I mean, I have one white friend who hates blacks, but that still surprises me because he’s the only one I know of and I find the concept odd.</p>
<p>I was having this concern about Clemson and Alabama, but I think that I may have been overreacting. To Clemson at least. Alabama still worries me.</p>