<p>the midwest is quite a bit more racist than the people who have posted so far would lead you to believe. i'm doubting whether any of them are black anyway so i'm not sure why they're commenting on that in the first place. race relations are very much an issue in michigan at the very least. one of my friends that i've known all my life was arrested based on racial profiling recently, under the suspiscion that he was a gang member rather than the Christian role model he really is (he was arrested "for a noise infraction"). racism in the midwest usually isn't as blatant as I've expereinced in the south though i'm not so sure thats such a good thing. the subtlety of it here allows for it to continue unchecked since most people just choose to pretend it doesn't exist kind of like the previous posters. on a brighter note bloomington is really cool especially since there are great caves there if you're into that kind of thing. I surveyed Buckner's Cave just last month. The caves are owned by a conservancy though so good luck getting in if you're interested.</p>
<p>The two midwestern metro areas I lived in were both highly racially segregated by neighborhood/area.</p>
<p>In one of the two, the "white" population was itself highly ethnically diverse.
The other was very homogeneous, non-ethnic, and very conservative.</p>
<p>Coming from the East coast, I noticed what seemed like a lot of blonde hair in both midwest areas I lived in.</p>
<p>But I was only in these two individual metro areas; can't speak for a whole region.</p>
<p>Grim67, the Emancipation Proclamation proclaimed all slaves in the seceded states free (not the states still within the Union). The 13th Ammendment, yes, officially prohibited slavery within the Northern states as well and some states that remained with the Union. So Lincoln freed the slaves in the South, while the states ratified an ammendment that then freed the slaves in the rest of the country (the North). So which act actually freed more slaves? Hint: the North didn't have too many slaves ;).</p>
<p>Agree to disagree? I don't see what we're disagreeing on. You have the right to fly the Confederate flag. I agree. But currently, most of the non-South will be offended by it. Should they be? No, because you're not being racist. (which by the way I'm pretty sure it's legal to be racist anyhow; you can't throw someone in jail for saying 'i hate black people' unless it crosses into their business practices, etc aka discrimination) Don't be surprised when people get ****ed at the sight of the Confederate flag though.</p>
<p>Yes, the Confederate flag supports states' rights which we hold dear. But let's not ignore the fact that is supported the states' right <em>to have slaves</em>. It was the wrong battle to fight for states' rights. I'm not trying to be some elitist a-hole. If the North's economy relied on labor intensive agriculture, they would probably have had slaves as well. It's not like the people of the North are morally superior. But the Confederate flag represents a divide in the country. It's a reminder of North vs South that we can do without. It's like the South is giving the finger to the North. Saying "we're still here, ready to fight." It comes off as very adversarial, not friendly. Sorry, but until the entire nation can fly the Confederate flag in unity to support state's rights (which seems unlikely), it will always be a divider. Whatever happened to "United we stand, divided we fall?" Fly the American flag, for chrissake. Or should the North create a new flag representing the Northern states of the Union and start flying that everywhere? And start saying idiotic phrases like "the North shall conquer again?" The Civil War is over. Give it a rest.</p>
<p>Monyday, your picture of the Midwest is a bit distorted. There are racist and homogenous communities in every region of the country. In fact, the Midwest contains the most traditionally "blue" states; aka ones that typically favor minority rights in government (along with the upper Northeast).</p>
<p>You've seen "a lot of blonde hair" in the midwest? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to liken the people of the Midwest to the Hitler youth or something? This is the kind of elitist attitude from the East I'm talking about. There is absolutely no rational scientific reason why there would be more blonde haired people in the Midwest whatsoever.</p>
<p>The Midwest has Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, St Louis. Chicago itself has Greek town, Chinatown, Little Italy, the list goes on and is the country's home for jazz music. Barack Obama is Illinois' US Senator for chrissake. What does the East have for diversity? NYC? Yeah, tons of minorities on Broadway... and VERY friendly people...</p>
<p>Oh wait, the East Coast does have Greenwich, Connecticut. The second richest, whitest suburb in America.</p>
<p>"There is absolutely no rational scientific reason why there would be more blonde haired people in the Midwest whatsoever."</p>
<p>Actually, there is. The upper midwest was settled originally by many people from Scandanavia. There are lots of Norwegians, Swedes, Finns and Germans - populations with a much higher percentage than average of blonde haired, blue eyed folks. When my son was little, his black hair and dark eyes made him almost look Hispanic compared to the other kids in his pre-school and kindergarten classes. So it does not surprise me at all to hear someone remark that they see more light haired people in the midwest.</p>
<p>Why not consider the University of Wisconsin?</p>
<p>It's obvious there aren't many southerners here at CC. The way the OP and others have trashed the south in this thread is what's pretty disgusting. Plenty of nasty stereotypes can be conjured up about someone with a screename like 'SoCal' too.</p>
<p>Comparing the Confederate flag to the N word is also in poor taste. You can be proud of being a southerner without being a racist. If people outisde the south are the ones who can't understand this maybe they're the ones with a problem</p>
<p>
[quote]
I visited Nashville, and I really don't like it. Well basically just the people. The people seemed really racist, like they can't get over that they lost, and it seemed like a city of country music loving hicks.....I mean it just was discusting, to see teenagers with confederate flag cell phone covers.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Are you interested in what the Midwest is really like, or what people decide about it after making some snap judgments?</p>
<p>"You can be proud of being a southerner without being a racist."</p>
<p>YES, of course you can! But do you have to fly the confederate flag in order to be a proud southerner? The south was only 'country' (or so it claimed to be) for a few years; today (believe it or not) it's part of the union, and the confederate flag not only symbolizes racism but also division within our country. Why can't you just fly your state flag, or a flag with a bowl of grits on it or something? (Btw i love grits! they had them in our dining hall this morning and they were yum!)</p>
<p>First of all, people get way too damn defensive about this *****.</p>
<p>Second of all, I want to reply to some other posters.</p>
<p>laxguy8947 - there is nothing wrong with socal. It is absolutely perfect. People would only say something bad about it, bc they are jealous that they don't live there.</p>
<p>hoedown - I would like to hear snap judgments, bc first impressions are always the most important.</p>
<p>Okay I decided I probably won't apply to Indiana, bc I'd rather have ASU as my safety school. Arizona seems way nicer than Indiana.</p>
<p>I'll be sure to visit before I decide though....thanks</p>
<p>
[quote]
Btw i love grits! they had them in our dining hall this morning and they were yum!
[/quote]
Ugh, I can't stand grits. It's like eating wet sand. :eek:</p>
<p>I suppose I just don't get the point of all this. Wasn't the question about the Midwest? I'm curious too. Growing up in the deepest Deep South one might possibly find, I'm a little worried about other folks' opinions of America's South. I'm thinking about attending a college near Chicago. Do you folks really refer to Southerners as 'backwards' and 'hicks' on such a regular basis as this board suggests? My goodness. Btw, most of the descriptions of "honest, straightforward, hard-working Midwesterners" sounds <em>exactly</em> like the South. Exactly. And yes, I see confederate flags every once in a while (never on a car, though). I usually laugh at them with my friends- friends of various races, including African Americans. What's the big deal? We have our kooks, same as everyone else. :) I'm not proud of them, the same way no one else is proud of the idiots in their states. Why are we the ones defined by ours? Y'all need to come on down for a visit sometime. I've done the same for the other regions of the country, and I'm always surprised at how many stereotypes this little thing called reality can shatter. I wish you could see the real South. You don't know what you're missing.</p>
<p>laxguy8947 - there is nothing wrong with socal. It is absolutely perfect. People would only say something bad about it, bc they are jealous that they don't live there.</p>
<p>I don't even know where to start with this. The fact that you can even make this statement pretty much makes my point. </p>
<p>YES, of course you can! But do you have to fly the confederate flag in order to be a proud southerner? The south was only 'country' (or so it claimed to be) for a few years; today (believe it or not) it's part of the union, and the confederate flag not only symbolizes racism but also division within our country. Why can't you just fly your state flag, or a flag with a bowl of grits on it or something? (Btw i love grits! they had them in our dining hall this morning and they were yum!)</p>
<p>The flag may not be the best or most pc symbol of southern pride, but at this point I don't think it has much to do with racism. That's an antiquated perception. Talk about division within our country is mostly irrelevant. The south and its culture will always be more apart of America than anything California has to offer.</p>
<p>Oh fiddle dee dee...great balls of fire!</p>
<p>mid atlantic states anyone???</p>
<p>but seriously.. I'm like most people on here who worry about going to college in a different region of the country, but I think we all need to remember that wherever we go we're gonna find some type of americans we can get along with</p>
<p>Ohio is in the Midwest, but Cincinnati is more like the south and Cleveland is more like, hmm, a small Philadelphia.</p>
<p>I think that just about anyone could be happy at Ohio State in Columbus.</p>