As a UA alum, I can assure you that people there don’t assume that a fellow student is Christian. UA has had a Jewish Frat and Jewish Sorority (albeit, unofficially so) for a very long time. They are even involved in the “Machine.” Furthermore, there are enough internationals on campus for people to realize that not everyone is Christian. Finally, I knew a number of atheists while there.
“There was a fairly recent article I believe by the UA student newspaper The Crimson White answering some concern about no Jewish woman sorority (I believe there has been a Jewish fraternity since the early part of this century). There is a Jewish Temple on Campus (Temple Emmanuel). There may be some Jewish student organizations.”
There is a Jewish sorority, although it is not officially Jewish. It was created by Jewish women years ago, and their UA chapter has been there for a very long time.
My son is an extremely liberal atheist and very open about his views. He lives in shorts and jeans and definitely has never considered dressing up to go to a football game. Ethnically he is 1/4 Indonesian and should probably self-identify as multi-race, but chooses to self-identify as Caucasian because that’s the group he identifies with. Although heterosexual, he has had 2 different homosexual male roommates in his time at Alabama. And he has been able to find his niche. There are nearly 30,000 people at Bama, many from other regions of the country.
I understand not wanting to travel far away from home and not fit in and I understand not wanting that for your child and at a small college that could be a risk. But in an environment with nearly 30,000 people, sometimes these threads just start to seem silly.
@Pizzagirl, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree–even though we both grew up in Philadelphia.
My mother was Jewish, my father Lutheran, and I grew up in lower middle-class suburbia, where I attended Roman Catholic schools when I was little. Trust me, NOBODY even knew what as Jew was–aside from being the “Christkillers” of the Bible.
The majority of my neighbors were Roman Catholic, but they most definitely considered themselves Christians. And they considered the Protestant neighbors to be Christians too. This was long before evangelicals appropriated the word “Christian” to mean “born again.”
And, FWIW, I have Jewish family in Charleston, Mobile, Birmingham, and Austin. They’re used to being in the minority and they’re fine with it.
“Unsophisticated” people are EVERYWHERE–it’s surely not limited to the South. It has much more to do with educational attainment and socioeconomic levels in my experience.
Just to know, we are Jewish and live in Chicago. All four of my children have had friends try to “convert” them while in Public School. They have even been asked what they will do when they do not go to heaven.
That type of thinking is EVERYWHERE. @LucieTheLakie is 100% correct.
You should see how many people show up for Hillel dinners and events. Even Christians show up to hang with their Jewish friends. Bama unites everyone. Students make friends based on common interests, just like everywhere else. Strangers are welcomed into tailgate parties. Nobody really cares about your background. As long as you hate Auburn, you’re all right.
"As a UA alum, I can assure you that people there don’t assume that a fellow student is Christian. UA has had a Jewish Frat and Jewish Sorority (albeit, unofficially so) for a very long time. They are even involved in the “Machine.” Furthermore, there are enough internationals on campus for people to realize that not everyone is Christian. "
Are the Jewish kids “confined” for lack of a better word to the Jewish houses? Sometimes a campus doesn’t have a Jewish fraternity or sorority precisely because they are accepted / welcome everywhere. Of course, sometimes that’s not the case and there isn’t a Jewish houss because the campus would be unwelcoming to it or there aren’t enough Jewish kids there to make it worthwhile.
bThis is very reassuring to hear this about Alabama. I seriously want to visit the campus some day, along with Ole Miss.
The Jewish kids are not confined to anything. The vast majority are not Greek, busy doing their own thing with whomever they like.
""As a UA alum, I can assure you that people there don’t assume that a fellow student is Christian. UA has had a Jewish Frat and Jewish Sorority (albeit, unofficially so) for a very long time. They are even involved in the “Machine.” Furthermore, there are enough internationals on campus for people to realize that not everyone is Christian. "
Are the Jewish kids “confined” for lack of a better word to the Jewish houses? Sometimes a campus doesn’t have a Jewish fraternity or sorority precisely because they are accepted / welcome everywhere. Of course, sometimes that’s not the case and there isn’t a Jewish houss because the campus would be unwelcoming to it or there aren’t enough Jewish kids there to make it worthwhile."
uh, no. Don’t forget that many if not most Southern Protestants are Christian Zionists and have a very deep respect for the Jewish people, due to the OT.
After watching the Chelsea Handler episode (her new documentary) where she interviews people at a park in South Carolina, I now get why people are asking questions on this thread like “are the Jewish people confined” (which gives me shuddering images of concentration camps). I had initially snorted when I read that remark as really out there.
I feel like I’m enlightened, educated and unbiased despite living in the south, BUT sometimes I forget that crap is still all around us until I see stuff like Handler shows. But I also feel like it is changing, as the barbecue guy (an elderly african american) said to Handler “yeah, it’s changing-50 years ago I would have been hanged for flirting with you.”
I like to think that the next generation in the south will continue to further that change for the better, especially with the continued influx of people from other cultures and locations.
@MotherOfDragons, well said. The upside is also that the significant attention Alabama specifically and the South generally (automotive jobs and innovation inclusive) is drawing talent and capital, along with lower corporate taxes, that will accelerate positive change. Many of those kids from Illinois, California and NY with Bama scholarships will have incentive to raise families and contribute economically in Huntsville, Birmingham, etc. This was the insight of Dr. Witt and Senator Shelby. Smart guys. I see many parallels between the development of Alabama and the city-state of Singapore. Shelby may have even met Lee Kwan Yew. Singapore was once Asia’s cultural back-water, alas.
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Speaking for myself, my concern would be how many describe things like religion discussions, saying sir or ma’am constantly, visibly present guns, confederate flags, and maybe other things I’m not thinking of at the moment.
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religion discussions? Heck, we do that here on CC…and the non-southerners are often the most vocal.
saying sir or ma’am constantly?? people here aren’t robots and this isn’t the military, but do you object to polite manners?
visibly present guns??? Yes, the police force carries guns. Doesn’t yours?
confederate flags? I’ve lived herd for YEARS and rarely see a confederate flag. I do see a lot of AMERICAN flags…particularly around national holidays…maybe some are offended by those???
Let me tell you, having young people say “sir” or “ma’am” to you all the time goes from feeling weird to feeling very nice. It’s not a constant thing with polite kids (or grownups) it’s usually more of an emphasis thing, like, would you like some red velvet cake? “Yes ma’am!”
Ok, maybe I struggled a little with being called “ma’am” lol. Makes me feel stodgy :).
There are many protestants who do not even know that Catholics are Christians. Some of the Christians may not be well catechized on Judaeo-Christian. Maybe some have never known someone of differing faiths before coming to a place like a university. My kids are respectful of others’ religious upbringing.
We have lived in AL since early 1980’s - grew up in WI and lived some years as married adults in TX.
I can assure you the major cities/University towns have been welcoming all from all walks of life (for the most part). Even in more of the less populous areas, due to less isolation, there seems to be greater acceptance of folks from diverse backgrounds.
Hope you can ‘see to believe’ and have an enlightening/positive experience on UA’s campus on visit @PhilaSkiMom in March.
In Alabama, being from LA means being from lower Alabama…
Sometimes it take a visit to dispel ideas of Alabama being state wide shotgun houses, dirt road, etc. However good BBQ can be found in AL, and in Tuscaloosa.
A representative from N AL was one of the proposers for the bill that began the interstate system in the 1950’s - his name was Bob Jones, and we have a HS named after him. The interstate system is alive and well in AL.
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Let me tell you, having young people say “sir” or “ma’am” to you all the time goes from feeling weird to feeling very nice
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Yes, it is. And it’s not something that is considered to be said “constantly”…unless you think that when others say “please,” that that is off-putting and annoying and said “constantly.” Jeez.
Other parts of the country (at least the ones with MANNERS), have their own phrases and ways. I grew up in Calif, and when someone would offer you something, we would say, “Yes, please” or just “please.” In the south, the answer would be, “yes, ma’am,” or “yes, sir” (altho the South is probably used to us transplants answering with “please.” ) Maybe in certain parts of the country (the mannerless parts), residents just give a slight nod, a glare, or mumblish response. Now, that would be annoying.
Having grown up in Alabama and being an alum of UA, this notion that Southerners need to be cleansed of ignorance and racism and brought to enlightenment by Northerners is kinda offensive. I lived in California for nine years, and did not see any greater integration than in Alabama. In fact, upper class Whites there rarely live next to non Whites. The affluent Asians tended to live in their own communities and affluent Blacks in Ladera Heights. The affluent Persians in Westwood.
And how many here think that the people of Los Angeles are tolerant toward Christian fundamentalists? Yes, there is intolerance here, but there is also religious intolerance outside of the South in the other direction.
I agree that the surge in out of state enrollment will help transform Alabama for the better, but let’s not pretend that Southerners are in need of progressive missionaries.
Oh, Northerners are just as ignorant and racist-they just aren’t as social about it.
My point about being exposed to other cultures is that no one culture/religion has all the answers, but seeing other people live happily in a way that’s very different from what you were brought up in should give one pause for thought.
When all you ever see is the same thing reinforced by the same people, there isn’t a whole lot of brain plasticizing going on.