POLITICS “More Sensitive: Bunnies or East Tennesseans?” Discussion

Im just a dumbass uncultured east Tennessean, got to enjoy my entertainment where I can.

 

I’m sorry, do you feel that way about East Tennesseans?

 

I guess it's just the mindset this place produces.

 

Overly sensitive to outsiders is a mindset the area definitely produces.

Dumbass, depends on the individual. Wouldn’t say it is unique to the area. Sorry if you feel it is.

Uncultured - depends on your definition I guess. Sounds like an over generalization of what the area produces.

 

Again, im just a poor ol tennessean. Not nearly ad understanding as transplant Texans of diversity and how the world works.

 

Let me help you understand then since I’m a transplant Texan.

Easy Tennessee lacks political diversity. It is not unique in that. Boston, where I used to live, lacks political diversity. Not only is there one dominant political lens through which the word is viewed, the opposing political groups tend to be clustered, which leads to infrequent points of contact or mixing of ideas. Sure - everyone works with that one guy or goes to church with that one woman, but they generally aren’t faced with political diversity every day. The tide may be aligned to them or against them but it is generally 70/30 in East Tennessee vs 50/50. When I posted about it Tues night, I was pointing out how my wife was using the Blackburn election results to illuminate the mono-political landscape in a East Tennessee. For her, it’s the color of it that is a problem. If she could have a mono-political Blue like Boston she’d take it. But I wouldn’t prefer either, personally.

East Tennessee also lacks cultural/racial/international diversity - particularly when it comes to the experiences of children. (This isn’t to say that East Tennesseans are uncultured - that means something altogether different. Some have few experiences with other cultures - others have experienced them. I’m sorry that you find yourself as someone who is uncultured.)

Let’s try some examples.

Maryville has good schools. Let’s send our kids there. Well, 88% white, 4% Hispanic, 3% black, 3% Asian.

Well, let’s try Farragut instead. They have good schools. 81% white, 7% asian, 5% Hispanic, 3% black.

Hmm. Bearden? That’s a great schools 8/10. Dang. 79% white, 8% black, 6% Hispanic, and 4% Asian.

Maybe Oak Ridge. National lab there. Maybe that will help. 71% white, 15% black, 7% Hispanic, and 4% Asian.

That’s actually a fantastic percentage of African Americans. Generally it is just very low or very high. 15% is good. But still 71% white.

It’s difficult to send your kids to a school that will alllow for broad exposures to different races or cultures associated with them.

Churches even tend to be less diverse than the schools. So that doesn’t help.

So - do you send your kid places to get those experiences? Ask them to tutor? Well sending your kids to teach kids of other races isn’t bad - but it’s also not reinforcing strong images of these cultures. Rather - it is images that they need your help. So send them to tutor white kids too? That would help combat that. What else do you try? Are there clubs that would bring that diversity? An opportunity not to just be exposed to other cultures but to be immersed in a multicultural environment to learn how to navigate the sensitivities and draw on the strength? Maybe there are ways I’m not thinking about.

But I grew up in an even more challenged setting. Knoxville suburbs are more diverse than my hometown. Both politically and culturally. I was never exposed in those ways and had to learn my way through it - poorly in many cases - later.

If these aren’t facts and are rather unfair representations, correct me on it. The way I see it, we can debate whether these experiences (natural exposure to many cultures or political views) is important or positive. But it’s hard to debate the racial (and associated cultures) or political diversity itself.

 

So i assume you and your wife was thankful you are no longer in boston because of the same reasons? When is showed warren won she said "thank God we arent in that politically non diverse place anymore"?

And i find it downright hysterical you dont think you can find strong women role models here (aka, they aint feminist enough)

It is what it is TT. I get it.

 

East Tennessee is home to the strongest female role model that ever lived, imo, jmo, ijmho.

 

Myself, living in East Tennessee, I hate it.

Because people who live in East Tennessee just inherently hate diversity. That’s why.

Just ask any Texas asshat.

 

The point that I tried to make in my post above was that I am thankful we aren’t there. I didn’t like the the herd political mentality (and diversity was also a real problem in a lot of areas there too). But my wife frankly would have been fine with that. She doesn’t want to live in a place that red and I prefer it to be balanced. If I didn’t make that point above clearly, I meant to. I think the diversity political is more me (she’s more liberal than me). But cultures/races is both of us.

Actually you completely missed what I was saying with the strong female role model comment - probably because I added it in offhand with no explanation. I think you can absolutely have them in East Tennessee - plenty. If we moved there, I would want my girls to have them. No woman in my family went to college or built much of a career. I would want them to see examples of women who did if we moved there, rather than just using the family they would now grow up around as examples. That doesn’t have anything to do with feminist. The one thing that I would say would border on feminism is that I don’t want my daughters to think that the men are meant to be the chief decision maker in the household, which is definitely a message I heard when I lived in TN. My oldest girl isn’t going to listen to my wife and I (it’s becoming clear), so I’d want to offer her other examples that she would have to see that.

 

If I didn’t mean which part?

I had already clarified (before you asked about Boston) that for my wife politically it is less about diversity and more that it is just too red. For me - the political diversity matters. As for cultural diversity we are aligned. (We’ve thought a lot about what diversity means to us in that sense and we finally arrived at the majority race/culture is a low percentage - it’s not a clear cut thing to define).

As for what I meant about strong female examples - I didn’t see that there. But acknowledged that I didn’t provide backstory or explain what I meant.

I stand behind what I said.

The fact that when I point out that East Tennessee lacks political or cultural diversity - several of you in unison begin the tired chant of ‘oh us poor old uncultured hicks’ is interesting.

I gave an open invitation to correct me if these aren’t the facts about political or cultural (which is probably better said in some ways racial) diversity. I’ve lived there for a lot of my life and I’ve researched it since then. If I have it wrong - show me why.

If you disagree with the notion that it is a positive thing to expose your children to in a natural everyday setting, then debate that. That happens to be my opinion.

But it’s ridiculous to construe that into implying everyone is uncultured or bigots.

 

Just peer and gander at all of this diversity, m’lady.

 

Mr. Upper Middle Class Woke Boy finds offense when hes called out.

So tell me, whats the socio-economic diversity you expose your kids to there in the most diverse county in america?

 

?

 

Oh, me? Just appreciating all of this Texas diversity by publicly spinning my gender-fluid cisfriend ze’s (zer’s? zit’s? Zappy? Zapanthomy?) own alpaca-based menstrual cups.

Hook’em!

 

Who, moi?

Oh, just celebrating all of this Texas diversity via a locally-sourced Chai tea made with genuine platypus milk froth, and while listening to some jazzy 60’s protest vinyl on my restored Victrola, down on the waterfront.

Yee haw!

 

I’m clearly not the one offended here. It’s pretty funny given our individual tones in this exchange that your takeaway is that I am the one who is offended.

Again, in what I said, where am I getting the facts wrong.

Socio-economic diversity is the hardest one for us to build in naturally. The population density where we live is so high that even high schools are less than a few miles apart. So you don’t cover wide swaths of areas.

For us, that meant church. We found a church that has a great cross-section of attendees. It isn’t as racially diverse as their school - but it does bring a lot more socio-economic diversity. This includes a reasonably large number of homeless through the church’s homeless outreach and addiction programs. It’s not perfect but they’ve made friends in Sunday school that have allowed for good conversations. It’s not perfect. If you have suggestions for natural exposure to broad socio-economic backgrounds, I’m all ears.

Growing up, I guess I lacked that exposure to diversity as well. But I didn’t realize it. Nobody had very much money, but that was normal. Haha.

 

So you have your kids hang out with them on a regulat basis?

 

Ok, GS.

So Texas is hipster now?

 

Oh, look at Mr. Texas Oil Baron, over here.

Please, regale us, the unwarshed and shoeless masses, with the many signs and wonders you’ve seen first hand in the magical land of Texas and otherwise beyond our poor, dumb, bigoted Valley of Misery.

Having now twice been to Gatlinburg, I also consider myslef a man of the world.