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

Texas? Parts.

You? 100%

 

The homeless? No we don’t hang out. But they know them - we talk and they know several by name. We know where several are during the day usually and we try to pack food to give. While this is good for the kids to see - it isn’t really exposure.

The kids have made friends with a kids from Sunday school whose families are from a socio-economic grouping. It’s not deep poverty but simikar to a lot of families I grew up with. A few of those are in my wife’s group of friends. And they do more regular things together.

I do agree that it is a trickier exposure to get here because the schools don’t offer it as easily.

 

Did I say that our school is filled with millionaire oil barons? No. It is basically made up of a few neighborhoods so you don’t pick up a lot of socioeconomic diversity that way. We are in the mid-income level so I will say they see the other side of the coin with some kids (who live in huge homes and have different things) so we get those questions. But I’m not going to insult all of us by suggesting that is socioeconomic diversity.

Beyond that - I have no idea where you are going with this with regard to the quoted post.

Your efforts to make it out as me saying that you must be uncultured hillbillies who have never seen another place than East Tennessee rather than directly refuting the statistics suggests to me that it’s a sore subject.

So sore that it explains your love of Trump, I think.

If this is your way of saying that you disagree that it is important to expose your children to diversity of thought and culture, then just say that rather than trying to put words in my mouth. By your statements about Gatlinburg I assume you are suggesting that one can travel outside Tennessee to experience other cultures. And of course that is true. But we travel to other places about once or twice a year. We would prefer to have that year-round exposure.

So rather than posting pictures, why don’t you explain to me a) why wanting that natural everyday exposure is silly or b) why thinking that East Tennessee doesn’t offer that in natural everyday ways is wrong. Educate me.

My problem with where we lived in Michigan was the kids could have a few Hispanic kids in their pre-school class, some Indian kids in our play group, an Asian kid at church - but those families didn’t have a critical mass of their own cultures and it was difficult to really have that real exposure. We found it refreshing here when we moved that there was critical mass and there were real cultural differences - in all the beauty and mess that brings.

 

Yeah......no.

 

Heres three fun numbers.

104000

90000

52000

Care to guess what those numbers are?

 

.

 

The stadium seating of Kyle field, the Rose Bowl, and Stanford Stadium?

 

Nope.

Williamson county.....

Your county.....

Knox county.....

Median incomes

Funny it went 55.6 for Beto. I wouldnt want to leave either. Thats a perfect upper middle class woke bubble. Thats legit diversity right there.

 

So what part of any of that hard-hitting analysis is inconsistent in general with what I have said? Or any of the points I am making or have conceded?

I’m being as analytical about it as I can be and trying to recognize the relative strengths and weaknesses.

However there are a few pieces that are also worth including. I said that we were more 55/45 red because our precinct and local area tended to vote more that way then the entire county.

That median income is about right for our area. There are areas of the county that are significantly lower - but also some that much higher. Just happens that our area sits in the middle.

We placed ourselves where we did because of the schools. The diversity in the schools and their ranking. However that usually means that you are also going to have less socioeconomic diversity with the high ranking - when tends to be an unfortunate national statistic.

The church we go to is in one county over and is able to get a better distribution of socioeconomic groups, but it is a downside of living where we do that the schools don’t offer it. The schools themselves are diverse from each other with regard to socioeconomic groups - but individually the population density is so high, each is made up of just a few neighborhoods.

I think I’ve stated facts and what we are trying to do to get the kids exposure we want them to have and that my wife (and me too, though it’s even more important to her) was worried they’d lack in Eat Tennessee. This wasn’t the only factor in our decision - but for my wife it was the biggest. For me, the diversity downside was lower because I miss the area so much - geographically and family. And as I said before, she really doesn’t want to live in an area that red. This was a big factor I know. Truth is I don’t either but the difference is I don’t really want to live in an area that is that blue either.

So continue to have at your stretching of what I am saying to fit a narrative. But those are the facts as I see them.

 

Just tells me all I need to know Mr. Upper Middle Class Woke Boy. Best of luck keeping that family woke as possible.

 

Can I refer back to the last page or two the next time the term "liberal snowflake" gets thrown around? Some great salt and tears going on here.

 

Sure, thatd be the beat thing you would have posted yet.

 

Haha. Ok.

Thanks for the luck. I hope to. Not sure why that’s a problem with you.

I do appreciate the socioeconomic considerations you raised. As I acknowledged, there is value there as well - and it is just as important as cultural diversity.

 

The thought has certainly occurred to me in this discussion.

 

I doubt you do too much. Its fun to consider, going from brentwood to birthday parties in trailer parks and housing projects is usually where it aint fun to be woke anymore. Fun to know their names at church, different story to really interact with them.

 

I'm not sure I've posted any "beat thing(s)" yet, so, yeah, you're probably right.

 

Arent you a smart cookie.

 

I said that our kids know some of the homeless members at church names (these are adults).

They know more than the names of the kids at church that I was talking about - these are friends. But I know that doesn’t fit your narrative. What does fit your narrative - It is true that none of these kids live in trailers - some apartments, some houses. None live in housing projects. Yet, at least.

They do see this side of things with some family. But that’s not an every week thing.

I do think the experiences you describe are the important ones. The idea that exposure to poverty is volunteering at a food kitchen (which is good to do but not for purposes of exposure) is stupid. It is the natural everyday experiences that are important - and that is what you are describing.

 

Sounds like your doing parenting right TT.


I do hope that I can teach my children to judge others on their actions and attitude instead or status or skin color.

 

Thanks. We do it our way is all I know. But as I said before, if anyone wants to debate the merits of political and cultural diversity I’ll listen. I think there’s great value in it.

With regard to your last points, I completely agree and would wager pretty much everyone here would also agree both in theory and practice.