Montana reeks of racism

[AVID]

The ease with which many Montanans make racist remarks about the Native American population baffles me.

Commonly heard claims:
A burglary? Probably an Indian
Trashy house? Indian lives there
They're always drunk, aren't they?
Keep an eye on that one.
They have their own time table - and NEVER pay

I moved here from Atlanta a few years ago - I had to move out of the suburbs and to midtown to get away from the racist undertones of the south. But, I haven't gotten used to the blatant verbal racism common in everyday Montana speak.

And the dirty looks when I call them out? Whew!

[Stephanie]

1. What town are you in?

That's not the Montana I know.

[AVID]

2. Sadly, its a part of Montana, not all, but part

[Egalitariat]

3. No racism in Ennis

how could you have any hate in your heart while gulping a Moose Drool in the Madison Valley?

[AVID]

5. you make three great pts! ennis, moose drool madison valley

ahhhh - need to get over there more often

[truthseeker1]

4. Yes, it is racist there

and not just towards Indians. One Halloween when I went out to a couple of bars in Bozeman, there was more than one person "dressed up" as a black person. It was shocking and disgusting. They seemed totally oblivious to how racist they were being. They really saw nothing wrong with it. In many cases it is pure ignorance.

[Boosterman]

8. Isnt racism partly dependent on intent?

*quote
They seemed totally oblivious to how racist they were being. They really saw nothing wrong with it. In many cases it is pure ignorance.
*quote

[Boosterman]

6. And the broad brush award goes to

n/t

[Paleocon]

10. I was gonna say...

where does one buy such a brush???

[Stephanie]

7. I think maligning an entire state is out of line

I think it's out of line to say an entire state is racist. I grew up in Montana and I never heard any such thing. That's a gross generalization unsupported by any facts except your say so.

[AVID]

9. Not entire state at all

I love so much about this state .
But I will continue to remind the many ignoramousses that live here what racism sounds like.

[Stephanie]

12. Please see your own thread title

[truthseeker1]

11. My brother moved up there to "get away from the Mexicans" in CA

and constantly digs on CA (I live in LA) asking if it's a third world situation down here yet. His sneering condescension is unbearable.

There are lots of people in MT like that. Not all and not the entire state, but many folks think if they just move to where there aren't any brown people, then they can just pretend they don't exist. Honestly, sometimes I really wonder how we can be related. Oh yeah, btw, this is someone who ran for MT assembly in Nov (Repub) and gave the incumbent a pretty good run (55/45) and will likely run again......

[greendog]

13. White Supremacists are recruiting in my neighborhood (Kalispell) ...

...trying to, anyway.

In late October I noticed a plastic baggie containing a leaflet in my front yard.

It was from a group called The National Alliance. The heading was "Why can't she have pride in her European heritage? Below that were three photos of cute little white girls.

I looked them up on the net and found out they were "screaming kook racists".

And the Indiana town I grew up in was the home of the Grand Dragon...unfortunatly, it's everywhere.

[Boosterman]

14. To be fair

When I was in Montana we saw a bunch of those kooky compound types. Our rafting guide told us all kinds of horror stories. Maybe some of them were true.

[Rowdyboy]

15. I live in Mississippi so I'm never comfortable with general statements

like that. I've heard too many times that all white Mississippians are bigoted rednecks with pot bellies who beat up black people at random just for sport. Sure, there are ignorant assholes that fit that stereotype but they are a small group of inbred knuckle draggers. Most of my fellow citizens, while far more conservative than me, consider racists an embarrassment.

I'm sure Montana has its fair share of knuckle-draggers, but so do California and Pennsylvania and Missouri and all the other states.

I'm just glad you're still calling the bigots out. It's the only way they'll ever learn. Good luck.

[Boosterman]

16. I live in MS as well

I find it sort of amusing since everyone talks about how bad the state is. Its got downsides but it beats Memphis. Lower tax rates. The educational system is at least well funded if somewhat lacking. There are racists here...but actually I don't think its that much worse than everywhere else. 40 % of the state voted for Kerry. What would happen if say a little attention was shown to the state. 45% of California voted for Bush. Hawaii was actually considered a swing state for a bit. But MS is full of nothing but redneck trash. Pity. How many electoral votes just got flushed????