robin1234

Along the same lines as sex shops and strip shows in the conservative, supposedly "Christian" states, I believe statistics mostly show that divorce rates are significantly lower in the "liberal" northeast than in the Bible Belt.

WJS

Agree with your comments and hate so many things about the southern culture (being one I can say that ) but having lived in Boston in the past I know where I would rather live.

The people are SO friendly and the service that we encountered was excellent not to mention the food and sunshine.

But sadly would love to change many things.

scrubbedexpat091

I find conservatives to be very hypocritical, they want others to live one way, and then do the very things they don't want others to do.

My mom's side of the family is divided and split because of politics, all are from deep red Texas, but my grandfather left at 18 for California, so my mom and her 2 brothers were all born and raised in California, and grandfather became a liberal blue California politician....lol

I've never been a fan of the south, some parts that I have been too, kind of scared me how backwards things seemed to be. (these were small southern towns, not large city's which might be nicer parts of the south.)

Driving through rural deep south eastern Texas in the late 90's to attend a funeral was a shock to this California raised teen (I was 16 at the time) I had never experienced that kind of town before, and it was concerning that the clan actually had billboards, not sure if they still do, but it was certainly a weird thing to see.

WJS

To be honest it sounds to me you could be describing any small town anywhere in the USA bar California perhaps.

Sally Redux

KKK?

Springy6

We've just arrived back from our school/home finding trip. As a teacher in the UK, I thought we were badly funded but one school we visited was so pleased to tell us that they no longer have chalk boards in the classroom, they have OHPs and visualisers - equipment my classroom got rid of 10 years ago!

Mallory

Kim, Kourtney, Khloe.

scrubbedexpat091

The town I had to drive through was Jasper, TX and they had plenty of racist billboards back in the late 90's. (No clue if they still permit this there.)

It was also just after the linked event had happened there, I won't lie that I as a little concerned about going through there, but didn't stop, just got through as quick as possible.

Murder of James Byrd, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

They apparently still don't bury blacks and whites in the area of the cemetery and have it segregated still.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/us...are-again.html

The deep south can be a scary place if your not white.

scrubbedexpat097

I hope most people would not judge Texas on towns like Jasper.

It's true that there are still separate cemeteries but a big reason is a lot of them are small cemeteries that are more church related.

This is how my small town is. There is one cemetery for Catholics and another for Baptist then just out of town where the old Mount Zion church is which has a mainly black congregation the cemetery is right by it.

Not sure where we will be buried, the backyard maybe

scrubbedexpat091

I don't blame the whole state. I know places like Austin, and probably Dallas, and Houston are pretty much like any other city. And of course not all small towns are like Jasper.

Now I don't like Texas in general but I don't dislike it because of this town. The climate is the biggest reason I dislike the place, either hot and dry, or hot and humid...lol

scrubbedexpat097

I like, or rather tolerate Texas. The more we explore it the more I like it.
It is so large and so different. West Texas, and the mountains are probably my favorite. Wild open and uninhabited.

TopSec

Nothing odd about it Sugarmooma, as I said it is how I perceive it

We eat at various places,mainly West Side, anywhere from Perry's to Panda Express

steveq

Like so many minds in Texas...

scrubbedexpat097

Really?

Guindalf

I think steveq was using sarcasm mode!