How racist is Mississippi?

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I am a Mississippian and had an experience last August.

On a Sunday afternoon, I was going to get a "to go" ("takeaway") order from a cafeteria and was quite casual: knit shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals. When I got there, a crowd from a recently finished service at a large mostly black church was there--of course well dressed. Did I feel awkward? Yes. Did I feel embarassed? Yes. Did I feel threatened? No. The people there were quite friendly with one another and what interactions I had with them were polite and mutually respectful.

Checking out, I got past an older black man using a cane so I could open the doors for him, and felt good doing it.

I don't care for those who think their skin color alone entitles them to a free ride for life. I have the same ire for those black organizations who don't think their main goal is to work themselves out of a job. Booker Washington warned of "race hustlers" back in 1910, so they have been here for quite a while.

I would say, in many cases, that people might have racists THOUGHTS at times---but, when it comes down to it, believe that we are, after all, people.

This is reflected in a large quantity of respectful, friendly interactions between adults of different races in all states in the United States.

Most people's racism these days, which, by the way, I believe is not based upon any logic, is of a relatively subtle variety, and usually is considerably diluted upon actually encountering people of different races on a day-to-day basis. The key to getting rid of racism, in my opinion, is the encouragement of actual interactions between people of different races, ethnic groups, and nationalities.

Education is the key, really.

Most of the time, any sort of "bias" is based upon a lack of knowledge.

I don't recall any racism when I went to Mississippi in the late 1980s. On the other hand, I was refused service in an Ohio McDonalds around that time.

^^ Are you black?

Asian

^^ Wow----that's even MORE interesting!

I've been to most of the Rust Belt states. They are only rusty in parts of the inner cities.

Mississippi as well as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee it really depends on what part of the state you are in.

It depends on the people you meet. The main problems with MS are Phil Bryant (the governor) and a barely existent economy, due to a lack of industry.

This is the state flag of Mississippi. What more needs to be said?

History is history, warts and all. It seems that any founding father who had any imperfect trait (e.g., owning slaves) is not worthy of having any monuments, holidays, or streets named after him. Come to think of it nobody would measure up. People who are "offended" by the Mississippi flag will be offended by something else tomorrow.

Meanwhile, how does being offended help resolve racial conflicts? Maybe never, the "race hulstlers" want to stay in business. Is changing the Miss. Flag and wiping out the history of Robert E Lee, etc. going to be offered as a trade to wiping out MLK?

Of course, some people bandy racist as anyone they disagree with.