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Goodbye Jesus

My Vacation In Fundyville


ShackledNoMore

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I just took a vacation in the deep South for a few days. Most of the time I was somewhere around the Smokey Mountains. The scenery was beautiful, we had a lot of fun, but damn! I compiled a little list of experiences, things I noticed. Granted, not all of these things are limited to Fundyville, but I don't think I've ever seen so many little things like this in such a short period of time, and a few things I just haven't seen at all elsewhere:

 

Of course there were a lot of churches. I think easily half of them were baptist, I think a little more in some pockets. Even pentecostal churches seemed few and far between compared to the baptist.

 

...and is seemed like those churches were well attended. At one of the motels we stayed in, there was a blacked out portion of Sunday morning where there was a planned unavailability of all staff. They were all in church, every last one of them.

 

Another motel we stayed in displayed one of those fish you see in too many businesses, even outside of Fundyville (or at least in the outskirts of Fundyville, where I live). It was a well known national chain--apparently it was OK with chain management for them to broadcast their religious affiliation.

 

It wasn't just motels. Overt xian propaganda was rampant in restaurants as well. I saw ten commandments posted in fast food restaurants. (I saw ten commandments posted in other businesses, too for that matter, it seemed popular. I'm guessing it was a backlash against "persecution" of xians from cases where they were not allowed to be imposed on all in government buildings.)

 

It gets worse. In a Wendy's, heavy hitting xian contemporary music was being piped obnoxiously throughout the restaurant. It wasn't even a Sunday. I'm not talking subtle stuff here. One of the songs was a contemporary adaption of Amazing Grace, retaining the original lyrics (at least I remember hearing the first verse) and adding more about having been set free.
:repuke:
And the other songs were of the same ilk.

 

We did get a superficial courtesy most places we went, especially outside of the heavy duty tourist areas--I'd almost call it exaggerated. Southern hospitality, I guess. However, we had one experience unlike anything I've ever had. I'm still flabbergasted. We ate in a restaurant of this little town of about 250 people. As far as I can tell there wasn't anything "weird" about any of us, but the way we were gawked at, you'd think we had arms growing out of our foreheads. It wasn't just one weirdo gawking like that--I know you can always run into a random weirdo--it was all the customers. I don't think I've EVER been gawked at like that and drawn that kind of attention except when I lived in Japan, but there it wasn't a BAD thing, it was more of an obvious curiosity. In the restaurant, someone would look at us, murmur something to their spouse, and we'd get these cold, disapproving looks! It was pretty weird and bizarre, not only unique to other experiences, but also unique within our trip--I don't know WHAT was up with that!

 

And so continues stuff we noticed with businesses. There was a kids arcade/putt putt/games place. Once again, we were greeted with the ten commandments. But it didn't stop there. There were bible verses throughout. Literally everywhere you looked. The putt putt course had a different bible verse to propagandize at every single hole. There were posters hanging up proclaiming that "god is awesome." But it didn't end there. The kids went to cash in their tickets and there were only 30 left. One kid wanted a bracelet type thingy. It was cloth and had a basketball on it. The other kid wanted one, too. I thought I'd suggest two cheaper 15 ticket bracelets. Oops, the only other bracelets they had were all inscribed with "god's team" on them. No, I kid you not.

 

I didn't see this in the tourist areas like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, but what I DID see there were major attractions dedicated to the cult. There was this place called "Cristus Gardens" and some sort of "Miracle Theater" or some such thing like that. And I saw church vans and buses making pilgrimages to these areas from all over the South!

 

There were a lot of wedding chapels in the area--sort of like Las Vegas with an xian emphasis replacing the "anything goes" atmosphere. I wondered how those worked--I guess they're not worrying about the xian pre marriage counseling that most evangelical churches seem to want when all the big bucks from the cottage wedding industry are in play.

 

I noticed something in another area too: One of my hobbies is geocaching, a high tech treasure hunt where people hide a small container with a log book and usually trinkets to trade. Normally, where I live, I find about one cache in 50 with (a) religious themed trinket(s), and about one in 100 with something overt like a Chick track or other proselytizing material. Here I found a couple things like that in the more limited number of caches I found. I also noticed there was a series of about 30 "He's Alive" caches with a very explicit theme.

 

Of course, there also seemed to be a bit higher percentage of the usual hats, shirts, novelty plates, billboards, and "creative" messages for gawd (e.g., "Jesus Saves" tires).

 

All these observations I made within the space of maybe four days. Outside of church circles, I have never seen such overt, in your face immersion in xian dogma in such concentration, in such a short time span, EVER. I think even those in other versions of the cult other than fundamentalism and evangelical would have a rough time in some of those areas. I guess this must be par for the course for those here who live in the heart of Fundyville, and my sympathy goes out to you--it has to suck majorly. In general we did have a lot of fun on our vacation--we pretty much ignored all of this stuff, but in one way I'm glad to be out of Fundyville and back in merely the outskirts.

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Shackled...what part of the country do you live if I might ask? I used to live in Tennessee and I never noticed a huge amount of "in your face" as you described. I have lived outside of the south but now live in the panhandle of FL. I don't know, but maybe I just never paid much attention or it never bothered me as it does you. Sorry you felt the way you did....

I live in Central Florida. I perceive the Panhandle to be much more similar to other parts of the South than here. In a sense, the further south you go in Florida, the further north you are.

 

Two things, though: We did have a really fun time on our vacation. My rant and observations don't reflect any traumatic feelings whatsoever, just that I noticed a contrast (and that I prefer a more secular environment). Second, I'm not sure that "in your face" was the best description I could have used. For all the reminders of xian culture in the south, nobody actually proselytized to me during the vacation. In fact, I didn't see any flashy mega-churches ala OCC (which Benny Hinn established). In that sense, I guess it would be less in your face, yet it just seemed a lot more ubiquitous than it is here with all those little reminders.

 

The other odd thing is that I've been to the south before--I have to pass through it to go anywhere else. Just within the past year I spent a couple of days in the Raleigh NC, area, and it was nothing like this visit. Just like you say I didn't get the same sense I did on this particular visit. Maybe it's more cosmopolitan there than in Western NC/Eastern TN, or maybe this visit was just a fluke. I can't say this vacation was very much like drives I've taken through the south, either, although, I didn't tend to stop for several days.

 

But some things on this particular trip did strike me with their contrast: I don't think I EVER would hear xian music in a Wendy's or bible verses in a putt-putt course where I live.

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:ouch: This country is worse off then I feared. I'm sorry to for any ex-c member that has to live there.

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Shackled..I did not mean to hijack your thread or have a tirade on your dime, that was not my intent. I did not mean to insult or hurt anyone who is on this site, I guess I just had enough of the rest of the world casting dispersions upon the culture of the area of the country I love. Japedo...no offense meant at you either. Absolutely NONE of my little tirade was aimed at either of you nor anyone on this board.

 

 

Burned, as much as we disagree, I can only count on one finger were I ever felt offended, and that ended up due to a miscommunication.

 

I don't think Shackled painted the entire south to be fundyvill, but jesus Christ.. sitting in wendys? Going to Mini-Golf? Being looked at and made to feel uncomfortable ..... It's creepy, and I'd probably be so overcome with being uncomfortable I'd say what the FUCK are you looking at, do I have a booger or something hangin? I'd hear banjos playing and I would be seriously freaked and would leave.

 

 

Although the Northeastern USA tends to be far more Catholic. Same religiousness just different flavor.

 

Where in the north east? Christ you're more likely to be mugged or shot then to run into any sort of public Religiousness. It's not advertised up here. Most people don't talk to each other, most people don't give a shit who worships what. Yes I see a few license plates that say "Jesus Saves" but I see a lot more Wiccian, pagan, Coexist and BUllSHit bumper stickers then I do anything else, even in the more conservative area that I live, (Which I hope to be moving as soon as my kids are done school back to civilization LOL).

 

Gay marriage/ Civil unions are the norm up here. We are nothing like the south, not even close. I know many catholics who cuss as much as I do and can out drink me when we party. I know no one who talks about their religion unless it's a topic of conversation among close friends. Anyone standing on a street corner here handing out tracks is one of two groups, A Transplant who doesn't have a clue, or a Nut. Most will not even make eye contact with you, it's the nature of the North east. Most are to busy with their personal lives and in a hurry to give a shit about who's doing what.

 

People as a whole are pretty stand offish up here. Live and let live.

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Most people don't talk to each other, most people don't give a shit who worships what. Yes I see a few license plates that say "Jesus Saves" but I see a lot more Wiccian, pagan, Coexist and BUllSHit bumper stickers then I do anything else, even in the more conservative area that I live, (Which I hope to be moving as soon as my kids are done school back to civilization LOL).

 

Gay marriage/ Civil unions are the norm up here. We are nothing like the south, not even close. I know many catholics who cuss as much as I do and can out drink me when we party. I know no one who talks about their religion unless it's a topic of conversation among close friends. Anyone standing on a street corner here handing out tracks is one of two groups, A Transplant who doesn't have a clue, or a Nut. Most will not even make eye contact with you, it's the nature of the North east. Most are to busy with their personal lives and in a hurry to give a shit about who's doing what.

 

People as a whole are pretty stand offish up here. Live and let live.

 

General public attitude sounds similar to where I live.

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People as a whole are pretty stand offish up here. Live and let live.

 

Mmmm... you speak of the "motherland", and I miss it. Oh, the land of "milk and honey"; and by "milk and honey", I'm referring to drunken Irish-Americans, dropped-R's, gay marriage, not getting cussed/spat at for being northern, riots after the Red Sox win the Series, and a LOT less religiosity!

 

You make me want to go hoooommmmmme!

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Burned,

 

Just let me add that it was NOT my intent to cause offense of any sort.

 

If it crossed my mind that my post may have been taken as insulting it was only fleetingly and I dismissed it.

 

As I ate breakfast and went about my morning activities, I've been weighing how I came off. It is true that I was really taken aback by stuff like the restaurant music and that I would unashamedly rant on stuff like bible verses displayed in secular public businesses ANYWHERE, and I would certainly speak unfavorably of my own country at large compared with other more secular Western democracies when it comes to the display and influence of xian doctrine. On the other hand, I think I may have posted some things that may have implied a subtle disparagement, such as being glad to be back to the outskirts of Fundyville, or the restaurant gawking story--it will be an isolated anecdote that never happened to me elsewhere, south or not--rantworthy perhaps, probably off topic from the religious angle, so should I have included it? Well, if so, I still should not have used the term "Southern hospitality" and "exaggerated" in the same sentence. Any implied dispersion I may have cast upon the region was wrong of me, and I apologize for that. (I still rant about religiosity being infused into everyday life, and still like to see a higher Coexist/Jesus bumper sticker ratio, and still like to see support for gay marriages/civil unions, etc!)

 

Rest assured that I was not offended by anything you had to say, think nothing of that.

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My state is strange to begin with. Recently, I think we were the last state in the country to repeal cohabitation between members of the opposite sex. Just to sew up that vacuum, we were 1 of the 11 states to pass gay-marriage amendments. Politically, we have 2 senators and 1 representative in Congress who are Democrat while our state houses and governor's office are dominated by Republicans. There is no outward showing of religion except for the crowds at the churches and the occassional missionaries (Mormon and Jehovah's Witnesses), but it was fundy freak from Bismarck that headlined Jesus Camp. To be honest, I think the cultural identity is very schizophrenic.

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As a lifetime Tennessean, I say cast those aspersions all you like. Stereotypes exist for a reason. I never got the impression that you were painting all us southerners with the same brush. In my fifteen-mile commute, I must pass over twenty churches, many with marquees unabashedly proclaiming (let's be charitable here) fringe dogma. There are Christian stores everywhere (I tried to buy one for a love slave, but it turns out they don't sell Christians, just Christian paraphernalia. But I digress.), especially in touristy places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. When you get off the beaten track, you can easily encounter the creepy Deliverance vibe. Doesn't happen to me, though, because I blend right in.

 

Have you thought of any reason people would stare at you? Piercings? Tattoos? Perhaps something about your appearance proclaims "urban sophisticate" or "punk" or "goth", or maybe you just look like a yankee. Maybe you have a bumper sticker or something.

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A friend of mine went to the South to visit fundy relatives last Summer. She said it was the worst trip of her life, and her relatives gave her shit about her going to a public college as she's a history major who specializes in Civil War history. They had a big problem with her anti-racist ideas and even called her a "****** lover" because she took African American history at the college she attends.

 

As she had lost weight and her pants were a bit baggy she got harassed by some people at a mall. So she fled into a Hot Topic store to cry in embarrassment, and she and her sisters had to be careful as they could be fined if a bra strap showed through their clothes. My friend decided to wear uncomfortable sleeved blouses in 100 plus weather because she didn't want to risk getting fined if her bra strap creeped out of her tank tops.

 

And I had thought Oregon and Washington was full of religious wackos! :loser:

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As a lifetime Tennessean, I say cast those aspersions all you like. Stereotypes exist for a reason. I never got the impression that you were painting all us southerners with the same brush. In my fifteen-mile commute, I must pass over twenty churches, many with marquees unabashedly proclaiming (let's be charitable here) fringe dogma. There are Christian stores everywhere (I tried to buy one for a love slave, but it turns out they don't sell Christians, just Christian paraphernalia. But I digress.), especially in touristy places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. When you get off the beaten track, you can easily encounter the creepy Deliverance vibe. Doesn't happen to me, though, because I blend right in.

 

Have you thought of any reason people would stare at you? Piercings? Tattoos? Perhaps something about your appearance proclaims "urban sophisticate" or "punk" or "goth", or maybe you just look like a yankee. Maybe you have a bumper sticker or something.

Thanks, Ro.

 

There wasn't anything about us that I would ordinarily have given a second thought, but I was wearing a black tee shirt from thinkgeek.com that had <GEEK> printed on the front and </GEEK> on the back. And now, thinking further into it, my wife has a somewhat pronounced New York accent, if anyone heard her speak. We also have a bit of the Mediterranean/Southern European look about us, if that contributes to anything.

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Dumb question.....

 

Where did she go? I have been all over the south extensively and have lived here most of my life. I have never encountered that kind of racist attitude to any real degree where I have lived. I am not saying there is not racism because there is but by my estimation and direct observation and dealings, I have actually seen more in the midwest than I ever did in the south....no joke..... ugh.gif ....I realize there are stero types but most of the people with those attitudes are much fewer and far between than now.

 

 

She was in Virginia and ( if I can remember ) North Carolina. Her family in those states always give her shit over her educational choices as only the two youngest daughters in the family ( her and her older sister by two years) are the only women in the entire family going to college. As she has friends of all races and backgrounds, and has taken various ethnic studies classes, her fundie family gives her a hard time.

 

Still my friend says that there are laws in Virginia about exposed bra straps and baggy pants as her cousins always warn her of such things when she comes to visit them. The baggy pants incident especially was quite embarrassing as she thought her pants were half way decent until some asshat had to open their mouth. She's not the type who wears hip-hop/rap fashions so it wasn't as if she was trying to make a fashion statement with her slightly baggy pants.

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There wasn't anything about us that I would ordinarily have given a second thought, but I was wearing a black tee shirt from thinkgeek.com that had <GEEK> printed on the front and </GEEK> on the back. And now, thinking further into it, my wife has a somewhat pronounced New York accent, if anyone heard her speak. We also have a bit of the Mediterranean/Southern European look about us, if that contributes to anything.

 

The 'geek' thing probably contributed, as well as the NY accent, but dude - Mediterranean? Why that there's where them towelhead terr'rists come from, id'n it?

 

:lmao:

 

But seriously, what about your hair styles? If you have highlights or use gel, that ain't redneck.

 

Don't get me wrong, while I like to think of myself as a sophisticated metro guy I could talk to a gaggle of rednecks in a bar parking lot and they'd never know I wasn't one. While I've grown up in Texas my mom's family is from rural North Carolina and she met my dad in college in eastern Tennessee. I've been through Dollywood and spent the night at the foot of the smokies with a friend. Been through the Smokies many times and traveled the Blue Ridge range at least once. My ancestors actually arrived in Delaware in 1689 and moved to North Carolina in the mid-1700's and headed for the northwest territory (a.k.a. Ohio) shortly after it opened up for settlement - 1804 to be specific. So I have an affinity for the South. Just sayin'.

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I live in Fundyville and my supermarket has the ten commandments posted on the door. I often hear gospel music at some stores here. There are some houses here that fly rebel flags. If you want to find a redneck here you won't have to look hard but on the other hand we also have "geeks" and "Nerds" and educated people. In my experience when us southern folks get around you "yankees" we pour on the redneck a little heavy just for your amusement. There are homophobes and racist here but things have changed a lot since the old George Wallace days. IMO a big city is a big city whether it be in Alabama or up north. I live an hour away from Birmingham and its a different world there. Although I hate the religious zealots here and they do seem to run everything, its a sort of trade off I guess. I like not having neighbors. I like being able to walk outside and look up and see the stars.

I have visited small towns where the locals stared me down. I think they do that to all strangers no matter where they're from.

I guess I'm just trying to say that I hope people don't judge all of us by seeing a few idiots here. We're not all married to relatives and there are some really good folks here that are not racist or rednecks.

 

Here's something that always cracks me up. The redneck kids flying their rebel flags on their pickup trucks and thumping rap music! Like those kids have ever been to the hood! :shrug:

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I live in Fundyville, eastern NC. It's a North Carolina state law not to sell alcohol before noon on a Sunday. Bible clubs got banned in my school district because people realized "if you let the Christians in, you'll let the atheists and Jews in". Last year there wasa huge stink over the Gay/Straight Alliance at my school. There are about 5000 people here and like 8 churches, 2 of which meet at the middle school I went to and 2 more of which were a short walk away from my old elementary school. And they're well attended, since the church parking lots aren't big enough so people are forced to park in the grass. There is a subtle air of Christianity at school, but it's really negligible unless you meet with the rednecks. And oh boy, are there rednecks here.

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I live in the eastern part of Tennessee and while there is this obvious air of Christianity all around, I don't recall it ever being that upfront. Of course it could also just be because I've lived here for almost my whole life that maybe I've gotten used to seeing it and it doesn't bother me anymore. But I've never heard them playing any Christian music in Wendy's, unless maybe you count country music as being Christian, but then almost every other person around here listens to country and I despise country, so I just automatically block it out when I hear it being played. The only time I've seen Christian messages that upfront on businesses is if it was stuff like privately-owned restaraunts, which while slightly annoying, it never really bothered me as long as they kept it in privately owned restaraunts instead of the big chains. Interestingly this past Christmas I saw that our local BestBuy had signs up wishing Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Hannukah instead of just Merry Christmas.

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Where in the north east? Christ you're more likely to be mugged or shot then to run into any sort of public Religiousness. It's not advertised up here. Most people don't talk to each other, most people don't give a shit who worships what. Yes I see a few license plates that say "Jesus Saves" but I see a lot more Wiccian, pagan, Coexist and BUllSHit bumper stickers then I do anything else, even in the more conservative area that I live, (Which I hope to be moving as soon as my kids are done school back to civilization LOL).

 

Gay marriage/ Civil unions are the norm up here. We are nothing like the south, not even close. I know many catholics who cuss as much as I do and can out drink me when we party. I know no one who talks about their religion unless it's a topic of conversation among close friends. Anyone standing on a street corner here handing out tracks is one of two groups, A Transplant who doesn't have a clue, or a Nut. Most will not even make eye contact with you, it's the nature of the North east. Most are to busy with their personal lives and in a hurry to give a shit about who's doing what.

 

People as a whole are pretty stand offish up here. Live and let live.

 

Japedo and I live in New Hampshire and what he wrote is absolutely true. My partner I scouted the nation before moving from San Francisco in 2001. It was the ambivalence of the people in this area to religion that was the best selling point of all. I have yet to have one person broach the subject of religion in nearly seven years here. I love it! :woohoo:

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Where did she go? I have been all over the south extensively and have lived here most of my life. I have never encountered that kind of racist attitude to any real degree where I have lived. I am not saying there is not racism because there is but by my estimation and direct observation and dealings, I have actually seen more in the midwest than I ever did in the south....no joke..... :ugh: ....I realize there are stero types but most of the people with those attitudes are much fewer and far between than now.

 

Burnedout, you say you are in the Florida panhandle, are you near Pensacola? If so, then you've surely heard of the town of Jay. It is notoriously racist. For a number of years one of their residents put up a sign that said, "N*****s, don't let the sun set on you in Jay."

 

I have lived in New England, South Carolina, and Florida, and have travelled extensively throughout the Southeast, and there are many places that are very racist. I was working in Scottsmoor, Florida, and a customer told me that the reason why he likes living in Scottsmoor so much was because "the blacks know better than to come here."

 

Respectfully,

Franciscan Monkey

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There wasn't anything about us that I would ordinarily have given a second thought, but I was wearing a black tee shirt from thinkgeek.com that had <GEEK> printed on the front and </GEEK> on the back. And now, thinking further into it, my wife has a somewhat pronounced New York accent, if anyone heard her speak. We also have a bit of the Mediterranean/Southern European look about us, if that contributes to anything.

 

The 'geek' thing probably contributed, as well as the NY accent, but dude - Mediterranean? Why that there's where them towelhead terr'rists come from, id'n it?

 

:lmao:

 

But seriously, what about your hair styles? If you have highlights or use gel, that ain't redneck.

 

Don't get me wrong, while I like to think of myself as a sophisticated metro guy I could talk to a gaggle of rednecks in a bar parking lot and they'd never know I wasn't one. While I've grown up in Texas my mom's family is from rural North Carolina and she met my dad in college in eastern Tennessee. I've been through Dollywood and spent the night at the foot of the smokies with a friend. Been through the Smokies many times and traveled the Blue Ridge range at least once. My ancestors actually arrived in Delaware in 1689 and moved to North Carolina in the mid-1700's and headed for the northwest territory (a.k.a. Ohio) shortly after it opened up for settlement - 1804 to be specific. So I have an affinity for the South. Just sayin'.

Nope Trashy, no tattoos, gels, spiked hair or piercings for any of us. My English is fairly close generic newscaster American. Oh, I have a beard--didn't think of that--nothing fancy, novel, or out of the ordinary, though. My wife is sometimes mistaken as Hispanic--I look more European then Middle Eastern, but a resemblance has occasionally been noted--I think I must be the one who looks like the terr'rist! :ph34r:

 

I gotta agree, though: I don't know whether you have an accent or not, but you look to me like you could pass yourself off not only in the South, but anywhere in America without looking out of place.

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There are some houses here that fly rebel flags.

Some houses fly rebel flags here, too (and some pick up trucks sport them), but no gospel or commandments in stores.

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Japedo and I live in New Hampshire and what he wrote is absolutely true. My partner I scouted the nation before moving from San Francisco in 2001. It was the ambivalence of the people in this area to religion that was the best selling point of all. I have yet to have one person broach the subject of religion in nearly seven years here. I love it! :woohoo:

Yeah, I'd love to live in a place like that. My wife wants to move to New York and if I had a job there it would sound awfully good to me.

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I was working in Scottsmoor, Florida, and a customer told me that the reason why he likes living in Scottsmoor so much was because "the blacks know better than to come here."

I don't go to Scottsmoor either, and I'm not even black!

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Nope Trashy, no tattoos, gels, spiked hair or piercings for any of us. My English is fairly close generic newscaster American. Oh, I have a beard--didn't think of that--nothing fancy, novel, or out of the ordinary, though. My wife is sometimes mistaken as Hispanic--I look more European then Middle Eastern, but a resemblance has occasionally been noted--I think I must be the one who looks like the terr'rist! :ph34r:

 

I gotta agree, though: I don't know whether you have an accent or not, but you look to me like you could pass yourself off not only in the South, but anywhere in America without looking out of place.

 

 

Bikers have beards, so that's not an automatic problem. Maybe you're just paranoid. *heh*

 

I actually do not have much of an accent. I think of my accent as chameleon-like. I think my dad being from Iowa and my mom from North Carolina and being raised in Texas all offset each other. If I am around people with strong Texas accents it is easy to slip into. But if I speak Spanish to someone from Mexico, especially if they don't know much English, they immediately think I am fluent and start rattling off at a hundred miles an hour. Mi pronunciacion es incredible! I trill my r's naturally. Even though I am not fluent I'm always having to explain. "Lo siento! Mi intiendo muy poquito español!" I start sounding British when confronted with a Brit accent. (not GOOD British, but enough that my wife gives me a look) I can imitate my Mom's native North Carolinian accent. I'd hate to think what I would sound like after a few months in Boston. LOL

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Burnedout, you say you are in the Florida panhandle, are you near Pensacola? If so, then you've surely heard of the town of Jay. It is notoriously racist. For a number of years one of their residents put up a sign that said, "N*****s, don't let the sun set on you in Jay."

 

Holy Crap! Are you serious? I spent a lot of time in Jay in the mid 90's for business. I never got that kind of impression. Of course, I'm white as wonder bread and consider myself a citified-Florida-psedu-redneck! On the other hand you're taking about a really small town with exactly ONE traffic light and a phone book which consists of exactly 7 pages (I got bored and counted them one time!). So it's really no surprise that there's an asshole resident or 2 around.

 

*ShackeledNoMore* It sounds like there are folks here more qualified than me to comment on "the south" but I'll add my bit anyway. I was raised in Tampa, FL and, as a pilot, I travel around the country for a living. I've never seen anything like you describe, but then again, I keep to the road more traveled in my career. You said, "We ate in a restaurant of this little town of about 250 people." Wouldn't any strangers get looks in a town that small?

 

ETA: As much as I hate it when people say that this is a xtian nation, I'd say it's true that there are xtian communities. In small towns, especially in the south, I can see the whole bloody place shutting down 'cause everyone was in church kissing Hank's Ass.

 

As far as the 10 commandments, I recently stayed in a hotel in Midland, TX that had the "sanitized" 10 commandments posted on a 6 foot high block of rock. I'm looking forward to staying there again and adding a postit that says, "for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me"!

 

Anyone think that will make an impression?!

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I've lived here my entire life and never really experienced any whacko'ish Xtianity stuff. Hell, off the top of my head I can count 15 churches within a 1.5 mile radius of my house here in Montgomery, but otherwise everything is just like every other large city I've been to. People telling me "god bless" or "have a blessed day" is about as far as it goes.

 

As others have said, it just gets worse the farther away from civilization that you get. The less people have to entertain themselves with besides church and the like, the crazier they get.

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