Civil Rights, LBJ, and the South...

[cynatnite]

Today I watched a documentary called "Decisions That Shook the World". It has three episodes and the first one was about LBJ and the Civil Rights Movement. First off, it was an amazing documentary. It was moving and traumatic to watch.

Anyway, when it came to passing the Civil Rights Act someone told LBJ (or maybe he said it...I can't remember), but the South would be lost to Democrats for the next two generations.

I live in Tennessee and at times the racism is so overt that my stomach will twist whenever I'm faced with it. Seems to me that it's going to last another few generations.

[BolivarianHero]

1. Sounds about right...

I have a professor from Arkansas who's told me that it's perfectly normal for White people to throw the n-word around casually in conversations that have nothing to do with rap music or "gangsta culture". There's racism here in Canada too, but nothing like what he described there.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. I'm from Arkansas

and white, and I remember hearing the word being used casually in conversations in the '60s and early '70s.
But the last time I remember hearing anyone say it within my earshot was in 1973 during a field trip to Little Rock, when some kid from extremely rural (and white) Madison County used a variation of that term in a hotel restaurant as he was being served dinner by an African-American waiter. By that time, I had come to be shocked to hear that word, and I really felt sorry for the waiter.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. LBJ underestimated the impact that

the Civil Rights movement would have on the South. He already was aware, though, about how the Republicans would take advantage of the situation. Here in Mississippi, the Republican Party is roughly the same thing as the White Citizens Council, the uptown KKK. I suspect it will be this way as long as white people are in the majority down here.

[madmax]

4. Sorry I missed that

I remember back in the day, I thought he said a generation. Seems like 2 is definitely more like it.

We have a few close AA friends and 1 interracial couple. They all live in NJ. My girlfriend who is white and married to a black man has heard comments about them and their baby. She's pretty much immune to it now but, it did hurt at one time.

We moved to NC 3 years ago and I find AA people here a lot more friendlier than NJ. If I stop at the store on Sunday it's rare not to see an AA couple dressed as if they'd come from church. I freely talk about the Prez and how important it is to vote. I say that to everyone. There's always a way to open up a conversation anywhere.

I do sense a bit more racism from whites here but, it's not overt but, I'm sure they aren't voting Dem and definitely not Obama. In 2008 my little development had 4 Obama signs and 2 McCain. Took my neighbor over a year to start acting normal to me. Pffffffft

Mr.Max is a rabid Chicago Blues fan. Knows more about Muddy, Little Walter, et.al than he does about me. He's also played harmonica in blues band for over 25 years. No big name - just your better than average bar band but, he can play one mean harmonica. I love mixing it up - don't understand the prejudice, fear or whatever the hell it is that moves some white people.

[TNDemo]

5. Where do you live?

I'm in TN and don't experience that at all. Of course I live in a neighborhood with plenty of black folks (suburbs) but am around the city all over the place and just don't see it. Racism exists everywhere but I don't see it as overt here.

[H2O Man]

6. LBJ said it.

He understood that the dixiecrats would become the southern base of the republican party for generations.