That's actually a fair point, I think it largely depends on if you're in the south or not

I lived in Alabama for 7 years, and I can't remember a single time I ever heard the word nigger used in converstaion, sir.

I heard it a great deal in New Orleans. Not so much in Nashville, but the people in Nashville was a lot less subtle about their racism overall. Texas? I can't say I've heard it once and generally speaking, most Texans in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio have really surprised me in their "live and let live" attitudes towards just about ANYONE. I'm sure that changes a bit in west and east Texas, but that is purely a guess on my part.

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Lemme guess Frib, upscale suburb outside of Montgomery. Even with that so, I'd be quite surprised considering some of the stories I've read out of Alabama(that, and I've seen racism first-hand in Alabama... not the use of the N-word per say, but plenty of subtle racism). Things like Jena Six aren't really isolated incidents, and there's a reason they happen down there.

But yea, Texas just seems different. They're a weird cross between the New Mexico/Southern California types, and the south. Different parts will vary, of course. But it's just not the same as something like Alabama, Georgia, or Mississippi.

Actually, I lived in Huntsville. My parents owned their own constuction business at the time, and didn't do very well because of medical costs. We lived a lower middle class existence, paycheck to paycheck, at the time.

Wrong again.

Don't fucking lie to us. You're god damn Amish or some shit and were busy building barns.

<3

I loved that movie =x

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Huntsville! I probably should've called it. I actually had a co-worker about a year ago who lived in that area(actually Scottsboro, which is some distance away, but he made many trips there), and he did say there was significantly less tension(and the general climate was calmer-feeling) around Huntsville. They've definitely had some history there, but from his description it's quite a different place.

As I said though, pretty hard to use the N-word as a judge since racism is such a subtle practice now. Personally, I've heard it more down in the south when I've been there /shrug. If you haven't, grats 2 u =)

Oh yea, Bzalthek how's Tennessee treatin ya? =p Most open-minded state in the nation I tell ya!!

I actually agree that racism is much more prevalent in the US as a whole than many people seem to want to admit, and I agree that it's generally more subtle. I am, however, still standing by my contention that the use of the word nigger is generally rare in the US.

Sadly I'd have to agree with Orme that the use of it as an endearing word is pretty prevalent all over the place. Among blacks for sure, but increasingly among the wannabe white gangster crowd.

I will agree it is not used all that much as an insult, at least not as much as it used to be.

Just because you haven't heard it doesn't mean it's rare. Six years in the Army, and I saw black soldiers who were from all over the United States use "nigga" on a regular basis. Not all of them used it, but certainly most did.

It's possible that it's a part of military culture, but I distinctly remember brand new privates in basic training using the word, and sometimes flinging it as an insult.

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Lot of racial tension in Cincinnati.

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I'll concede that my anecdotal evidence doesn't prove it's rare, if you'll concede that YOUR anecdotal evidence doesn't prove it isn't rare.

I live in Crossville. We had -A- Black guy who worked at the BBQ joint, Dickies, but apparently he got driven off.

Commuting to Cookeville for school is actually a culture shock for me now. I'm so not used to seeing black people it's hard not to gawk. You're just going along and "HOLY SHIT A BLACK GUY! Oh wait, it's normal here..."

I've been trying to pick up golf, because my father plays it and bonding shit, blah blah blah. But man, the old white guys round here are some racist motherfuckers. So it's hard to go when you have to keep yourself bottled up.

Though sometimes it's not bad. The service center here where we get the oil changed in our cars kicked a customer out for calling the president a "god damn nigger." (I was there at the time.) I mean, they have Bush/Cheney and McCain/Palin stickers and the TV is auto-tuned to FOX news, but, and I quote, "He's the President of the United Fucking States and he deserves some god damn respect."

Oooh ooh... I can tie it all up right here... heheheh

Last year while volunteering at the Special Olympics Washington Winter Games in Wenatchee (eastern Washington) a couple of the girls I volunteered with started going "OMG Gang members!" Now, my first thought was that maybe they new of them from school or something. But I looked at the "gang bangers" and noticed that they had official volunteer badges and were dressed like the average joe and then I realized that these girls were so use to being in the *ahem* secluded City of Wenatchee that they immediately jumped to the dump and wrong conclusion.

And on the whole "n-word" usage. My anecdotal naval experience has been that some black sailors use it. It seems to be less and less that do. And those that do are often looked down upon by the ones that don't.

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That's great stuff Bzalthek. I have to admit with that last line, there's just something you have to love about the straightforwardness you get down there.

It's always a tradeoff, really. Honestly, there are both good and bad sides to every culture/region.

TV being tuned to Fox News makes me giggle, because you go any place up north and you see nothing but CNN(sometimes MSNBC)

Sadly both stations(and MSNBC) have their biases, in part because of the competition with each other. Maybe it's just me, but I honestly felt like CNN was more middle of the road before Fox News showed up.

The Army has televisions in a lot of places like dining halls, waiting rooms (mostly medical), etc. For years they were required to be tuned to CNN during operating hours. I've noticed they're slowly being shifted to Fox instead.

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The USCG command center I work in has 4 screens with news. At the Navy Command Center I work at, IAW the Standard Operating Procedures and Instructions the one TV they have will be on FOX.

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This is all insane.

Please continue.

Fox's format is more entertaining, CNN is about as stale as Bloomberg. Anything bad that can be said of a news channel, can also be said of folks who get their news from the TV in the first place.

Hellooooo...? Who else brings you the news with HOLOGRAMS?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym-l8sawgyw

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