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Originally Posted by Jhooman
Redwitch I love your post.
I was raised in the military, attended 26 different schools before graduating from high school. We lived with every type of race. My Mother and Father taught us to be tolerant, we were never allowed to use the N word or we would be punished.
Fast forward, my first husband is Iranian and we have a mixed gorgeous daughter. During the Iranian crisis, parents in my child's preschool shunned us and would not allow their children to play with our child. My ex worked in a high security job and is an American citizen, he was called towel head and many other demeaning names. It was a tough time for our family.
Now my child is grown and married to a half Mexican and Filipino young man, their children are so beautiful. We call them combo children, they attend schools that are a melting pot of races, it's wonderful to see this openness.
My current husband is 100% Russian, 2nd generation. He was persecuted during the 50's, the cold war. Why do people persecute others? I think it's all about fear.
I've had the opportunity to travel the world and experience all types of cultures. I'm so grateful that I was taught to keep an open mind by my parents. When our family gets together the cuisine includes Persian food, Mexican, Filipino, Cuban and Russian food. To be honest we find the Russian food tasteless per the Russian husband. Plus to hear the various languages spoken in our homes is intriguing.
What does this have to do with Ms Dean? Maybe nothing, but it's my experience.
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Beautiful post which exhibits the "melting pot" of our wonderful country.
I can only imagine how beautiful your child and grandchildren are with the blending of the backgrounds as you described.
Our best friends were from Budapest Hungary (strawberry blonde, green eyed lady) and India (black hair, dark eyed gent) who produced the most beautiful children........now grown. We enjoyed all of our differences and similarities, our ethnic foods (Hungarian, Indian, Italian, Ukrainian, Polish) amidst the local Vermonters who had been in town for generations from England, Ireland and French Canada.....Quebec. Vive le difference.
Farm raised and city raised alike..........we all got along and respected each other.
Ditto, our kids when a Filipino doctor from the Phillipines and his family moved into the neighborhood......our son actually thought we live in a multi cultural neighborhood. It was mostly old time Vermonters.
People are accepting of all types as long as they feel safe and secure and respected as well.........we've seen it in action.
In doing the genealogy these past twelve years, I learned a lot about the melting pot from Europe, etc. into our cities with the new wave of immigrants back at the turn of the century and prior, in the 1800's....and also the ones who came earlier to settle this big country, also in our tree, from Germany and elsewhere........so I was really surprised when I remembered that our daughter had been told in college that the "melting pot is just a myth".........a myth? I had all kinds of friends while growing up as a child in N.J. I think my own mom was ahead of her time in her tolerance........and that rubbed off on me...........however, the next generation had everyone on a pedestal, even the criminal types....and something, to me anyway, is wrong with that picture.
So this P.C. thing is not really new........it's been around awhile.......at least from the late 1980's/early 1990's.......
We didn't call it P.C. when we were young.......we just accepted our friends on a one to one personal basis. You know who is kind and who is not.
You know who you can trust and who you should not. It doesn't matter what color they are. Maybe I'm strange, but I never felt the need to call anyone names. I find it hurtful.....and would think others would find it hurtful.
But, anyone from immigrant grandparents would remember that they had stories of being called names.........and I don't recall any p.c. cops defending them back in the early days.............
We'd get on a bus in N.J. in the later 1950's after the Hungarian Revolution......and a bunch of factory workers with their lunch pails in their hands would board the bus also.......and people would mutter under their breath....."Green Horns", etc., etc. "Hunkies"......these were BLONDE, BLUE EYED WHITE SKINNED MEN, FATHERS, ETC.
Discrimination and name calling goes across the board..........
The Italians were called wops, dagos, guineas, and worse......
Ditto for the Irish.....shanty Irish, lace curtain irish, drunken Irish.....
I had a wonderful Irish stepfather.......after my Italian dad died.......
Could he ever tell some stories of the Scottish and Irish in his background......
Plus he would tell these stories in his alternating Scottish and Irish brogue.....
There was no politically correct league back in those days.
Out of curiosity, what is the ethnic or racial breakdown in THE VILLAGES?
P.S. When my Hungarian friend came from Budapest Hungary after the Revolution with her Grandmother and Mom, they settled in West Liberty Ohio and were befriended by an entire community of Mennonites. To this day, the surviving aunt and uncle of my departed friend, still recall the kindness of those Mennonite families to displaced people from Hungary, a communist country at the time.......
It is easier to be kind than it is to be hurtful with racial or ethnic name calling.........however, it goes both ways.