Anonymous wrote:I am OP. I grew up in a place like this. When I went away to college I learned that I had all sorts of backwards ideas about groups of people even though I didn't know it at the time. I didn't realize how hurtful many of the terms we used to describe people were. I know now, and I live in DC now where my kid was raised with what I consider more evolved ideas.

Those of you acting like there aren't differences among people across regions of the country and in rural towns are full of it. I'm not saying that every person there thinks this way, but i am saying (accurately) that there are different norms in these places.

I resent you labeling me “full of it” simply because I called you out on your myopic view of others.

It’s ironic. You are concerned about close-minded ideas in other parts of the country, but you are perfectly content pushing your own.

It’s quite arrogant to judge entire regions of people the way you did. Your experiences are YOUR experiences. I’m glad you (somewhat) outgrew your background, but do you want truly “evolved ideas”? Scrap the notion that people easily fit into boxes and don’t judge people you’ve never met based on your set of narrow experiences.

Anonymous wrote:As somebody who grew up in one of those conservative small towns, I’m mostly concerned with the way you are trying to present them.

You are WAY off and you are setting these kids up with wild, untrue stereotypes. Everything you are accusing these unnamed small-town people of are things that you can find right here in the DMV.

The kids (if they exist and this isn’t a troll post) will likely find out that differing views exist, and that many people are able to coexist with people they don’t necessarily align with.

It happens all over the country.

Did you see that documentary on sororities at University of Alabama? It is a different world down there. The “top tier” sororities like alpha phi were 100% White girls with long hair, 80% of them bleaching that hair blonde. They were judged on their looks and clothing to see how well they’d look at fraternity parties. One of them at alpha phi was kicked out because she was outed on texting that a college bar smelled bad, like weed, cigs and black girl. And they had to take a video down advertising themselves as racially homogeneous while running in bikinis.

I’m sure students from the northeast will find friends they enjoy being with but just seeing these types prancing around would be irritating.

Anonymous wrote:If you have not inoculated on this, you missed your window.

By which I mean: it was part of your job to have presented and rebutted the dumb ideas that will arise in these venues so your kid has tools to assess what is put in front of them in a wide range of settings—college, future career, etc. Simply raising them with your “values” and hoping they hold up under pressure is a half-assed job of it.

If you have not inoculated on this, you missed your window.

I am OP. I grew up in a place like this. When I went away to college I learned that I had all sorts of backwards ideas about groups of people even though I didn't know it at the time. I didn't realize how hurtful many of the terms we used to describe people were. I know now, and I live in DC now where my kid was raised with what I consider more evolved ideas.

Those of you acting like there aren't differences among people across regions of the country and in rural towns are full of it. I'm not saying that every person there thinks this way, but i am saying (accurately) that there are different norms in these places.

Anonymous wrote:I was just talking with a kid raised in DC in a multiracial home with friends from other races and lots of LGBTQ friends and family. The teen is going to attend college in a conservative part of the country in a few months. How do these DC kids raised here in a "bubble" where misogyny, racism, and homophobia are not tolerated do when confronted with this sort of thing in Red states or rural America small towns where it's common to make fun of people who are offended by this stuff? What's the best advice to give these teens? I doubt that many realize what they're about to step into, so warning or preparing them seems like a good idea.

The really sad thing is you’re completely sincere and not at all trolling.

Anonymous wrote:"What do you mean “grew up in a house with lots of friends?”"
Where I grew up, quotations are only used with the actual words stated by a person.

I grew up in a multiquotational home with lots of paraphrased and and misquoted family and friends.

Anonymous wrote:I was just talking with a kid raised in DC in a multiracial home with friends from other races and lots of LGBTQ friends and family. The teen is going to attend college in a conservative part of the country in a few months. How do these DC kids raised here in a "bubble" where misogyny, racism, and homophobia are not tolerated do when confronted with this sort of thing in Red states or rural America small towns where it's common to make fun of people who are offended by this stuff? What's the best advice to give these teens? I doubt that many realize what they're about to step into, so warning or preparing them seems like a good idea.

You sound insufferable.

Ideally you would start by reading them Antiracist Baby before bedtime. Then you send them to DCUM training camp to hone their fighting skills, so they'll be prepared to stand up to bigotry and say yes when offered a Bud Light.

College even in red area will have a good number of like-minded folks

Anonymous wrote:I was just talking with a kid raised in DC in a multiracial home with friends from other races and lots of LGBTQ friends and family. The teen is going to attend college in a conservative part of the country in a few months. How do these DC kids raised here in a "bubble" where misogyny, racism, and homophobia are not tolerated do when confronted with this sort of thing in Red states or rural America small towns where it's common to make fun of people who are offended by this stuff? What's the best advice to give these teens? I doubt that many realize what they're about to step into, so warning or preparing them seems like a good idea.

Sounds like YOU need to travel and expand your orbit

Anonymous wrote:As somebody who grew up in one of those conservative small towns, I’m mostly concerned with the way you are trying to present them.

You are WAY off and you are setting these kids up with wild, untrue stereotypes. Everything you are accusing these unnamed small-town people of are things that you can find right here in the DMV.

The kids (if they exist and this isn’t a troll post) will likely find out that differing views exist, and that many people are able to coexist with people they don’t necessarily align with.

It happens all over the country.

Agreed. I also grew up in “flyover country” and got incredibly rude comments from some coastal people at my T25 university, assuming that I was an uneducated redneck who never been exposed to diversity. Actually I was the only white person among my friend group in HS. Middle America is a lot more diverse than a lot of people in realize.

Going into meeting people assuming they are ignorant racist homophobes is not going to get any relationships off to a good start.

Anonymous wrote:As somebody who grew up in one of those conservative small towns, I’m mostly concerned with the way you are trying to present them.

You are WAY off and you are setting these kids up with wild, untrue stereotypes. Everything you are accusing these unnamed small-town people of are things that you can find right here in the DMV.

The kids (if they exist and this isn’t a troll post) will likely find out that differing views exist, and that many people are able to coexist with people they don’t necessarily align with.

It happens all over the country.

This. And the vast majority of college campuses are their own little bubble, even the ones in red states and rural areas.

Anonymous wrote:You have taught them tolerance of different opinions, right? Then they’ll be fine.

Tell to seek common ground and they will find it.

Keep your hearsay personal opinions on entire states and cities and colleges to yourself.