One recent piece of data that got my attention was that only 30% of White people have a problem with the Zimmerman acquittal – 85% of African Americans.
I have some anecdotal evidence regarding this racial divide.
Living in Texas I see racism around me all the time no matter urban or rural. But when I visit my roots back in Wisconsin each year it’s quite a different story.
On a recent visit to Milwaukee all my family and friends handed me clip boards collecting signatures to recall Governor Scott Walker. I visit my friends up in Oshkosh, Fond cu Lac, Appleton, Green Bay and they ALL have SUPPORT SCOTT WALKER signs in their yards. To confuse matters, my friends in the smaller rural towns have college degrees, my friends in Milwaukee are working class.
When talking about politics with both groups, I find religion does not much enter into it as it does down here in Texas and the rest of the South. Rather the big divide is racism. The theme from rural Wisconsin is steady, loud and varies little, “I hate having to pay taxes to support lazy, criminal and violent blacks on welfare.” Instead of using the NWORD they use SOCIALISM instead. But you know, other than a football team, the only blacks these people see in their lives are either in the movies, on TV or mug shots in the paper.
On the other hand my urban friends seldom if ever mention race. Their politics seems to be mostly directed against the Koch Brothers, union busting, the NRA, religions intolerance and for a more fair and equitable economy.
Added into the mix are the suburbs which go both ways but tend toward the urban. White people living in cities and suburbs see, talk, work, play and deal with African Americans most every day of their lives.
And there is the answer. Just like it has been with the Gay Marriage, the biggest cultural divide fixed in the least amount of time.
But their is always trouble with anecdotal evidence. After all, urban Milwaukee 76 year old John Spooner shot an unarmed 13 year old black kid taking out the garbage next door. In front of his mother with a video of it. But there the issue is about Tom Brokaw’s OUR GREATEST GENERATION.