Posted by Rich-CA on May 09, 2008 at 13:56:17:
In Reply to: Rednecks Texans Predjudice is not NICE posted by Kenneth Hocking on May 09, 2008 at 10:26:43:
The things my wife uses when we look at a place, and she was not only born in Hong Kong but raised there until 12, uses when deciding if she likes an area (my mother is similar but her vocab would be counted as racist these days - her father was born and raised in the Philippines and had the experience five times of having a cross burned on his front lawn because he dared marry a white woman).
Anyway: by redneck what we really mean is farmers who act as though they hate anyone not like them. That would include the family I was born into (farmer stock from South Dakota) and some of the people in our own central valley. It means an unsophisticated means of self expression (often referred to as blunt) and few uses of polysyllabic terminology (like those words I just used).
But we also look at how many Asian faces we see. Very few and its not a place we would live and I can safely say from experience its also a place where we would have to manage the expectations gap if we invest there.
Some areas we have been in have mostly been of one race. Funny thing is that neither of us notices if that one race is the one we happen to be from. Its like its invisible. And I don't really notice if its all Asian, unless they are speaking Mandarin, Japanese or Tagalog rather than Cantonese - which is what I'm used to hearing. Bottom line is that people do not tend to notice when all the people around them look and sound the way they do, its when you're different from everyone else that those differences leap out.
When a person chooses a place to live, race does have something to do with the choice but not race per se. Its more like "people like me" is the criteria many use, often without being aware this is being used as a criteria. Its when a person goes from wanting a few people who look and sound like them around to wanting only people who look and sound like them around that we move into full fledged racism.
When you are a buy and hold investor, you have to consider the mix of the area and the values that brings to the table. Well, you don't have to, but they will bite you on the a**. And its usually nothing overt, often just little misunderstandings and the like.
In terms of the vocab used to describe different people, not by race but by culture (you do not have to be a particular race to e a "redneck" nor do you have to live in a particular part f the country), we do have a bit of a limit.
What I look for in an area where I will personally be spending a fair amount of time is a place where my family will not be harassed because we don't look like everyone else. That applies to a lot of people and is one of the great strengths of the SF Bay area and part of what drives the demand to live here.
What I look for in business partners are people who's sense of time and urgency, professionalism, and skill are close enough to mine that we do not have many issues over those. there are always issues in a business relationship without the unconscious things from the culture or sub culture we are from adding to them. In looking at Texas I spent weeks on the phone talking with different people for hours. It was a lot more than a dozen and almost all were in the same metro area. I encountered a few that were right off the bat too stiff and touchy to deal with. But in general I found people to be honest, well organized, and having a sense of time and urgency that did not come close to mine (the gap was 2 - 3 days). After having the same team in place for 3 years now, I would not trade them for the world. A person using a stereotype could label some of them "rednecks" but I have not found that to be the case.
I do try to extract the cultural norms in deciding where to do business and how it needs to work, but that is not the same as stereo typing unless I take that generality and assume each person I meet will behave in exactly that way.
Sorry about the verbosity. Today is one of my "think about stuff" days.
Oh, and on racism I had another tangential thought. It is just as racist to vote FOR someone as to vote against them just because of their ethnicity. For example, if I were to say I oppose Obama, I have neighbors who WOULD label me racist. But if I were to say I would without reservation support J.C. Watts first, then they would stumble over themselves trying to explain why in one case there was a problem with the person I support and in the other why my lack of support was racist. But the difference between the two is one of principles and that is the basis of why I choose one and not the other. Its not racism if the other criteria drive the decision.
I am rambling, but have enjoyed this exchange.
- About diversity and food, not RE (OT) matx 22:16:09 05/09/08 (2)
- Re: About diversity and food, not RE (OT) Rich-CA 11:36:17 05/10/08 (1)
- Very interesing posts... Bill H 11:39:32 05/14/08 (0)