South by Southwest

South by Southwest
Rachel Birdsell

Rachel Birdsell

I’ve noticed that whenever someone talks about the South being full of racists, rednecks and other derogatory words that start with the letter r, there are inevitably southerners who are offended by the statement. They’re quick to point out that not everyone south of the Mason-Dixon is racist, and that there are a lot of very nice, accepting people that live in the lower right quadrant of the country.

But, a lot of the time, what is missing from their statement is the admission that the bigot to non-bigot ratio in the region is skewed. That’s not to say there aren’t bigots in other areas of the US. There definitely are. But, the South is a rather politically red area. I realize that not all Republicans are racist, or even that all racists are Republicans, but there are more racist conservatives than there are racist liberals. So, when something like the following incident occurs, the saturation of conservatives in the south is what leads people to describe the area as being full of racists.

Recently, the Unitarian Universalist church in Mountain Home, AR published a letter in the local newspaper to let the community know that everyone is welcome at their church, no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation. The church subsequently received a note from someone who wasn’t very pleased by their all-inclusive policy. With all of its misspellings and hateful language, the note reads:

“You filthy white trash scum-billy!!! Why don’t you move to Ferguson, MO. Or Chi-Congo, IL since you like ni**ers and queers so well. And you idolize the ni**er commie, muslin, scholiast destroying the USA. He’s the worst garbage to ever occupy the White House bar none. See how long your white trash ass would last among them. You brain dead bastard. Just remember we true southerners know where you live asshole!!!!!”

Whoever wrote the note needs help with more than just grammar. This person isn’t just an idiot, he or she is an angry idiot, and that’s a dangerous combination. Some people would argue that bigots aren’t idiots, they’re just ignorant, but I don’t accept that excuse. With the internet connecting all of us as much as it does, the world is much smaller than it used to be. There is literally information about everything in the world at our fingertips, so no one has an excuse at not knowing that a Muslim is a person and muslin is a fabric.

No one has an excuse for not knowing that people are good or bad for what is in their mind and hearts and not what shade their skin color is. No one has an excuse for thinking that gay people have an agenda. Willfully remaining uneducated about social issues no longer means a person is merely ignorant. It means they’ve reached idiot level.

So, the next time there’s a story about someone in the south being a bigot, don’t just defend the southerners who aren’t racist homophobes. Call out the ones who are. Don’t let them hide behind the skirt of ignorance. Shine a bright enough light on them, and they’ll have to either see the truth or scurry back into the outhouses from whence they came.

Rachel Birdsell is a freelance writer and graphic artist. You can reach her at rabirdsell@gmail.com

Categories: Commentary