Racism, classism, fanaticism. elitism — they’re all words that divide us. More often than not, they divide us unfairly and inaccurately.
AT’s response to County vs. City contains some thoughts worth pondering.
A lot of the problem we had with Oak Ridge stems from the fact that while attending Glenwood, the PTO and other parents were Farragut style “soccer momsâ€, who didn’t necessarily work, had plenty of disposable income, were a decade or two older than us (with kids the same age) and lived a lifestyle that GAC and I don’t.
I can understand that. Like AT and GAC, I married and started a family fairly young. I chose to stay home with my children, the interest rate on our mortgage was about 12% (down from 18% when he bought the house in 1982 as a bachelor), and it seemed like all the disposable income we had went to diapers, car seats, and kid stuff. My wardrobe consisted mostly of jeans and t-shirts or maternity clothes I’d made for myself on a $64 secondhand sewing machine.
I was incredibly shy growing up, and quite short on self confidence until I hit 30 or so. Overcoming that is another story for another day.
While we were far from poor, I do remember occasions where I felt “looked down upon.” In retrospect, most of those instances were likely more my interpretation than an outright snubbing.
Like the victims of any of the various -isms, I don’t like being labeled as something I’m not — no one does. Prejudice is pre-judging someone, absent the evidence to support the assumption. I guess that’s why I respond as I do to the assertion that “Oak Ridgers think they’re better than other folks,” or that “elected officials are all hiding something.”
Prejudice cuts both ways. AT closed by saying,
Like racism, tho, the people on the happy side of the class divide often don’t realize it.
It’s unfortunate that the race card is so frequently played when it’s unwarranted. Yes, racism exists, but it’s been so overplayed that now, the real instances may well be overlooked because the charge has been so diluted by false claims. To say that I am racist because of my race, is, in fact, a racist response.
The same is true, perhaps, of the views between rural Anderson County to Oak Ridge. When one says “they look down on us” and the other is offended as the object of prejudice, starting any positive conversation becomes more difficult.
Yes, snobs exist. Racists exist. Fanatics exist. However, making assumptions puts up a barrier, which inhibits finding common ground that might otherwise lead to productive and rewarding interactions with other human beings — people who might be much more like ourselves than we realize.
Well said NM and food for thought.
WRT racisim, I agree with Andy Young, who said you should never trust anyone who says they’re not racist. The honest response is “I’m working on my racism.”
WRT snobbery and OR: in the circles I traveled in when I lived there in the ’60s and early ’70s, there was a sense of Oak Ridge exceptionalism. A high molar concentration of scientists and engineers, a quality school system, these certainly contributed to a sense that Oak Ridgers had a superior education to those in surrounding communities and, candidly, that sense of exceptionalism, on average, was warranted. I’m not sure it is any more.
I didn’t grow up in Oak Ridge, rather I’m from Surgoinsville, TN. It’s in rural upper East Tenn near Rogersville. I’ve found Oak Ridge to be a tough town to get settled into, but I’m finally feeling like it’s my home. That’s due in large part because I actually know some of neighbors now.
I don’t know, but it seems to me that the differences between rural Anderson Co and Oak Ridge are not that unique. The differences may be real (i.e. the differences that Joel points out), but the antagonism is tired and devisive.
Is calling Anderson County rural an -ism? I hope it is not. I always say they live in Anderson County. I was never meaning to demean them by saying that. Well on any thought, we must not become them, for I do not want to live in a rural setting.
Native Anderson Countian Attitudes about COR, imho, could go back several generations to the Coal Mining days.
http://www.coalcreekaml.com/Legacy.htm
The TN Governor ordered convict labor to be scabs while miners were on strike, then having the TN Militia shoot to kill aiming at AC Citizens. AC’s history with Coal is shocking and leaves deep scars. It’s hard to imagine such abuse of power against Civil Rights in today’s America.
Hadn’t thought of that, but its a good point. Its easy to forget the crap the ancestral AC’rs had to put up with.
… perhaps, except that the City of Oak Ridge has only been around since 1941 or so; certainly not back to the days of the Coal Creek War.
Had Ms. Harris written about the relationship between Oak Ridge and the County in the 1940’s, I could understand. She used the present tense in her comments.
Perhaps. I still stick with my thinking that, with regard to AC and Oak Ridge, we still have basic classism, with a twinge of unconscious “you stole my papa land” deep down in there.
Nobody broke, living in a trailer by the side of a highway is going to like seeing somebody with a PhD driving a fancy car.
However, I think Ms. Harris, in this interview, either showed her basic prejudices (old people tend to do that), or (more likely) the reporter, as you said, took her out of context.
The coal creek war was 115 years ago. I kind of doubt that there are many Anderson County residents around that are still influenced by that tidbit of history. Especially as it fictionally relates to Oak Ridge, which wasn’t even a twinkle in Gen. Groves’ eye for another 50 years.
This whole discussion, IMHO, is moot. The problem is, as Joel has pointed out in another thread, projection on the part of county residents. Hope that doesn’t sound toooo superior.
Hell, here it goes. You know what?
Yeah, I feel a bit superior because I live here.
I’m not a native, and I certainly didn’t buy my way in, but I feel like my kids get a better education, I feel like I have better civic services, and hell yes, I live in a better town.
Actually, I feel like this town is damn superior, and that I’m doing better than I’d be in Clinton because of this fact.
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