Racism, classism, fanaticism. elitism — they’re all words that divide us. More often than not, they divide us unfairly and inaccurately.<\/p>\n
AT’s response<\/a> to County vs. City<\/a> contains some thoughts worth pondering.<\/p>\n 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 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153soccer moms\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, who didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. 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.”<\/p>\n Prejudice cuts both ways. AT closed by saying,<\/p>\n Like racism, tho, the people on the happy side of the class divide often don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading
\nWhile 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.<\/p>\n