I started reading DU posts in 2004 but didn't official join in until 2008. Thanks for the welcome anyway.
My news network of which I am very proud sometimes get flack from DU readers but I expect that as in our attempts to give both sides of the story piss off nearly everyone at some point. They piss me off too when some right wing nut job gets equal time to "level out the playing field" even when such trash he/she is spewing is not worth the air time we give them. Most of the people I work with at least are civil in their discourse and try to get along at least. Some of my family, neighbors, and "friends" however seen to throw out any hint of civility and wear their bigotry and ignorance like a badge of honor.
I swear part of it is my fault for being a older white southern male. They simply feel that they can get away with it because "I'm one of them". I am not now or ever since I was a teenager in a rural Mississippi been one of them. I realized on day 1 at my 4th high school that what us white guys were saying and doing to the blacks in our community was completely and totally wrong.
I went off to join the Navy during Vietnam and married a European girl. We lived in Europe and other places around the world for 15 years before I finally returned to the southern USA to live. What I saw on my return brought back images of what happened in high school. These same bigoted fools were now the adults running the show. It seems to be in their genes but I know better. It's not genetic, it's mostly what your parents, teachers, friends and neighbors show and tell you is normal behavior. I am quite happy to see that at least some of us that grew up under these same conditions didn't fall for the propaganda.
I've raised 3 great kids who are all now adults that happily have grown up in the south like me but didn't let the propaganda they were exposed to influence their political views and humanity. I take pride in raising them to make their own decisions and not let hate and ignorance shape their lives.
Note: two of the three have lived all or most of their lives in Georgia.
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