society

I was reading the local mail chatlist when once again the discussion started about "us versus them" in regards to the "natives" of Chatham County and the "transplants" who have moved in here over the last several years or even decades. The main target of my ire was Rita with the Hyphenated Name, who's basic argument was "Shut up, if you don't like it, go back where you came from" which has been a pervasive ideology across the south since Reconstruction. I decided to reply to her post, and every other post on the topic, and this is my reply:

I wanted to thank Rita with the hyphenated last name and the others who've jumped in to once again add fuel to the us/them argument. And I wanted to thank all those locals for once again reminding me in the most polite of terms that I am not "native", will never be "native", should not consider myself a "local", and should just smile and keep my mouth shut because being an "outsider" means that I don't have the right to want, work for, hope for, or embrace changes that could make my life better.  read more »