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Town near the middle of South Carolina known for its Iris Festival and its proximity to Shaw Air Force Base.
Geographically, it is two hours from the mountains and two hours from the beach.
It is a mid-sized town which is about equally proportioned between whites and blacks. Its economy is steady but it has a slightly high unemployment rate as of 2005.
I'm going to Sumter, SC to see the Iris Festival.
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Rednecks live in the Southeastern United States. While they do not comprise the entire population in this region they do make up the vast majority of the people here.
Typically, rednecks live in rural settings. They avoid urban settings. They are proud of their pick-up trucks or older cars and stick with them despite rising gas prices.
They typically work industrial or manual labor jobs. The majority do not have anything beyond a high school education. They depend on the "Good 'Ol Boy" system of advancement. They are extremely weary of those who do possess the desire to act educated -- these people are perceived as sell-outs.
You can often see rednecks hauling lawn equipment or hunting (dog) equipment even if they do not plan on using these items in the near future. It is a proud symbol of their social class.
Rednecks often are seen about in hunting attire even though they do not plan to hunt anything. Dressing up comprises of dockers and a tucked in polo shirt. Baseball hats on men are a must regardless of the occasion or whether indoors or not.
Most rednecks do not live in mobile homes anymore. Most have modest homes. Typically they decorate in Native American or hunting themes. Most devote much more money into their vehicles then their homes.
Rednecks speak with a Southern accent and avoid using big words. They may know big words but it is not socially acceptable to use them. People who do are identified as outsiders.
Rednecks support major brands such as Coca-Cola and Nascar. Their major past times are watching television, hunting, fishing, and shooting. They detest reading (other than romance novels or the newspaper).
Rednecks tend to be socially conservative. They are extremely defensive against outsiders and anyone different from them. They have learned to avoid those who do not adopt their culture. Many rednecks may also be Evangelical Christians. They will not hesitate upon meeting you to tell you that you "are going to hell" if you are not also Baptist or a similar denomination.
Overall, rednecks are extremely friendly people but they are very reluctant to accept those different from them so it is hard for others to mingle with them or understand them.
Many do not ever travel outside of this region. Places such as the Blue Ridge Mountains, Pigeon Forge, and Myrtle Beach are considered to be the ultimate vacation spots.
They are very stubborn about their conservative beliefs. They believe that all liberals have lesser moral values. This is often hypocritical -- for example, the Southeast has a much higher divorce rate then the rest of the nation. Part of this stubbornness also stems from their idea that their culture is under attack since they tend to associate morality with social conservativeness. This stubbornness can have many negative effects -- it can contribute to false knowledge of the world and the culture within and outside of the Southeast. For this reason, most rednecks will to this day deny that the Civil War was about slavery.
Finally, most rednecks are closet racists. They will vehemently deny this but racist remarks are often made among white groups. They are outwardly friendly towards minorities but they certainly have very large reservations about hiring or becoming close friends with them. This is done almost as a quest for assurance amongst each other that no one in their presence is a cultural sellout.
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This is a politically correct term used to refer to the indigenous people of the American Continents. They are also referred to as American Indians.
Native Americans originally came to the North American continent somewhere around 12,000 years ago from East Asia. It is thought that their migration happened over a number of centuries rather than all at once.
In the Americas they formed many different tribes each with a unique culture and history. Contrary to popular belief, only some were nomadic. Most had developed cities and advanced systems of government, language, and social structure.
The coming of the Spanish had many devastating effects for the Native Americans. Diseases such as plague and smallpox wiped out more than 95% of the indigenous population within the first hundred years of contact.
The Europeans also imposed harsh terms on the Natives. Many were massacred for no apparent reason other than hate and greed. Often the Europeans were controlled by the search for gold. Christopher Columbus himself and many others took them as slaves. The only reason this did not pan out long term is because the Natives died too quickly from exposure to new viruses. It was then that the Europeans decided to use African slaves instead since they already had previous exposure to the diseases of the Old World and were, therefore, less likely to die.
The Natives were forced off their lands as more settlers came to the continent. They were pushed further and further West by the government and the increasing number of settlers who were intolerant of them. Those that refused were either killed or forced into removal -- Trail of Tears.
Native Americans have continued to be the victims of racism up into the 20th century. It wasn't until the early 20th century that they earned the right to vote and many were forced into segregation just as other minorities were.
The remaining Native Americans that chose to hold on to their culture reside on reservations. These small tracts of land are usually desolate and have are not capable of being farmed. Most are placed far away from other cities so the occupants exist in a state of isolation.
It wasn't until recently that the development of Indian Gaming took place. Contrary to popular belief (i.e another poster) these casinos are not provided by the government. Indeed, the tribes pay for the development and maintenance of the casinos all on their own. Furthermore, it is ignorant to generalize all Indians to be profiting off of gaming. Only a few lucky tribes benefit from gambling proceeds. Most are not fortunate enough to be located close enough to other cities for gambling casinos to be profitable.
For instance, Harrah's Cherokee Casino in Cherokee, NC was purchased by the tribe from tribal (not US Government) money. Prior to this, this and other tribes have had to rely mainly on tourism for income since most of their reservations are located in inhospitable places. Cherokee is the exception and with good reason: the land of the NC reservation was purchased by the Cherokee over 100 years ago -- not set aside by the government as a "gift".
Today, many Native American suffer from a variety of social issues. Diabetes plagues them at higher rates than any other minority. Suicide, alcoholism, and murder are also extremely high. Unemployment is high as well -- but this is attributed mainly to the fact that there is usually no outside industry other than tourism. Most reservations are located far away from desirable land so jobs are scarce to be had. Often, a Natives choices are to either remain poor or leave the reservation and their last ties to their culture.
More than any other minority per capita, Natives live in poverty. The idea that they get benefits and tax breaks from the US Government is appalling and a myth. Natives pay federal taxes just like everyone else. True, they do not have to pay state taxes on anything purchased inside the reservation but at the same time they do not receive anything for the reservation that tax money would be used for -- i.e. roads, schools, public services (police, ambulance, etc.) All of these services are provided internally by the tribe out of tribal earned money therefore there is no reason for them to pay state taxes for it.
Perhaps more than any other minority in the nation, Natives stuffer from misunderstanding and stereotypes in the general public. The term, the "Forgotten Race" is very apt ... as one of the other posters to "Native Americans" has made a good example of with their ramblings and misinformed and misdirected anger.
The author encourages each of you to try to understand the TRUE story of the Native people -- not just what you overhear from people who would rather have us forgotten. The common information on the indigenous people that is passed around as truth nowadays is often dead wrong and based on stereotypes from popular culture. In reality, Natives have a rich history and are worthy of more than token recognition.
Native Americans still exist as a minority race today.
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Descriptive term used interchangably until recently to describe two different groups of people:
1) East Indians; origin of India
2) Native Americans; origin of North America.
While Indian is still an apt descriptive term of those who hail from the country India it is best avoided when used to refer to those who originated in North America. Some consider it to be politically incorrect but the bigger issue is probably the tendency for misunderstanding and confusion in our modern global society.
The new student in school is Indian.
Common responses: Which Indian? or Dots or feathers?
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