As most of you know, I recently returned to my home state of North Carolina after more than a decade away. I have a funny relationship with this place. I grew up ashamed to live here and to have been born a Southerner. I remained here as an undergraduate, partly due to a (deeply flawed) assumption/self-delusion that Chapel Hill, being "more liberal" than the surrounding areas, was progressive enough to be tolerable. But I found that experience frustrating and couldn't get out and escape to the left coast for graduate school fast enough. Being in the west was transformative on many levels, including a shift in the way I viewed my "home": Eugene quickly made me realize that Chapel Hill was wishy-washy liberal at best. My Southern shame intensified exponentially in response to assumptions made about me based on my origins and the slight hint of an accent that I still carried--that I was ignorant or a racist, that my education was sub-standard. At times it was a shame mixed with defensiveness, given that Oregon (and later, California and New York) didn't seem to be doing that much better with race relations. Why should those of us born in the South carry the stigma of a problem that seemed to permeate the entire country? But eventually I was able to gain some perspective and distance and see my birthplace for what it was--neither solely responsible for historic or ongoing racism nor innocent enough to merit a defensive from its natives. I was glad to be out and put NC on my mental list of "couldn't force me to live there" states.
But fate is a funny thing...and despite that vow, here I am again. Only, this is not the place I grew up or the place I left. The demographics of the state have shifted profoundly in the last decade. NC has experienced incredible growth, and the new population is considerably less white and more liberal. Changing demographics and the tanking economy (hitting this state is some particularly harsh ways) are just two factors that are changing the political landscape here.
So imagine my surprise to see that my home state is now a pleasing shade of Carolina blue. Obama's chances are looking better by the day and Elizabeth Dole will almost certainly be ousted by her Democratic challenger. It is, in a word, unbelievable.
As if I needed more proof that something profound is happening around me, I found this is my mailbox this morning. Dean Smith might as well be God around these parts (minus the plantation in Durham).
These are amazing times, my friends. I am glad we are all here in this space to witness it and sort it all out together.
9 comments:
fantastic news about Coach Smith, Ash. i just read about that and thought, "shite! we're going to win this thing."
i miss the South - Sewanee, TN, in particular - every day. but it's not where i'm "from," even if i wish it was, so i allow myself to wax rhapsodic about the region in a way i'd never do for New Joizee.
that said, it'd be a god-awful - and endlessly exciting - place to work on an organizing campaign. i keep it in my Options Portfolio, i'll tell you that much.
Hi Ash - I'm a long time reader, first time commenter. I like your stuff and today's post - along with Wobs' and Dave's, helps hold off my post-2000 tendency towards pessimism. And a reminder to love Oregon, and my roots. Last year I too returned to my motherland, the Midwest, after 10 years of being away (to do research) and it was different, very different than Oregon. But I have a whole lot of respect for the amazing activists I met there for being trying to challenge the conservative values that still hold true there. And I saw both Hillary and Obama at the North Dakota DNC which was awesome, so I too am hopeful that Obama might do well even in the more provincial of Midwest states - and hopefully take Minnesota OFF the map of swing states. wtf?
Jen, did you see that a recent poll had Obama up by 2 in ND?
Dean Smith fuck yeah!
i appreciate your debriefing here. as a south carolinian with generations of southern ancestors and a classic "good" southern education, i always find myself in schizophrenic response-chains: my elation over Obama's reception in the SC primaries is still ringing but the lurking patterns are still there. i have had many rounds of defending the south as per race relations relative to other parts of the country like oregon, where races almost never meet and certainly don't know what its like to try to live together everyday. (and let us not forget the "brain-drain." the university me and lex went to was an attempt to keep smart people from leaving the south, because they are certainly born there every day)
but you are right, the south doesn't need too much of a handicap score. just like the more 'progressive' regions of the country that haven't been able to fully confront class issues, the south has to grow up from the inside. and don't hide your accent. where would the u.s. be without the south? (no music)
think coach smith can convince the Obama campaign to go to the four-corners offense for the next 20-odd days?
i'm still horrified of some sort of racialized swiftboat offensive, that I think ball control is of the essence right now.
km
argh, how about? "I'm still so horrified of some sort of racialized swiftboat offensive that I think ball control is of the essence right now."
Rob-
That was a pretty good comment, for low-country scum like yourself.
Anyway, my part of SC (the mountainous region near GA) reminds me today very much of of the area Ash couldn't wait to get out of. I do agree that the race relations are to some extents not as bad as advertised (tho again, certainly not good), there are very few progressives to be found in that area (as I suspect there are in Conway?). I go back for holidays, and really can't wait to leave. My dad and his friends say things like "George W. Bush will be remembered as a great president" (direct quote from the old man). When pushed for a reason, the guy responded that he had the "balls to go into Iraq" (praise jebus, my dad didn't say that part)and that Saddam was killing the Kurds. Showed zero patience when I rattled off all the other places where people in power are killing citizens. Willfull ignorance is the only name for that.
Anyway, Ash, thanks for your post. It makes me think one day I might get to go back and not hate it. Its a beautiful place, but the people are essentially ruining it for me.
Jason
Jason,
do the IM champions from Bob Jones and Furman ever square off?
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