tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post114778306991897862..comments2023-06-04T11:38:40.921-04:00Comments on words / myth / ampers & virgule: Building fencesDick Margulishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10169512038331158003noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-1147798314470795332006-05-16T12:51:00.000-04:002006-05-16T12:51:00.000-04:00My impression when I lived in Houston was that Tex...My impression when I lived in Houston was that Texans still believe in slavery, but they've learned to apply the practice in an equal-opportunity fashion, with employment law and practices more reminiscent of the way southern plantations were organized than of the way most workplaces are organized elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>Compared to other parts of the country, housing, workplaces, and public accommodations such as parks and restaurants that I encountered in Houston tended to be far more diverse in terms of both race and social class. Any burger joint might have a falling-apart clunker of a pickup truck parked next to a new Cadillac with a pair of steer horns mounted on the hood and the drivers of those vehicles eating at adjacent tables and sharing jokes.<BR/><BR/>You may remember Dick Gregory's famous line, captured in his book, <I>From the Back of the Bus,</I> "In the South it doesn't matter how close you get as long as you don't get too big. In the North it doesn't matter how big you get, as long as you don't get too close." I think that's largely still true.Dick Margulishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10169512038331158003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-1147796821587786872006-05-16T12:27:00.000-04:002006-05-16T12:27:00.000-04:00I was appalled by many, many things I saw as I gre...I was appalled by many, many things I saw as I grew up in the Houston area, including racism. It was one of the many reasons I left the state as soon as I could, which was at age 23. My sister and brother still live there. She's become one of the stereotypical racist, homophobic Texans I don't like, and he is a gay man living in a very homophobic place. Texas is, in general, a place that's at least 20 years behind the rest of the country in attitudes toward human rights, meaning it's not a good place for nonwhites, GLBT folks, or women.Katharine O'Moore-Klopfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14699159708036532202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-1147792229398115642006-05-16T11:10:00.000-04:002006-05-16T11:10:00.000-04:00I had a fourteen-month tech writing contract in Ho...I had a fourteen-month tech writing contract in Houston once. Longest five years of my life. When Christmas came, during that stay, my boss, knowing I was there alone, invited me to join her family for the day. After our noonish Christmas dinner, we went for a walk in the neighborhood. We heard hammering and, as we rounded a corner, saw a full crew of (presumably Catholic) Mexican workers framing a new house. I was appalled, but I wasn't surprised.Dick Margulishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10169512038331158003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-1147791628694384642006-05-16T11:00:00.000-04:002006-05-16T11:00:00.000-04:00Ha! That's great! That point hadn't occurred to me...Ha! That's great! That point hadn't occurred to me, Dick, and I grew up in Texas. Thanks for making it.Katharine O'Moore-Klopfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14699159708036532202noreply@blogger.com