Also known as “Exposural Education.” Warning: some mild generalizations follow
Perhaps it is common sense to say “children learn from exposure.” That’s why I’ve chosen to talk about it.
We all know children learn how to act, what words to use, what gestures to maneuver, and when to shut up from their parents, family, teachers and friends. A child growing up in a rural town with a population of less than 100 is not likely to know much of the outside world until traveling outside said town. Likewise, a child growing up in an inner city may now know the world to be anything but concrete and brick.
Many of the prejudices minorities face today are due to isolation. I try my hardest to point fingers, but I will use the most obvious example for easy relatability.
The American Southeast, known more commonly as The South, The Confederacy, Dixie, Yee-haw states, is generally classified as a “red” region, finding conservatism to be their cup of tea, or brew of beer more accurately. Let’s attempt to find reasoning behind this:
Every state now classified as “Dixie” was once part of the Confederate States of America. When the USA abolished slavery (their view: slaves are people) and the CSA kept it (their view: slaves are our economy), the states divided. The southern ideology pushed for freedom to do whatever you want, while the northern ideology pushed for equality and citizen rights. From this stems many debates: how much freedom is too much? Is there such a thing? Is there a difference between freedom and oppression? These questions are extremely relevant today, especially to our economic policies.
Because of the southern ideology of “freedom to do whatever you want,” as I called it, those who have power in the South wish to do what they want. Usually, the “want” of this ideology is to be protected, to build a figurative “wall” around family and friends to act as a comfort zone, to pass down tradition through religion and family, and to live a simple life. Because of the northern ideology of “equal rights,” most immigrants came to the shores of northern states, expecting to be welcomed to the land of the free. While the freedom part is still in the works, these immigrants eventually saw what they had hoped for: equal protection. Meanwhile, in the south, families grew, religion and tradition became law, and Yankees became the “other” group.
Long story short, the South has largely (not fully) become an land of isolationism. While this is not immediately a bad thing, it has become bad. Students in the south are raised among their family and traditions that have changed very little in the past 200 years. Black citizens are still prone to racism on a daily basis, but that threat is diminishing. Why? The largest percent of black citizens per state are Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and North Carolina, in that order. Exposure to blacks as equal citizens, protected by the same laws, given the same freedoms, has realized the fact that human is human. Contrary to this, the South has the lowest numbered populations of Asians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics (with the exception of Florida, which is sometimes not considered “Dixie” anyway). The south has the highest percentages of religiously affiliated citizens with a large majority in the Baptist Church. When leaving out Florida and Texas (sometimes considered it’s own region), the largest Dixie cities are Charlotte (17), Memphis (20), and Nashville (25), all in “northern” Dixie states.
What do these numbers prove? Not a whole lot has changed in Dixie, besides the addition of WalMart and the like. Why is this bad for education? Children can very well grow up not studying evolution (or any other theories besides creationism), having lack exposure to people of different cultures, even never leaving their home state. Children will not learn how to deal with other ideas, other situations, other people, if they ever leave their “comfort zone.” Thus, when a group of Yankees begs DC for economic regulation, protection of civil rights for minorities, guaranteed healthcare, and equal education funding, Dixie only sees socialist homosexuals commanding you to pay for their anti-christ agenda. Why? Because they don’t know any better. They don’t know anything but tradition. They have not been exposed through their education to other ideas, other options, other opinions. What would you do, having been told your entire life that teaching anything but the word of God is sin, if you entered a classroom and learned the theory of Evolution?
I in no way intend to offend the South as a whole. While I have made generalizations, they are generalizations because they are generally true. I also do not intend to insult Christianity in any way. I have attempted to relate the most obvious example of lack of Educational Exposure to the public to explain my theories. I find the beaches of the Carolinas quite soothing, and enjoy country music and cajun seasoning.
Ernie Education, staff writer
