For at least 60 years, there’s never been an election in the town. Instead, the mantle has been treated as a “hand me down” by the small percentage of white residents, according to several residents Capital B interviewed. After being the only one to submit qualifying paperwork and statement of economic interests, Braxton became the mayor.
That last part is kind of significant. I don’t doubt there’s a racial component here but I also think anyone that just assumed an office through paperwork would face resistance in a small town.
Only racists could be so idiotic as to constantly antagonize the 89%, when they themselves are 11%. Considering it’s Bama, I don’t think many of the racists are exactly in shape. You’d think they’d be more mindful.
Then again, perhaps this is just natural selection at work, and these people exist only because we’ve agreed as a society that wanton killing is bad.
“At one point, we didn’t even know who the mayor was,” Ballard recalls. “If you knew somebody and you was white, and your grandfather was in office when he died or got sick, he passed it on down to the grandson or son, and it’s been that way throughout the history of Newbern.”
Yeah that’s a monarchy. And those folks probably call themselves “patriots”. And they probably claim systematic racism doesn’t exist either while being the dictionary definition of it.
As a northerner from a top 50 MSA, I have to say that I thought these towns only existed in quirky lifetime movies and black sketch comedy shows depicting comically absurd stereotypes of racist backwards towns. I mean wtf! Really?!
Err… the first sentence that you quoted directly refutes what you said.
If there hasn’t been an election for 60+ years in the town, that means everyone has “assumed office through paperwork.” He’s the only one that’s faced resistance. This is entirely a result of racism. Don’t pretend otherwise.
I agreed there is racism involved, but you don’t think if you or I rolled into town and signed up as mayor we wouldn’t face resistance? Small town xenophobia includes racism but extends beyond it too.
It’s been assumed as true, but no one has bothered to even try to explain how they can be certain that racism is the only factor at play. Anyone that’s lived in a small town knows small town bigotry is never as cut-and-dried as that.
But I know it feels more satisfying to go with the simplistic answer that it’s just plain racism and challenging that with nuance is never popular.
Both the requirements to “be certain” and for it to be the “only factor” are attempts at moving the goalposts.
If you think that’s true what did you think the original ‘goalposts’ were?
Not sure how you’re missing this but I’ve been saying it’s not the only factor from the get-go. And if you are uncertain it’s soley racism why are you objecting to my statement that there are other factors?
That last part is kind of significant. I don’t doubt there’s a racial component here but I also think anyone that just assumed an office through paperwork would face resistance in a small town.
The town has a total of 30 white residents, the other 89% are People of Color.
And only one guy shows up to a fire?
I mean, you can’t really force people to volunteer. That’s why you make critical services into actual jobs.
That’s weird that the entire firefighting team is white then, other than that one guy. Unless I’m misreading.
Only racists could be so idiotic as to constantly antagonize the 89%, when they themselves are 11%. Considering it’s Bama, I don’t think many of the racists are exactly in shape. You’d think they’d be more mindful.
Then again, perhaps this is just natural selection at work, and these people exist only because we’ve agreed as a society that wanton killing is bad.
So I asked Wolfram alpha and that comes out to 272 non-white residents at the difference. I could be wrong though, I’ve drank biers
The number is actually 245 since the total population is 275. They wrote it in the article.
Damn! I was kinda close, but thanks for the correction.
Yeah that’s a monarchy. And those folks probably call themselves “patriots”. And they probably claim systematic racism doesn’t exist either while being the dictionary definition of it.
As a northerner from a top 50 MSA, I have to say that I thought these towns only existed in quirky lifetime movies and black sketch comedy shows depicting comically absurd stereotypes of racist backwards towns. I mean wtf! Really?!
It sounds like there was no resistance to assuming office through paperwork for at least 60 years before this, when the assumees were all white.
True, but if no one is running thats just their own fault at that point.
Err… the first sentence that you quoted directly refutes what you said.
If there hasn’t been an election for 60+ years in the town, that means everyone has “assumed office through paperwork.” He’s the only one that’s faced resistance. This is entirely a result of racism. Don’t pretend otherwise.
I agreed there is racism involved, but you don’t think if you or I rolled into town and signed up as mayor we wouldn’t face resistance? Small town xenophobia includes racism but extends beyond it too.
Oh it absolutely can be both, but in this case it’s pretty clear it’s about race and not because of outsider.
What makes you so certain it’s just racism and not small-town xenophobia, which includes racism?
That’s been clearly explained at least twice already. Why are you sealioning?
It’s been assumed as true, but no one has bothered to even try to explain how they can be certain that racism is the only factor at play. Anyone that’s lived in a small town knows small town bigotry is never as cut-and-dried as that.
But I know it feels more satisfying to go with the simplistic answer that it’s just plain racism and challenging that with nuance is never popular.
Both the requirements to “be certain” and for it to be the “only factor” are attempts at moving the goalposts. Quit trolling.
If you think that’s true what did you think the original ‘goalposts’ were?
Not sure how you’re missing this but I’ve been saying it’s not the only factor from the get-go. And if you are uncertain it’s soley racism why are you objecting to my statement that there are other factors?