First off, I'm with the crowd that says "I would have never noticed that" when it came to Reggin's name. In fact, every time I read it I think of Reggie Bush....and then the Saints....and then Geaux Saints! lol
IMO those who notice such things are the same ones who make a big to-do over "hidden messages" in Disney movies which nobody would've noticed unless they were pointed out and those who insists that someone meant something completely else with their words when in fact, the words meant exactly what the person saying them wanted them to mean. This whole witch-hunt for hidden meanings & messages is absurd and people need to find a better use of their time.
As for racism, yes I live in southeastern Louisiana and it is prevalent here. However, it goes every way imaginable. Hell, the mayor of New Orleans made headlines first when he stated he wanted to return his city to a "chocolate city" and then when he stated that he wanted all the "spics" out of his city (after hurricanes Katrina & Rita). And yet, that ignorant asshole actually got re-elected.
Maybe I'm going off-topic here, but I remember an incident in 8th grade that prompted me to walk out of the class and never go back. In fact, it was the first day of class and I walked out, went to the principal's office and told them I wanted a new teacher. Why? Well, I walked into my Louisiana history class and just randomly picked a seat (which happened to be somewhat at the front of the class because I'm blind....I sat in the front of every class for this reason). Well, once the bell rang, the teacher stood up and told everyone, "Get up! All the whites go to the back of the classroom, all the African Americans come to the front. Now you in the front sit down. For all you whites, now it's your turn to see how it feels. Sit the hell down!"
I never sat down and I marched my "white", although if you want to get technical my dad's parents immigrated from Denmark and my mom's parents were Native American (Cherokee to be exact), butt on out that class and I never went back. I had many friends who were forced to stay in the class and they hated it...and my friends were black, white, and polka-dotted. They all said the same thing.
I personally don't use racial slurs. The only "slurs" I use are to call trash "trash" and the lazy "lazy." I don't care what race or ethnicity they are and I sure don't care about color. One thing you'll find in Louisiana is that we are a great mix of people. The Creoles and Cajuns are a mix of all races. And those like my husband, who are cajun, actually have hispanic last names....so figure that one out.
One thing I AM tired of is being forced to apologize for things I did not do. And things my parents, and grandparents, and greatgrandparents did not do. And if people want to get nasty about it, I'll gladly stand and fight.
By no means should we ignore hatred, but it's **** time that we opened our eyes and realized that history is history and that racism is not a one-way street.
And for the record, my future sis-in-law is black thus making my little nephew a wonderful mix. He's gorgeous. But I've heard more "half-breed" comments from people than I care to think about. And to be honest, none have come from the "white" side.
