Agreed. I grew up in a community that was a community because it was diverse. Small town in Arkansas that had a military base. And cotton fields with people who worked in those fields. And small shop owners and wealthy factory owners. Many different religious beliefs. Pretty diverse group of citizens.

Today I live in a bigger city, still diverse. I am glad for me, my children and grandchildren.

Eld, I guess we were thinking the same thing at the same time.

I've read that the current head of the catholic church is being castigated for his 'inclusiveness' and his departure from 'doctrine'. I guess it is human to want to cling to 'the familiar' -- even in this instance, when your professed belief says that the head of your church is your god's representative on earth.

I'm seeing more gentle meaning in this way of telling someone you don't share his religious or other beliefs: "I'm not of that *persuasion*."

I attended a 'community church' in a then-small suburb of Chicago. There were several different denominations of Christians, and it never occurred to me that there were no other religions represented. I thought I met my first Jewish person in college. Of course there were Jews in my town; they felt the need to be 'invisible'. (The deed to my parents' house -- built in the late 1930's prohibited sale to Jews. I guess including others in the prohibition was so far "beyond the pale" that it wasn't considered to be in the realm of possibility!)

I think it's generally a good thing that we cease to divide ourselves into tribes.

Being a human being is commonality enough for me.

I agree. I have lived and worked in diverse places, have a diverse family, I love people's differences in culture, food, ideas.

Kennswoods, great minds think alike :)

I lived in NYC from age 2 to 11. We were non-Hispanic Roman Catholic, most of the apartment was Jewish, and for several years I attended a Catholic grade school where I and one other classmate were the only non-Cuban or non-Puerto Rican in that particular year. Dad explored nearly every corner of the city coming home with all sorts of exotic food stuffs to try and re-create at home.

I now live in a rural town and the only thing I truly miss here IS the ethnic diversity. (Before retirement, I was working with a wonderful assortment of people from India, Croatia, Germany, China, as well as born here in America...) Although we do have diversity in my new town - a wide range of political viewpoints, and there are a variety of faiths (Mennonite, Congregational, Baptist, Wiccan, for example), and this being Massachusetts, a population who are openly gay. Here, the Trump supporters, tea-partiers, and the full-on lefties can talk civilly with each other. I fear that being in a place where everyone has the same traditions, spiritual or otherwise, can lead to a closing-off of abilities to keep communication channels open when discovering "new" people.

People are people. Some of the worst people I've ever known are from my exact same demographic. Some of the best have totally different world views and backgrounds.

Eras are like that, too. The "good ole days" had its problems, and today's world has its problems. Some of the problems are no longer the same problems -- but I don't think there was ever really a "golden age".

I have to echo the sentiment- well said, Elmer.

I'll leave out any adjectives that come to mind to describe this sentiment, also shared by some others. In the good old days of the 40s and 50s and even in later years, African Americans still lived under Jim Crow laws in the South and discrimination there and elsewhere. There were areas Catholics and Jews were unwelcome to live in, and employers who wouldn't hire them. And on and on. Things weren't "more friendly" for them and others at that time. If you were on the right side of the power divide, everyone had a commonality and life was good, and those in such a bubble were "all doing the same thing". If you were on the wrong side, each day could bring a problem, a closed door, or even worse.

Bull, I grew up in a small town in south Georgia in the 40 and 50 . TifTon, GA. We were one of only 3 Catholic families. We were neighbors with 3 Jewish families . All of our families owned small thriving business. We were part of our community. My father had 5 black employee who attended my wedding and my sisters wedding. What do you know about the south in the 40s and 50s?? Do you know anyone that lived there? The North was a lot more prejudice.

I live in a place that is said to be the most diverse place in the world. My kids go to school with kids from all over the world. They all tend to get along pretty well regardless of background or where they were born or their parents were born or what cultural or other traditions they have. One thing I find is that all of these kids are looking for a commonality or something they share with others. It doesn't matter if it's a math or science class or they are an athlete or a band or theater kid, etc. They have school traditions and jokes and do fun stuff together They just all want to have something in common with other kids and have things they enjoy and can talk about. I really think that is all that Anglophilia meant by what she said. She enjoyed the old traditions of the holiday with friends and family and misses it. I can appreciate that.

It is difficult to comprehend a lack of diversity. Growing up in the military I had neighbors of all races. We were separated by rank not ethnicity. All religions shared the same chapels. We saw vestiges of other faiths in the transitioning from one to the other. Perhaps what wasn't represented were the elderly and I suppose the disabled. It has been true for a very long time that it was EASY to be a Christian here. Laws, holidays, popular opinion supported Christian values and precepts. More and more our striving for the high ground is being judged has intolerance. Like it or not we believed there are very objective rights and wrongs. Behavior isn't all equal. It doesn't matter how much we talk about certain actions being WRONG we are accused of being haters. HUGE DIFFERENCE in condemning the action vs the actor. For us there is much at stake. ETERNITY isn't something we are willing to throw away just to make nice. There is a line that those with values cannot cross. That's really what much of this is about.

ronminsouthga , I think both you and Elmer are right, especially depending on where you are talking about. In essence, it probably wasn't a cut and dry situation, ALL South and so forth, not so. Mom told me about attending college back in the 40's, the only whites that would associate at all with the blacks attending (no, not very many attending) were people like her, from the South. (She, as well as I, but I didn't live there past toddlerhood, were born in Kentucky.) Northerners would have nothing to do with blacks, as she told it.

However, Jim Crow was a reality down in many Southern states. Discrimination in the North was more insidious, a lot less obvious, but still potent. Mother took me to an exhibit in NYC when I was young (mid teens?) called Harlem on My Mind, and i purchased the book (still in a box for moving, so I can't refer to the date). People came north, hoping for a better life, but it wasn't necessarily so.

Anyhow, thanks for your insight.

There are bigots, racists etc. everywhere there are people. Some people have a need to feel superior to others and will find a group/race/religion etc. to call inferior to make themselves feel superior. Some people show their need to feel superior by talking down to others, showing off how much more they know than others or trying to show their moral superiority. It is a sad component of the human condition. Yes there are exceptions to everything but they are just that ... exceptions. Now Christians are being looked down on and considered inferior and that makes some of you feel superior. It's sad when morals, ethics, belief in constitutional rights and a clear idea of what is right and what is wrong is considered racist or hateful.

arcy_gw stated it perfectly.

I was raised by a Southern man and a Yankee woman. Like arcy gw, the only prejudice I encountered was as a military brat. You were judged by rank, not color of skin or ethnicity. Enlisted kids stuck together as did the officers kids. We would go "home" to a small Southern town between tours and lived there off and on when dad was on an un accompanied tour of duty. Yes, there was discrimination, there was also discrimination in New York, just as strong , and there were many in both places who did not discriminate.

No matter how much you want the world to hold hands and sing it ain't gonna happen because you won't change human nature.

But it sure felt more friendly when everyone had a commonality ... That's what I like about the KT -- our 'commonality' is simply a desire to sit around with other civil folks, chit-chatting trivia or discussing issues, passing the time, perhaps developing new ideas, perhaps developing new friendships. Telling and listening to each others' stories. Sometimes calling each other out when we've painted with too broad a brush, sometimes letting it flow like water off a duck's back - judgement calls, all.

Elmer, I appreciate the fact that you started this topic as a new thread. I think it worked (works) better than expanding the nostalgia thread.

edited to add: I enjoyed my childhood, it just happened to be in 1960's boring old white-bread suburbia. Perhaps I'd have enjoyed my childhood equally much if we'd lived in a more diverse area, or had more money for cultural enrichment -- who knows, and what does it matter? I'm a adult now, and no longer wish to be a child.

A good post, Elmer. Thank you for that.

I too, however, grew up in a small southern town, much like Ron. Yes, there are places in the south much as Elmer describes, but fortunately mine wasn’t one. It was pretty diverse for its time, and was also close to a military and highly scientific-based town, which is where I now live. And as I traveled the country, I realized racial prejudice certainly wasn’t unique to the south.

Very well said, Elmer.

There is prejudice everywhere. It's a fact of life. The thing it, it's up to you to decide how to live. You can refuse to have anything to do with people that are not like you or you can make the effort to get to know people that are different from you. You might be surprised by the common ground you can find when you try.

The first 22 years of my life were lived in almost completely white surroundings. I left home and moved to California. What an eye opener that was. People from all over the world, different colors, religions, no two alike. It was fantastic. It opened my eyes to so many different things. Well, I've moved back to where I grew up. It hasn't changed a whole lot although I would say that the younger generations are doing a much better job of coming together regardless of race and religion. But the older generations have not changed. They are set in their ways. I agree that there is not much you can do about that. You can only control how you yourself behave and treat other people. It's really up to you.

I'd be more curious about the perspective of those who were routinely discriminated against about the state of racism in the 40's and 50's. People in a position of privilege often see things differently, and more optimistically, than the reality.

How boring life would be if there was no diversity. The food, the people, learning of others cultures, religions and languages. Well said Elmer

I grew up in a horribly bigoted Southern state (and family) with plenty of Jim Crow laws and worse practices. It shaped me into a different (and I hope better) person than my parents and childhood neighbors. I appreciate diversity, people should be who they feel happy being.

Nice discussion, this - good thread, Elmer. I had a different experience, grew up in the PNW, in Seattle, where it was predominately Northern European/Scandinavian/white and very segregated. I never felt it was segregated because whites kept others from integrating, but because there were parts of town where people preferred to live within communities of people like themselves. I never thought those areas were particularly poor or disadvantaged. As a teen, I heard the schools were good, the high school teams we played and the fans seemed just like us, just from different neighborhoods. I never even knew a Jewish person, that I was aware of at least. I didn't learn hate or anything disparaging about other races/ethnicities/religions, I simply had no exposure.

Of course, I then grew up and learned things weren't all unicorns and rainbows as I'd imagined; that people were prevented from buying homes outside of certain areas; that there was discrimination and prejudice, which I'd been ignorant of. Seattle is much more diverse than it once was, mainly because of the tech industry hiring from around the world, but the PNW still isn't as diverse as many areas of the country.

As I learned more about racism, I became outspoken about the damage that covert as well as overt racism and prejudice does to people and our communities, as well as society as a whole. I had a lot to learn, starting from zero, but I'm glad I was given the opportunity to be able to and that others were willing to be patient with me (and others) as we learned and grew. I'm still learning.

Well said, Elmer.

I am old enough to have lived in the "good old days", and it wasn't that good. From a society view, prejudices were aplenty and there were much unfairness. Attitude ruled instead of logic. I did not notice that as I grew up, but that was because I grew up in isolation from the rest of the world. The attitudes of people around me appeared normal because there were nothing else to compare to. As I look back on my life, many of the comments you have made unearth the raw truths.

I fled what I call the "white suburban Catholic ghetto." I had to: it was literally a matter of life and death.

I wonder how many people went to church and celebrated holidays because they truly wanted to, and how many were there due to social and community pressure.

I think the social pressure has relaxed and that's why fewer people go to church these days. And it's become acceptable to be religious but not attend church, as a lot of people (myself included) don't like organized religion between the scandals and the stances on social issues.

I don't have any problem at all when people want to attend church as long as they don't use it as an excuse to try to take away the rights of others, or to judge those who don't attend or have a different lifestyle. Thankfully that is a small but vocal minority.

I know what it is like to be the minority growing up, and instead of it making me bitter, it has made me more understanding. Unfortunately, the opposite is true for most people.

ETA: Chi, I agree with you. There's a quote I like, 'Your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does." I have a family member who is active in her church. Yet, she has done some underhanded things. Maybe she thinks that going to confession absolves all the wrongs?

cherryfizz, the diversity in the area where I live gives us so many opportunities to enjoy different cultures and cuisines. We have the world's cuisine at our leisure, and that's amazing.

Another "Well said, Elmer."

My parents lived in Greenwich Village when I was born, and not long after that we moved to Queens. It was known as an Irish neighborhood, but I would call it an Irish-Jewish-Italian neighborhood. My family was mostly Scottish-German. Although I had a wonderful group of friends who never made me feel like an outsider--and in fact I'm still in close touch with some of them--I remember thinking as a teenager that it must be a good feeling to be part of a family where everybody looks somewhat alike, and the family traditions are understood and observed by all.

I still think there might be some truth in that, although a) I don't imagine as many families with a "pure" ethnicity exist anymore, and b) I no longer wish I could have that experience.

Most of my Catholic friends went to Catholic school, but I (except for two years boarding in a Catholic convent when my mother died) went to public school. It was a big school, and although we still didn't have many Hispanics at the time, I made some black friends there. But it wasn't until I grew up and went to work at Rockefeller Center, Lever Brothers, and then Lincoln Center that I experienced the full impact of NYC diversity. I loved it.

I'll never forget my first trip to a supermarket in rural Pennsylvania, where my husband I eventually settled. Everyone looked alike to me. It made me uncomfortable. Honestly, it still does. We have a lot of summer camps here, and I love it when counselors arrive from all over the world. Buses bring them to Walmart for their supplies, and some people avoid the store then because the counselors slow things down. But I seek it out, just to see their faces and hear their accents. If they have questions, I want to help. They probably consider me a royal pest. Or just a weird American. :-)

Great post Elmer. Well said.

ronm, the neighborhood discrimination I mentioned was not just in the south but often in suburban neighborhoods near urban centers all over. Commonly done by deed restrictions as chisue described. I'm glad you lived in a friendly pocket of people in South Georgia - are you suggesting that the schools weren't separated for black vs white children nor that public services and businesses weren't segregated? I wonder how wonderful the African American community found this town to be. The so-called second "Great Migration" of 5 million African-Americans from 1940-1970, out of the South and to the North and West was triggered by a desire for better lives in areas where there was less segregation and discrimination. You ever hear about that?

anglophillia, thanks for you comment. As to your loving memories of Topeka, do you remember that the 1954 landmark discrimination in education Supreme Court case was Brown vs Board of Education OF TOPEKA? With your stated age, you likely attended a whites-only elementary school for some portion of your primary education. Do you remember how wonderful that was? Yes, from what I read, the Topeka schools ended their segregation practices in 1953, before the Supreme Court decision. However, the legal action had started with a class action suit against the Topeka schools in 1951, so the wheels were already turning. As to how open-minded and urbane Topeka and Kansas City were in those years, I'll remind you that the Kansas City school system was locked in litigation about its continuing school segregation for decades following the Brown decision. I know some people from Kansas City of about my age and the tales they've told me about race relations and people's attitudes differ from yours.

To others, thanks for the support. I hesitated to bring up such a hot potato but the comments were so unreasonable to me I couldn't let them pass.

Elmer, was there no racial discrimination in your home town when you were growing up? To me, that seems implausible -- could you clarify please?

nickel, I like your question. Thanks. I had to do some head scratching and a search or two to freshen my recollections from growing up in the 1950s and 60s.

I think the short answer is yes, there was some. But I would say little or nothing institutional other than remaining miscegenation laws. Cultural and ethnic groups tended to self-segregate then as now. That can affect neighborhoods and schools, though i didn't live in such an area. All schools were legally integrated and in the case of the schools I went to, not homogeneous by any means. Public services and public places were legally open to all.

People were mostly free to live wherever they wanted. I think there was the odd issue here or there when let's call a "dissimilar" family wanted to move into a neighborhood but little ever came of it. Seeing non-white people in jobs of responsibility or importance was normal and not unusual or shocking. LA elected a black mayor in 1971 and he remained in office a long time.

Racially intolerant comments were rarely heard and when something like that was uttered, I remember such people being criticized for both the sentiment and the language.

If you go to a New York, or a SF Bay Area, or a Los Angeles, or I'm sure many other places around the US that are very diverse, you find mostly tolerant attitudes and people getting along. Intolerant people are everywhere although when they themselves are a minority, their views are criticized and they don't get their way.

Interesting Elmer -- so you had diversity in your classroom all along? For me, we lived in Virginia when I started elementary school, and I still remember the classroom gave me my first 'close up' look at kids of a different race. Then we moved to the mid-west for a couple of years, and I don't remember anyone whose skin tone was much different than mine. In 4th grade, we were shown a film about Mexican heritage, how it was something to be proud of. Oh and how Italians brought us spaghetti. Was there a racial problem the school was addressing? Beats me. (Perhaps the MLK assassination had something to do with it, but I was a kid and oblivious to the nightly news.)

Our country has made progress ... I doubt my daughter would even remember a "first time" noticing that people came in different colors. But I do remember traveling with her when she was three, when she pointed to the woman's legs in the bathroom stall next to ours, and LOUDLY asked "WHY is she brown?" Jeez. Calmly, I asked Nickel-ette to hold her arm near mine, and picture her Dad's arm too. I told her "See? your skin is a bit lighter than mine, a bit darker than Dad's. That's how people get their skin color. Kids end up somewhere between their moms and their dads. So probably her [the woman next to us] mom or dad had darker skin, and the other had lighter skin, and she ended up in the middle. That's all." My inquisitive child was satisfied. And we made it out of the bathroom without further embarrassment, thank goodness.

Discrimination is alive and well where I live now in Missouri, which is quite rural, white, and Christian.

My parents were open and accepting of diversity and I like to think I am too. My husband, however, born-and-raised here in Missouri, had a father-figure who was quite prejudiced against those of other races and religions. (DH is not nearly as bad as his father-figure was, though. We sort of adopted a college student several years ago, a fine young woman who is of a different race than us, while she was attending college. And DH was the instigator of our befriending her.)

A couple of months ago, I was shocked to hear the n-word used freely and derisively in a public place by an older farmer acquaintance of DH's. When I recovered from my surprise, I removed myself from the conversational group and did not return. As I am religious, I have tried to discover through my faith how I should handle such a situation if it happens again. Should I hate the hater and treat him with derision, the same as he treats others? I don't think that's the right answer for me.

Elmer, you clearly did NOT read my post!!! As I stated in my post, I was VERY MUCH in Topeka and in elementary school when this happened, but the schools were actually integrated a year BEFORE Brown vs BOE of Topeka. I went to a segregated elementary school for 1/2 of 3rd grade and for 4th grade before our school was integrated. I was not aware it was segregated - it was what it was - no one talked about it. It was just "school".

We lived in Kansas City before that but my school was not part of the Kansas City public schools - it was Center School District. I have no idea if it was segregated by design or not - I don't remember any black children in my Kindergarten/1st/2nd/3rd grade classes, but they might have been, or there may just not have been any blacks that lived in the district - it was, at that time, WAY out near the old Pratt Whitney. It was more blue collar working class in the district, and middle/upper middle class in our large post-WWII apt complex, filled with families who were desperately trying to find houses after WWII with a serious housing shortage due to the GI Bill.

I can tell you there were no riots/demonstrations or anything else like that at my elementary school. I don't believe there were at any of them, but at age 10, I was not yet reading a daily newspaper. It was a non-event at my school. The biggest problem the black children at my elementary school and my junior high, was from other blacks when we went to sporting events at predominantly black schools - they tried to harm our students, and all the teachers/parents/students at my school, strongly defended our students. It was very hard for them and we knew it. As I wrote, Fanny was not happy at our elementary school and left - she was such a quiet, timid little girl. Alyce was very much a part of everything, including my Girl Scout troop. She was accepted the way any new student was - we also had a girl from Germany that year - think her father was stationed at Forbes Air Force Base and mother was a "war bride". She taught us all to juggle!

I do know that my childhood friend has written about how her father was affected by de-segregating the schools a year ahead of Brown. He was the President of the BOE, and a local prominent lawyer. She says it did affect his law practice, and that there were a few couples with whom her parents had been friends, and now no longer were. She is a very famous Canadian author now - Linda Spalding - and is married to the famous author Michael Ondaatje. She wrote about this in her book "Who Named the Knife". It was positively surreal reading about my entire childhood in that book!!!! But there were no problems at my elementary school. And we accepted Alyce in our class completely.

I do know that there were no neighborhoods in Topeka with "restricted covenants" that kept out Jews or blacks. There were such neighborhoods in Johnson County Kansas, a desirable suburban area of Kansas City, just over the State Line. Leawood was "restricted", just as was Kenilworth, a North Shore suburb of Chicago. I know of NO ONE who is longing to go back to such things!!!! I certainly am not!

I'm now 74. This was a long, long time ago. Someone posted on the other thread that she agreed with my description of Topeka entirely, and that while the Menninger Foundation is gone (moved to Baylor - no family members still involved), that Topeka is still a pretty inclusive little town as it always has been.

Just remember that some of the most violent and vicious riots over de-segregation schools were in South Boston.

Here is info about some of my high school's more celebrated graduates in the Class of 1961 (my class).

I was in a few classes with Joe - very bright guy, great athlete, heck of a nice, good looking kid. Wish he'd been at our 50th.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_B._Anderson

Linda and I were very good friends in elementary school and junior high - drew apart in HS and she cut most everyone off in college. She was at the reunion - would have liked to re-connect but she was not interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Spalding

Liz and I met when I moved to Topeka -were at Randolph Elementary school for that 1/2 of 3rd grade and then at Southwest. We were part of the same "gang" through junior high - not as much in HS. She was a cheerleader, had the lead in every play and loved to write - used to say she couldn't decide if she wanted to be a writer or an actress - found a way to do both! I remember very well when her other died - she was about 9 years old. She did not come to our 50th either.

https://tscpl.org/books-movies-music/elizabeth-farnsworth-train-time

I think our class shows that we had a pretty darned good education at Topeka High School. It was chosen by Life Magazine as one of the Top 100 High Schools in the country while I was there - long before the US News and World Report ratings. I had some absolutely wonderful teachers in high school - truly blessed.

Anglo, you may like to know that Topeka High is still as amazing as ever...truly awesome architecture! It looks more like a cathedral than a high school. It has been featured in several magazines for its beauty! I am glad you have fond memories of Topeka!

I live in Chicago, which is still a very segregated city. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. I went to school with black kids until I was in fifth grade, and then only for a couple of months, because my parents decided that next year we would be in Catholic school. Before then, the only black persons I knew were the nurse's aides who were taking care of my mother's mother when she was in the nursing home before she died of cancer of inside of the mouth (they were wonderful; they loved us coming to the home, because we livened the place up). Also, I never knew anyone who was Protestant until the fifth grade as well! Now, this was the 1960s and early 1970s. Whatever was going on downtown in hippie Wells Street and other cutting edge neighborhoods might as well been on the planet Mars. The friend I may have told you about who I dumped grew up in a very similar environment, but she obviously wants to stay in what I call a ghetto, in her case, one of he own choosing. I remember one of my brothers befriending a black kid, Robert (in the suburb next to where we had moved when I was in fifth grade, there was a black area). He invited Robert over to play, and some kids from our neighborhood starting throwing rocks at him. My mother had to intervene, and for Robert's safety, she took him home. My mother and brother were obviously very upset, but what is even more sad, is that Robert could no longer play with my brother in our neighborhood. tAwful, and this incident occurred in the 1970s.

Anglophilia many of us understood what you were saying, agreed and found no fault with it at all. Please consider the source of the criticism and implied superiority of thought. Some people need to make a big deal out of everything, take things out of context, read things into things in order to make themselves feel important. It's happened before and will again, egos need stroking.

I find this thread interesting (and fun) because it gives insight into the diverse backgrounds of KT posters, and it also shows how social conditions both change and don't change in many ways.

What I have found interesting is that in this and the original thread I posted, the vast majority of people posting have very similar memories! I didn't just "imagine" that there was vast commonality at Easter in those days! Practically all memories mirrored mine, regardless of socio-economic status.

You have to keep in mind the KT demographics in such observations, though. I've been here since 1998 and it's the least diverse online community I've participated in. Very similar ages, nationalities and ethnicities.

When one is looking for differences one usually can find them. When one is looking for things in common one usually can find them.

I think everyone can agree with Anglophilia that it is a terrific thing when the entire community wants to come together in celebration. I think everyone can agree with Elmer in expressing sadness over "commonality" achieved through exclusion and/or coercion.

One of the best things about KT is how its members respect and care about one another. I didn't want to tread or otherwise offend those who wanted to participate

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

I agree, chi. But not all those from the common demographic that seems as apparent to you as to me are like minded, so there is some diversity of views (and politics). That's a good thing, for people of all persuasions and opinions. But comments of some from time to time suggest they don't spend much time talking with or listening to people they disagree with, their views seem pretty fixed. Many appear to not be open to consider or even listen to what others with different perspectives may have to say.

How can you suggest that we may spread a little of our way of listening to one another with respect and carrying on a discussion without disparaging he views (and veracity) of others ...

... out through the countryside - country-wide?

And including other countries?

ole joyful

In some ways, the community is not diverse, as Chi mentioned, but when I was reading about people's backgrounds and also about where members live now, there is diversity.

Elmer, I have to agree with your last post. Many people seem to think they absolutely must change minds, and that to disagree with a viewpoint means you also must change another’s opinion. I don’t agree with that, but do agree we should always seek to inform, enlighten and obtain understanding of one another’s views. Or just accept and move on.

Gene Tierney is one of my favorite actresses from the golden age.

Nebraska has a large Catholic population, while SoCal was more Protestant churches in the area we lived in. At the end of the day I think we all pray to the same god (or don’t, non religious folks are welcome too) and want a safe home in a community where we can have a family or build a network of close friends if family isn’t your thing. People need connections to others, we need more of those happening everywhere.

"But comments of some from time to time suggest they don't spend much
time talking with or listening to people they disagree with, their views
seem pretty fixed. Many appear to not be open to consider or even
listen to what others with different perspectives may have to say".

ROFL. If that ain't the pot calling the kettle.....

Yeah? Don't be so sure. I like talking with people of differing views and well reasoned ones sometimes lead me to change my own opinions. But certainly not from listening to spinmeister drivel or those who blindly ape someone else's dogma.

When was the last time you had that experience, if ever?

Grew up in the military, You would think my family would be pretty okay with all types of people but that wasn't the case. My dad changed quite a bit in his later years. My brothers never did. I don't go home very often because of that. Went home in February to see my dad, probably for the last time. It just made me sad and depressed that people can be so angry and hateful. I don't ever want to go back there. I'm so glad that I stayed in Kentucky after my divorce all those years ago. Even though the kid's father has some of the same views as my brothers, he isn't as bad and my kids are kind people who don't care about your color, sexual orientation, etc...they only care about what kind of human being you are and how you treat other people.