SperlingViews - Coldwater, Michigan

I also grew up there. It's an absolutely abysmal place. The racism, the sexism, the ignorance.... I wonder if that swastika is still there. It was spray painted on the railroad signal box on the main road into town for the 10 years I lived there. My father actually received a copy of an internal memo by the chamber of commerce, from a friend that stated how proud they were that they had no Blacks or Jews in their town. And let's not forget all the 13 and 14 year old girls, knocked up by their 30 something married boyfriends (I went to school with at least 3 of them, and that's a lot for a town that size). I would eventually like to find a nice small town to live in, but after my experience there, I'm really wary.[read more...]

I also grew up there. It's an absolutely abysmal place. The racism, the sexism, the ignorance.... I wonder if that swastika is still there. It was spray painted on the railroad signal box on the main road into town for the 10 years I lived there. My father actually received a copy of an internal memo by the chamber of commerce, from a friend that stated how proud they were that they had no Blacks or Jews in their town. And let's not forget all the 13 and 14 year old girls, knocked up by their 30 something married boyfriends (I went to school with at least 3 of them, and that's a lot for a town that size). I would eventually like to find a nice small town to live in, but after my experience there, I'm really wary.[read more...]

I grew up in Coldwater and I ran like hell. Don't get me wrong, the Michigan countryside is profoundly beautiful and any city has its charm really. And I suppose it would be a great place to raise a family if you would like your children to become racist and reactionary. There is very little diversity there because there is simply no tolerance for it. It's an incredibly sexist area as well and women have very limited options there. The area truly embodies Conservativism at its very worst. All and all, it's such a disgusting atmosphere. There is a significant Arabic and Mexican population in the county, but there is also much prejudice and even violence against them. A friend of mine also witnessed a local restaurant owner in downtown Coldwater insisting that they throw away dishes that were used by an African-American family rather than wash them. Racist names are nonchalantly thrown about in everyday conversation. Most people of color flee for their own well-being and any decent white people are horrified.[read more...]