weird place
-
9/14/2007
I'm sure all our views are shaped by our prior experiences,
but I have to say my experience has been mixed at best,
ghastly bad, at worst.
Richmond suffers from being quite small, cut off from the modern
world/society, and draped in some ugly past history... They still
seem to harbor resentment from their big loss during the Civil War
and the racism and sexism I've witnessed has blown me away. (I
came from much bigger cities in the Midwest, but was no stranger
to the South. Richmond has more intense conservative streaks than
Kentucky, Florida, or Louisiana, in my experience.)
When the Republican Senator Allen, Richmond native hero, got caught
in his racist "macaca" comment last year, the nation registered a shock
wave. Well, get ready with your shock absorbers in Richmond! I myself
have been shocked and dismayed.
I even had my married boss come on to me without the slightest concern re: sexual harassment liability. I learned I wasn't alone in this ordeal! It was commonplace and this manager is a powerful Richmond native. It's old school here in some ways, Medieval in other ways... I also didn't care for
the cool, snobby, pretentious quality toward 'outsiders' at times. As someone who usually makes loyal friends and admirers very easily, I thought it wasn't too friendly in Richmond. Cordial on the surface, but not warm,
in general. It has been a weird place for me!
On the flip side, the history of the Civil War, the best of the Antebellum South, slavery, colonial times, and the founding of Jamestown is significant and highly interesting. This place is a living textbook of history. It almost seems haunted. I GREATLY recommend Richmond and Virginia, in general, as a must-see tourist destination in America!
The weather is fabulous- mild temperatures, but sunny, too. I like the greenery, surrounding landscape, and nearby coastline. I loved the climate
and ocean. (See the dolphin tour just off the beach!)
If only the social atmosphere were comparable for me... Frankly, I have never been treated so badly for being a woman (who won't commit adultery
with a manager) and had never witnessed such open racism in my life. And
I lived and worked, without incident, in 5 other states. That's all I can
tell you.
Katrice | Richmond, VA