The prejudice

Tasmanians are familiar with their island being the screen on which the rest of the nation projects what it doesn’t like about itself. Even when we’re not the most bigotted state, we are still often portrayed as such.

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24417449-5007221,00.html

The dilemma for progressive Tasmanians is how to challenge prejudice at home without re-inforcing anti-Tasmanian stereotypes elsewhere.

Fortunately, we’re not the only ones wrestling with this problem.

The race debate sparked by Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy has focussed disproportionally on another marginalised, tight-knit and stereotyped place, West Virginia.

According to West Virginian columnist Joshua Mattern…

“…when I hear outsiders vilifying my state as racist, I feel compelled to defend it against the charge, despite the quite damning anecdotal evidence that I cannot help but acknowledge. The best I can do here, as I grapple with this tension inside me, is to tell a story or two about my home state. I hope it gives a fuller picture than anything broadcast by the media.”

For more…

http://culture11.com/article/32728