Louisiana
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If you’ve never been to Louisiana, it is important to know what you’re getting yourself into. If you consider yourself an informed traveler, you obviously know where to stay, how to get there and what to do. If you pickup books about Louisiana, you’ll learn about its history, culture, climate, geography, business, agriculture, sports and the like. What you won’t find in, books, articles or travel logs it what it’s really like to be there. To visit with a short term eye and mind may or may not reveal what lies before you in this southern city. But anyone that spends enough time here will invariably see the secrets that they try very hard not to show “tourists”, out of fear of loosing that almighty travel dollar. The untold undercurrent that is so pervasive as to color the atmosphere and taint what the ‘books’ call a “Sportsman’s Paradise”. So please read on, to enlighten yourself with what may be a life changing trip. It is important to know not only the where, when, what; but the who and how of the places we visit and/or live.
My first visit
I came to Louisiana on an extended business trip (6 weeks) in the late 80’s. During that time, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your bent, I didn’t have the opportunity to visit many of the local establishments or meet many of the local folk.
I had many opportunities to converse with folk from a wide variety of backgrounds and locales. I heard lots of stories about other places and times, but precious little about the local area. I pretty much kept my head down in my work and stayed at the hotel that was full of people from somewhere else. I was frequently told, and latter learned it was a mantra, that “southern folk are very friendly and hospitable” they shortened that to “Southern Hospitality” Leon Bracey wrote of this misnomer as follows ”Yes, you’ll be told, by southerners, that people in the south are friendly and hospitable, but only to a narrow extent. When people tell you that Southerners are so "hospitable", they should really say "polite". Southerners are raised with the credo "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all". In other words, people don't honk their horns at you on the road, people take the time to talk to you, saying "Hello, How are you?" on the street. But then, the truth was exposed.”
Then I moved in…Lordy Lordy!
My company sent me to run our branch in Louisiana a few years latter. I was enthusiastic, and anxious to take the promotion and new location. Even before I moved in the enthusiasm was quickly replaced with culture shock. I was looking for a new home to move my family into when I had a strange conversation with my realtor. In my first telephone conversation with my realtor, I was asked “what kind and how many rooms” I wanted. Seemed strange and I answered “A kitchen, formal dinning, family or great room, at least 2 baths and 3 to four bedrooms”. I didn’t think anything else about it until I arrived in Louisiana and we were driving to view some homes. I was told by the realtor that “The reason I asked about the rooms was to get you to say bedroom.” “Why” I asked inquisitively. The realtor said “Because if you were black, you would have said ‘betroom’ and I’ve had know you were black.” I assume that would have skewed what and where I would have been shown.
I was quickly introduced to the local constabulary during the “Shreveport, It’s a riot” civil disturbance. The racial handling of this was not good. A few months latter I was shocked to see the KKK in full regalia (robes, hoods, flags, etc.) on a major highway. They were passing out leaflets to anyone who desired, and there were many. A call to the police yielded the statement “Those boys ain’t hurting nobody.” The rebel flag burning in front of the Caddo Parish courthouse made the front pages with the man doing the burning being arrested by the Sheriff and the rebel flag wielding, KKK supporters waving signs and swearing. The Louisiana Times comments published from locals stated things such as “He should go back up north” and “leave our heritage alone.
On many occasions I tried to interject with numerous local agencies to find nothing but a deaf ear, even in the courts. My wife went to a local polling place with a friend while she voted. My wife wasn’t registered, still a resident of our former home so she sat and waited. She was approached by a polling place official who asked my wife if she could help her. My wife told her she was waiting for her friend. The official then asked if she was going to vote. My wife said “No, I’m not from here”. The official said “You braggin or complainin?” We found out “You’re not from around here are you” was another mantra that showed its ugly head frequently
If you are not from here...
You don't have squat to say anything about anything. Most people from the south are raised only to be trusting of those who act, talk, walk, and think like them. That is why so many of them are so distrusting of people from "up Nawth". People down here are aware of the bad rap that the south gets, so when someone from another part of the country has something to say, they are looked at as "outsiders", and looked at in contempt, and they think that the "outsiders" think that they are dumb and ignorant. "What do you know about what is going on?!" they demand "You aren't even from here!" Also, when southerners tell you that you are welcome here, no you're not. They despise people who move in from other parts of the country and settle down there, saying that they "ruin the southern way of life". I think we fought a war over this one. Many are threatened by new ideas and ways of thinking, because people here tend to settle in cliques, groups, gaggles or clans of people like them. Like if you think differently, you will be treated like a sideshow.
