I do have a prejudice with which I struggle. It is a prejudice against Southerners, especially rednecks. My Father's family was from Upstate New York. His Mother graduated from Cornell University in 1918. The family moved to North Carolina when his Father was transferred here by his job. My Grandmother had a hard time finding a teaching job, because she was from the North, even though she had graduated from a prestigious school. The family was not treated kindly when they moved. I never heard any anti-southern sentiments expressed, but I knew they were present. As I mentioned before I was bullied in school, mostly by the rednecks. When I was much younger I had a strong Southern accent. I got teased by my sisters about this. I gradually sought to rid myself of this. Part of this is because of singing in chorus in High School and starting to learn other languages, but the anti-southern prejudice is part of this. I have never fit in with the people in the area where I live. As I grew older this prejudice spread to include most of the people of this country. To be honest, I am happy when people do not think that I am from the U.S.A. I am not proud of this prejudice. It is an issue with which I need to deal. I have usually been accepted more quickly by people from other countries, and I do identify more closely with other cultures, but I need to be more open to my own culture. I think I have made a start. I don't know if I will ever really understand most American humor. I hope I never start to enjoy television programs like "The Dukes of Hazard." I need to be who I am without being prejudiced against others from my own country and the region of the country where I grew up.
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