All the talk about racial issues in the wake of the Trayvon Martin trial got me thinking about how I've often taken for granted the diversity I've been surrounded with pretty much all my life, forgetting that many, if not most people in America don't really share that experience.
I was born in and am again living in Prince George's County, Maryland, not all that far from Washington, DC. PG County is often stereotyped, but one of the more positive things it's known for is being the wealthiest majority-black county in the nation. I am white, but from a young age I've been surrounded by people of every race, color, and ethnicity. Many of my neighbors and classmates were black, but others were white or Hispanic, with a smaller population of Asians. But I was also surrounded by people of differing economic status, religion, educational level, etc. etc.
It's an experience I forget not everyone in America has. When I went to my cousins' high school graduation in southern Maine, there were only a handful of non-white students in their graduating class. My dad's hometown outside of Buffalo has similar demographics.
Of course racism, of the overt and more subtle varieties, occurs everywhere and everyone is susceptible to it. But exposure to diversity definitely affects your worldview. It's something I most appreciate about growing up where I did, and something I am reminded not to take for granted.
And now I'm gonna tiptoe back away from the topic of race and reflect on more things I love about living in suburban DC, and a few I can't stand.
Stuff I Love:
Along with the racial and socioeconomic diversity goes the access to culture (theater, museums, music) and to diverse cuisine.
FREE Smithsonian museums. Definitely something I take for granted.
Stuff I Hate, or At Least Don't Like So Much:
The traffic. Oh, my goodness, not a day goes by without DC-area traffic driving me near-crazy, and you'd think I would be used to it by now. The DC metro area regularly makes lists of areas with the worst commute, worst congestion, you name it. It's partly the congestion itself, but then that is topped off with drivers who are jerks, incompetent, or both. So yeah. DC traffic sucks.
The crowds. I am not a crowd person.
Just how fast-paced and competitive the whole area (city and suburbs) is. It wears me out sometimes, honestly.
But the good and the bad of where I grew up and still live have shaped me. I think we tend to forget how much environment shapes perspective, and how different a perspective people from other areas have.
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