tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936225.post4531611884212301030..comments2023-07-18T05:58:02.884-05:00Comments on 56572: When the world came to Lake WobegonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936225.post-2885453143543786062008-05-08T10:42:00.000-05:002008-05-08T10:42:00.000-05:00Addressing the post from May 7 at 5:07 PM: First o...Addressing the post from May 7 at 5:07 PM: First of all, the last time I looked around this wasn't LA. There are no gangs here and the fact that we have business owners from many different races points to the fact that we are living as one community. Be careful with your statements like "integrate into our own" because I do not share your opinions at all. If you are scared to live in Pelican Rapids then you are simply showing your ignorance of the situation. Second, if you have such a strong opinion and want to lend any credibility to it, then at least have the decency to sign your name.<BR/><BR/>Auf Wiedersehen, Ciao, Hejda, Shalom, Adios, Paalam, Do zobaczenia, Dag or Goodbye. It all means the same thing.<BR/><BR/>Linnea StrandAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936225.post-62994869990118782102008-05-08T08:07:00.000-05:002008-05-08T08:07:00.000-05:00biased against different cultures? isn't that a di...biased against different cultures? isn't that a different way of saying "racist"? I am becoming so weary of this 'fight' .. I love living in Pelican, I love that my children are ready for the 'real world' I love the kids in our schools.. they are amazing! Come take a look into the faces of our children and see if you can still 'hate' that they are different colors. <BR/><BR/>Maybe our declining enrollment started when we became more diverse in Pelican, the facts show this to be true.. but we need to deal with it and accept it not complain and be negative, we need to pass the referendum or our school and our town will be in serious danger.. if we don't have a school our property values will plummet,business's will close... Personally after the Worner meeting on Monday I was scared to death!<BR/><BR/>Ok.. I'm stepping off my soap box now :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936225.post-52102658195555887432008-05-07T17:07:00.000-05:002008-05-07T17:07:00.000-05:00Yeah, well...that's all fine. However, I (who grew...Yeah, well...that's all fine. However, I (who grew up in Fergus) spent 2 decades living in Los Angeles, and finally moved out. Why? You can't walk certain streets anymore due to the gang issuse, and in that case, they're primarily built of two races. Am I now a racist? No, but I AM biased against different cultures, and especially those who have no desire to integrate into our own, and come here thinking they're going to remake in THEIR image. You have a problem with that? I really DON'T CARE!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936225.post-71753214119910363932008-05-06T18:54:00.000-05:002008-05-06T18:54:00.000-05:00Most people would not think racism and bigotry are...Most people would not think racism and bigotry are characteristics people in Otter Tail County have. Being newcomers to the area in the past few years, I have witnessed it firsthand, even if it was a minor event – most likely not even perceived by the person doing it. Minor event or not, it was still perceived by me, and still very offensive – and bigotry. I think people of Pelican are growing in tolerance more each day to live peaceably with others that may not look like them, speak the same language, or pray to the same Deity. I also believe PR has been on the right track for a while now, with 11 years of Friendship Festivals. We will see the biggest change with our youth - growing up together, going to school together, and becoming the adults of our town. People that live near us that have made up their mind of their beliefs will be the most difficult to reach – “We just drive through” would be an example of this. Some people don’t want to be helped. Open-mindedness and tolerance may be taught; but where narrow-mindedness and bigotry are prevalent, reaching out to them is as easy as catching the wind with a net – you can certainly try, but you may be wasting your time. One needs to focus their attention on themselves – be tolerant of others’ and they will reflect it back to you. I am proud to tell people I live in PR – to astonished looks on their faces. If that is the case, chances are, they’ve never been outside of Otter Tail County, and don’t know what a very large world we live in - together.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com