Is WI racially diverse and a good place to live?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2005

Family is huge out here and people tend to socialize within their family unit, which doesn't really lend itself to making solid connections...... I'm a pretty friendly person, too. I was at a loss for a long time to explain why I just wasn't making any deeper friendships, even though I've met some nice people. I think the pattern of socialization within one's own family structure is SO predominant out here..... is very white and european......

I know you are talking about WI, but all of the above is true of the Texas Panhandle, as well.

People are very friendly and cordial, but it never goes any further.

I've been here for 4 years, and I rarely see any black people and cannot recall having seen a mixed race family.

I have never like living anywhere which has a homogenous populous.

Here, the homogeny is white, Southern Baptist, republican.

SFCardiacRN · Dec 23, 2005

I spent 6 months in WI and found it very racist. It's great if your white and love cold miserable weather. Otherwise, you'll be very disappointed. If you have to go, stay near urban areas and avoid those skinheads! IMHO

likatutata · Jun 28, 2006

northern wi (where marshfield is) is a little more "white bread" than southern wi (madison/milwaukee). but in the stevens point/wausau/marshfield area, there are loads of hmong (southeast asian) immigrants, which probably make up the biggest minority. there are also scatterings of hispanics and pacific islanders, as well as african/west indies americans.

most of the mixed relationships involve younger people. even if you are among few minorities in marshfield, you'll always be treated kindly.

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2006

I'm a transplant from the east coast and have lived in WI for 18 years. I work throughout the state including Marshfield.

I find WI a "tough room". I find racism/anti-Semitism overt here. Many of the areas here are quite sheltered and very homogeneous. The only places in WI you can find anything remotely culturally diverse are Madison and Milwaukee, in the southern part of the state.

A couple years ago a very respected African American MD left work in the Green Bay area (he worked on a Native American reservation) and his stated reason was pervasive racism.

It is an easy going state in many ways...cost of living seems lower than any place else I've lived. However, I'd never move here as a racial minority.

jb2u, ASN, RN · Jul 4, 2006

I'm a transplant fro the east coast and have lived in WI for 18 years. I work throughout the state including Marshfield.
I find WI a "tough room". I find racism/anti-Semitism overt here. Many of the areas here are quite sheltered and very homogeneous. The only places in WI you can find anything remotely culturally diverse are Madison and Milwaukee, in the southern part of the state.
A couple years ago a very respected African American MD left work in the Green Bay area (he worked on a Native American reservation) and his stated reason was pervasive racism.
It is an easy going state in many ways...cost of living seems lower than any place else I've lived. However, I'd never move here as a racial minority.

as someone who is from "the south" and contemplating moving to WI, could you please tell me what you mean by "overt" racism. i ask because, being from the south and an objective observer of people, MANY times what some have called overt racism was actually just misunderstandings. and i must add, racially diverse does not eliminate racism! i live in an area that is VERY diverse and racism is a HUGE problem. this is one reason that i want to leave. and i'm not talking about "whites" having problems with "blacks." it's a two way street! i don't understand why race is such an important thing to some people. i pray one day everyone will get past it, but i'm afraid they never will.

i would put a higher priority on the quality of the school system, safety of the community, and cost of living before i would ever care about how diverse an area is!

sincerely,

jay

tvccrn, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2006

I have to say once again that I am not seeing any of the racism that everyone is complaining about here. Working in Marshfield and being connected to the Marshfield Clinic where most of the physicians aren't from this country, this would be a place ripe for racism and all the doctors and their families here aren't subjected to that. I have seen so much more courtesy displayed here at work and out in the community that I have in so many other states that I have lived in. The area is much more friendly than the East Coast and more tolerant than Texas. The only other place than came close to this level of acceptance was Tulsa, OK and that was back in the 70's so I don't know how it is these days.

I love living in Wisconsin. I have revised a saying that many Southerns have into....

"Southern by the grace of god, Wisconsinite by choice."

tvccrn

jb2u, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2006

I have to say once again that I am not seeing any of the racism that everyone is complaining about here. Working in Marshfield and being connected to the Marshfield Clinic where most of the physicians aren't from this country, this would be a place ripe for racism and all the doctors and their families here aren't subjected to that. I have seen so much more courtesy displayed here at work and out in the community that I have in so many other states that I have lived in. The area is much more friendly than the East Coast and more tolerant than Texas. The only other place than came close to this level of acceptance was Tulsa, OK and that was back in the 70's so I don't know how it is these days.
I love living in Wisconsin. I have revised a saying that many Southerns have into....
"Southern by the grace of god, Wisconsinite by choice."
tvccrn

first, i really like your saying.

second, i don't believe for a minute that WI is a racist state.

most of it is the way people perceive things. for example, a co-worker of mine (a cna who is black) was obviously upset the other day about racism. i asked what was wrong...well here it is...she said that her brother called and the unit clerk paged another cna that she (the other cna) had a phone call. (now BOTH of these cna's have the SAME name and the clerk didn't realize that there were two cna's with the same name) an honest mistake, right? NO. she said it was because the unit clerk was racist. i could give MANY more examples just like this one.

in our society we look for excuses when things don't work out like we plan. as a white male, if i don't get a job, get fired, etc...i have to wonder what i did wrong; however, i always hear...if a black man loses his job it's because he's black (as if whites don't get fired), if he does not get hired it's because he's black (as if whites always get hired), if he gets bad service in a restaurant it's because he is black (as if whites don't get bad service), etc.etc.. i actually had a women tell me that i got into the nursing program because i am a man...well, i don't deny the possibility exist, BUT i have one of the highest gpa's in class (and higher than the woman who said this that wasn't accepted). to her, i had special privileges because i am a man, but it never occured to her that i may have been selected because i was one of the best applicants.

it reminds me of the time i saw a rapper on mtv cribs and he was bragging about how he throws these parties and really cranks up the music to annoy his neighbors. now, he believes that his beverly hill neighbors don't like him because he is black, but it never occured to him that it may just be his discourteous behavior...no, that would mean that HE is the one that is wrong! did anyone see the tv show black/white from ice cube? remember the scene where the black guy (with white makeup on) went into a golf shop and the clerk put his shoes on for him. he couldn't shut up about his "white" treatment. he thinks this is what happens when all white people walk into a store...well, i have NEVER had someone put on my shoes at a shoe store! could it be because there were cameras present (the store would want to show their outstanding customer service), could it be because it was an upscale store (maybe he has never been to one before), could it be because the clerk had a foot fetish (ok a little "eww",but still a possibility), you get the point...a lot of reasons possible, but this guy picks race as the reason.

once again, lets get past "race." it is but a small part. how you carry yourself and how you treat others will dictate how others treat you not the color of your skin. i am offended by anyone who thinks that just because a community is not diverse automatically means that it is a racist community. if you come into this community feeling unintitled, respectful of the customs in place, respect for others space, and you don't go "out of your way" to NOT fit in to the community....well, then you probably will feel accepted, but if you come into this community and you feel intitled, disrespectful of the customs in place, disrespect others space (this includes music volume), and you go "out of your way" to NOT fit into this community...well, then you probably won't FEEL accepted and you will probably blame it on your being a minority. YES, some people are still racist (on all sides), but i do not believe that it is the problem that some make it out to be!

Wisconsin or bust,

jay

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2006

I was asked to define what I meant by overt racism. By that I mean using racial slurs in every day speech or making ignorant comments about other races in daily conversation....comments about African Americans, Native Americans, Jewish people or Hmong immigrants. I've lived in many other states and I've never heard anything like what I've heard here.

I was stating my opinion from my first hand observations. I'm pleased other people have had such wonderful experiences. People from WI are very protective of the state. I do work all over the entire state (Superior to Racine, Cuba City to Crivitz) and have done so for almost 20 years.

As always, YMMV.

jb2u, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2006

I was asked to define what I meant by overt racism. By that I mean using racial slurs in every day speech or making ignorant comments about other races in daily conversation....comments about African Americans, Native Americans, Jewish people or Hmong immigrants. I've lived in many other states and I've never heard anything like what I've heard here.
I was stating my opinion from my first hand observations. I'm pleased other people have had such wonderful experiences. People from WI are very protective of the state. I do work all over the entire state (Superior to Racine, Cuba City to Crivitz) and have done so for almost 20 years.
As always, YMMV.

racial slurs should NEVER be said. some people have small minds and i understand that. i always will tell someone that they shouldn't say things such as the infamous N word even if someone who is "black" says it, i still say they should not say that...i don't subscribe to the whole taking ownership of it thing...and as far as saying "well i can say it but you can't" only breeds more racism, as it is racist to believe that one race can say it,but another can not.

as far as ignorant comments about other races i don't exactly know what you mean by it, but i hear it all the time....such as white people can't dance, white people have it so easy, if a community is predominately white then minorities will not be accepted, white people are so scared all the time, white people are uptight, i could go on and on, but i think you get the point.

i was actually born in Tampa, Fl. and i am VERY use to being discriminated against. i know what it is like to be surrounded by people of another race and see the hatred in their eyes. not because of anything that i did wrong, but because i was white! i was just sitting on a bench! when we pass down hate and misunderstanding this is the result. i bet they were taught to not trust whites. that whites oppressed their elders, but that is probably where their "education" ended. i bet they were not taught about the MANY white abolitionist that fought and died to free slaves, whites that inherited slaves and then set them free, whites that marched for civil rights, blacks that owned slaves (yes there were), blacks that helped to capture slaves, whites that fought to break up the kkk, etc.etc.etc. the point is if this is what is taught i think the youth of today would have a better understanding that they do NOT have to be weary of "whites." that they do not have to be "better than whites" to get the same, as i have so often heard. NO, they would understand that we are ALL in this world together and if anything, we are separated by economic class and NOT color! i was in the same boat as the blacks that had such a hatred for me in tampa, i was low income, father always gone, struggling to get by, but they could not see that, they only saw color...my color.

a great man, martin luther king, longed for the day that his children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. and i believe that day IS here. again, i believe it is more important to people today how you act and treat others than what "color" you are. imagine there is an "upper class" neighborhood...who do you think would be more accepted...a respectful, educated, black man OR an uneducated, loud, plays loud rock music all hours of the night white man. yes, i do think in today's society that content of character is what matters.

waiting for change,

jay

cat123 · Jul 5, 2006

I have lived in a few states in my life, Wisconsin is different, you either fit in or you don't.

PMFB-RN, RN · Jul 18, 2006

I live near Marshfield and work at St. Josephe's Hospital (the only hospital in Marshield). There is a large Mong (sp?) population so an asian person would fit in. I very, very rearly see a black person. I moved to Wisconsin from Ca. and find the people don't take to new people well, but that has just been my experience. St. Jo's is a great place to work. If you are interested in working in a SICU or MICU as a new grad they have a good 9 month long Critical Care University. Pay is low with new grads starting out at $20.25/hour.

If you have any more questions about Marshfield just ask.

BTW people here will think you are CRAZY for moving here from Hi.

cat123 · Jul 24, 2006

I have lived in a few states in my life, Wisconsin is different, you either fit in or you don't.

I agree, I don't fit in and am actually being made fun of for being here. Can't get work and am being made to look like I am a prostitute because I am not working. and I don't DRINK