From: fsjfz@acad3.alaska.edu
Subject: Anti-Texan Sentiment
Organization: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 07:37:21 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.180201.7886@adobe.com>, vmarsch@adobe.com (Vonn Marsch) writes:
> In article <1992Dec11.091834.12827@raven.alaska.edu> floyd@hayes.ims.alaska.edu (Floyd Davidson) writes:
>>Hmmm...  Honest truth is I know a guy who lives in Tok that thinks
>>the fun thing to do on a winter day when its 60 below is drive
>>down to the Canadian border and give a one-finger salute to everyone
>>leaving the state...  in hopes they take it serious and stay gone.
> 
> Please, Floyd, people are going to start to think that Alaskans are
> misanthropists.  

[stuff deleted]

> I've lived in Alaska, Washington and California, three places where I
> constantly hear loud complaints about people moving there and "ruining
> it for them," as if anyone (other than American Natives) can claim that
> they (or their family) came their for any better reason than the people
> who they complain about.  What these people don't know is their
> intolerance is as ugly as racism (only more hypocritical) and they
> should be ashamed.  I'm ashamed to be an Alaskan when I see this stuff
> broadcast over INTERNET.
> 
It's not that Alaskans don't like people from outside, in fact we kind of like
people who MOVE here from the outside.  The people we DONT like are the people
who come to Alaska for a job that could have been held by an Alaskan.  Those
who come to work on the Slope, but send their paychecks home to their family in
Texas.  The fishermen from Bellingham who barge their boats to Bristol Bay,
make thousands of dollars on the fish, then take their boats and their money
back to Washington with them.
 
Texans get singled out because of the oil fields, and companies like VECO who
have a reputation for not hiring anyone that isn't from Texas if they can get
away with it (like the saying goes, you'll only get a VECO job if you have the
right accent.)  Instead of training locals for many jobs, various companies
find it is cheaper to hire someone from out of state- who then sends his or her
money home, and leaves as soon as the work is done.  In a state that has a very
tight employment picture, this will obviously cause some resentment.
 
Your statement ``What these people don't know is that their intolerance is as
ugly as racism (only more hypocritical) and should be ashamed'' isn't accurate
for most of the complaining about outsiders.  Alaskans will complain about the
newly transferred Army family that still has Louisiana plates on their car-
because they can't drive on ice and snow, not because they're from Louisiana. 
We'll definately complain about the (stupid, IMHO) people that move here
because they want the dividend check, but didn't bother to find a job
beforehand and end up straining our social services before they finally go
home, but we won't complain about people like Tammy, who actually asks about
employment for her family before considering a move to Alaska.
 
Most Alaskans will help newcomers out, as long as they're serious about staying
here.  The `hypocritical' and `ugly' attitude you're responding to is simply a
backwash against people that Alaskans percieve as exploiting high wages or
other situations in Alaska, and end up hurting `real' Alaskans who live here
all of the time.  Not to mention the humor aspect of it- my comments about
Anchorage not being ``real Alaska'' don't elicit complaints from people who
live in Anchorage, who are used to the jokes.  Personally, i look at such
attitudes broadcasted across INTERNET as beneficial for two reasons: 
 
1) people without a sense of humor will think that Alaskans are out to get
them, and then not come here.  You need a sense of humor up here, or else
you'll go crazy sometime about March when the snow isn't gone but the TV shows
pretty flowers on the White House lawn. (or else live in southeast, where you
may or may not have a white Christmas)

2) It will keep people who are only marginally interested in living here, or
who just want to work here for a short time, away.  If someone really wants to
live here, more power to them.  If they're just coming to send money elsewhere
at the expense of some Alaskan who also needs to make a living, i say scare
them off with blatant Xenophobia.

If you're ``ashamed to be an Alaskan'' when you see such things on INTERNET,
i'm ashamed that someone who considers themself an Alaskan doesn't know that
most Alaskans are very friendly, helpful people, especially outside of the
urbanized areas like Anchorage-- people who will help out anyone, even that guy
from Louisiana who has no concept of how to stop a car on ice.


> -Vonn Marsch
> vmarsch@adobe.com

James Zuelow
FSJFZ@acad3.alaska.edu
Newsgroups: alt.culture.alaska