|
 Liberal Unfriendly Place: Arcadia, FL
These are comments on Arcadia, submitted by other Turn Left visitors. They do not necessarily represent the opinion of the webmaster. You may add a comment on Arcadia if you want.
 Remember the Ray boys? Remember the City without Pity? That was Arcadia.
A pretty town on the banks of the Peace River, Acradia is no progressive
paradise. It's more like the Waltons with shades of Deliverance. DeSoto
County has yet to recover from the Ray case, in which parents, teachers
and preachers protested against the Ray family sending their HIV
infected kids to school and the Ray family left after their house
(somehow) caught fire. The community is segregated, black, white and
hispanic (they is called Beeners, like refried beans). There is
literally a railroad track separating black and white. The schools, city
and county commission are all Democrats - Reagan Democrats. Each public
meeting begins with a prayer (even school boards) in which Jesus Christ
is praised as the only Lord and Savior (and First Baptist of Arcadia is
God's favorite church). God (the white Christian Republican version) is
alive and well in the classroom. Supreme Court cases are slow to get to
this part of Central Florida. Biggest employer is G. Pierce Woods mental
health ward. (the whole county could qualify for admissions.) This is
cowboy country. No tree huggers, feminists, liberals, homosexuals and
atheists need apply here. Pat Robertson is their hero (curiously Rush
Limbaugh is not a hero, too much of a loud-mouthed Yankee). You'd also
be surprised at the number of murders (black, white and hispanic). It's
like a Stephen King novel, with a southern accent sometimes. It's a
simple place, a simple town and a very dark and bloody past. Enjoy the
Peace River though, its a beauty.
...and another comment...
Just wanted to clarify that Rush Limbaugh is not a Yankee. He's from
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, which is in the southeastern part of the
state, and a far cry from New York or Boston. Now, if you want to call
him a loud-mouthed YOKEL, that's another matter.
...and another comment...
I do remember the Ray family and I am troubled when I think about how
the parents treated those kids. I also remember the fear that AIDS
brought to every city of every state in the mid to late '80s. Was
Arcadia the only town that wanted to provide teachers at home for the
Ray boys? Yes, partly to keep the infection from spreading to others
but also to keep the common cold (passed often at school) from killing
them. Yes, Arcadia has bones in it's closet as do most towns and most
people for that matter.
Arcadia is a great place to live, to raise a family and to retire. It is
rich with the history of the cattle and citrus industry. It is located
in the middle of the country where there is plenty of fresh air and room
to move around. Our downtown has been restored and now antique shops
line the street. It is also a great day trip.
As for God having a "favorite" church, I think that is a stretch, but
there are an abundance of churches for one to call home.
Referring to the author of the previous comment about Arcadia, it is
curious to me why people who hate a place so much continue to stay
there.
Oh, the Peace River is beautiful.
...and another comment...
after moving from a northern city ,green bay wis ,to a city near arcadia
of the same population 8 years ago,all i can say is,yes,racism and good
ol boy mentality still rule .we go to arcadia antique shopping with
visitors and other than some shabby houses on the way in from the
south,outsiders dont see the bad if they dont choose to look.in this
area workers make a third of the wage for the same work as i saw
elsewhere in the country.less than 50% per capita have highschool
diplomas,less than2% college degrees.the city just south on the peace
river -punta gorda -was voted the best little city in money magazine.its
old rich ,tight retirees on one side ,a small crack infested slum on the
other , no jobs other than low paying service jobs and a wall of b.s. to
keep you from opening your own.again the prison outside of town has some
of the best paying jobs around.between the good ol boys and the new york
swindlers this place only has that cool named river and nature going for
it.this a horrible place to raise a family unless you are wealthy or
your children will be exposed to racism,sexism and mostly classism to a
degree like blatant hollywood stereotypeing.this is still the backwords
ol' south and i wouldn't have believed ,it if i didnt see it.
...and another comment...
My gosh, I thought _I_ had the worst rural Florida address here in bucolic Suwannee County (that's right, folks, the same one Stephen Foster wrote about)! I should have known that somewhere else there was a little southern town and county to knock mine straight out of the box. In a strange way, though, it's comforting -- at least we didn't pick the WORST town and county. I am reminded, though, that a small town in Suwannee County (Branford, population around 700) STILL refers to the all-black section of town as "The Quarters." Yes, indeed, we are STILL antebellum here! When the local person who told me this first uttered these words, I actually thought she must be kidding ... then I found out she was serious!
Add a city. Be sure to tell why you think this place is liberal-unfriendly.
Comment on Arcadia.
Go back to the master list of liberal friendly and unfriendly cities.
|
