what is this I don't even
Sep. 25th, 2010 02:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
usullusaSo I was talking to a friend of mine from South Dakota and she told me some shocking stories of what it was like growing up liberal in a conservative state.
In South Dakota, anyone who has changed their name, which statistically ends up being married women, must bring proof of the name change. Namely a marriage license. They automatically ask married women to present their marriage license in order to obtain a driver's license. YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY.
My friend was threatened with suspension for "bullying" a fellow student, which actually entailed being assigned the liberal side in most debates in her Government class and repeatedly winning. The principal told her she could either get suspended, which would mean she would miss the AP exams, or she could read a book by Ann Coulter and writer a paper on it to learn about "the other side". She wrote a ten page paper ripping the book apart because she couldn't afford to miss the AP exams. Her principal said that she "obviously didn't learn anything from the book" after reading the paper-- i.e. his intention in having her read the book was to sway her to agree with it.
A cop pulled her over for having an Obama sticker on her back window under the pretense that it was obstructing her view. I'd say about half of all cars driven in the States have window stickers. It was so obviously targeting her for the content. She made him get into the driver's seat and asked him if it was actually obstructing his view. Reluctantly, the police officer had to admit that it wasn't.
By the time she was finished telling me crazy stories about South Dakota I wanted to rip my face off and roll around on the floor in horror.
In South Dakota, anyone who has changed their name, which statistically ends up being married women, must bring proof of the name change. Namely a marriage license. They automatically ask married women to present their marriage license in order to obtain a driver's license. YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY.
My friend was threatened with suspension for "bullying" a fellow student, which actually entailed being assigned the liberal side in most debates in her Government class and repeatedly winning. The principal told her she could either get suspended, which would mean she would miss the AP exams, or she could read a book by Ann Coulter and writer a paper on it to learn about "the other side". She wrote a ten page paper ripping the book apart because she couldn't afford to miss the AP exams. Her principal said that she "obviously didn't learn anything from the book" after reading the paper-- i.e. his intention in having her read the book was to sway her to agree with it.
A cop pulled her over for having an Obama sticker on her back window under the pretense that it was obstructing her view. I'd say about half of all cars driven in the States have window stickers. It was so obviously targeting her for the content. She made him get into the driver's seat and asked him if it was actually obstructing his view. Reluctantly, the police officer had to admit that it wasn't.
By the time she was finished telling me crazy stories about South Dakota I wanted to rip my face off and roll around on the floor in horror.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 06:55 pm (UTC)The shit people threw at her: total uggggggggh.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 05:31 pm (UTC)I'm slightly curious to know which HS your friend went to (obvs. not necessary to tell) since mine was...well, certain people made life hell, mostly because I knew them from the much smaller grade/middle school I went to [where I was forced out of the closet *at 12* because I wasn't 'dating' and was therefore suspect], but on the whole it was not horrible due to being huge and being able to find pockets of awesome.
But, yeah, I want out of here ASAP and wish I could give your friend hugs/fistbumps for surviving in this place.