Here is the way it is, as someone that has racially mixed grand kids I can tell you that there is some racism in this area it is however rare, but it does happen, my son in law has been called the n word, but that has only happened a couple of times. The grand kids have had very little trouble from the people here, they do stare, and so on but they do not mean harm.

One of the most unusual things about Logan and USU is the complete lack of night life. I can only think of a few college towns that college kids do not hang out in bars and listen to the music they like. It is part of college life for most kids to do that. The strangest thing here is in the seventies that was not the case, Logan had plenty of hang outs that kids went to for drinks and music, Cactus club, Bistro, Del Mar, Fox hunter, Hi Lo lounge, Owl, model pool hall, Denny's, Tap Room. In fact USU was at one timed named a top party school by Playboy. I drove up to Logan just for the night life. I enjoyed that a bunch.

USU, and Logan a good places, but night life is not here, so to us non LDS people it is unusual.

Living in Logan is like this.. or maybe reading this board. Everything here gets over complicated.

oleblu111 wrote: ↑

June 20th, 2019, 3:33 pm

Here is the way it is, as someone that has racially mixed grand kids I can tell you that there is some racism in this area it is however rare, but it does happen, my son in law has been called the n word, but that has only happened a couple of times. The grand kids have had very little trouble from the people here, they do stare, and so on but they do not mean harm.

One of the most unusual things about Logan and USU is the complete lack of night life. I can only think of a few college towns that college kids do not hang out in bars and listen to the music they like. It is part of college life for most kids to do that. The strangest thing here is in the seventies that was not the case, Logan had plenty of hang outs that kids went to for drinks and music, Cactus club, Bistro, Del Mar, Fox hunter, Hi Lo lounge, Owl, model pool hall, Denny's, Tap Room. In fact USU was at one timed named a top party school by Playboy. I drove up to Logan just for the night life. I enjoyed that a bunch.

USU, and Logan a good places, but night life is not here, so to us non LDS people it is unusual.

You forgot Hawns in Hyrum. Great little venue, usually for C&W music and dancing. What happened to the night spots?

I did not frequent Hawn's.

Many would say most of the night spots closed because of entrapment by law enforcement. I was told that the new owner of the motel was LDS and did not want the fox hunter on his property. I think a big problem was there was no way to get home after a night out but to drive.

Logan does not want to issue any new bar licences so after those old ones closed new ones could not get a license. I will say that much of what I have posted here is what I have heard from someone that used to own one of the bars I referred to is the source of that info.

AggieUprising50 wrote: ↑

June 19th, 2019, 10:02 am

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑

June 19th, 2019, 6:50 am

AggieUprising50 wrote: ↑

June 18th, 2019, 3:56 pm

I can understand where the kid is coming from. It's hard to be the minority in the place where you live. I remember when I was in Peru for my mission. I was the only white guy around for the vast majority of my time there. Even though the vast majority of people were nice, I still stook out like a sore thumb. It's hard to feel comfortable in situations like that.

You really can't understand where he's coming from. You may try but you can't. A missionary experience is not a valid comparison at all. It's not living in the real world under circumstances where you are surviving as an adult. It's also not the same because you're not coming from his same racial background and past.

I'm sorry. This is a pet peeve of mine. People trying to use a missionary experience to relate to something that's very different.

It's ok to admit to yourself that you're not the same and you can't really relate. That doesn't make you an intolerant person. It just makes you different and that's ok.

I'm going to disagree with you on this overall. You're right that I wasn't trying to pay the bills and survive as an adult in Peru, but that doesn't mean I didn't have real world relationships and interactions with people. I'm not going to buy this "missionary experience" doesn't count narrative because in the end I was still just a lone gringo living in a place where a fair amount people were raised to look at people of my skin color in ill will.

I experienced an immense culture shock, I dealt with racist comments and actions daily, and had an eye opening experience of what it was truly like to be a minority for the first time in my life.

So sure, I may not have gone through what Devin is going through right now, but I am convinced that my time in Peru helped me understand it better than I would have been able without it.

I think the situations are very similar but on the other end of the spectrum, NEITHER are a reflection of the real world. In both situations 1) Everything is paid for and you don't have to worry about bills, just making your stipend last the month 2) You are there temporatily for the most part. Some may choose to stay or move back, but the vast majority are there for a short stint of their life. 3) You are on a pedestal and there are a lot of eyes on you. You stand out like a sore thumb in a different place.

I think culture shock is real in both cases, but it is temporary and not quite as scary as picking up and actually MOVING to a place for a career where you need to worry about having long term neighbors, co-workers, friends, etc. I think for the most part, USU athletes experience the same phenomenon that Mormon Missionaries do. They are somewhat celebrities in a foreign place, and are admired for being different and "special." I'd like to hear the experience of a black family that is in Logan to stay, and not just here to play football. That would be a better reflection of reality.

I love to see when athletes come here and love it. It's easy to see everything as "Mormons" or "whites" or no nightlife, but it's awesome when they see friends, nice people, a great town and make-your-own fun. I think that's what it's all about. This is a special place. This is the greatest underdog college town in the world. We love our athletes here and how they represent and put the school and themselves on the map.

Something that's missing, and which the NCAA has made extremely difficult, is interactions between athletes and "townies". My dad was the team doctor for the athletic department in the late 40s and early 50s. He maintained a close relationship with the athletic department long after that. My parents always used to have football and basketball players down for Thanksgiving dinner. Just having a kid over for dinner wouldn't be permitted now. I would be considered a "booster" giving them an "impermissible benefit". Unfortunately, the rules, and paranoia about the rules, have constrained interaction between the athletes and the fans. It's too bad. I think more interactions would promote better understanding in both directions.

LKGates wrote: ↑

June 24th, 2019, 9:06 pm

Something that's missing, and which the NCAA has made extremely difficult, is interactions between athletes and "townies". My dad was the team doctor for the athletic department in the late 40s and early 50s. He maintained a close relationship with the athletic department long after that. My parents always used to have football and basketball players down for Thanksgiving dinner. Just having a kid over for dinner wouldn't be permitted now. I would be considered a "booster" giving them an "impermissible benefit". Unfortunately, the rules, and paranoia about the rules, have constrained interaction between the athletes and the fans. It's too bad. I think more interactions would promote better understanding in both directions.

As if town/gown relations weren't already fraught.

Nick Emery disagrees. He thinks the "towny" is cute.