For those who are around my age and from North Dakota and near Fargo have experienced culture shock. When I was younger, Fargo was a much different city to live in. There was less crime and more normal people. There wasn’t that much difference races and culture, as there is today. It was much like the movie “Fargo;” which was filmed in Brainerd, MN. That movie was a satire of how the people of Fargo lives and talk. You could say that Hollywood was poking fun at Fargo with that movie.

That movie was fiction but culture shock is not.

What some may see as being racist, may only be culture shock. If you are not used to someone from a different culture, we could come across as being indifferent to other cultures or lifestyles. It’s because we don’t understand other cultures and/or people’s lifestyle choice.

Believe me, I’m not racist or indifferent about others life choices. North Dakota was considered to be in the stone age with a lot of things. North Dakota is one of the last state to move into the 21st century.

Just like the baby boomers and older generations, they are easily shell shocked in their way of thinking. Generation X, my generation is the generation that slowly sees changes in our way of thinking. Even though, I’m so close to being a baby boomer.

When my family moved from West Fargo to the farm in Rollag, south of Hawley, Minnesota, and we went to school in Hawley, it was a bit of a culture shock for us 2 youngest kids. The school and the town of Hawley was different to what we came from in West Fargo, or even Fargo. The kids were different too.

Even though I was culture shock, I have to admit, I see myself as a small town country boy now. To me, Hawley was and is my hometown. The farm is the ground, I grew up on. Hawley is where I got a better education than I did in West Fargo school system. I may had hated the moved back then; but I’m glad to have that experience of living in a small town such as Hawley.

There wasn’t hardly anyone with a different culture in Hawley; but one exchange student from the Philippines. He was taken in by a classmate’s family of mine. Could you imagine the culture shock that he went through? Probably more than what I went through. I graduated with him.

Like I said earlier, I grew up on a farm south of Hawley, in Rollag. It was like going back in time. The people there was really in the stone age and unacceptable of certain culture and lifestyle. I have a book that I’m in process of typing up in hope to get it published, called, “Rollag Hills.” Even though, that book is a novel, it depicts life in Rollag.

The older members of Rollag Lutheran church seems to control the pastor there. When the pastor was doing his job when he asked if the daughter of one of the family, if she was pregnant, and that was why she was getting married, he was immediately asked for resignation. It happened in the ’80’s; and it goes to show how behind time they were.

Another example was when a mixed-raced couple was living in Rollag. The older generation, my folks included thought it was horrible. They felt bad for any children they would have.

Or when a young woman was sexually assaulted and raped. The older generation blamed her because they felt that she was dress inappropriately.

These are just some of examples of people from a different generation being culture shock and making false accusations.

Just like a family who has a member who is a homosexual. Some are quick to condemn them for their lifestyle choices. They are quick to disown them as well. I have a cousin, who is gay, and believe me, there is members in my family who is condemning him for his lifestyle choice. They try to be accepting of him but deep down they want nothing to do with him. And now he is missing and no one knows if he is dead or alive. He’s my cousin and I love him despite of his decision.,

Some of these family wants to send anyone who is a homosexual to camp to de-program, camp set up by Michelle Bachmann. They think that they can pray the gay away.

I remembered one summer, when us two youngest ones went to Minneapolis for the weekend with an older sister. That was a culture shock for us as well. We saw people of different cultures and race. Even going to a bigger city than Fargo was enough of a shock to our system. The first night there we went drinking and stop at a White Castle afterward. When my brother-in-law and I was sitting in the back of his truck, he knocked on the window to get his wife, my sister to hurry up and leave out of fear. But it was probably more culture shock than anything.

Back in 2001, while driving past Chicago, I was a bit culture shock, and to this day I hated Chicago. While driving by it on the interstate, I reached over to make sure that the car doors were locked, out of fear.

I didn’t go through much culture shock when I went to NDSU; even though I met an exchange student from South Africa. Maybe because Fargo was still somewhat normal than it is today.

For some reason, I didn’t have much culture shock when I went to Indianapolis for a work & witness. Even though, I have encountered people from different culture and countries there.

There was a woman, I knew, and became friends with of a different race. Some thought she was a girlfriend. I even have a friend who is a Christian now; and he is from Iran. His name is Fred. He still got family in Iran and some are Muslims. They don’t have much to do with him because he’s a Christian.

So you see, I’m not racist. The church I’m a member of is a multi-national and multi-cultural church.

Sometimes, it’s not being a racist but rather it’s being culture shock instead. If a person isn’t used to another culture or someone with a different lifestyle than ours, we come across as being indifferent of them.

We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. We must learn to accept one another and get pass any issues that differs from our own. We must learn to get along! We live in a nation of melting pot.

Not all of us talked like in the movie, “Fargo.” That movie is just a satire, being poked fun of by people of Hollywood.