I lived in the South for a while, but never noticed any of these signs of segregation.
What is happening now? The idea of abolishing any form of segregation is almost a mania. In California, it seems that even the idea of segregation of public bathrooms for boys and girls is now passé, even illegal. Not that I find anything particularly objectionable about sharing bathrooms. The house I grew up in had bathrooms that were shared - we took turns. But the rationale for this idea in California does not appeal to my own sensibilities.
In my thinking, the problem today is the mistake of confusing form with substance. Our contemporary culture makes us slaves to the letter of the law. "For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Cor 3:6) The letter of the law prohibits segregation, whether it be on the basis of race, sex, age, or what have you. But real segregation has its roots in personal enmity, and that dwells in our hearts and in our minds.
