Oregon

Variegated Ethnic, Political, and Social Culture

Native Americans make up a relatively small portion of the current population, but they are regarded as the first people to call Oregon home. Social relations between the Native Americans and European traders in the mid-1700s [Page 681]established a new economic market for fur trading and metal goods. But it also led to the introduction of viruses and diseases to North Pacific Coast natives to which they had no immunities. Despite the decreasing Native American populations, social and trade networks were established between Oregon and distant markets like London, New York, and Montreal. Most of the native peoples live in areas surrounding Portland, Eugene, and Salem, and several thousand more remain on reservations. The federally recognized tribes have important influences over Oregon's economy, today owning and operating casinos and native cultural centers.

Inequality and social issues were a major concern for residents of Oregon when it came to the racial social networks throughout the state. People in Oregon are working to live more peacefully with others of different races and ethnicities after decades of tension and discrimination. After World War II, immigrants from Mexico began heading to the Pacific Northwest in droves. The influence of Hispanic immigrants is visible all over the state, with specialized restaurants, grocery stores, cultural centers, and city celebrations. Other ethnicities have not received as much acceptance as the Hispanic culture. People of color continue to struggle with issues of equal access to services, discrimination in the workplace, and racial profiling (particularly when driving). These problems only increased following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and the economic recession in 2002.

Political parties are particularly strong social networks in Oregon. In the past few decades, many hot-button topics have come to the forefront of state policies, causing some animosity and strain between parties. These topics include natural resource issues, gay rights, legalization of doctor-assisted suicides, and tax-limitation measures. Like many of the social networks in the state, party divisions tend to lie across the rural and urban populations. Rural areas tend to be more conservative, while urban cities like Portland are considered more liberal, advocating strongly for social and environmental activism.

There are a number of major social networks in Oregon pertaining to lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer (LBGTQ) social issues. Groups on both [Page 682]sides of the issue are politically active in the area of social rights for LBGTQ people. In the late 1980s and 1990s, religious-based groups like the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) were saliently and adamantly opposed to homosexuality, calling it wrong, abnormal, and perverse. The OCA based its activism on patriotism, moral standings supporting God, and family-oriented philosophy. Conversely, the LBGTQ community in Oregon, which was fairly small when antigay activism came in full swing, began to make itself known and to grow. LBGTQ individuals were moving into the area, making themselves known and advocating equal rights. Efforts of groups like OCA seemed to propagate the social divides within communities, which at times grew hostile. As the millennium approached, however, people in the state became distanced from more fervent groups like the OCA, and intense battles regarding gay rights have waned.

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