What is Southern Culture?

[Perfect Cell]

I like you, SlackBrian. I do have some Canadian friends. But I do find that stereotype about everyone being "nice" there, baffling.

It is a fairly ridiculous stereotype. No one is that nice. There are *******s everywhere. And there are some doozies here. We all love hockey though. That one is legit. We deported the ones who didn't, and it became the state of Arizona.

 

[terry78]

We are a kindly, pleasant people! We just don't like Americans...*

*Joking. I think. Although you can never be sure with some of us.

We bring out the worst in the rest of the world, is that what you trying to say?

 

[Charlatan]

55 years old ;born and raised here in Ga.

Like anywhere there's the good ,the bad and the ugly. Sometimes you can find them all in the same space.

For example. The local barber shop. Haircuts cost 5 bucks (up from 3 a few years ago) of course style choices are limited. (regular,buzz,high and tight)The old barber has been doing this for years. He's good and he's fast.
The shop is filled with gospel music playing (low but audible) and hunting/fishing trophies that the barber has acquired over time. Great conversation pieces, everyone loves a good huntin' or fishin' story right? Old pictures hang on the wall of the town in yesteryear. It has changed but they do keep "downtown" rustic.

that's the good

Sometimes the conversation turns to current yet local events. You can start to see the rough edges of racism flavor the conversation. We have a huge Latino population and there's certainly a "takin er jerbs" attitude. Also some of the kids have started gangs and tagging certain places. So it's not all unjustified. They feel like they're being invaded and there is some truth to the job situation. All the local mills are full of Latino workers and the HR depts are staffed with them so when a white person goes to put in an application and hands it to the Latino girl he thinks he's not going to get a fair shake. Whether that's the truth or not he feels that way. And if they do get hired they are in the minority and feel outcast when everyone around them speaks Spanish. So the fear of losing control is real to them. They will express that concern openly and without reservation if you get my drift.

that's the bad

Also on the front door of the shop is a picture of Obama as a witch doctor. Bone through the nose ,headdress and all. The effect of Fox News and right wing radio has deep roots in their ideology. And try as you may to show them that what they are being told is a lie they refuse to see it. Anything that challenges their prejudice is dismissed out of hand. It's a religion to them. A cult like mentality.

that's the ugly.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Ah...the mythical land to the north...where no black/Latino man is ever hassled by anyone and can drive without worry......must be Canada......

Huh?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Yeah, I don't really get that one either...

 

[Erzengel]

I think he is sarcastically saying that all the issues with race also exist in the Northern US and then calling that part Canada.

 

[C. Lee]

Huh?

Yeah, I don't really get that one either...

What's so hard to understand? Thundercrack was talking about blacks being mistreated in the south (like that is the only place in the world that it happens)....so I made a sarcastic comment about a mythical place in the north that never mistreats dark skinned people.....like Canada, because just as the south is stereotyped as the place where every single white dude is a racist, Canada is stereotyped as the place where every single citizen of it is unbelievably kind.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

What's so hard to understand? Thundercrack was talking about blacks being mistreated in the south (like that is the only place in the world that it happens)....so I made a sarcastic comment about a mythical place in the north that never mistreats dark skinned people.....like Canada, because just as the south is stereotyped as the place where every single white dude is a racist, Canada is stereotyped as the place where every single citizen of it is unbelievably kind.

That's a fair stretch.

Obviously racism exists everywhere, but the south DOES have a considerable amount of "racism per capita", if you will, especially compared to Canada. So your little jab actually shed some light on the truth.

To provide you with some context, Canadian hate groups operate in secret and there's one or two big rallies every five years or so in Ontario. Annual supremacist rallies in the states take place all over, and higher concentration is in the south.

Personally, I rather enjoyed my time in the South, but that was in poor form to slam a poster for pointing out a rather tragic reality, C. Lee. You're better than that.

 

[scifiwolf]

Born in DC, raised mostly in Virginia, lived in Raleigh from ages 9-14. Came back to Raleigh, which felt like coming home more than going back to Northern Virginia would have. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. World class education between NC State, UNC, and Duke. Lots of sports. Great food (best barbecue in the country). Good jobs. Mountains 2 hours one way, beach 2 hours the other. People wave to strangers as they pass by.

We still have a lot of negatives, but no more so than other places. Heat and humidity (and insects) suck in the summer. Not much snow sucks in the winter. Hearing butchered accents on TV and movies sucks (not all southern is either Texan or Georgian). Yeah, people are fatter. I'm not, so who cares? There's poverty, but there's poverty everywhere. We have nothing on DC or NYC or those places when it comes to crime. I've got friends who are ardent Confederates, but the Northern perception that that has anything to do with slavery is infinitely more annoying.

Just things that are popping into my head, but a quick snapshot of my life down here.

Oh, and sweet friggin tea.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

We still have a lot of negatives, but no more so than other places. Heat and humidity (and insects) suck in the summer. Not much snow sucks in the winter.

Heat and no snow are a couple of the reasons I loved the South! Haha, I guess it's all a matter of perspective. The humidity in Houston was God-awful in August though... preferred the Arizona heat. When it's dry heat, sitting in the shade actually makes a difference, but humidity just sticks to you.

Hearing butchered accents on TV and movies sucks (not all southern is either Texan or Georgian). Yeah, people are fatter. I'm not, so who cares? There's poverty, but there's poverty everywhere. We have nothing on DC or NYC or those places when it comes to crime.

The accents thing is cool for me, especially coming from South-Western Ontario. Our accent in this area tends to be a mix of the mild-LA accent mixed with a mild-NY accent (think of general American sitcom). So whenever I DO come across someone with a hard-south accent, I was like "Ooooooooooooh he's like a movie character! How ethnic!"

As per the weight and poverty thing, I don't see much of a difference between the north and south, because either way weight and poverty in Canada is no where near as in-your-face as it is in the States. To give you an idea, I've been to NY, NJ, OH, MI, IN, IL and PA as for North and NV, TX and AZ as for the South. Didn't notice much a a difference between those States I guess.

I've got friends who are ardent Confederates, but the Northern perception that that has anything to do with slavery is infinitely more annoying.

I guess it's because White Supremacists use it - certain stigma is attached to it.

Oh, and sweet friggin tea.

Never understood why this was a "South Thing" doesn't everyone sell Sweet Tea/Ice Tea?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

What's so hard to understand? Thundercrack was talking about blacks being mistreated in the south (like that is the only place in the world that it happens)....so I made a sarcastic comment about a mythical place in the north that never mistreats dark skinned people.....like Canada, because just as the south is stereotyped as the place where every single white dude is a racist, Canada is stereotyped as the place where every single citizen of it is unbelievably kind.

As you can see a few posts above, I have serious issues with that stereotype myself.

 

[scifiwolf]

Never understood why this was a "South Thing" doesn't everyone sell Sweet Tea/Ice Tea?

Yeah. I was in Maryland not too long ago - along the Chesapeake Bay, not even north of Washington DC - and they wouldn't serve me sweet tea.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Yeah. I was in Maryland not too long ago - along the Chesapeake Bay, not even north of Washington DC - and they wouldn't serve me sweet tea.

That's the strangest thing... You can't get unsweetened ice-tea in Ontario. You have to either go to an old-school diner or an American themed diner (which is essentially the same thing as the old-school diner just with bald eagles and more freedom).

 

[C. Lee]

That's a fair stretch.

Obviously racism exists everywhere, but the south DOES have a considerable amount of "racism per capita", if you will, especially compared to Canada. So your little jab actually shed some light on the truth.

To provide you with some context, Canadian hate groups operate in secret and there's one or two big rallies every five years or so in Ontario. Annual supremacist rallies in the states take place all over, and higher concentration is in the south.

Personally, I rather enjoyed my time in the South, but that was in poor form to slam a poster for pointing out a rather tragic reality, C. Lee. You're better than that.

Glad to see that you are doing your best to dispel that "all Canadians are nice" stereotype....

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Glad to see that you are doing your best to dispel that "all Canadians are nice" stereotype....

Last night I killed an ant.