[quote=CubsRock!!!;3069920]Since I was born "Yankee", ...I'm from a small town in far north Illinois, just south of Wisconsin and I can tell you the KKK was very much active in that town not that long ago. ...
Yes. This is true. I can remember about 8 years ago there was a big KKK rally being publicized in that area. I could hardly believe it, but unforunately, it's true.
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Originally Posted by CubsRock!!!
... to get my drivers license. Up north I would have been waiting 1 1/2 hours before they even call my number. Where I'm from up north people are typically rude, but we're used to it for the most part. Everyone has an attitude and acts like it's a inconvience to do their job. Life is fast paced, busy, over-crowded, and traffic is backed up for hours. I guess that might contribute to the crankiness.
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It's interesting reading your post. You list born "Yankee" with a location of Searcy, AR; I was born a "Southerner" and live in the Midwest! Lol. And what you are describing is the same as I would describe it. Esp. the part about ppl acting as if doing their job inconveniences them. I would never want to live in CHI. It's nice to visit sometimes, and I guess if I had to, I could probably handle it for about a year or so, but yes - the pace, overcrowdedness, traffic lined up - certainly contributes to ppl's crankiness. I have worked for a small company for some time simply for some of those reasons. I love waking up and just grabbing a mug o' hot whatever and getting right to work bright and early in my pjs and no traffic.
I am much more productive and much more at-peace than many who end up at work already stressed out from the morning drive. I think after awhile ppl just decide what's most important to them - money and what it might bring, or to pull out of the rat race and "make do" (as some would say who observe them) living the "good life" (the ones who are living it).
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Originally Posted by CubsRock!!!
Now although I said most Arkansans are nice, I didn't say all. I've had unpleasant encounters. There are some who don't respond well when they hear a northern accent. Usually they don't say anything, but it shows in the attitude.
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Just an fyi... it might not be an attitude thing as much as they might simply not be able to understand what you're saying and don't know what to say or ask you to repeat yourself.
My Northern Dad married my Southern Mom. He tells stories about when they first married - what he thought might have been rudeness on my Mom's part always talking after he did to her Mom - was simply a translation in process! And even though I was raised in the South, I honestly have a difficult time sometimes understanding what they are saying, but I don't mind asking ppl to repeat themselves as many times as it takes or to spell words that don't make sense - until there's a mutual understanding. Esp. with slang words - and asking where they can be found (e.g., bubbler/water fountain; soda/coke; restroom/bathroom/toilet; etc.)
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Originally Posted by CubsRock!!!
I don't ever disrespect anyone based on their race or culture, but if someone disrespects me, my "Yankee" will come out when rightfully justified.
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Maybe try another approach. Sometimes it's just the difference of asking them... "You are coming across as "disrespectful..." is that what you intended?" (Or whatever you think they are being. (Or just ask them what they were intending or meant when they said it.) If they say yes, then boo on them and walk away. If they say no, then you've given them a chance to restate themselves, and they will most likely respect you more for it and might even apologize.
If they say no and do it again, then it is likely they are being sarcastic or are truly just plain ignorant/inexperienced. Forgive them in your mind for their ignorance or lack of experience and move forward and seek other like-minded individuals who will accept and respect you for who you are and what you have to offer. You are right - not everyone is the same, and for whatever reason, it
is harder for some ppl. And for
them, I think at that point it would be easier for those of us who do accept and respect others, to accept them for who and where
they are and hope they someday come to better understanding of the world around them.
Well-stated words you shared. There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Seek peace and pursue it." To me it seems a bit redundant - seek & pursue... are they not one and the same? But if it *is* redundant then perhaps the point is more to encourage a double-measure of peace-seeking for as little of it as there seems to be in this world sometimes.
Or maybe to seek it, and then to continue to do so once you find it as to not risk losing it again.
"Blessed are the peace-makers" is another one. Peace-makers *are* blessed - they have inner peace in their lives, they seem to experience greater true joy, they seem to be more grateful. They are kinder towards others than others who lived stress-filled lives. When bad things happen, it seems easier for them to "let go" and accept the hardship or inconvenience with greater stride. They seem to live more moment-by-moment than those who live year-to-year, forecasting what they cannot know until they will ever arrive. They smile easier, and even their faces seem to just have a peaceful look that remains even through the storms around them and others they know. They are quick to not only seek solutions but do what they can to contribute in the process.
Hm... Arkansans, to me, seem more peace-filled than many others I have met in life. Yes - they live what some would mock as a "simpler" life, but many Arkansans live according to a different set of priorities... ppl first - rather than spending half their life acquiring status and the latter half of their life trying to protect it. But this could be said of others in other places. But since this is a thread about Arkansans, I would say they have a particular way about them that I believe is reflective of that.
Peace backatcha Cubs fan.
And I hope you see that game someday!
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03-06-2008, 10:56 AM
oh well
Btw, I like your location: Limbo! (That's where many of us are living these days - good one.) 
Yankees & Southerners
(Bicentennial Man, Robin Williams - a great addition to the topic ... did you see this? Do you remember the breakfast scene?) All through that movie, there were many innuendos demonstrating how language can be so sorely misunderstood! Great movie, by the way. I like the roles he chooses - very humanistic, IMO.
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