Yankees: How accepted are they? (Birmingham, Huntsville: home, construction jobs, construction)

[Threestep]

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion based on experience with friends and family. You not knowing a Northerner who calls himself a Yankee may be part of this opinion.

With your negative experience - why would you move to The South? What is here that draws you?

This is an open forum and a lot of good information has been shared by volunteers. One of the traits of The Southerner I really cherrish is their laid back subtlety in dealing with things. Almost like they do back home:>) There is no reason to barb and finger point. Rephrase - chill sis' life is good and it is almost 95 degrees out there.

Someone has to make a living and that is me for a while.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Threestep

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion based on experience with friends and family. You not knowing a Northerner who calls himself a Yankee may be part of this opinion.

With your negative experience - why would you move to The South? What is here that draws you?

This is an open forum and a lot of good information has been shared by volunteers. One of the traits of The Southerner I really cherrish is their laid back subtlety in dealing with things. Almost like they do back home:>) There is no reason to barb and finger point. Rephrase - chill sis' life is good and it is almost 95 degrees out there.

Someone has to make a living and that is me for a while.

I'm kind of with you on this, as a transplant myself. I mean, we can only do so much reassuring.

Can we assure that you will never face some crank who doesn't like northerners? Nope. That being said, you just have to realize that there are difficult people no matter where you live.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by Threestep

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion based on experience with friends and family. You not knowing a Northerner who calls himself a Yankee may be part of this opinion.

I have no idea if northerners hate southerners more or the other way around. I just want to nit-pick and say that statement is irrelevant. I am from the west, but had no idea Americans used the work Yankee (I only had heard of it in modern terms to be used by Brits referring to those from the states), or that there even still existed a north-south divide, where the mason-dixon line actually passed through, that people performed civil war re-enactments (without getting paid) etc... I don't care if you call this being stuck in the past or keeping an interest in history alive, but I wouldn't say not self-identifying as a Yankee demonstrates a prejudice against the South.

[TootsieWootsie]

May I suggest, Bluebeard, you take a trip to the deep South, start talking to people and see how often you are called a Yankee. Whether you believe it or not the Mason-Dixie line is alive and well. But, as you said, you're from the West where this never happens, so how could you be aware of it.
I'm just a person who prefers living in the South, and I was raised in the South when young and then 22 years in Texas and 6 in D.C. I've lived in both sides of the country. I just don't like being judged before people get to know me because of my accent, which is Northern. It gets really old...just like snow gets old.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by TootsieWootsie

May I suggest, Bluebeard, you take a trip to the deep South, start talking to people and see how often you are called a Yankee. Whether you believe it or not the Mason-Dixie line is alive and well. But, as you said, you're from the West where this never happens, so how could you be aware of it.
I'm just a person who prefers living in the South, and I was raised in the South when young and then 22 years in Texas and 6 in D.C. I've lived in both sides of the country. I just don't like being judged before people get to know me because of my accent, which is Northern. It gets really old...just like snow gets old.

Well, Tootsie, you really just need to make a decision and go with it. Given that you're looking at living in a highly-educated part of town, I'm guessing you'll never encounter this kind of rudeness, but nobody on this board can give you a 100%, money-back guarantee.

[arrow_keys]

"Yankee" is still a very common term in the south - at least in Texas. Its often said with a little bit of spite, but also with some sympathy that such Yankee doesn't "get" something that's southern.
Also,
Juneteenth is celebrated by Texas African-Americans to celebrate receiving news of the Emancipation Proclamation. A post above makes it sound like some kind of southern pride holiday.

[Threestep]

You do not want to be judged but you judge?

I dare to count myself on the Southern side of this equation by upbringing/temper/location. Any objections?

You will probably not get to hear what you want to hear which is a confirmation of your opinion. Birmingham is a crazy place, nice hot/humid, full of educated and uneducated people trying to make a living, have some fund - worrywarting about what one more transplant might think is not on a lot of peoples agenda. There are too many of them here already and not all of them came across the Mason-Dixon-Line.

Bluebird - what is the concensus in your neck of the woods about American Indian Southern with foreign attachment? My better half is seriously looking at WY.

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

Well, Tootsie, you really just need to make a decision and go with it. Given that you're looking at living in a highly-educated part of town, I'm guessing you'll never encounter this kind of rudeness, but nobody on this board can give you a 100%, money-back guarantee.

Just wait until an HOA or wifes club gets a hold of her:>)

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by Threestep

Bluebird - what is the concensus in your neck of the woods about American Indian Southern with foreign attachment? My better half is seriously looking at WY.

tweet tweet!
Did you mean South Asian-Indian, or Native American? I'm guessing Asian due to the "foreign attachment" to the accent. Or was foreign attachment your significant other?
I guess I should specify I'm from the CA coast, which is a world away. Certain areas in the South might be more similar to WY, for all I know. Shouldn't be any problems if it's culturally simialr to, say, the CA central valley, altho in CA might get mistaken for Hispanic a lot, whether you are South Asian or Native American.
Either, I really got no idea. Like asking someone from Atlanta what Mississippi's like when he's never been there. All I know, is parts are supposed to be beautiful.

Back to Tootsie, I'm on 4 years in Birmingham here. Like I said before, it's ok. I don't love it, but there are worse places. I don't particularly fit in, but you find that rare, amazing person you can feel truly relaxed around, can speak freely, and not worry about feeling impolite, and generally be yourself. These people can be from the South or from outside of it.
As for specifically anti-non-Southern additude, I dunno. Its there ocassionally, but its not worth worrying about. Noone's really called me "Yankee" in an extremely derogatory way to my face. And if I'm too ignorant to have recognized it as so, well I guess that's an advantage I have. I wouldn't say its really more of a factor than a million other prejudices that humans have and I have experienced (and assuredly made others experience). For me its just more about not fitting in the local culture so great.

[Threestep]

I would never associate CA with "West". Our friends are too set on the distinction Valley or Bay.

I am the foreign import - deepest Bavaria and to top it one of the oldest university towns. Also a bit too tall to be mistaken for standard Asion/Mexican. My Better Half is Indian Feather but blond now silver and blue eyed.

To stay with the thread - isn't Yankee used for residents of Union States north of the Mason-Dixon-Line? Where does that leave CA?