Resistance against "Yankees" (Charleston, St. Andrews: fit in, transplants, gated communities)

[lenniel]

Please excuse my ignorance and asking some possibly obvious questions, but I've heard from a few people how some of the folks from the 'old south' are resistant to all the people moving to areas like Charleston from the 'North' (although I'm not sure what defines the 'North'? Mason/Dixon line....Is it anybody north of Virginia or from anywhere in the Midwest?) Is a northerner the same as a yankee?

I understand there's even still some soreness from the Civil War.
Would Charleston be considered still to be 'Old South' or is that only in rural pockets populated by generations of families where little change or development has occured? My understanding is that places like Mt. Pleasant are populated by people from all over the country whom have moved to SC for what most poeple move there for; sand, sea, sun. Therefore, the community is much more progressive (not in the liberal, democratic sense) even though very blue collar and high income earners.

I was in a bbq joint a few years ago (can't remember if it was GA, NC or SC) that was plastered with the confederate flag and bumperstickers with stupid sayings on them. It just seemed really ignorant, close minded and even racist.

I'm curious as to how native Charlestonians feel about all this. Although I suppose some of it has to do with your age, upbringing, etc.

[scpink5]

Although I am not a native Charlestonian, I am from a small mill town in the upstate of South Carolina. My town has been overwhelmed with growth, mainly from residence from the North moving down South. Now, understand I am partial to my hometown, so anything that I say, please don’t take offensively. In my town, what used to be acres and acres of woods, is now becoming a Super Wal-Mart, Harris Teeters, Gated Communities, and other housing developments to accommodate the growth. Economically I think this is fantastic, however, I do wish my town was the way it was when I was small.

In my opinion, a Yankee and a Northerner are the same things, and I believe that yes, the Mason-Dixon line is the line where you are classified. Again, this is only my opinion.

Now, the Confederate flag issue. It is so unfortunate that groups which project hate towards people and their heritage (KKK, NAACP, etc.) have misused the symbol for their own purposes. Disrespecting the flag, in the way they have, only shows that groups are attempting to be politically correct, but instead are historically stupid by not reading and seeking the truth. The Confederate flag only flew for 4 years of the Civil War and represented the Southern people and our ideas and the Constitution as it was written, which allowed any state to secede from the Union of States. The United States flag flew over flagships whose crews brought slaves and transported them to various locations and sold them. The Stars and Stripes flew over ships and Union buildings for many years during the 1800’s when slavery was legal, so why isn’t this flag viewed as a racist symbol?

Change is inevitable, and honestly, why would you not want to move down South? The weather, the people, the food, there is so much to love about it. So in many ways I am flattered that someone would want to leave where they grew up to move to a place that I love so dear.

[DJShymansky]

Lenniel, I'm from Maryland, was educated in Philly, and have been living here for 5 years now. I've not noticed anything resembling resentment towards me, my family, nor any of my clients who've moved down from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many other "northern" states.

You won't either. There are so many transplants in the Charleston area, you're bound to run into more people "from off" than native Charlestonians. I think the entire state of Ohio has already transplanted down here, in fact. Makes me wonder who's moving into that state, now that it's empty.

[hapscat]

no resistance . lots of confederate flags though. but i'm sure you'll get used to that.

[NS_Highlander]

The other day my neighbor brought over some southern cooking that I never had before. She made a joke about me being a Yankee not knowing much about southern cuisine. I had to correct her at that point and remind her that I am Canuck. Her reply was "same difference". I wonder if a lot of southern folk would be this happy if Canadians called them Yankee's!
I must say that I have never been treated badly here and the people in the south are as nice as you will find anywhere. Southerners are far more welcoming than what I experienced in the North.
I agree with what spink5 has to say about the Confederate flag. As an outsider I see the flag as having pride in your roots and where you are from. If you ban the Confederate flag, you have to ban the stars and stripes, than to be fair someone has to tell the Queen that Great Britian can no longer fly the Union Jack.
I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazard that did demonstrate southern heritage and the confederate flag. Can anyone tell my any part of this show that was racist?
Also, I am from Nova Scotia and embedded in our flag is the Gold Rampant Lion of Scotland on the St. Andrews Cross. The Rampant Lion was flown when Scotland was independent from England. If someone tried to tell me I can't fly this because of a handful of idiots misusing it, I would not stand for it for 2 seconds either. My attitude is attack the people that are causing the hate, not the symbols they are blatantly misrepresenting.

[scdreamer]

I stumbled upon this website the other day, and found it hilarious. It sounds like whoever created it has a good sense of humor about the whole thing, even if people from Ohio might not agree:

Go Back To Ohio » About

I'm hopefully going to be joining the yankee invaders this year, but not from Ohio. (I'll try to be one of the good ones, though...my goal is to fit in, not try to change things.)

As far as the confederate flag goes, I totally agree that the colonial flag has just as much to do with the sad history of racial relations in this country. It's a shame that the south gets all the blame for the triangle trade.

[pvjd]

I personally don't care if somebody insists on owning a confederate flag, but at the same time I recognize why it is offensive to many. Some people in the north see it as a separist symbol that is fueled by an "us against them" mentality, and many black people are offended because of the use of the flag to promote a racist ideology. My opinion remains neutral, but I am not everybody else in the world. I have no personal experience as a northerner or black person, considering that I am a southern white.

[SCBeaches]

Great posts, open minds and positive attitudes....we need more people like ya'll!

[timetakesacig]

Yikes. I'm from Ohio, but I swear I'm well-mannered and considerate. Hey, I can't stand Ohioans either. Can I still come down?

[Jim3310]

You will get asked repeatedly, "Ya'll not from around here are ya?"

I typically smile & say "No, I'm from Idaho". (Although to listen to me, one would KNOW I'm a Yankee.) I say this to see their reaction, as half of America has no idea where Idaho is or how they talk.

I usually get a response like "Yeah, I thought so."

It's fine here, haven't had any problems, haven't heard of any problems, don't expect any problems.

Unless either party is just plain ignorant with an attitude, than there could be a problem. But that could even take place in Idaho.