Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why is it "socially acceptable" to express prejudice or hostility about a particular region or city? Simply because it is very, very unacceptable to express those kinds of feelings about a particular ethnicity, religion, country, sex, etc. today. Just shows human nature, that if we decide don't like someone we'll find something about her/him to pick on. BTW I'm all for the non-acceptance of open discrimination today.
How would a person from Houston be treated in New Jersey?
It would depend on whom you talked to and perhaps on what you said. The state legislature has not established any standards for how out-of-staters are to be treated in New Jersey. Neither has anybody else.
Nowhere in the country you can go without being crapped on for living in Texas.
I don't get it.
I LOVE it here...and I have lived and traveled all over the world.
What is really weird is most of the big mouth yappers have never even been.
It's because of the attitude that many Texans have. Texas is the best, nothing can ever compare to Texas, yada yada yada. Some call it pride, but it comes across as arrogance and it gets old.
How do you know someone is from Texas? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
That said, I don't hate Texans as a general rule. I have a friend from Texas and she's one of the kindest, most genuine people I know. When the Texas pride starts making an appearance, I just give her crap for it and we laugh about it. She does have a huge redeeming quality, though. She hates the Longhorns. LOL
...It seems like some people have a real dislike for people from certain areas (for example NYers, Californians, and Texans, among others) and some people will be openly rude or hostile to a person because of where they are from without getting to know the person first.
...
My question is, since a person has no choice in where they came from, why is such open prejudice and hostility somewhat acceptable?
Interesting question. I guess this really is two questions - "why does this happen?" and "why is it somewhat acceptable?".
I believe the answer to the first one is - it's evolutionary. Wikipedia:
Quote:
In evolutionary psychology, ingroup favoritism is seen as an evolved mechanism selected for the advantages of coalition affiliation.
As far as, why it's acceptable? The forum is anonymous, which, I believe, is a main reason why people feel comfortable letting their prejudices fly.
Why is it "socially acceptable" to express prejudice or hostility about a particular region or city? Simply because it is very, very unacceptable to express those kinds of feelings about a particular ethnicity, religion, country, sex, etc. today. Just shows human nature, that if we decide don't like someone we'll find something about her/him to pick on. BTW I'm all for the non-acceptance of open discrimination today.
I've asked that before, and people just go "I dunno. I just don't like all you Californians comin' here and ruinin' my state..."
In part though it's because people need a scapegoat and it's easier to just blame every problem where you've lived ever on outsiders than locals taking any responsibility. "Oh, yeah it was a paradise, before all those folks came from the Valley, and so on..."
Also, because people of different ethnicities or nationalities or sexual origin have spoken after years of being discriminated against to the extent where there's a realization among most people that it's not okay to use certain slurs(at least in most public settings or polite conversation). Whereas, transplants from a certain state or region just look at most of it as a mild annoyance though not feeling threatened enough to start a campaign against hostility towards out-of-staters...
It would depend on whom you talked to and perhaps on what you said. The state legislature has not established any standards for how out-of-staters are to be treated in New Jersey. Neither has anybody else.
Down South, we have.
Rules For Visiting Yankees From the Southern Tourism Bureau:
1. Don’t order pasta primavera at Waffle House. It’s just a diner. They serve breakfast 24 hours a day. Let them cook something they know. If you confuse them, they’ll kick your ***.
2. Don’t laugh at our Southern names (Merleen, Bodie, Ovine, Luther Ray, Tammy Lynn, Darla Beth, Inez, Billy Joe, Sissy, Clovis, etc.). Or we will just HAVE to kick your ***.
3. Don’t order a bottle of pop or a can of soda down here. Down here it’s called Coke. Nobody gives a flying damn whether it’s Pepsi, RC, Dr. Pepper, 7 Up or whatever-it’s still a Coke. Accept it. Doing otherwise can lead to an *** kicking.
4. We know our heritage. Most of us are more literate than you (e.g., Welty, Williams, Faulkner). We are also better educated and generally a lot nicer. Don’t refer to us as a bunch of hillbillies, or we’ll kick your ***.
5. We have plenty of business sense (e.g., Fred Smith of FedEx, Turner Broadcasting, MCI WorldCom, MTV, Netscape). Naturally, we do sometimes, have small lapses in judgment (e.g., Carter, Clinton). We don’t care if you think we are dumb. We are not dumb enough to let someone move to our state in order to run for the Senate. If someone tried to do that, we would kick their ***.
6. Don’t laugh at our Civil War monuments. If Lee had listened to Longstreet and flanked Meade at Gettysburg instead of sending Pickett up the middle, you’d be paying taxes to Richmond instead of Washington. If you visit Stone Mountain and complain about the carving, we’ll kick your ***.
7. We are fully aware of how high the humidity is, so shut the hell up. Just spend your money and get the hell out of here, or we’ll kick your ***.
8. Don’t order wheat toast at Cracker Barrel. Everyone will instantly know that you’re a Yankee. Eat your biscuits like God intended-with gravy. And don’t put sugar on your grits, or we’ll kick your ***.
9. Don’t fake a Southern accent. This will incite a riot, and you will get your *** kicked.
10. Don’t talk about how much better things are at home because we know better. Many of us have visited Northern cesspools like Detroit, Chicago, and DC, and we have the scars to prove it. If you don’t like it here, Delta is ready when you are. Move your *** on home before it gets kicked.
11. Yes, we know how to speak proper English. We talk this way because we don’t want to sound like you. We don’t care if you don’t understand what we are saying. All other Southerners understand what we are saying, and that’s all that matters. Now, go away and leave us alone, or we’ll kick your ***.
12. Don’t complain that the South is dirty and polluted. None of OUR lakes or rivers have caught fire recently. If you whine about OUR scenic beauty, we’ll kick your *** all the way back to Boston Harbor.
13. Don’t ridicule our Southern manners. We say sir and ma’am. We hold doors open for others. We offer our seats to old folks because such things are expected of civilized people. Behave yourselves around our sweet little gray-haired grandmothers or they’ll kick some manners into your *** just like they did ours.
14. So you think we’re quaint or losers because most of us live in the countryside? That’s because we have enough sense to not live in filthy, smelly, crime-infested cesspools like New York or Baltimore. Make fun of our fresh air, and we’ll kick your ***.
15. Last, but not least, DO NOT DARE to come down here and tell us how to barbecue. This will get your *** shot (right after it is kicked). You’re lucky we let you come down here at all. Criticize our barbecue, and you will go home in a pine box. Minus your ***.
It's because of the attitude that many Texans have. Texas is the best, nothing can ever compare to Texas, yada yada yada. Some call it pride, but it comes across as arrogance and it gets old.
How do you know someone is from Texas? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
That said, I don't hate Texans as a general rule. I have a friend from Texas and she's one of the kindest, most genuine people I know. When the Texas pride starts making an appearance, I just give her crap for it and we laugh about it. She does have a huge redeeming quality, though. She hates the Longhorns. LOL
This is exactly what I'm talking about.
I know NOBODY like this. Lived here 24 years, lived all over the state...this is a conversation NO ONE has. Ever.
I have never said a thing - I have always been asked...then suddenly a hailstorm of crap rains down.
Besides your friends, have you spent a lot of time in the company of the 18 million people who are from Texas?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
