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I never felt welcomed in the South (I'm from the Northeast, originally) and am never comfortable there. For what it's worth, I've lived in FL, GA, and TX and have traveled the South extensively.
While living and traveling in the South, I experienced a lot of hurtful comments. It's hard to explain because nothing is outright, and everything seems to have a second meaning. It's not an issue of being a loud, obnoxious "Yankee," either, as others have asserted -- I don't talk much without being addressed first, and definitely don't talk about my native state of RI or home state of CA unless asked.
Problem is, I am asked a lot about "up there," usually in the form of baited questions to set me up for some cutting remark or veiled insult. Another common occurrence, especially in a group setting, is being asked a question and then being cut off as I begin to reply. Lots of backhanded compliments and uncomfortable comments that are said in a polite way. Using the term "Yankee" in a derogatory manner is very common. In the Northeast and on the West Coast, I've never heard the word "Yankee" used outside of reference to the baseball team, and I still haven't gotten used to the term.
This weird stuff happens with a lot of people I meet in the South -- neighbors, colleagues, mutual friends, even service providers. To say that most people in the South aren't still fighting the Civil War is an understatement and don't stereotype people from Northern states, ignorant. My own personal experiences are a testament to that.
Truth be told, I think a lot of Northerners throw around Southern stereotypes as part of a defense mechanism, so to speak, since there's so much vocal anti-North / anti-Yankee sentiment in the South. As someone who has lived on both sides of the fence, I can assure you that few, if any, people up North pay the South any mind, despite the reverse being untrue.
since there's so much vocal anti-North / anti-Yankee sentiment in the South. As someone who has lived on both sides of the fence, I can assure you that few, if any, people up North pay the South any mind, despite the reverse being untrue.
As someone who has also 'lived on both sides' of that same fence, sorry, not my experience at all. But then again I didn't arrive in the south with a bunch of preconceived notions, nor did I come with some kind of chip on my shoulder and Assume that all comments about 'yankees', 'not being from around here', etc. were meant as some sort of insult or sly, underhanded attempt at carrying on the Civil War. Other than the accents and the food, my redneck friends from the south and my redneck friends from the midwest really aren't all that different under the skin. No idea where you went to get the impression people here hate the North, mostly they don't pay much mind to that kind of thing either.
Probably never. What goes around comes around, and there will always be backlash because of slavery and jim crow. Perception is reality but maybe my perception is different.
I am a rolling stone I have lived in 6 different states all within the midwest, but I am originally from North Carolina, and I sorely miss home and this is why...
When I first moved to the Midwest I was attending a trade school. When I told one of my instructors I was from North Carolina he in front of the whole class said "Really? you want to be a plumber? I didn't know they knew what indoor plumbing was down there, did you grow up sleeping on a dirt floor?"
I have met more racist people everywhere in the Midwest I have been in the past 5 years than I did in the previous 20 in Charlotte and Atlanta. They seem to gravitate towards me, they hear my accent and try to have stupid redneck white power conversations with me and when I tell them I'm not like that, they try to destroy me for being a "traitor"
About my accent. A lot of people up here call me a wigger or a wannabe black person of course behind my back, never to my face. They mistake my southern accent for me "trying to sound black" not realizing my entire extended family talks like this, this is not a black accent, this is a southern accent. This is a real southern accent, not like those fake country singers that they love up here that are not even that popular where I'm from, I am southern, not my moms from nj or transplant, no... I'm one of the first people in my entire family tree going back hundreds of years to ever even visit north of the mason Dixon. I'm real southern, my culture doesn't rely on an imaginary line and is not watered down and that intimidates these people, because quite frankly, they have no culture. They try to imitate what Hollywood an Nashville projects as ours cause the young girls here like it.
They look at me weird because most of my friends here are black as is my girlfriend not even understanding that most of my friends are from the south and big cities like me and like me grew up within the southern culture. I'm from a place that's mostly black and very well racially integrated and really up here, only black transplants that are from my neck of the woods DONT treat me like an alien. If my own people up here didn't backstab me and treat me with so much animosity an stereotype me as being racist and stupid than hate me for not being racist like them, and being intelligent maybe I would have white friends, but I do not trust or enjoy the company of white people from here because of the way they think and behave.
I'm not saying all people up here are like this. Some people seem to love me for no reason for being from where I'm from and I've found it very easy to get women here because of that appeal. But I really am tired of being treated like a weirdo or an outsider by my brothers and sisters from the north. I'm here for the money and once I get my money and my degrees I'm leaving and never coming back. Life is too short for all this childish crap.
We don't treat you guys like this where I'm from when you come down, the older generation did. My grandpa hates Yankees, but I don't know anyone under 60 who honestly believes that, other than me now that ive lived around nothing but Yankees for the past 5 years I will never befriend you again other than on my turf cause man, yall sure do change and kiss behind when your down south. Lol
Probably never. What goes around comes around, and there will always be backlash because of slavery and jim crow. Perception is reality but maybe my perception is different.
I am a rolling stone I have lived in 6 different states all within the midwest, but I am originally from North Carolina, and I sorely miss home and this is why...
When I first moved to the Midwest I was attending a trade school. When I told one of my instructors I was from North Carolina he in front of the whole class said "Really? you want to be a plumber? I didn't know they knew what indoor plumbing was down there, did you grow up sleeping on a dirt floor?"
I have met more racist people everywhere in the Midwest I have been in the past 5 years than I did in the previous 20 in Charlotte and Atlanta. They seem to gravitate towards me, they hear my accent and try to have stupid redneck white power conversations with me and when I tell them I'm not like that, they try to destroy me for being a "traitor"
About my accent. A lot of people up here call me a wigger or a wannabe black person of course behind my back, never to my face. They mistake my southern accent for me "trying to sound black" not realizing my entire extended family talks like this, this is not a black accent, this is a southern accent. This is a real southern accent, not like those fake country singers that they love up here that are not even that popular where I'm from, I am southern, not my moms from nj or transplant, no... I'm one of the first people in my entire family tree going back hundreds of years to ever even visit north of the mason Dixon. I'm real southern, my culture doesn't rely on an imaginary line and is not watered down and that intimidates these people, because quite frankly, they have no culture. They try to imitate what Hollywood an Nashville projects as ours cause the young girls here like it.
They look at me weird because most of my friends here are black as is my girlfriend not even understanding that most of my friends are from the south and big cities like me and like me grew up within the southern culture. I'm from a place that's mostly black and very well racially integrated and really up here, only black transplants that are from my neck of the woods DONT treat me like an alien. If my own people up here didn't backstab me and treat me with so much animosity an stereotype me as being racist and stupid than hate me for not being racist like them, and being intelligent maybe I would have white friends, but I do not trust or enjoy the company of white people from here because of the way they think and behave.
I'm not saying all people up here are like this. Some people seem to love me for no reason for being from where I'm from and I've found it very easy to get women here because of that appeal. But I really am tired of being treated like a weirdo or an outsider by my brothers and sisters from the north. I'm here for the money and once I get my money and my degrees I'm leaving and never coming back. Life is too short for all this childish crap.
We don't treat you guys like this where I'm from when you come down, the older generation did. My grandpa hates Yankees, but I don't know anyone under 60 who honestly believes that, other than me now that ive lived around nothing but Yankees for the past 5 years I will never befriend you again other than on my turf cause man, yall sure do change and kiss behind when your down south. Lol
God bless you. Everything you say here is true. The first time I visited NYC, a waitress asked "Did you arrive on a turnip truck?" The first time I visited San Francisco, a professional in my field greeted me at a conference and said, "My god! You wear shoes?!" Needless to say, I was not amused.
The South is home to the friendliest people you'll ever meet on the face of this earth -- black, white, yellow, red or otherwise. I believe and know this to the bottom of my soul. Why? Because I've LIVED it. For crying out loud, how can people sincerely believe that a bunch of white people in the upper Midwest who live around nobody else but WHITE people just like them, are more enlightened and "open minded" than black and white people who live, work and go to school together in the South?
I have the opposite response.... I grew up in western Kentucky and absolutely hated it there and the southern culture. I never grew up with a strong southern accent, unlike my parents, sisters and brothers, and was always teased on where I was from growing up. I told them northern Illinois. I went to college in the Midwest and would come back home on breaks and go to the store and cashiers asked where I was from. I said here in Madisonville KY and they said no way.
Anyhow....everyone has different experiences. I love the cold and glad where I live now..... I grew up in Kentucky in the 70s to mid 80s. I would never go back to live there because of the too warm of weather and the people. I lived in my hometown several decades ago.....and I am sure things have changed some. But back when I grew up you had the black part of town across the railroad tracks and the rest of the town and two never mixed. Schools were integrated of course....I believe my mom said in 1970. But each year we usually had our one big fight at the high school.....they would call it the racial fight -- black vs whites, but overall the high schoolers got along with one another I thought. I never saw any open hostility. Now my dad, who was born in 1920 in the same area where I was raised, in 1980 got a petition to prevent a black family from buying the house next to us (we were not in any fancy part of town either) and it worked as they didnt move in. I remember being so mad at that. But I digress..... the area you like is so variable person to person. I find the people in the N Plains/Upper Midwest where I live now very friendly and will take the shirt off their back to help you.
That didn't really answer my question. Like I attempted to explain to NOLA, just because there is some truth to the stereotypes does not mean that it's fair to make sweeping generalizations about the entire region. That was the OP's point and that's my point.
The simple reality is that many northerners harbor some pretty ignorant beliefs about the entire south. It's the same type of reasoning that's blaming the entire black race for the riots in Ferguson.
The facts are changing, but the northern attitudes haven't really caught up yet. I've literally met a northerner who still thought we had legalized segregated facilities down here.
OK no lie - I met a person from the north who actually asked me if we still ride horses to work. I am not kidding.
Lucky for northerners, I didn't assume that he was representative of the whole region.
Completely relative. I guarantee you that somewhere there is a southerner who would claim to have the same experience up north that you claim to have had down south. So, no, you can't assure any of us of anything.
I have lived and worked in the midwest, the west, the north and the south, I found good people and ignorant people in about equal parts just about everywhere. But if I wanted to make a case against any one region I could fill a book with personal anecdotes and it would prove nothing.
That, too, is a stereotype. Stereotypes all around! No one's innocent, and everyone's a victim.
Of course it is - I said it tongue in cheek to prove the exact thing you're saying. I didn't mean it seriously.
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