What do people in Missisippi think of Connecticut ant the Northeast in general (Jackson: brokers, attorneys)

[Mikecg123]

General curiousity

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

I'm gonna get me some popcorn. This oughta be good.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

The heart of Yankeedom. Boston baked beans and brown bread.

[Mikecg123]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

The heart of Yankeedom. Boston baked beans and brown bread.

I'm more of a New York/New Haven style pizza, New York cheesecake, and bagels type of guy.

[Phil75230]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

The heart of Yankeedom. Boston baked beans and brown bread.

"Yankeedom" doesn't say much of anything. What are the characteristics and criteria for being "Yankee"? In short, more specificity would help.

In my experience, people in the Deep South (especially in rural areas and metro areas under 1 million people - aside from a few exceptions) typically think of NY and CT as

* Liberal (pro-big government, high taxes, too many regulations, political correctness) -- the general perception, not my own personal one (speaking as someone well on the "left" of the political spectrum even by national standards).

*Indifference, if not outright mockery, of traditional values (especially religion, patriotism, tight-knit community pride, etc).

*Pushy, rude, braggadocio "whoever screams the loudest gets the mostest"

*If working class, Jersey Shore types; if upper-middle class, pretentious social ladder climbers who spend their free time drinking chablis and discussing abstract art or either the latest NYT Best Seller in the Modern Literature category or discuss pre-1800 literature (and I mean this in a snotty and pretentious, "we're better than the hoi polloi" way -- not the admirable one).

*Quick to latch onto the latest trends for image-conscious keep-up-with-the-Joneses reasons.

GOOD THINGS

* Great food, especially pizza and Italian and Jewish food in general. Don't forget the New England Clam Chowder, especially on the Maine coast (my personal experience, not a general perception) -- in fact, the only place in the US that is a credible rival to Louisiana in the seafood department.

* World class Arts and Entertainment (NOT to be confused with the nerve-gratingly misleading A&E channel, with all it's garbage)

* Lots of stuff to do 24 hrs a day.

* Lots of high paying jobs (though this advantage is negated by having other job growth centers closer to home - Texas and the South Atlantic coast states). Still, it is the place to go for the absolute tip-top 1% of 1% of opportunities - though California does give it competition in many respects).

Hope this helps.

[GrandviewGloria]

Mississippians cannot be described as a mass of similar people. Opinions about the Northeastern Megalopolis (and its outlying regions) will vary, according to race and social class.

A large number of Mississippians do not have any idea what Connecticut IS. They could possibly tell you what the "good teams" are, there. They might even be able to describe the stuffed animals dancing around on football fields in Connecticut.

Most white people will be able to tell you that Connecticut is a state. Some of them could pinpoint it on a map, because they were A-students in Geography. The more prosperous old white Methodist ladies will have gone 'leaf-peeping' in New England, and so will be able to kvell about the lovely little towns. The more prosperous old white Presbyterian and Episcopalian ladies will have gone antiquing in Connecticut, and will have funny stories to relay, about horny old Connecticut men going gaga over them in the little villages. The elderly doctors' wives will have found lots of drab and dinky little antiques for their Colonial-style homes. Plantation Princesses, and Plaintiff Attorneys' wives (who aren't as committed to Williamsburgian dinkiness as doctors' wives), will tell you they didn't find a damn thing worth having, in Connecticut, but had great luck in "The Village", in NYC.

Baptist ladies will assume a perky posture, and say something patriotic about Connecticut, since saying the right thing - and acting like you believe it - is of paramount importance within that faith.

The highest class of Jewish and Episcopalian ladies will be able to tell you about their boarding school days (and having subscribed to 'The Daily Worker' - the Communist rag - because "everybody who was anybody did"), and what trashy, low-class skanks the Kennedy girls were. Then, they'll start telling you about their lesbian experiences while in school: "Mama told be, when I was headed to school, "You watch out for those Jewish girls". This was her way of letting me know where I could find the best sex partners. And she was RIGHT."

Younger Mississippi women will laugh about being mistaken for hookers, "Up there", because "You know, the women up there don't do much with their faces and hair."

Mississippi menfolk of the educated classes will not tell you much about what they know. It's shameful, in the male culture of Mississippi, to know things. What they actually DO know, if you gain their confidence, will astound you. The higher classes of Mississippi menfolk regard the Northeast as easy pickins - and their power/financial ploys are felt all over the Northeastern Megalopolis. Some of the most powerful lobbyists/powerbrokers in the WORLD are from/in Mississippi.

I'm talking about Mississippi-in-general, here. Jacksonians (and truly: this scene is the most Jacksonian thing that has ever been: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kkgb-MOIk4) of all classes/races/religions are as provincial as NYC people - rather oblivious to the wider world. Delta People (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RLMofYpzpg), by contrast, are as cosmopolitan as Jacksonians are provincial.

Basically, Mississippi can be divided into 'The Delta', 'The Hills', 'Jackson' (metropolitan area), and 'The Coast'. People on 'The Coast' are so alien to the rest of Mississippi, I can't tell you what they're thinking (one assumes they aren't thinking about much: it's the scroungy end of the state, known for immigrants and criminality). Hill People are mostly Baptist, and think nice things about Connecticut, in the rare instances they think about it.

All Mississippians think HORRIBLE things about the Northeast (in general), because horrible people come down from there. They think of people from the Northeast as being grabby, pushy, ideologically-driven, criminal, Mediterranean-descended immigrants with horrible accents. The more aware Mississippians think of Connecticut (and Maine/New Hampshire/Vermont/Western New York) as being exceptions to the nastiness.

When we fled Mississippi, we chose the WEST Coast, because we find most Northeasterners to be indescribably vile, pushy ideologues.

But be aware that a HUGE percentage of Mississippians are incapable of conceiving of much of anything. The state has the lowest average IQ (unless California has caught up: it's about to) of any state in the Union. Beyond being able to pair 'Connecticut' with some sports team, and checking "A state", on a multiple-choice test, they have no concept of what it is. Nor do they have any concept of what a "region" is.

[dogsandart]

Baptist ladies will assume a perky posture, and say something patriotic about Connecticut, since saying the right thing - and acting like you believe it - is of paramount importance within that faith.

OMG, love this post, especially that quote. I grew up in Mississippi, now live in North Carolina, but getting the hell out of the south. I'm moving to Maine, and I hope you're wrong about the "vile, pushy ideologues" part. We've found the people in the small towns in mid-coast Maine, in our admittedly limited experience of 3 visits, to be friendly and smart. You can find at least one independent book store in amost every one, and that says a lot, imho. The tiny town of Belfast had 3, at least when we visited 3 years ago. And of course, the people in the northern (very rural) part of Maine are a different kettle of fish, I've been told. But Oregon would probably be my second choice of place to move to.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Connecticut - ultra-wealthy New York suburbs in the western part but surprisingly impoverished neighborhoods in the large cities.
Northeast- New England boiled dinner and clam "chowdah".
Both have elite schools, some of America's best and brightest people, and low church attendance.

[jhadorn]

Originally Posted by Phil75230

... in fact, the only place in the US that is a credible rival to Louisiana in the seafood department.

I wouldn't say that. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has awesome seafood, even if it is right beside Louisiana. I agree with the New York pizza though. Vodka pizza from Pomodoro's or even Rose Pizza at Penn Station. Cheap and good.

[drro]

Connettiwhut? Isn't that somewhere near Tupelo?