Are Northerners Welcome? (Chattanooga, Oak Ridge: insurance, house, neighborhood)

[Pam& Bill]

Gem,
Excellent post but I can't rep you( or anyone fo that matter) as always you are the wise one. I agree that movies stereotype southerners in an awful way. Like Daisy Duke or Jessica Simpson playing her. Did anyone else get disgusted that she actually took money to act like that? Not every young southern woman is as slutty as Jessica Simpson.
Pam

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by Pam& Bill

Gem,
Excellent post but I can't rep you( or anyone fo that matter) as always you are the wise one. I agree that movies stereotype southerners in an awful way. Like Daisy Duke or Jessica Simpson playing her. Did anyone else get disgusted that she actually took money to act like that? Not every young southern woman is as slutty as Jessica Simpson.
Pam

There's a few movies I wouldn't watch if someone PAID me . . . Dumb and Dumber is one, The Dukes of Hazard is another.

[hiknapster]

Oh, darn it, darn it, darn it. I can't rep you, either, just yet, gemkeeper.

And how many of you southerners are guilty of being rude to me, because I have a northern accent? Think I am rude? Think I am crass?

You are not rude? Oh yes, you are rude. Might be in my face. Might be passive-aggressive, but you have no lock on being nice, by no means.

I would give you the shirt off my back. Help you in any way I can.

There was some sort of study that found that New York City was the nicest city in the world. Laugh all you want, but the point is, that day after day, I have found some of the rudest people live right here in the south.

Oh. I am infuriated by this. Inwardly, I seethe by your incredible, sanctimonious, passive-aggressive attitudes.

Good manners are learned. Being from the south does not give you a free pass.

And here's another thought. Do you know how many people, southern people, cuss at me per day?

Maybe you people have "Gone With The Wind" to hold onto. Maybe the northerners burnt your homes down. And I am sorry for that. But do you realize how rude a lot of you are.

Scarlett O'Hara would cringe.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by alleycat

There's a few movies I wouldn't watch if someone PAID me . . . Dumb and Dumber is one, The Dukes of Hazard is another.

That's it, alleycat!! The show I was trying to think of - "The Dukes of Hazard"! More like "The Duds of Hazard"!

How many southerners are proud of being portrayed like the characters on that show? I wouldn't be and I'm sure you aren't either.

But, that is not what being Southern is, but it is what the world is shown. How unfair.

Just as all northern white men are not Archie Bunker or Meathead. Let's all make up our own minds of who is acceptable to us on a person by person level based on who that person is, not where they hail from.

[Pam& Bill]

Originally Posted by alleycat

There's a few movies I wouldn't watch if someone PAID me . . . Dumb and Dumber is one, The Dukes of Hazard is another.

Alleycat,

I couldn't agree more I didn't get paid to sit and watch the Dukes of Hazard when it was on 3 nights in a row on TNT or some channel..... my excuse is I live with a red blooded male who likes looking at slutty creatures with jiggling boobs. I think the deal was if I watched Dukes with him, it was my choice of a chick flick. I think my choice was "The Devil wears Prada" might as well see both ends of the extremes....
Pam

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by yankeegirl313

I think if you lived in the North, and move to the South, you will always be considered a Yankee.

That's because hardly any southerners move to the land of taxes and high cost of living. The migration pattern goes the other way.

[Eat]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Yes, yes I did! How did you know?

PC tech support?

[rlrm777]

My experience with southeners, esp. TN and Ala has always been positive.

When we were in Benton Cty last summer visiting our property, on a back road my fuel pump went out. At least a dozen cars came by while we waited for the tow truck. Without exception, EVERY one stopped, offered cell phones, a ride to wherever; we were offered cold drinks, asked if we wanted to wait in their car with the A/C on, one couple even offered to go home and bring us back food. Trust me, would never have been that way here in Fl. Other than an occasional "Is somebody coming for you" most cuss you out for holding up traffic.

[Beretta]

I think folks need to keep in mind that there are transplants in a lot of areas; a lot of areas have become melting pots. These days one never knows if they are dealing with a a native southerner or not. In some cases northerners may not feel welcome by northerners, even though they are in the south (and vice versa).

[TnHilltopper]

Originally Posted by rossc

Generally speaking, are there a lot of people in TN still bitter over the civil war. I'm dealing with three real estate agents. One is very nice. One won't return my calls or even pick up the phone and the other will also not return calls, but will at least answer the phone. I'm wondering if they don't want to deal with me because I'm from up north.

When I lived in NC, I saw some of this bitterness toward northerners, but never colse to the major cities or large towns. It was only way out in the country. Out there where you could classify it as the "deep south". Are there areas in TN that are like this? Should I try and stay close to a major city?

Whenever you move into rural areas, matters not if it is in Tennessee, Georgia, or Maine, you will run into more cliquish or clanish people that are wary of folks from outside the area. This whole thing with North vs South is a tired and nearly dead platitude that is only regurgitated by the uneducated pin heads who have little else to complain about or place blame upon.

As others have pointed out, America has done a great deal of moving around and in the south in particular. With this we find that previous tendencies to remain inclusive populations are inevitably falling to the way side. Progress like rust, never sleeps.

However the remaining pockets of rural populations that are wary of "outsiders" have a lot to do with how the person moving into an area carries themselves. If you use terms like, "back home we used to this or that" then don't expect people to warm to you as they have been doing it their way and are quite happy doing so. After all, you are moving into their environment, not the other way around so be prepared to do some assimilation.

I posted a piece on just this situation concerning people moving into rural areas, if you care to read further.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tenne...ure-shock.html