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You want to get along with Southerners.
Then you lay down (laughable) judgments and generalizations about Southerners.
Then you want to sing Kumbaya.
What's wrong with this picture?
I truly agree that I DETEST generalizations ... that just just creates more separations between individuals which is prevalent amongst ALL societies, countries and continents. Then 'how' do you really establish good [close] or working relationships with others?
Case in point: The neighborhood I was born in Long Beach, California I believe now english is the not the 1st language of choice.
Do I go back and tell all the residents on my old street that, "YOU have to speak ENGLISH at all times, BECAUSE "I was born here" or "I was here first" or some other asinine excuse to be intolerant, xenophobic or just plain ignorant? NO - you simply cannot do that.
If Metro Atlanta advocates and desperately strives and wants to be like [New York], [Los Angeles] [Chicago] or other world-class metropolitan areas that already have established notoriety or perception of being a cultural & business center, diverse, tolerant, etc. then change is inevitable, necessary ... including those who are indigenous.
And ask any sociologist, psychologist or whomever...change is difficult. So is social tolerance. For everyone I would imagine.
As long as extremist fundamentalism behavior [even exists] or is perceived as a majority amongst residents [in my opinion] here in the State of Georgia ... change will continue to be difficult, often painful [and I've said that before] ... and perhaps a long drawn out process with continued criticisms.
I agree with you totally on all of these things. Goodness gracious, a fake accent is as phoney as a person can get. We will all pick up a twinge of speech patterns (the younger, the moreso) if we spend extended time in a new area, but totally picking up a different accent is not being true to oneself.
Knew of a girl that went to study in England for a year and came back with a complete English accent. We all thought she was bonkers.
If a southerner is condescending, then he/she is far from his/her heritage of southern hospitality.
You have to factor in that some southerners have (with good reason at times) felt defensive about their southern heritage and accent. TV and movies have often played into the stereotypical uneducated Bubba schtick. When someone from other parts of the country come to this region and poke fun at an accent, it can feel very condescending.
There are regional cultural differences that we all should appreciate. If we have that general accepting attitude for variety and there is not the feeling of condescension, we can enjoy and even have fun with these differences. Nobody wants to feel inferior, no matter what part of the country they are from.
Interestingly I was speaking to a customer ... a very charming, elderly Southern woman from LaGrange, Georgia. We were speaking about homes, landscape ... and when I mentioned I lived up in the Marietta / Roswell area and born in California, she stated ... "You don't sound like you're from California?" Obviously I've picked up a bit of a 'twinge' as you above stated. We both thought that was 'amusing'; she added that I was "half and half" and I added that I could be a "Heinz 57".
I'm almost full-blooded German decent with a [obvious] German surname. Someone once asked me if I "was a Nazi" or did I have relatives that participated in the European war theater.
Although I was born about 10 years after WW2, it still "hurt" a bit that anyone could consider [me] or my ancestry something so negative or horrible?
Although "yes" my ancestry does have a bit to contend about [obviously] however it truly doesn't apply [personally] to me, nor do I really have to apolgize for something I wasn't a part of ... but a good start to be accepting of negative history that we don't want repeated and acknowledgment of a very sad, regrettable time in our world during that time.
And yes that of course took some swallowing and humility.
Interestingly I was speaking to a customer ... a very charming, elderly Southern woman from LaGrange, Georgia. We were speaking about homes, landscape ... and when I mentioned I lived up in the Marietta / Roswell area and born in California, she stated ... "You don't sound like you're from California?" Obviously I've picked up a bit of a 'twinge' as you above stated. We both thought that was 'amusing'; she added that I was "half and half" and I added that I could be a "Heinz 57".
Wish I could have been a fly on the wall. That lady you describe could be my mother, grandmother, any of my school teachers or sunday school teachers. That is my picture of southern gentility and hospitality. Hope her kind doesn't fade into existence.
Atlanta began booming many years ago and people have moved here from all over the world so that Atlanta is now a major city with lots of diversity. It will be hard to find "locals." I like people from everywhere, makes life interesting. Most New Yorkers say the food is better up there, but we think it's better down here. It's what you were raised on. I cannot figure this out. When a New Yorker comes down here and opens a deli, the New Yorkers who live here say the deli's are better up there. But they're all from New York! Go figure. Atlanta is a very good town to live in.
Most New Yorkers say the food is better up there, but we think it's better down here. It's what you were raised on. I cannot figure this out. When a New Yorker comes down here and opens a deli, the New Yorkers who live here say the deli's are better up there. But they're all from New York! Go figure.
I think this is pretty easy to explain. If you start a "somewhere else" type food outlet down here, you can't make it exactly the same as "back home" because you can't get exactly the same ingredients.
For example, I'm from Canada, where the bread is the best in the world. Well, as you say, it all depends what you were raised on. Canadian bread is made with flour from Canada's very hard northern wheat. The flour down here is soft and it makes perfect biscuits (if you like that sort of thing ) but the bread is, to my taste, soggy. Even if some Canadian were to start the "True North Bakery" they'd have a hard time making the bread like it is back home. And even if they imported the flour, they'd still be contending with the different water down here, and the high humidity.
Maybe bread is especially tricky, but in general, it's just really hard to exactly reproduce "back home" type foods in a different clime.
Do I go back and tell all the residents on my old street that, "YOU have to speak ENGLISH at all times, BECAUSE "I was born here" or "I was here first" or some other asinine excuse to be intolerant, xenophobic or just plain ignorant? NO - you simply cannot do that.
Why not? It doesn't make you "intolerant, xenophobic, or just plain ignorant" to see the value of a nation comprised of people who can communicate using the same language for official communication and among citizens. For hundreds of years now, immigrants came here and learned English and adopted the local customs while also remembering their old traditions and honoring them. Hence the phrase "MELTING pot". You could say that Atlanta is a melting pot where transplants from other parts of the US have come and blended.
Today, what you have, the legality aside, is a group of immigrants that want to come to the US for economic benefit, but does not want to learn our language and adopt our customs. The want to be in America without becoming American. This works against the concept of a melting pot. The equivalent would be people who move to Atlanta and want to make it like NY or California. There is a lot of negativity directed to those kinds of folks, and rightly so.
Whether you're an immigrant to a country or transplant to another region within the US, it's OK to honor your traditions and upbringing, but you also have to be sensitive to the fact that the place you've moved to has its own traditions and customs. The result is the "DIVERSITY" that people tout and praise and worship so much.
Today, what you have, the legality aside, is a group of immigrants that want to come to the US for economic benefit, but does not want to learn our language and adopt our customs. The want to be in America without becoming American. This works against the concept of a melting pot. The equivalent would be people who move to Atlanta and want to make it like NY or California. There is a lot of negativity directed to those kinds of folks, and rightly so.
Well ... NO, you certainly cannot equate my property owning, tax-paying, law-abiding, registered voting, community volunteering American-born citizenship to someone who [legally or not] is only residing here in the USA and reaping entitlement benefits.
Publically stating that anyonedeserves "negative" treatment for any reason, doesn't speak very well here or whomever your referring to. That was a very ugly thing to say in any context.
Sensitivity does work on both sides of the coin however. Yes it certainly does and I agree that there is much less of that in current times. We all could use a bit of sensitivity training. We have it where I work.
Georgia is definately NOT New York or California. Many Georgia natives I personally know, respect and care for relish the fact that it's NOT. Some residents think it could be or should head that direction ... perhaps yes or no? What is the point of even "batting an eye" if anyone remarks otherwise? If any Georgia natives were truly proud of their home State ... why would it bother them ... if you were settled, confident & secure in your feelings?
Case in point: Some people in California complained that Los Angeles wasn't Honolulu? So I gave them a MaiTai along with plastic palm tree stir stick and told them to "get over it". Done ... end of topic, move on. If that didn't work ... I put them on the next plane [I've got connections ... ] But they are entitled to their opinion, whether negative or not. That is what I refer to as my tolerance.
I honestly don't believe that moving to Georgia promises my exclusive allegiance to any one individual, church, political party, commune, baseball team, airline, gas station [keep filling in here ] or group in State of Georgia [or elsewhere] unless I personally choose to do so. I don't drink kool-aid thank you ...
Perhaps my own upbringing taught me to 'treat others as I'd like to be treated". I certainly know that I'm not alone in that obvious fortunate circumstance ... we can be found in every State and other continents.
I think this is pretty easy to explain. If you start a "somewhere else" type food outlet down here, you can't make it exactly the same as "back home" because you can't get exactly the same ingredients.
For example, I'm from Canada, where the bread is the best in the world. Well, as you say, it all depends what you were raised on. Canadian bread is made with flour from Canada's very hard northern wheat. The flour down here is soft and it makes perfect biscuits (if you like that sort of thing ) but the bread is, to my taste, soggy. Even if some Canadian were to start the "True North Bakery" they'd have a hard time making the bread like it is back home. And even if they imported the flour, they'd still be contending with the different water down here, and the high humidity.
Maybe bread is especially tricky, but in general, it's just really hard to exactly reproduce "back home" type foods in a different clime.
welcome them with open arms because one day they will hopefully welcome me with open arms up there LoL!
Also to add to this open above, I agree to a degree, living in florida most of my life (and dad from Philly, mom from Chicago) the same issue happens there where whenever there is talk about food, people from up north truly believe their seafood is sooo much better (halibut, cod and dover sole better than fresh mahi, grouper, snapper, and wahoo???...although Maine lobster is better than Fl rock lobster). This talk is VERY annoying I agree, but there is some truth to it. It can even come down to the drinking water involved in the food preparation. Florida water (and GA water) is very different somehow than NY or Boston or Chicago water. Pizza and bagel preparation involve water, and when the water is different it actually CAN affect the final product taste and consistency. Is it overrated to complain when the details are that minor? YEAH, you yanks LoL sound like a whining bunch when you can't adapt. The benefits of living here far outweigh the disadvantage that pizza crust is slightly different here than back home even if New Yorkers prepare it.
Well ... NO, you certainly cannot equate my property owning, tax-paying, law-abiding, registered voting, community volunteering American-born citizenship to someone who [legally or not] is only residing here in the USA and reaping entitlement benefits.
Publically stating that anyonedeserves "negative" treatment for any reason, doesn't speak very well here or whomever your referring to. That was a very ugly thing to say in any context.
Sorry but I have no idea what any of that means and can't follow your statement. Who mentioned entitlement benefits or is advocating for "negative treatment" of anyone?
What I said was that there is a lot of negativity directed toward transplants who come to Atlanta and want to turn it into NY or CA. Thinking negatively about someone or their actions is not the same as negative treatment of them.
Sorry but I have no idea what any of that means and can't follow your statement. Who mentioned entitlement benefits or is advocating for "negative treatment" of anyone?
Oh come on, YOU DID. Read what YOU wrote. "rightly so", "equivalent", "economic benefit(s)" [legal or illegal]. Here's your definitions:
What I said was that there is a lot of negativity directed toward transplants who come to Atlanta and want to turn it into NY or CA. Thinking negatively about someone or their actions is not the same as negative treatment of them.
Yeah, but you didn't say that before? That is so completely disrespectful to everyone especially when cannot maturely "self correct" with a bit of humility and/or dignity & retract when appropriate. You credibility is down the sewer Neil.
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Well, as you say, it all depends what you were raised on. Canadian bread is made with flour from Canada's very hard northern wheat. The flour down here is soft and it makes perfect biscuits (if you like that sort of thing 
) but the bread is, to my taste, soggy. Even if some Canadian were to start the "True North Bakery" they'd have a hard time making the bread like it is back home. And even if they imported the flour, they'd still be contending with the different water down here, and the high humidity.
That was a very ugly thing to say in any context.
] or group in State of Georgia [or elsewhere] unless I personally choose to do so. I don't drink kool-aid thank you ... 
