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I notice that people who aren't from the south speak very poorly about southern cities and people. Please tell me why no one likes the south. We got major metropolitan areas, great food, and great vacation destinations. So why do people hate us so much?
Many southern states would rank low among income, education, health, etc... and this often contributes to many impression of southern states. Despite the south being considered as the most populated region of the United States it does not offer world class cities or appeal to internationals as say Midwest ( Chicago), Northeast ( New York), and West ( Los Angeles).
I do think some parts of the south is starting to become similar to the midwestern states; examples would be Kentucky ( Illinois and Indiana), Texas ( Michigan and Ohio), and perhaps even Virginia ( Wisconsin).
I agree with $mk here, not the part about people hating Maryland. I think he is just over exaggerating a bit there.
It is historically incorrect to leave Maryland out of the Southern states, if a person does not think that Maryland has southern influences they are seriously mistaken. Harriet Tubman was from Maryland and MD has plenty of plantations/antebellum homes and a lot of homes are built in the Neo Greek architecture style, which is common in the south. Just because Maryland is a border state DOES MAKE IT NORTHERN. Some people will say that West VA is a southern state in which parts of WV reach way far north than Maryland which geographically speaking does not make any sense. Look up colonial MD history included cotton and tobacco farms.MD has rural black communities that are very common in the south.The same could not be said for rural areas above MD. Maryland has a mild humid subtropical climate with fairly mild winters. And yes it does snow in MD, just as it snows in the deep south. I know, I am from the deep south. There is a Sons of Confederate Veterans in Maryland, there would not be one if the state did not have ties to the south.
Maryland Cuisine has obvious southern influences. Including Maryland beaten biscuits, maryland Fried Chicken (chicken smothered in gravy), Smith Island Cake.
Here are some videos of native Marylanders speaking, these accents are not northern.
I notice that people who aren't from the south speak very poorly about southern cities and people. Please tell me why no one likes the south. We got major metropolitan areas, great food, and great vacation destinations. So why do people hate us so much?
*Note: I'm not born and raised in the South but I have been there on very many non-touristy (mostly family oriented, rural regions with much interacting with locals) occasions to Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
Politics is a big, the red-ness of region makes me uncomfortable but I am by no means a Democrat, more like moderate eco-socialist, so needless to say...I wouldn't ever talk politics with your average person in the exact scenarios I was in (i.e. semi-rural). Religion is my second complaint. I have religious views that would be totally alien to the overwhelmingly Baptist population. These I have learned to never talk about as well, but since I can't purport and defend my views then I would appreciate it if I was shown the same respect. Overall, the cities are nice....I wish they were a little better designed and had better mass transit or bike lanes for us non-car folks. Also, I am huge on Asian culture and you just do not see that in the South like you do the West.
I don't hate the South at all, in fact there were places I really enjoyed and if someone asks my opinion on the South I don't bash, but I give the same reasons I just posted. The South and I are simply not a good fit.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Originally Posted by TreasuredJewel
I agree with $mk here, not the part about people hating Maryland. I think he is just over exaggerating a bit there.
It is historically incorrect to leave Maryland out of the Southern states, if a person does not think that Maryland has southern influences they are seriously mistaken. Harriet Tubman was from Maryland and MD has plenty of plantations/antebellum homes and a lot of homes are built in the Neo Greek architecture style, which is common in the south. Just because Maryland is a border state DOES MAKE IT NORTHERN. Some people will say that West VA is a southern state in which parts of WV reach way far north than Maryland which geographically speaking does not make any sense. Look up colonial MD history included cotton and tobacco farms.MD has rural black communities that are very common in the south.The same could not be said for rural areas above MD. Maryland has a mild humid subtropical climate with fairly mild winters. And yes it does snow in MD, just as it snows in the deep south. I know, I am from the deep south. There is a Sons of Confederate Veterans in Maryland, there would not be one if the state did not have ties to the south.
Maryland Cuisine has obvious southern influences. Including Maryland beaten biscuits, maryland Fried Chicken (chicken smothered in gravy), Smith Island Cake.
Here are some videos of native Marylanders speaking, these accents are not northern.
With that said, I could never consider Maryland a TRUE northeastern state. Maybe Mid Atlantic, Upper South, or southeast, but NEVER Northeastern.
The man in the first video from Salisbury does sound southern. Deluded, but still detectable. But the second man sounds EXACTLY like twin tiers New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians (Listen to the way he says towards and father especially, very, very northern). In fact, he talks just like my father, who was born and raised in Schuyler county NY.
There are definitely as many northeastern influences as southern ones on the people of Maryland.
Perhaps if the South gave more respect, it would receive some in return. There is a certain kind of southerner who is always p*ssing on the Northeast and the West Coast. Give good to get good.
With that said, I could never consider Maryland a TRUE northeastern state. Maybe Mid Atlantic, Upper South, or southeast, but NEVER Northeastern.
There are notable southern influences in Maryland in the southernmost counties and a part of the eastern shore. However, most of the population of Maryland fits in with the northeast. Mid-Atlantic is a sub-region of the northeast. Maryland is actually similar in a lot of ways to New Jersey. The entire BosWash corridor = east coast.
Perhaps if the South gave more respect, it would receive some in return. There is a certain kind of southerner who is always p*ssing on the Northeast and the West Coast. Give good to get good.
Can you blame them though? Non-Southerners have such a distorted, f'ed up view of the South to begin with it and are usually the ones taking the first shots at the area. The unpleasantness you get in return is the natural reaction of anyone being bashed. For example, I'd imagine people from New Jersey would be defensive if everybody made fun of them for the South Park episode making fun of Jersey Shore and the show Jersey Shore itself. I doubt the show encapsulates all that New Jersey is but that's the way non-Southerners treat Southerners with their ridiculous prejudices about the South.
Can you blame them though? Non-Southerners have such a distorted, f'ed up view of the South to begin with it and are usually the ones taking the first shots at the area. The unpleasantness you get in return is the natural reaction of anyone being bashed. For example, I'd imagine people from New Jersey would be defensive if everybody made fun of them for the South Park episode making fun of Jersey Shore and the show Jersey Shore itself. I doubt the show encapsulates all that New Jersey is but that's the way non-Southerners treat Southerners with their ridiculous prejudices about the South.
this is very true.
Southerners work very hard and really dont deserve the disrespect that they get from northerners and people on the coasts. The southern way of life is very simple, but what many dont realize is that PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO LIVE THAT WAY. Thats what I think people overlook, because to them, the ideal life is surrounded by millions of people in an urban landscape. Some people absolutely hate that way of life. The funny thing about the suburbs is that some people secretly want to live out in the country but still have ties to the city. Yet these people refuse to live IN a city. At the very least, a lot of simple southerners are surrounded by beautiful nature instead of being stuck 10 hours a day in ever increasing traffic. Country music is very popular because a lot of people would actually love to live that way, but I think they are afraid to either say it or take the risks. But for those people who do enjoy the simple life and accept it full-on, they should be commended, not ridiculed. They are also contributing much less to affecting the environment because their footprint is on a smaller scale.
They live cheaply, demand little, and in many cases take care of their own needs. How is any of this bad? why has this been twisted into something deemed offensive, when the majority of it DOESNT EVEN AFFECT THE NORTH? Let them live as they want to live and how they want to live. It is just amazing how northerners make all these claims of equality and open-mindedness, yet they are VERY QUICK to bash the hell out of anything thats different, and then they turn that sentiment against southerners and brand THEM as the offenders. Does nobody really see an issue with this?
It's not slow but I think Atlanta is faster than it for its size. For one, Downtown Los Angeles might have activity but look at its population, its 18 million it has no creditability of a metropolis of 18 million when it comes to speed. It should have 1.3 million people using its rail lines everyday and should easily be tops that of Chicago and Washington but its not. It should have the second most vibrant downtown, it has the population around it to make that happen but it doesn't.
It slows down at rush hour, you literally can get a sandwich and sit and wait in the car for 15 minutes before you move an inch on the worst days for commuting. Now I'm not hating on Los Angeles but the "laid back" and "easy going life" is what it's known for and from my trips there it delivers it whether it wants to or not. The fast paced and "move b*tch" sidewalk mentality doesn't exist in Los Angeles at all, its go at your own speed but don't be too late. Its why I like Los Angeles and would live there over anything in the Northeast with the exception of Washington but fast paced is something that it wont be until it gets its downtown jam packed, its rail lines clustered, its cars in garages and more street traffic!
I don't think you know LA well at all. It is much, much faster than Atlanta. And there are sections that are very dense, heavy with street traffic, and have great transit connections (Mid-Wilshire, Hollywood, etc.). It's a huge city, and it definitely has slow parts - but for the most part it is fast-paced. So is San Francisco, for that matter. Both cities have a laid back mentality compared to the East, but are much faster paced than Atlanta or other Southern cities.
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