What does the Northeast and South have in common that the Midwest doesn't have? (houses, live)

[Tom Lennox 70]

Not much. Here's how I see the division in the U.S. One side there's the urban Northeast and the West Coast.....and everything else....the South, the Midwest, and the rural areas of the East and West Coasts. The cities of the Northeast and California are just their own little world politically, socially, and culturally.

[sunflower53072]

Does the South have the same sense of humor as the Northeast?The sarcastic and slightly harsh sense of humor is one thing I miss in the midwest.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by sunflower53072

Does the South have the same sense of humor as the Northeast?The sarcastic and slightly harsh sense of humor is one thing I miss in the midwest.

I find the "humor" in the midwest to be very nasty at times, very much making fun of people.

[Chi2NYC?]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I find the "humor" in the midwest to be very nasty at times, very much making fun of people.

i never thought much about this. i guess on the bright side it's been training grounds for many of the best comedians in america.

[hiknapster]

I'm from the northeast and live in Tennessee. I fit in well here. I think it might have something to do with the Scotch-Irish heritage.

I was always told that the mid-westerners were very friendly and welcoming. Once I lived among them I was stunned by how cold and nasty they could be.

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by sunflower53072

Does the South have the same sense of humor as the Northeast?The sarcastic and slightly harsh sense of humor is one thing I miss in the midwest.

Humor in the south is associated with storytelling. It can be my grandad at the breakfast table, or me and my buddies sitting around drinking - but it's always long stories, exaggerated and with excitement. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, though, and I've noticed that this is less common among "city people" - even small cities.

Based on the people I've met, I would say that the rural midwest has much in common with the rural south, but is not the same.

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I'm from the northeast and live in Tennessee. I fit in well here. I think it might have something to do with the Scotch-Irish heritage.

I could definitely see that. The "Scotch-Irish heritage", however you interpret that, is very much intact in Appalachia and all over the south. By northeastern standards, we were never much of a melting pot.

I'd be interested to hear what, specifically, you had in common with the folks in Tennessee.

[hiknapster]

Very interesting. I'm from the middle of Massachusetts. Grew up in a town of about 14,000. Lots of Irish. No melting pot. None. Lots of hills and mountains, about 30 minutes from a blue-collar city about the size of Knoxville. No melting pot there, either.

People were friendly, witty, and helped each other.

I guess that's why I love it here. Love the people. It even looks a lot like where I lived for the first 34 years of my life.

[j33]

Originally Posted by Terrapin2212

The cities of the Northeast and California are just their own little world politically, socially, and culturally.

I don't entirely agree. My entire family is originally from the northeast and much of us have lived in the midwest (great lakes region, chicago specifically) since the 1960's and have fit in just fine. Not to mention politically, the cities in the northern midwest are not all that different politically from some of the cities elsewhere, and culturally, Boston is a hell of a lot different culturally than LA, c'mon now. How could one not see that? Let's not fall into the naive provincialism that assumes that there is a cultural region known as 'the coasts' and another cultural region known as 'the middle', it is simply not true. I've spent my life living in the 'middle' and have visited both coasts (the east coast numerous times because of friends and familial ties) and see differences and similarities in all regions.

Saying the midwest is rural is just as a misnomer as saying the northeast is urban. There are rural parts of the midwest just as there are urban parts of the midwest, and there are rural and urban parts of the northeast. I have some family in rural New Hampshire, I believe they have much more in common with someone from rural Wisconsin than someone from nyc, where my grandfather hails from. Incidentally, he very much enjoyed living in Chicago (midwest) over New York, he liked the more relaxed pace.

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I find the "humor" in the midwest to be very nasty at times, very much making fun of people.

If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitsch-en.