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Nobody out West gets caught up in that "Yankee/Rebel" mentality. We don't care about that crap out here. If someone out here does care about it, then it's baggage they dragged here with them from back East.
If people back East want to think of the West Coast as "Yankee", then that's their concern. Not ours.
As you should be. I think anyone who flies the rebel flag north of about 1-70 or west of Dallas is a freaking idiot. I'm not against it if its truly part of your heritage
the going theory among linguists is that yankee was originally an ethnic slur used by new englanders against dutch new yorkers.
A british general picked it up during the american revolution and applied it to americans in general, in particular new englanders under his command.
Up through the 19th century, the term became associated with the entire northeast, in part through publications like yankee notions, a new york city magazine. Although often used vaguely perjoratively or at least connoting a stereotype, the term was adopted by northeasterners, especially rural new englanders.
Then the civil war happened and the rest is history.
Ultimately, my favorite definition of yankee comes from american writer e.b. White:
to foreigners, a yankee is an american.
To americans, a yankee is a northerner.
To northerners, a yankee is an easterner.
To easterners, a yankee is a new englander.
To new englanders, a yankee is a vermonter.
And in vermont, a yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.
As you should be. I think anyone who flies the rebel flag north of about 1-70 or west of Dallas is a freaking idiot. I'm not against it if its truly part of your heritage
Well, I wasn't really talking about the flag. Out here, flying that flag only means one thing... and it isn't "Southern pride".
Is Los Angeles Yankee since it is further south than Memphis and Atlanta
Not even all New Englanders are Yankees. From the Massachusetts Forum:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tribechamy
Gotta agree with Utopian Slums here. It's easy to confuse the terms - although Yankees are New Englanders, not all New Englanders are Yankees. I'm from one of those immigrant groups who has been here for generations, and while I hold a lot of those Yankee sensibilities I consider myself a proud New Englander but not a Yankee. Among other reasons for this is that Yankees would not consider me or others of my ethnicity Yankees - although we've been here a long time, it hasn't been long enough. And that's not just about ethnicity, a person who moved here from England in the early 1900s wouldn't be considered a Yankee either.
more found in small towns:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston_Burbs
Yankee Culture is alive and well in small towns
Congregational Church Fairs and Turkey Dinners
Town Meeting
Christmas Tree Lighting on the town common
Band Concerts on the common
Agricultural fairs
It's kind of hard to get caught up in Civil War era name-calling and identification when most states in the region in question were not even states yet at the time.
I'm not defending or dissing use of these words, Yankee, rebel, whatever you want to say, but I do believe that the East has had a very different history than the West and thus they should not be judged the same in this regard. Why would a Westerner say Yankee, it's not part if their history? That's what I mean. You can't just ignore it or forget about history - you might think "Yankee" is a dumb term (maybe I do, too) but the history behind it, I think, is cool and if it's said in fun rather than a serious, "I hate you, you damn Yankee!" way, than I don't see the harm is using the word.
I think that's why I like when the Brits call us all Yankees. I find it almost like a term of endearment. It's a weird relationship, and a weird word coming from them but I don't necessarily always think Brits are being negative when they call us Yankees. Something about "the Yanks" sounds cool to me, I'm kind of proud when I hear that.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Yankee in 2014 is an archaic term. Really only applies to the professional baseball team, imo. Suppose anyone from the Northern states from the Civil War era fits the term, and anyone from America to the British if we must choose...
When we relocated to Florida from Ohio I was told that, "A Yankee is anyone who comes here from the North and a damn Yankee is one that who stays here."
Last edited by Sunnydee; 11-17-2014 at 03:22 AM..
Reason: quote
I've always hated that term, even though I grew up in what is technically the South. It just belongs in another century, IMO. I always heard it used mainly in reference to people from the Northeast states, and very rarely in relation to the Midwest. Oddly enough, the only times I've really ever heard it applied to Midwesterners was in self-referencing by Midwesterners.
To people in many other countries though, we're all "Yankees". I've even been called a Yankee by Canadians and Brits.
Thank you. Wish the word is only used for sports reasons and that's it. Other than that, hate using that term.
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