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Go to places like Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and the Great Lake coasts. Then go down South to places like Richmond, Charleston, Montgomery, and the Gulf Coast. The Midwest and the South are 2 completely different places.
Around here people are friendly, but there's very little diversity, and people who are different stick out, although they're not openly discriminated against. But I do hear racist, muslim (as in insulting them) and homosexual terms more than I probably would in bigger cities. Now, that is probably as much of a rural thing as southern/midwestern (this area kind of borders both). But just as far north as St. Louis there's a lot more diversity, and I'm sure in large midwestern cities terms like I hear here would be taken more seriously.
People in this area are friendly, but sometimes it's only on the surface. The south is beautiful, and the people generally are friendly, but sometimes they're not as open-minded as other parts of the country. There can be quite a distrust of "outsiders".
I'm not trying to say southerners are bad people. They're not at all, but around here a lot of them seem distrusting of other races, lifestyles, cultures. They're friendly, but sometimes if you dig a little deeper there's some distrust.
But midwesterns can be less friendly and a bit colder at first (though not usually mean), but they may also be more open-minded and accepting. It's like the south has more of a "nice to meet you, but I'm not going to trust you completely just yet, maybe moreso if I'm unfamiliar with your culture" whereas the midwest has more of a passive "I'll say hi, but I'm not going out of my way to do it. We may become friends, but I'm not going to push it."
Also, a lot of St. Louisans I know of are Catholic, whereas this area is mostly protestant (Baptist especially).
A lot of this also probably comes down to urban and rural. Sometimes rural people are friendlier, but not entirely trusting of other cultures and religions. Midwestern people may be more tolerant, but not as openly friendly.
And another term that strikes me is that Southern mannerisms and hospitality seem to have a bit more "soul" about it. I can't really translate exactly what I mean by the word, but I think that many will know what I am trying to impart...
Yes, I know what you mean and agree. And I DO like it when I am in the South and a stranger says to me "How yew doin'?". When I say hi to a clerk or someone I don't know but have a transation with here in the Midwest, sometimes they will say hi, but often they just grunt or ignore my pleasantry.
RE: catholic/ protestant, yes there are more Catholics in the Midwest than in the South (LA excepted), but there are MANY protestants here too. Rural areas here tend to be mostly protestant, but there are also many rural areas where Catholics predominate. As far as diversity goes, the Midwest is much more diverse when it comes to religion and ethnicity. The South is more diverse when it comes to black/white racial diversity.
And I DO like it when I am in the South and a stranger says to me "How yew doin'?". When I say hi to a clerk or someone I don't know but have a transation with here in the Midwest, sometimes they will say hi, but often they just grunt or ignore my pleasantry.
Realizing that there are many and culturally different areas of the midwest and south, I'd have to say that what you have experienced is exactly the opposite of what I've seen.
In the south, it was always nice to have my food practically thrown at me with a frown, while at a drive-through window... more often than not. It was nice when the person behind the counter gave you the "I'm annoyed at the world, 'MMMhhmmm'". They often will not talk to you unless you're "one of them", meaning if you don't wear a rebel flag somewhere on your person, or a t-shirt from some country music concert, or drive the biggest, tallest, most redneck pickup truck you can find... if you give off the slightest hint of being a yankee, or even just city-fied...
There are many parts of the south, I know, but this is what I encountered way too much growing up there.
The midwest has it's fair share of people like that, but not as much, it seems. If they aren't openly friendly (which often they are), they are at least pleasant, and don't care so much about how you dress, and what you drive.
It's like the south has more of a "nice to meet you, but I'm not going to trust you completely just yet, maybe moreso if I'm unfamiliar with your culture"
whereas the midwest has more of a passive "I'll say hi, but I'm not going out of my way to do it. We may become friends, but I'm not going to push it."
The top one is like my natural tendancies. To me it's fun to introduce myself, make small-talk and pleasantries.
Where I live is like the last statement, but even more so. People are often afraid to say "hello" or acknowledge a strangers presence. Needless to say it annoys me.
Why is most of the world like the second statement, rather than the first?
I agree a lot of people here that say the big difference between the two is religion. Where i live in NE Ohio we have a much bigger variety of churches than where my brother is in coastal North Carolina. In my town of just over 40,000 people we have a ton of different churches. These include: Greek Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Nazarene, Baptist, Apostolic, Greek Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, AME, 7th-Day Adventist, Mormon, Jewish, Jehovah's Witness, Methodist, Church of God, Christian, Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, etc. I myself was raised Baptist (not southern, but independent, there are several different kinds), but now consider myself non-denominational even though i go to a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.
Another difference between South and Midwest is ancestry. Down south i notice more people are English or Scottish. In NE Ohio there are a ton of different ancestries because of two different events. First, we have a lot of English, Scottish, etc because my area of Ohio was part of what was called the Connecticut Western Reserve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and was first settled by people from Connecticut and New England. The second event was the Industrial Revolution. From that time, cities like Warren, Youngstown, Akron, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Erie started making Iron and Steel, waves of European immigrants came here to work. Many people in this area have a German background along w/many others, including: Irish, Welsh, Croatian, Italian, Greek, Slovak, Polish, etc. This is why you see such a variety in churches. We also have a lot of African Americans in this area because they were either escaped or freed slaves, or they came here from the south to work in the mills. My city, Warren, Ohio was a stop on the underground railroad and has a great history when it comes to the abolitionist movement. Warren-Trumbull County Public Library: The Underground Railroad (http://www.wtcpl.lib.oh.us/URR/UnderRR.htm - broken link)
Quote:
Disapproval over slavery was especially strong in northern Ohio, including the counties to the south, west and north of Trumbull County. Anti-slavery activists helped with the "forwarding business" and spoke out in the political arenas of the Liberty, Whig and Free-Soil parties during the 1840s and '50s. Abolitionists often put themselves and their families at risk to aid fugitive slaves
Anyway, another difference between NE Ohio and Coastal NC is the food. My brother says the thing he misses most about Ohio is the Italian food. Around here there is an Italian restaurant on every corner, not chains either!!! He also misses the great pizza and subs, or whatever you call them in your part of the world.
As for the person that said they felt like Ohio is Northeast and not Midwest i can sort of see what they are saying. I myself identify a lot more w/places like Cleveland, Akron, Pittsburgh, Erie and Buffalo, than i do w/Columbus, Cinci, Indy, ect. I'm not saying Ohio isn't part of the Midwest, but there is definitely some overlap when it comes to certain areas of the great lakes and western pa. In NE Ohio i think we have the best of both worlds. We have great food and culture(although many will write this culture off because it is mostly "white") from the NE. We also have a the Midwestern/all-American feel here (small towns, apple pie, etc.)
Alright, sorry for the rant, but that was just my 2 cents. I think I'll go eat some pirogies or some wedding soup and some Italian Bread. hehe! Oh yeah, and I'm going to my first Greek wedding sometime this year, should be exciting!!
Location: Originally Fayetteville, Arkansas/ now Seattle, Washington!
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Born and raised in Arkansas, i can safely say that people in the south are not afriad to speak their mind lol, for better or for worse! They will tell you what they like or dislike about you right to your face, whether they know you or not! My favorite part of southern culture is walking in somewhere and having the nice lady at the counter say, "how are ya hon, what can i do for ya!" My least favorite part is having them say, "you freakish devil worshipper!"(in response to my Dying Fetus, Diecide, and other metal attire lol). I absolutely love those who practice southern hospitality, they are my absolute favorite people in the world, and i absolutely cannot stand those that are completly rude and judgemental to you even if they dont know you.
Born and raised in Arkansas, i can safely say that people in the south are not afriad to speak their mind lol, for better or for worse! They will tell you what they like or dislike about you right to your face, whether they know you or not! My favorite part of southern culture is walking in somewhere and having the nice lady at the counter say, "how are ya hon, what can i do for ya!" My least favorite part is having them say, "you freakish devil worshipper!"(in response to my Dying Fetus, Diecide, and other metal attire lol). I absolutely love those who practice southern hospitality, they are my absolute favorite people in the world, and i absolutely cannot stand those that are completly rude and judgemental to you even if they dont know you.
I think that's pretty accurate. While both the midwest and south are known for politeness, I think the midwest is much less outspoken and more reserved about it. And I think the midwest is much more about hard work while the south is focused on leisure and taking life slowly.
I think this hard-working midwesterner stuff is a bunch of baloney. I don't think the midwesterners have any different of a work ethic than anywhere else in the country. I have lived in several regions of the US, not the south unless you count Maryland, and I was in college then and not working. But I have lived in the northeast (several places), the midwest, the mountain west, and California.
My kids were appalled when they saw Confederate flag paraphenalia (sp?) in the stores in N. Carolina. That is not something you see in Colorado, though you do see it in Pennsylvania.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 03-08-2008 at 11:54 PM..
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I can't really translate exactly what I mean by the word, but I think that many will know what I am trying to impart...
