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Old 01-08-2012, 02:26 PM
 
172 posts, read 388,534 times
Reputation: 50

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I don't really care about politics or philosophy, and I don't really know if I'm "liberal and progressive" or not, but I like to see both sides. My feeling though is that the Democratic Party has always been the largest party in America (yes it dwarfs the Republican Party) because it has catered to the less educated, less informed, less discerning voters. Yes, around the time of the Civil War it was the party of redneck bigots. Now it's the party of the ghetto. Not sure why the two parties switched places with each other over time.
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Old 01-08-2012, 02:55 PM
 
270 posts, read 585,628 times
Reputation: 155
There is a strong Italian heritage in New Orleans. If you are a fan of the New Orleans and I'm certain you are, when Italian Marco Belinelli hits a three, three dudes run around the stadium with large Italian flags. But i would not say in the least it's a NE city. Those places are rotten and filled with a bunch of loud mouthed blowhards. New Orleans is much friendlier and in that respect is still Southern. People from New Orleans don't really care for Yankees and that's another common thread here.
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Old 01-08-2012, 03:30 PM
 
640 posts, read 1,222,406 times
Reputation: 459
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prytania View Post
I'd argue that New Orleans is the old South. But its not the rural South or even the deep South...

Its the URBAN old South. It is cosmopolitan, multicultural..but it is the old South.

Until the 1960s it far outpaced every other city in the south in terms of population.

In the 1860s, Atlanta was at 25,000
New Orleans was near 300,000 (which was a feat considering much of what we consider now as the city..the East, Gentilly, Lakeview, Broadmoor was uninhabitable...not to even discuss Metairie)
How are you defining "old south"?

I don't think the history of New Orleans is defined by the old South. How is a city that for almost 2 centuries had newspapers in at least 4 different languages part of the old South? The city has so many traditions and cultural nuances that spawn from the French, Spanish, African, Italian, Irish, German, etc..That is something that no other Southern city has ever had (especially in the old South). Historically, NOLA was a hub of railroad and port traffic, something that no other city had. In every way, NOLA is in no way part of the old South. I can't think of many arguments that prove its part of the old South, besides the way different media have portrayed the city.
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Old 01-08-2012, 03:33 PM
 
640 posts, read 1,222,406 times
Reputation: 459
Quote:
Originally Posted by magicoz View Post
I don't really care about politics or philosophy, and I don't really know if I'm "liberal and progressive" or not, but I like to see both sides. My feeling though is that the Democratic Party has always been the largest party in America (yes it dwarfs the Republican Party) because it has catered to the less educated, less informed, less discerning voters. Yes, around the time of the Civil War it was the party of redneck bigots. Now it's the party of the ghetto. Not sure why the two parties switched places with each other over time.

I kind of just meant that people here are tolerant and open to all sorts of ideas. I don't mean liberal in the political sense.

After living 4 years in a "real" southern city, I have come to see that NOLA is in no way like the rest of the South.
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Old 01-08-2012, 06:22 PM
 
1,350 posts, read 2,295,710 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcp11889 View Post
How are you defining "old south"?

I don't think the history of New Orleans is defined by the old South. How is a city that for almost 2 centuries had newspapers in at least 4 different languages part of the old South? The city has so many traditions and cultural nuances that spawn from the French, Spanish, African, Italian, Irish, German, etc..That is something that no other Southern city has ever had (especially in the old South). Historically, NOLA was a hub of railroad and port traffic, something that no other city had. In every way, NOLA is in no way part of the old South. I can't think of many arguments that prove its part of the old South, besides the way different media have portrayed the city.
It is still the city of the old South. It was the biggest city of the old South...it is where one went to shop, ship, buy. It was the NYC of the South...(and it still has that heritage but it is old South...)

You are equating old South with hicks, and Protestant religion. That's not what I mean...it is the old URBAN cosmopolitan, multicultural capital of the southern United States. There is no shame in that...there is more to the south than plantations, the Klan and crappy stereotypes out the rural south.
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Old 01-09-2012, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
1,580 posts, read 2,887,018 times
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IMO, New Orleans may be the most unusual city in the entire country. It is Southern in climate and pace. It is urban in the city layout. It is multicultural in a way few cities are and has been for most of its existence. It has a history matched by only a handful of American cities. It has endured more disasters than most cities. It tends to have a lower objective standard of living than many cities, but the residents tend to subjectively be a happier group. The culture has stong French and Spanish influences. Overall it is just a unique place. Some people don't care for it, but I love it.

It is very different from most of the rest of the South, but it is still very southern b/c for a very long time it was the defining city of the south. For decades it was the largest, richest, most influential city in the south. A center of commerce and culture.
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Old 01-09-2012, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Austin
4,105 posts, read 8,275,194 times
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New Orleans has always reminded me a lot of Philadelphia. It's old, dirty, corrupt, crime-ridden, artsy, flavorful, wonderful and exciting.
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Old 01-10-2012, 12:52 AM
 
Location: Da Parish
1,127 posts, read 5,001,208 times
Reputation: 1022
Quote:
Originally Posted by magicoz View Post
I live in Philadelphia but want to move to New Orleans. Long story. Is it true that New Orleans is like a Northeastern city in disguise? Because I couldn't help but notice the presence of Italian culture, Northeastern-like accents (Yat), Democrats (due to the minority population), and A&P supermarkets which are a New York/Philadelphia institution. Are true Southerners not liked down there?
N.O. is not like a Northeastern city, the cultures are totally different. Y'all move way too fast and are too intense up there. I've seen how irritated Northeasterners get when they discover how slow we actually move. A&P as the song says, "ain't dere no more." We are southerners so we don't have a problem with other southerns. Let's face it we find them a tad strange because of the differences in culture, but, (and forgive me for the brutal honesty), we have more in common with other southerners than with northerners. We may have a bit of a sore spot when it comes to Alabama just now, but we'll get over that pretty quickly.
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Old 01-10-2012, 08:37 AM
 
Location: New Orleans
1,554 posts, read 3,017,217 times
Reputation: 1958
South Louisiana is South Louisiana, period. Can't be grouped with any region of the country...we do our own thing.
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Old 01-10-2012, 09:53 AM
 
Location: Mobile,Al(the city by the bay)
4,994 posts, read 9,097,629 times
Reputation: 1954
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drouzin View Post
. We may have a bit of a sore spot when it comes to Alabama just now, but we'll get over that pretty quickly.
LOL ...You guys have a great program hands down.
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