Quote:
Originally Posted by MrJester
I guess they see the South as the most quintissentially American part of the US, the part of the US that is most different from Europe or Canada. Kind of like how many Americans think of Germany as beer, Oktoberfest, pretzels, and the alps, aka Bavaria.
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This is an excellent analogy. It seems to be human nature to sterotype based on what actually
deviates from the norm.
While the stereotype of Germany based on Bavaria is because those traits are perceived as unique to Germany*, that does not make them
characteristically German. Likewise the generalization of American culture based on the Southern stereotype.
*though some of the Bavarian sterotype is derived from cultural traits that can be found in the Alpine regions of other countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and even Italy.