Explaining The Southern USA To NonSoutherners

[hapamama]

That's true, there was a map of California on Facebook with the various stereotypes, and Kern County was listed as "Texas." LA County was "Sigalert" and Orange County was "Republicans."

I grew up near the eastern borders of Sigalert and Republicans... The OC is very conservative, but in a yuppy kind of way. They're mostly the antithesis of redneck.

[celestial]

I grew up near the eastern borders of Sigalert and Republicans... The OC is very conservative, but in a yuppy kind of way. They're mostly the antithesis of redneck.

Head just a tad further east, and lo, you will find rednecks aplenty. :)

[hapamama]

I'm from California (Central Coast) and I know exactly what you mean about Kern County! Really CA is made up of several states. I do not live in Southern California or Northern California. It kind of irritates me to have someone tell me that I live in Southern CA. I've heard from a relative in Northern CA that anything south of San Francisco is Southern CA. I don't think so!

My story about the Central Valley: We had a guy do some work for us a while back, and he sounded a lot like my husbands uncle who is originally from TN, but has lived in CA for years. Just a slight accent, and different tone I guess. I asked him where he was from, and he said "I'm from here, CA." I asked where he was from originally, and he said "Bakersfield."

I'm a native Angeleno who has been living in the SF Bay Area for the past 15 years. From my POV, the dividing line between Northern and Southern California would be Frenso-ish, southern Monterey County....

Bakersfield is a top contender for being the armpit of California...

[Spider Burps]

No, we've always been friendly. People who say we aren't generally have never been here, or they were here but were so obnoxious that nobody was willing to disabuse them of their idiotic ideas.

Right? If I pause for more than 15 seconds to check my phone or look at my notebook that lists my doctors' appointment times, someone will ask me if I need help/directions/whatever. The niceness has even rubbed off on my sourpuss self; some guy from Sweden asked me how to get to Brooklyn, so I walked him to his subway stop while we had a nice conversation about medical marijuana. :lol: No one was ever that helpful in the South (to me, at least).

ETA: And I'm always getting into conversations while waiting in on line or while riding the subway. Last time I tried talking while waiting to check out at some store in South Carolina, people looked at me funny and asked if I knew them from somewhere. :(

[Yo Nurse]

shedemei wrote:

I can definitely relate to getting somewhat frustrated with how slowly people from some regions speak. On the other hand, I'm sure my faster speech annoys people.

Funny moment in accents: I had no idea that some people pronounced "Dawn" and "Don" the same way, which was awesome when my boss dictated a letter to be sent to Don.

I grew up about 20 minutes south of Philly, so I have the accent and fast speech. I lived in Denver several years ago and worked at a hospital with a large number of other travelling nurses. The folks from the midwest found me very difficult to understand. I practically had to spell what I was trying to say.

[nokidsmom]

No, we've always been friendly. People who say we aren't generally have never been here, or they were here but were so obnoxious that nobody was willing to disabuse them of their idiotic ideas.

It wasn't my experience either. I was warned about New Yorkers being rude before going to NYC for the first time. Was not the case at all!

[ShesCrafty]

My dad has lived in CA for over 60 years and has not lost his Okie accent.

My dad is exactly the same. Born in OK, but has spent the last 65 years in the Central Valley and I've had some friends tell me they have a hard time understanding him. I've even had some people ask me (born and raised in Cali) where in the South I'm from. I think it's just that most of the Okies that came to CA ended up in the Fresno/Bakersfield area, so they never lost their accents and passed it on to the next generation.

[2xx1xy1JD]

No, we've always been friendly. People who say we aren't generally have never been here, or they were here but were so obnoxious that nobody was willing to disabuse them of their idiotic ideas.

By Toronto standards, people in NYC are friendly and talkative. My son loved New York, since a guy working in a shop in the subway once insisted on giving him free candy because he was wearing a Yankees cap.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I grew up near the eastern borders of Sigalert and Republicans... The OC is very conservative, but in a yuppy kind of way. They're mostly the antithesis of redneck.

Calling the OC Republicans reminded me of my late great-aunt. She and my grandmother were separated at birth - grandma grew up to be a Jewish atheist Communist in Montreal, while her sister became a Cuban Catholic Republican living in the OC. I wouldn't call them redneck at all - just very, very different from my grandma.

[SilverBeach]

I still do a double-take when I hear soda called pop! But when I was a kid in SC, we called everything a Coke or a soft drink. I think soda was used more by African-Americans around here when I was a kid; but my dad's family in Pennsylvania also said soda.

I'm a native Midwesterner (born and raised in Chicago), and soft drinks are POP. Soda is club soda.

[starfish]

I loved the novel GWTW. I think you can learn a lot from Scarlett. There were things

I hated about her, but she's a survivor.

I don't think I've seen the movie in its entirety.

I'm born and raised Texan. Many, many generations. I'm part owner of our family

farm which has been a working family farm for nearly 160 years.

The western part of the state does not seem particuarly southern to me.

I lived in Lubbock for three years, and the people seemed much more of a

"western" mindset than the eastern part of the state.

I consider myself southern but Texas is a little bit different from the rest of the

south.

Confession: I spend time looking at the Vermont weather livecams, and wishing

I knew what a real New England winter was like. It just seems so beautiful and

other worldly in New England. Especially Vermont. I've never even been there.

Sigh. It's 65 degrees here and absolutely gorgeous but I still wonder what it would

be like to live in a place where the snow lasted more than one day.

[jezzybellejones]

Southern Credentials: Coal miner's daughter, born, raised, and educated in Eastern Kentucky.

Other than everything else that has already been covered, I'll say this much; it is HELL being a blue voter in a red state like Kentucky. Racism and homophobia run rampant and you'd be surprised at the number of people I know that actually believe our President to be the Anti-Christ and/or a Muslim/terrorist. Coal is king here, and I support it because it allowed me to be raised in a nice home and to never want for anything; I know better than to bite the hand that feeds me, but I also acknowledge the environmental detriments that come along with it. If you so much as SUGGEST that coal will run out in about another 150 years (and it will) and that we need other ways of economically stabilizing the region, you will be ostracized as if you had suggested that Jesus himself never existed. That's another piece of helpful information; if your religious beliefs are slightly different than your typical Southern Baptist, it's best to keep your mouth shut. I was raised a baptist and I've been baptized, but with age I've decided that though I love and believe in God and Jesus, I don't believe in organized religion. I don't think anyone else should tell ME what I'm supposed to believe. If I made this public knowledge, I'd be even more ostracized than I already am as one of those damn dirty Obama lovin' democrats. Drug culture is awful here, too; the level of prescription drug abuse here is higher than any major city.

That being said, I love the South. I love being a Southern Belle. I would never want to live anywhere else because people honestly DO care about one another. I love having my accent (people think it's PRECIOUS when I'm traveling elsewhere). I love the food; I love the music; I love the weather; I love the South. It is my home.

ETA: In Eastern, Central, and Northern Kentucky, soda is called "pop" but in western Kentucky, it is called "coke" like much of the rest of the deep South.

[Sweetpea1]

Starfish, I don't live in New England, but I do live where it snows heavily (North Dakota/ Minnesota border). I don't mind it too much, but it gets very cold and driving in the nasty weather is not my favorite thing. We have had days in January with -20 degree temps and wind chills that make it feel like -50 below. That said, we've had 45 above days in January, too.

[muffynbear]

As a Texan who was raised for 20+ years in New England (I have family in both states), I have a bit of a perspective concerning the differences in the North vs. South. I like being in New England, I think the quality of life and education is far better here than in the South. I don't find Texans to be very accepting of people who are of a different race or religion. There is the Southern stereotype of being gracious and hospitable but mostly it's fake. New Englanders are far more blunt and to the point. We will tell you exactly how we feel. No "keeping sweet" necessary. I know many don't consider Texas to be Southern, but I do. Culturally, my family in Texas is very Southern.

I think New Englanders are open minded. I think Northerners value things like education, career, family, and religion whereas Southerners tend to value Religion, Family, Career instead. The winter storms I can do without in New England. I will never understand how people like the snow here . It's a nuisance to me, but I'll take it over a tornado anyday. There are certain things I like about the South. I feel like it's less stressful because there's not as much traffic. Strangers will wave to you. Life is a bit more relaxed. Things like that you wouldn't see in New England.

ETA: The cuisine in New England is far more diverse, as are the people. Lots of Irish, French, Polish, Portuguese etc. Also, New Englanders are always in a rush. We're always trying to get from point A to point B. The roads here are terrible too. It's just part of the culture here. And everybody knows everybody here. My ancestors settled in New England in the late 1600s. Families have lived here for generations. New England is called 'New England' for that very reason. Many cities and towns named after places in England. The roads even have rotaries, which are found in England. A lot of English influence still here.

[dawbs]

Please tell me how you know about Red Green, and do people around you know about him? Have you heard of Bob and Doug Mckenzie? Do you know what a toque is?

Finished thread derail.

Love this thread - has really got me thinking again about how we colour our world through our perceptions.

I have a lot of yoopers in my family (ya know...lower Canada, eh?) :)

And Red Green is on PBS in the states on weekends.

And I do own Strange Brew on VHS ANS DVD.

But I think I may be an anomaly ;)

I miss having Canadian public broadcast...when I had cable as a newlywed, we had it.

Now all I get is CBC Radio 1 on Sirius, which I only listen to for the Vinyl Cafe and DNTO

[Black Aliss]

No, we've always been friendly. People who say we aren't generally have never been here, or they were here but were so obnoxious that nobody was willing to disabuse them of their idiotic ideas.

Yup. A long time ago I was living in Boston and went to visit some old friends in NYC. I was almost in tears over how friendly people were, especially compared to Boston.

[Anxious Girl]

I'm obviously from N.J, but I can't tell N.J accents apart from other American accents besides some southern accents. Especially if I watch something on the internet/T.V. Just can't tell the difference.

[B5SnowDog]

Like anyone, I miss home.

As I said, it's not about ranking areas. It's about feeling comfortable in a particular environment. For instance, I speak fast. I mean like "30 Rock" fast. Business meetings in some parts of the country can be very difficult for me. Again, it's my problem, but it is a problem. I'm also an atheist. Which is a non-issue amongst my friends, family, and co-workers at home, nearly all of whom are fellow atheists, agnostics, or lapsed Catholics, but it seems to be tantamount to being a devil worshipper in certain places. And something as simple as strangers chatting me up about the weather when I'm just trying to get a cup of coffee is always awkward for me. It doesn't happen in Boston. I'm sure you are a very nice person, but I just want to have my coffee in peace, thank you.

You sound like me and I'm Texan. Maybe I should move there. :)

[B5SnowDog]

This thread is so fascinating. I am amazed you get Red Green on American PBS.

Quando omni flunkus moritati!

[B5SnowDog]

No, we've always been friendly. People who say we aren't generally have never been here, or they were here but were so obnoxious that nobody was willing to disabuse them of their idiotic ideas.

I agree, Conuly. I visited NYC pre-9/11 and everyone I interacted with was perfectly pleasant.

[grateful1230]

Just thought I'd amuse non-Southerners with the current happenings in my house. I was born and raised in SC (by damn Yankees ;) I currently live on the NC coast with my boys, aged 11, 11, and 17. I haven't commented on this rather amusing thread before simply because most everything I had to say was said.

Today, however, I'd like to share this great excitement. It's going to SNOW!!! Mind you, it is WAY too warm to stick. That's why I have bowls in the freezer now.. they can catch the snow and at least have time to attempt the elaborate snowman they are planning :)

SNOW!! Only a Southern mom with much more Southern boys could be smiling at the thought while everyone a bit north of us cringes at the thought..

[debrand]

Just thought I'd amuse non-Southerners with the current happenings in my house. I was born and raised in SC (by damn Yankees ;) I currently live on the NC coast with my boys, aged 11, 11, and 17. I haven't commented on this rather amusing thread before simply because most everything I had to say was said.

Today, however, I'd like to share this great excitement. It's going to SNOW!!! Mind you, it is WAY too warm to stick. That's why I have bowls in the freezer now.. they can catch the snow and at least have time to attempt the elaborate snowman they are planning :)

SNOW!! Only a Southern mom with much more Southern boys could be smiling at the thought while everyone a bit north of us cringes at the thought..

The snow is sticking in my part of the state but it might be too warm where you live.

[Mommy22alyns]

My personal experiences - cred, lived here for almost (holy shit) 26 years. I'm not as young as I used to be. :shock:

Where I live, it is not racially diverse at all (93% white). YMMV for more urban areas (say, Atlanta, though I know a lot of people consider that "not the south").

Everyone does assume that you go to church.

Plenty of people are nice to your face, but not really.

Even after living in my town for almost 9 years, it's still very cliquish.

They'll salt the roads when it's 50 outside. This really happened a couple of days ago.

I would miss sweet tea if I moved back north.

I would not miss the hot, humid, long summers.

My MIL is unapologetically racist, including more than a couple of sketchy comments about Obama. Yes, I know that there are legitimate, non-racially based complaints about him, but this is pure racism. Yes, she has been asked to not air this around the girls.

[So Many Lies]

As a non-American who likes America a lot I want to tell you that my opinions of the south have been shaped by movies and books (ha, ha Skeleton Key, John Grisham, Steel Magnolias etc.) so all this has been most informative. For a start I thought a redneck was like those hillbillies in Deliverance.

Also can someone tell me...is Virginia considered "South". I read Bridge to Terabithia and all as a kid and I thought it was, based on that, but on the map it isn't. :oops:

[PennySycamore]

Just thought I'd amuse non-Southerners with the current happenings in my house. I was born and raised in SC (by damn Yankees ;) I currently live on the NC coast with my boys, aged 11, 11, and 17. I haven't commented on this rather amusing thread before simply because most everything I had to say was said.

Today, however, I'd like to share this great excitement. It's going to SNOW!!! Mind you, it is WAY too warm to stick. That's why I have bowls in the freezer now.. they can catch the snow and at least have time to attempt the elaborate snowman they are planning :)

SNOW!! Only a Southern mom with much more Southern boys could be smiling at the thought while everyone a bit north of us cringes at the thought..

We got snow in upstate SC, too. Not that much and my daughter just up i-85 in Spartanburg got more. My sister down near the Georgia line didn't get a single flake One thing we did have was a bit of thundersnow. It didn't last long. My daughter in Vermont was so jealous! She is studying meteorology in college and has never experienced thunder snow. Starfish, they have a weather cam at her school. PM me know if you'd like the link.