what is the south like?

im not too down with this blanket dissing of southerners ....but nyc is 1/10th as dangerous as atlanta ..as far as grtting robbed or assulted!....now across the water newark bridgeport ...there it may get a little scarey not in the city though !everywhere the terrain is apt to change with the nexy step ..just keep on toes everywhere ...ny is as otherworldly from cali as tenn.

 

Northern New Jersey scared the hell out of me.

 

as it well should!

 

I wasn't trying to make a blanket statement, I'm was just testifying to the fact that the people who fit the criterea of the "redneck stereotype" are certainly prevalent down here. And I used to live in South Jersey so I know that every area has it's ups-and-downs.

That's cool man, I live in Williamson. I haven't ever been to Sumner but I've driven through it before, I remember it having nice land.

 

oh god....

jersey....

where new york dumps its trash. bwaahhaaaaaaaa

 

i have had a lot of bad experiences in the north and south of the united states ...i hate this whole hatefull country ....but was omiting my personal disdain for the people in usa , to say , that everywhere and at all times one should be aware of what folks are up to ! for the sake of peace safty and mutual survival.

 

well, i've had to live all over, and all i can say is that it was no worse in tennessee or anywhere i lived down there than it was anywhere else i lived. everywhere i've been someone hates someone else, and the only difference is in the way they say it or act it out. i have to go with dave chappelle on this one and say i prefer people being out int he open about it, because then you know who your enemies are, and you can deal with it without being stabbed in the back. after a while the whole thing just becomes a joke, and the guy claiming to hate your guts is changing your tire for you and hauling you truck out of the mud.

 

Fifteen ways to avoid a good Southern ass whipping

1). Don't order filet mignon or pasta primavera at Waffle House. It's
just a diner. They serve breakfast 24 hours a day. Let them cook
something
they know. If you confuse them, they'll kick your ass.

2) Don't laugh at our Southern names (Merleen, Bodie, Ovine, Bubba,
Okie, Luther Ray, Tammy Lynn, Darla Beth, Inez, Billy Joe, Sissy,
Clovis, etc.).
Or we will just HAVE to kick your ass.

3) Don't order a bottle of pop or a can of soda down here. Down here
it's called Coke. Nobody gives a flying damn whether it's Pepsi, RC, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up or whatever-it's still a Coke. Accept it. Doing otherwise can lead to an ass kicking.

4) We know our heritage. Most of us are more literate than you (e..g.,
Welty, Williams, Faulkner). We are also better educated and generally a lot nicer. Don't refer to us as a bunch of hillbillies, or we'll kick your
ass.

5) We have plenty of business sense (e.g.., Fred Smith of Fed Ex, Turner Broadcasting, MCI WorldCom, MTV, Netscape). Naturally, we do sometimes, have small lapses in judgment (e.g., Carter, Duke, Clinton). We don't care if you think we are dumb. We are not dumb enough to let someone move to our state in order to run for the Senate. If someone tried to do that, we would kick their ass.

6) Don't laugh at our Civil War monuments. If Lee had listened to
Longstreet and flanked Meade at Gettysburg instead of sending Pickett up the middle, you'd be paying taxes to Richmond instead of Washington. If you visit Stone Mountain and complain about the carving, we'll kick your ass.

7) We are fully aware of how high the humidity is, so shut the hell up.
Just spend your money and get the hell out of here, or we'll kick your
ass.

8) Don't order wheat toast at Cracker Barrel. Everyone will instantly
know that you're a Yankee. Eat your biscuits like God intended - with
gravy. And don't put sugar on your grits, or we'll kick your ass.

9) Don't fake a Southern accent. This will incite a riot, and you will
get your ass kicked.

10) Don't talk about how much better things are at home because we know better. Many of us have visited Northern hellholes like Detroit,
Chicago, and DC, and we have the scars to prove it. If you don't like it here, Delta is ready when you are. Move your ass on home before it gets kicked.

11) Yes, we know how to speak proper English. We talk this way because we don't want to sound like you. We don't care if you don't understand what we are saying. All other Southerners understand what we are saying, and that's all that matters. Now, go away and leave us alone, or we'll kick your ass.

12) Don't complain that the South is dirty and polluted. None of OUR
lakes or rivers have caught fire recently. If you whine about OUR scenic
beauty, we'll kick your ass all the way back to Boston Harbor.

13) Don't ridicule our Southern manners. We say sir and ma'am. We hold doors open for others. We offer our seats to old folks because such things are expected of civilized people. Behave yourselves around our sweet little gray-haired grandmothers or they'll kick some manners into your ass just like they did ours.

14) So you think we're quaint or losers because most of us live in the
countryside? That's because we have enough sense to not live in filthy,
smelly, crime-infested cesspools like New York or Baltimore. Make fun of our fresh air, and we'll kick your ass.

15) Last, but not least, DO NOT DARE to come down here and tell us how to cook barbecue. This will get your ass shot (right after it is
kicked). You're lucky we let you come down here at all.. Criticize our barbecue, and you will go home in a pine box...minus your ass!

 

hehehe! that's awesome!

 

i love it here

plain and simple, it's beautiful and sweet.

there are about as many bad people here as i'd say there are anywhere else. it's funny to say the south is bigoted when.. making such a statement is.. pretty bigoted in itself.

i know many people prejudge places and have so many conceptions that it'd be impossible to ever overcome them, and i feel bad for those people for never being able to look at something as ambiguous as a place objectively.

but i'm sure you'll have a wonderful time here! spend it outside enjoying nature and you'll definitely have a great time

 

No no, libertarians are widely accepted in the south. We actually want the government to go away and leave us alone.

 

Don't hide your viewpoints, just don't expect to find many people here with similiar opinions. I live in a really nice suburb of Memphis. The people here are stuck up rich white kids, so it sounds a lot like where you live, minus the fun stuff to do and cool stores.

 

I think it really depends where in the south you are talking about. I could see Alabama being scary, but places like Tennessee and North Carolina are really nice.

I have to admit not having a favorable impression of the deep south though.

PS I went to Memphis once and had a great time, the people seemed very friendly there.

I have a friend who is a newspaper writer in Atlanta now, I met him in California. He was always looking on the south in a fond light....until he moved back to Atlanta. Now he says the region is filled with dolts and Christians...i wouldn't know, never been to Atlanta.

I do believe I would have aproblem with all those Christians, that would be the main deterrant.

 

I've lived in the South most of my life and I haven't experienced all this terribleness that everybody seems to think exists. It's always seemed like a perfectly reasonable place to me. I've even got a wife who is a different race and biracial children. Never had any problems. Nobody cares much at all.

Are you guys basing this on stereotypes or have you actually tried living here?

 

thus far, all i've heard is stereotypes.

 

'noogs, the impression that I have of Atlanta is that it is a bit of a cultural oasis in a socially conservative region. I know it was a mecca for blacks during the civil rights struggles etc.

I must say that i did not like the society of Charlotte, NC....it was stepford wives land for sure, but maybe that has to do with the part of the family I was visiting.

Anyway, most of the good beaches are in the south, so I go there.

 

I would agree if I had actually experienced any of the things you are talking about. I won't deny that it is true in some places but I have gone through 20 years of my life, and a lot of the people I know have gone through their lives w/o experiencing things like that. It could be because we haven't lived in the small towns, but I doubt if most of us haven't visited, as I have a few times most years. The most racist people I have ever encountered were in the north, but of course that is just my experience.

My point is depending on exactly where you are in the south you might experience a number of different things. It's hard to say unless you know the exact place. Of course I have heard news stories, and coming to college has introduced me to groups of people I thought were only characterizations but still I've never known or experienced anything that you mentioned, which makes me believe that if you visit the south you could go your whole trip without experiencing any of the negativity.

 

It's funny how clearly defensive some people are getting.

Of course it depends where in the south you go (I mean, no shit). I've been to places like Atlanta and Nashville, and I found these to be great cities - very cultured. I was referring primarily to the rural south.

It's just that the further away from the major cities you go, the more rednecked it becomes. I could say the same thing about the north, though, but it's all a matter of degree.

I don't see how what I said could be construed as bigoted, when I made it clear that not all southerners fit the southerner stereotypes. But when you are around these parts, you can't help but sense what is around you. There are confederate flags all over the place, as well as religious slogans. It's just not the type of place where I would want to live. It's been years since I visitied that part of the US, and I experienced no problems with the people there. It's just the general mentality and political climate that I don't like.

Again, I have nothing against southerners.

Yanks are just as bad, but at least people aren't as transfixed on religion around here. Sure, you have your jesus freaks. But it's nothing like the south. The bible-belt is just a very scary place.

 

You're in Atlanta, right? That city may be in the South, but it is not of it, just like Dallas/Ft Worth isn't really Texas, and South Florida is practically its own country. Yankees, and other Foreigners, have taken 'em over.

 

I agree about the rebel flag....I dislike that thing and the people who proudly support the south's racist past. That gives the south and America a bad name.


One note, my extremely southern cousin (from Savannah, GA) was in the marines and he went to friends wedding in Mississsippi I think. Anyway, even he was shocked because the family "had black servants that called the 13 year old boy master." He said it was as if they didn't know slavery was over there.

there are always exceptions, and i know there are some good people in the south, and a lot of proud and self proclaimed rednecks too.