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Hello, I hope you are doing well. Please, let me explain the topic of this thread before I get attacked.
As a person living in California, it seems as if many people (not all, of course) who are raised and live in the Southern states of the US are still ignorant when it comes to a variety of issues, even though it is approximately a century and a half since the American Civil War. I am looking for an unbiased answer to this, because I really do not know much about the south and am really interested in finding out. This will be a starting point for much more research that I will conduct on my own.
Wow, this has gotten out of hand, and I apologize for that. Perhaps I should clarify.
The idea that people in the south aren't too intelligent is all over today's media, especially in slapstick movies made for teenagers. I really, really hate these types of stereotypes (I do not like stereotypes to begin with), and decided to look into how this stereotype started. In my short search, I realized that many people in the south seem to have ideas that are more traditional, as well as not as liberal and progressive, when compared to people who live in states like California (which is one of only two states I have ever been in, unfortunately).
I looked into issues such as racism, and statistics show that racism is higher in the south than anywhere else in the United States. Other topics such as religion came up, and study after study I looked at stated that many of those in the south are more on the side of religion and not science (I find it slightly absurd that there should be sides, but that's what I've read). Another topic that comes to mind now is gun control, and laws in the south are more lax, with many in its population who are more pro-gun than most other people in the United States. With all these combined, and many news reports stating that "ignorance" runs deep in the south (not my word), I wanted to look into why this is so, or if it is just a perception.
I am trying to understand this topic more, so I would really appreciate some help. Thank you.
I was born and raised in NC and have lived in the north since then.
The "traditional" (as you term it) ideas are basic to rural societies. Religion and one's faith are also important in keeping the rural population together and on the same page. For farmer families, education is not as important as helping out on the farm, since the family farm is the only source of income. My mom, for instance, quit school after 8th grade in order to help on the family farm and do a lot of the cooking for threshing crews, etc. On the other hand, city living produces more liberal and progressive ideas because the work is in factories and businesses that have limited work periods (vs. a farm that is 24/7), and there is leisure time to attend college where a mind is opened up to new ideas in science and the arts.
Regarding racism -- the black slaves who were brought to this country were put to work on Southern farms and plantations. The white population had to think of them as less than human in order to force them to do all the drudgery. Racism is thinking of someone as less than oneself, as less than human.
I think much of what you have said here is stereotypical and falsely played up in the media. The South has changed greatly as many immigrants and retirees from the north have made a home there.
I've lived in Florida, Tennessee, California, and now live in Texas. I think I shall approach the question from a slightly different angle.
I don't believe that the southern US is any of the things that many in other areas think it is. In my travels, I have found them to be much the same as people living anywhere else. However, because of the slower speech patterns and (in some areas) slower lifestyles, many who don't know any better mistakenly label them as "backwards" or "regressive."
Religion does seem to play a more prominent role in the lives of not only southerners, but also midwesterners and many northeasterners. Why is that? I don't know. Perhaps it is as Wondergirl said, that more rural communities tend to have closer ties with their faiths.
As for racism, I can only speak for my own observations. In my travels, I have seen more racism on the East and West coasts than I have anywhere in between. The anti-white sentiment is pretty bad in the area around Gallup, NM. New York City seems to me to be the biggest example of voluntary segregation in the country (with some exceptions, of course). West Coast? Don't even get me started. That particular melting pot is about to boil over, methinks, and it won't be pretty. Sure, I've seen some tension between black and white in the south, but it seems to be about on par with what I've seen everywhere else. I'm sure many will rush to say that it isn't true, and maybe in their circles it isn't. I'm only speaking in the most broad sense, and again, based upon my own personal observations only.
I think that coastal California and New York City tend to be the worst at holding on to outdated stereotypes, as a rule. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it's because they are the business, fashion, media, and entertainment hubs of the country, and those industries tend to be fairly exclusive and insulated. They stay within their own circles, and don't understand why other people not only do not fit inside their circles, but have no desire to fit inside their circles. To me, it's the ultimate hypocrisy: We are tolerant, and if you don't think like us, then you are intolerant. Let's face it: Most big-time entertainment types are the ones who decide what things look like on stage or on camera. Isn't it only natural that their own personal beliefs and biases drastically influence the final product?
Don't think I'm criticizing. I lived in California for a number of years and absolutely loved it. I'd never seen so many different types of people all in the same place at the same time, and I had a blast. However, as soon as I spoke, regardless of the topic or how skillfully I spoke on it, my accent caused many people to tune me out and disregard my opinion as that of an "uneducated redneck."
Very tolerant, indeed.
Keep looking. Keep listening. Spread the word to your friends. Different speech patterns/accents, different skin colors, different values and morals do NOT mean natural enemies.
Sounds like someone is a liberal and doesn't understand how someone could possibly have different views, therefore, they must be ignorant...... You know that works the same way on the flip side, right?
Wow, this has gotten out of hand, and I apologize for that. Perhaps I should clarify.
Tis only a matter of asking the question properly. I believe kindj answered your question quite well. I will say though that right or wrong, many in the south have their own perceptions of non-southerners. Movies like Valley Girl, Legally Blonde, Clueless, etc. don't help the west coast's case...or following the exploits of such luminaries as Paris and Nicole. Same goes in the northeast for folks like Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan.
What's funny is when those same northerners, east and west coasters that think the south is ignorant come to visit, they tend to eat up all that southern hospitality. What they often don't know is how much we can play it up for them. You'd be surprised how many of those folks think we still have daily cattle drives downtown or all walk around with boots, spurs and six-guns strapped to our waist. Since we don't we wouldn't want to let 'em down without throwing a y'all, a "dadgum" or a "fixin' to" their way.
let me see from TV and beleifs, everyone in California are gay or lesbian, all of them are liberal socialists and want to take all of the money from the wealthy and give it to the poor.
So we have to wonder why all you people can be like that.
So much for that, I guess southerns like Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton are just good examples that they are right.
Hello, I hope you are doing well. Please, let me explain the topic of this thread before I get attacked.
As a person living in California, it seems as if many people (not all, of course) who are raised and live in the Southern states of the US are still ignorant when it comes to a variety of issues, even though it is approximately a century and a half since the American Civil War. I am looking for an unbiased answer to this, because I really do not know much about the south and am really interested in finding out. This will be a starting point for much more research that I will conduct on my own.
Thank you.
Just curious, what do you know about the American Civil War? Why would you want an unbiased answer to a biased question? Have you ever visited the Southern states? Yet, you admit "...(you) really do not know much about the south...." A word for the wise: ""I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." Abraham Lincoln
So, you don't like the South? Perhaps you should get to know it better.
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