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Thanks for the response. Who you talk to makes a difference. There are Northerners who look down on the South, though a lot of it is affluent urbanites looking down on just about anyone who doesn't come from large cities. They don't think any better about those in the rural counties or working-class neighborhoods of their own state. But you will also find a lot of people on line who make Northerners responsible for all the country's problems. I don't think there's much to be said for either dismissive attitude about other parts of the country.

I don't know how to get beyond such ongoing reproaches thrown at one part of the country or another. One thing is to focus on what we can do now, rather than on past animosities. Another is to try to deal with questions of fact and moral judgments separately -- both are important, but each has its own place. I don't think most Americans are hung up on regional conflicts today, though. For better or worse, television and other media have made us one nation.

A country is a little like a team. We each bring different strengths and weaknesses to the enterprise, and hopefully the strengths of one member compensate for the weaknesses of another. Someone may be right today, but that doesn't mean that they were always right or will always be right in the future. The various parts of our country may come into conflict, but on the whole we benefit from our union. That may be hard to see today, because of divisive political issues, but over the long run, it's incontestable.

[GrandEagle]

I don't think there's much to be said for either dismissive attitude about other parts of the country.
I don't know how to get beyond such ongoing reproaches thrown at one part of the country or another.
I have an opinion on that very matter. In my travels around it seems to me that there is a very large cultural difference between the North, South, and Midwest. The South and the Midwest are a little more closely aligned together, but still strong differences exist.
The most provocative differences come with each's view of what the proper role of the Federal Government should be. This disagreement is as old as the Constitution itself. (The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists).
The Northeast in particular seems to believe in a very strong Federal government that to us in the South appears to mettle into affairs best left to the states. The Northeast also seems to like what to us seems like a very large intrusive State government poking into things that to us are best left to the local governments. I'll admit that they do seem to manage the large State government very well. They seem to get much more "bang-for-the-buck" than we do in the South.
My intent is not to discuss the merits of each view (they both have them), but to point out that under our Constitutional Republic, both views could be accommodated. The "core values" were agreed to among all of the states and "we the people" of the States gave the Federal Government authority in those matters. Outside of those "core values" each State and Local government was free to increase or decrease the level of government as the people and culture of the State saw fit.
In the last 50-75 years we have seen a departure of our Government from it's Constitutional Republic form.
The departure came in degrees, slowly at first, until we have arrived to the point where we no longer have anything the resembles a Constitutional Republic. The Executive department uses "presidential directives" and "executive orders" to effectively make law. The Supreme court considers itself an oligarchy - completely separated from, and not answerable to the law of the land. Meanwhile Congress, (the ONLY body Constitutionally authorized to make law) refuses to do it's job and demand that they alone legislate.
I really don't see much chance of survival unless "we the people" demand that our elected officials follow the supreme law of the land - Our Constitution.
Are there times the our nations "core values" need adjusting? Sure, and when that happens we all agree on that change and amend the Constitution.
We have now gotten so use to this group or that group being in power and forcing their view on everyone that we no longer pay any attention to the rule book (the Constitution). The (political) might makes right mentality has taken over. We effectively have a Democracy - mob rule. A Democracy was considered an unstable and evil form of government by just about all of the founders - and history. The founders even considered for a short time having a kingdom with a King, but NEVER even considered a Democracy.
It doesn't all stem from the North, South,West, Black, White, or any other entity. It only matters that "my group" is in power and therefore "we" can make everyone else "improve" themselves.

They very nature of our culture here in the South makes this forced government intrusion painfully abrasive. (Although there are small, noisy groups from the South that like to force their view also)
This is a very abbreviated form of a very in depth discussion, but I hope I've been able effectively communicate an overall viewpoint.