Bias against Southerners misses the mark

Pasco Times ^ | July 11, 2005 | RICHARD COX

[Labyrinthos]

My mother from the north referred to my black friends as the "colorerds" or the "colored boy." I would always respond, "What color is that? Pink? Blue? Aqua?" And then I would duck to avoid the slap to the face. Our next door neighbor, who was born and bred in "peanut country," Virgina would use the "N" word to refer to my friends, often to their face.

[talmand]

If crime is as bad as you say it is, why are yuppies of all races moving to Harlem these days?

Granted I'm not aware of the housing market in NY but is it a possiblity that's the cheapest place to live but stay in NY? Just curious.

[taxed2death]

This is you slamming my state: Remember... my comment on this thread was a RETORT to another "friendly southerner"!

Your words are as follows,

"Allow me to comment. I have been to New Haven, AND the rest of your state, including Groton, where I had the misfortune to spend two years. New Haven is a stinkhole, as far as I am concerned, and your 13 percent tax rate sucks too! If you lived in New London you would DAMN sure have to lock your door. Who gives a rat's *ss about your ethnic foods? Southern Food is some of the best in the world. I would rather eat Crawfish etoufee or Gumbo in New Orleans any day, than the crap they call food in New York.
I have traveled up north and around most of this world, and would rather stay in Texas and the South than anywhere else. If you think the South is so bad, then please explain why all of your Yankee brothers are fighting each other to move down HERE!?"

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Depending on WHERE you live in my state...it can be a hell-hole... or near paradise.

I have been to 41 of 50 states and on every continent except for Australia. I get around too...and I know enough not to judge West Virginia from a one hour stop in Wheeling.

Regarding my referring to you as an illiterate was actually putting into question your reading skills and

1. to give you a taste of stereotyping.....and

2. a round about way of questioning you as to your comprehension of my previous posts on this thread.

I will repeat my previous post here ONE MORE TIME:

---

"If you think the South is so bad,..."

You obviously can't read. Aside from commenting about bad pizza, piss-poor winter driving skills and some pretty high humidity, please cut and paste any statement where I said "The south is so bad"

You illiterates are coming out of the woodwork here."

---

I called you illiterate, yes...true. A sarcastic, stereotypical remark on my part alluding to the fact that you OBVIOUSLY have some words swirling around your head not attributable to me.

Please cut and paste ANYTHING I have said in this thread that is derogatory towards the south. My three SARCASTIC remarks regarding the south pertained to pizza, lack of winter driving skills and humidity. I might want to add a fourth to this list.... "southerners have a COMPLETE lack of a sense of self-depreciating humor and / or SARCASM!!!!!!"

Direct quote from you "If you think the South is so bad..."

My point is... I DON'T think the south is so bad.

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The "piece of paper"....tell me about it. I supported myself at near poverty level for 6 years to get my degree. I know a little about hard work, study and dedication too.

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Regarding your comments about food: Well, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night...there is a line over 300 people long to get into both "sally's Pizza"...and "Pepe's Pizza" in New Haven. Same goes for "The Spot". There are Thai places that is second to none. There are 3 Thai first generation families own restaurants in N.H. I could go on and on... but the subject off food is mostly subjective depending on regional tastes.

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"Remember, I was there. My comments are from personal experience."

As I've mentioned before, I've been all over the south. I've been to some real $hit-hole sections of some of the poorer states...and for the most part have found the people friendly and welcoming. I simply refuse to judge the whole of Texas by a stop off in downtown Brownsville. Consider this when judging Connecticut. The smaller towns in northwest CT would rival just about any place in the US as far as beauty and livability. There's a reason why homes in upper Fairfield county and Litchfeild county can go for $10 million plus....

I could be like you and waste bandwidth about a BUNCH of bad experiences / locations down south .... but I'll spare you.

Peace.

[taxed2death]

"You know, 140 years is not a long time in the scheme of things. It is hard to forget, especially when you hear stories of reconstruction from your Grandparents......."

You're right. But time marches on and we're stronger marching to the beat of the same drummer.

My next trip down south will definately involve more historical sites.

I find the fact that southerners hold their family history as it pertains to the struggles of this Republic so close to heart an admirable trait.

[lentulusgracchus]

in the 1970s the CBF was considered a piece of quaint Americana, whereas today it is considered to be a blunt symbol of racist oppression. What changed? Was it the symbol or was it the mentality of our elites?

It was a premeditated campaign of vilification with an ulterior purpose.

Remember that scene in 48 Hours in which Eddie Murphy beats up all the rednecks in a kicker bar (with a battleflag on the wall, in case someone from Maine's backwoods missed all the other cultural clues) and then, contemplating his next move, suddenly sweeps a stack of bar glasses off onto the floor with a mighty crash, crying out, "Now, let's see what else we can ____ with!" ? Remember that? Well that's exactly what the NAACP campaign that began at the start of the 90's was like.

It began as a way to get the membership's pulse going again, after years on cruise control, and to regenerate a sense of mission and embattlement among the membership (and help them get over the sex and financial scandals the leadership had fallen into) by taking on a powerful symbol of those people, the evil Ancient Enemies. Things had been going too well, and the NAACP had about been ruined by success, and so the leadership undertook a campaign to drive the Confederate flag completely underground and Confederate monuments -- even the word "confederate" -- out of sight. In short, they decided to stomp the rest of us flatter than a tortilla and take white Southerners' history away, for something to do, and to keep the membership entertained and engaged in a sense of purposeful effort.

You'd think they could have done a public-health drive or something.

And The New York Times decided to help them, and launched an official press campaign, sealing the Hate-the-Flag Movement into the official agenda of the New Class.

They've been at it ever since. I predict they won't stop until they are regularly getting convictions and jail sentences or heavy fines for people who display Confederalia of any sort, and the public monuments in small towns all across the South are being removed or destroyed.

Since you asked and all.

[talmand]

From a personal standpoint, I transferred out of a southern college after one year because of the weak academic programs. For example, the required freshmen math class covered stuff I learned in 10th and 11th grade in high school and the required freshmen writing program was remedial course teaching kids what they should have learned by the 8th grade.

I agree. There are fine schools in both the North and South as well as bad. I guess to some all those kids in public schools in the North are graduating as certified geniuses. I think the problems with education is countrywide and not limited to a particular region.

[lentulusgracchus]

But time marches on and we're stronger marching to the beat of the same drummer.

Yours, I suppose?

Thanks for thinking of us. At least we have a "wanted on voyage" sticker on our foreheads. Gives me a new sense of purpose. Serving you and yours. Thanks, boss!

[taxed2death]

"Yours, I suppose?"

Nope. wrong again, I was thinking more like "ours"... but if you still want to play the roll of the victim, you have my sincere pity and prayers.

[robowombat]

Alas 'redneck' has become the equivalent of the 'n' word. While it was coined as a demeaning description, there was a time about 100 years ago when it was proudly worn by those who it was supposed to demean. Simply put 'redneck' did not mean yahoo or ignorant rabble. Rather it meant those men who plowed their own (or all to frequently their tenant farm)fields. A plowman necessarily leaned far forward over the horns of the plow shaft and thrust his head forward . In this way the plowman's whole neck was exposed to the sun even though anyone in the South would always wear a hat while plowing to provide protection from the sun. The result of years of being a plowman was to give such small farmers a perpetual deep brick red tan to their necks. Thus redneck meant plowman and small farmer, i.e. an honest son of toil; not a Poor White or yahoo.

The men who had the brick red necks took this name from those who coined it as a snobbish epithet and in places like Mississippi and Georgia made it their battle cry as that of the white small holder. A honest man and true son of the soil. To bad it's contemptuous meaning has come back in vogue.

[lentulusgracchus]

"southerners have a COMPLETE lack of a sense of self-depreciating humor and / or SARCASM!!!!!!"

Two words: Jeff Foxworthy.

Two more words: Hee Haw

I could go two more and throw out "Minnie Pearl", but I think you've got the idea already.

[taxed2death]

hahahah...ok, ya got me....
blushing here!

LOL

[talmand]

Um, sorry, but I was talking in present terms not what happened many years ago.

But, Texans fought in the Confederate Army? Good for them.

Sam Houston and David Crockett went from Tennessee to Texas to help defend a fledgling nation? Good for them.

My remark was not meant to be unkind in nature. I meant it as a compliment. If you did not take it as such then I apologize for my poor words causing your misunderstanding. I view Texas and its people as an entity onto itself. I would be proud if somebody from outside my state viewed it that way but it is not so.

[x]

There's a difference between a Southern country accent and a Southern cultured accent. I'm working on the cultured thing, but it's hard to say "Hi, ya'll" and sound cultured.

Well said. That's the one thing that never turns up on these threads (which are posted every week or two).

There are some "Northern accents" that would get you thrown out of a country club in suburban Boston, New York, Philadelphia or Chicago in under an hour -- or at least shown to the tradesmen's entrance.

It must be the same for some Southern accents. Surely there are some accents that are like a howling cat or screeching on a chalkboard to people in Buckhead or the Garden District.

We know that some of the assumptions that we're told "Northerners" make about "Southerners" aren't so very different from those the Southern gentry makes about back country or common Southerners, but all we hear about is the North vs. South thing.

[lentulusgracchus]

but if you still want to play the roll of the victim, you have my sincere pity and prayers.

More like condescension and derision -- which means we were right about you the first time.

Thanks for dropping in to be our topical poster boy today. "Good of you to come."

[peacebaby]

Very well put. Indeed, there is a huge difference between the way my country cousins, south Georgia farmers, and I in Atlanta speak.

There's a certain affectation in the voices of the women in the country club set in Columbus, GA where I grew up.

I work with a woman from Louisiana who has the typical southern cultered voice. Her accent is yet different from mine, my south Georgia cousins, and my friend in Columbus.

And the SMART northerner is the one who will distinguish between the country and the cultured southerner.

[taxed2death]

I suppose I could say the same about you...but that would be redundant. Some people like to build bridges while others like to burn them.

If the shoe fits.....

Peace.

:)

[Ditto]

Two words: Jeff Foxworthy.

Saw him live once. Good show, funny guy.

But would he be as funny telling the exact same jokes with say a Bronx accent? Or would it pi** you off to hear some Yankee stereotyping the South?

[lentulusgracchus]

My remark was not meant to be unkind in nature. I meant it as a compliment. If you did not take it as such then I apologize for my poor words causing your misunderstanding.

I mean only that your regional assignment was erroneous. The eastern part of Texas is part of the Piney Woods belt which extends for thousands of miles along the southern and eastern coast and is a geomorphological artifact of a shared geological history. The eastern section of the State having been most heavily populated in the 19th century, the cultural affinities of Texas have been closest to the South.

There are Mexican and High Plains sections of the state, but those physiographic provinces have always been less heavily populated.

That's all.

[peacebaby]

No polite Southerner would have made that remark. The guy who said that about your friend was (1) rude, and (2) a show-off.

Polite Southerners will do anything not to offend someone.

I've often said, a polite southern woman will never say to your face - what she can say behind your back. :~)

[groanup]

"What is a redneck?"

http://www.fredoneverything.net/FOE_Frame_Column.htm