Things to know about the South:

[liberalmike27]

1. We're not all racists, and I'd add, racism is pretty much everywhere.

2. Most of us don't like being pandered to. I'd much prefer you just speak to me in your native dialect, than trying to act like you are a newly founded southerner.

3. I don't care what you eat. I don't think it's something that matters as to your presidential qualifications.

4. We're not all conservatives. But we liberals are pretty damned outnumbered.

5. I live here, and I still don't have any idea why religion, guns, gay/Arab/hispanic immigrant/women hatreds are more important than earning enough to pay the bills. Of course, there-again, I don't get that about a lot of states in the North.

6. We're not all idiots. Yes, some of us sound funny, much like those with Brooklyn accents sound funny, or people from Boston, or Virginny (go oot and run aroond the hoose).

7. Sometimes we move kind of slow because it's so, Fraking, hot most of the time. Personally my favorite season is Winter.

8. We dress down a bit, comfortably, for the reason in #7.

9. We don't "all" sound like we're right off the cast of The Beverly Hillbillies, or The Duke's of Hazzard.

10. We don't hate all Northerners, or perhaps it's "we don't all hate Northerners." Come. Visit. Spend your money!! Ya'll come back now, ya heah? Seriously though, I'm happy to have my friends from all parts of the country, especially the North. It makes each day a little better for me to know there are intelligent liberals all over the country, who care more about their livelihoods, wages, jobs, than they do mysticism, immigration, or hatreds of various sects and religion.

11. We're not all rabid gun-owners. I personally don't own one. But I did have one at a point in my life.

12. We don't all believe "The South is gonna rise again." Most of us don't want the South to rise again, but to become part of the country. I'd venture to say at least 30-40 percent of us don't, since they are black, and would once again become slaves.

[DefenseLawyer]

1. No one believes any of those things to be true.

No one. Listen, the South is fucked up. You live there. You know it's fucked up. I used to live there. I know it's fucked up. But I don't know any thinking person that thinks everyone in the South is stupid or racist or whatever. The fact is that no one thinks that "everyone in the south is _____." That just seems to be the complaint of Southerners who can't deal with the fact that the South has some very unique "institutional" issues that the rest of the country doesn't have. Are there racists everywhere? Yes. Are there segregated proms everywhere? No. Could David Duke be elected everywhere? No. I'm not saying the rest of the country is "better" but it's just silly to say that the South is just like everywhere else. It's not. The line of crap about anyone who maligns some of the uglier aspects of Southern culture as just being a "hater" of everyone in the south is ridiculous. No one is doing that. It is entirely possible to acknowledge and accept that the South is fucked up while acknowledging (as everyone does actually) that there are plenty of great people in and from Dixie.

[demosincebirth]

4. Very, good post. You said many things that I couldn't put in words. Thanks

[edhopper]

5. Rec

Southerners should come to grips with people they elect have seriously fucked up this country.
Without the South there would be a strong Democratic majority in the country.

[hifiguy]

6. I made this point in a post on another thread.

One tends to view other states or regions of the politicians they elect - for years Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were the face Minnesota presented to the nation and Ted Kennedy was the face of Massachusetts. That leads to certain perceptions by outsiders. When the faces representing the greater South are morons like Chimpoleon, pRick Perry, smarmy bigots like Trent (I wish the Dixiecrats had won in 1948) Lott, the Gingrinch, and countless other toenail-chewing nitwits it also leads to certain perceptions, whether they are actually fair or not.

Someone in the southern and border states is giving consistently good-sized majorities to governors and US senators that are some of the most retrograde imbeciles to walk the face of the earth; this has been going on for a couple of generations, so it can't just be coincidence.

Now any place in the country can elect a batshit reichwing kook now and then - speaking for my own upper midwest I offer Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Snotty Walker and that walking dildo Sensenbrenner as exhibits. The Stupid Belt, as I think of it, is not geographically contiguous. But over the past 30-40 years most of our elected officials at the state level have been fairly sane and not obvious raving dingbats who long for the antebellum status quo or a medieval theocracy.

I know from DU that there are a lot of decent, compassionate people everywhere in the US and I really feel for those of you who live in areas of the country that are dominated by religious crackpots, bigots and loons. It has to be hell.

I also think the urban/other divide has something to do with this phenomenon as it manifests itself across the country. Areas that are relatively diverse and cosmopolitan tend to be much saner, overall, than other areas. Hell's bells, Salt Lake City had a progressive Dem as mayor IIRC. I don't know about truly rural areas, but the exurbs around the Twin Cities tend to have a very high concentration of snowbillies that are just as bigoted, mean and stupid as the worst the South has to offer.

[KamaAina]

23. Three of the four people you mention aren't Southern

Boosh** and Rev. Goodhair are from Texas; only east Texas is really "Southern" (the rest of it, as they say, is "like a whole other country&quot . Boosh**, of course, was also born in Connecticut, just as Newt was born in Pennsylvania.

[hifiguy]

24. OK, point taken

but if you don't live in the South, these distinctions aren't quite as apparent.

I will point out (the late and unlamented) Jesse Helms, Jim DeMent [sic], Zell Miller, Mike Huckleberry, Mitch McConnell, Jim Bunning and Rand Paul (all from the same border state), the fuckwit who slandered Max Cleland and countless others. There was also, IIRC, a serious reichwing crackpot named Denton in the Senate from Mississippi back in the 1980s who sticks in my mind for some reason. It is not an enviable record for most of the last 30 years.

Newt may have been born in PA, but he sure doesn't sound like it and would probably identify himself as a Georgian. What a pity. I really liked Atlanta when I was there ten years ago.

[trof]

27. OK, but "I" didn't elect them.

I understand you said "they" did.
Fair enough.
"They" did.
But I'm not part of "they".

And I'm sorry, I just can't 'come to grips' with the right wing-nut 'borned agains' panderers my fellow citizens are duped into voting for.
I hate it.
I'm doing what I can to change it.
But I can't carry the whole sunavabitch nutload on my back.

[liberalmike27]

14. I'm very familiar

with the words most, and some. I posted it with what you say fully in mind. I agree with most of it.

But when times like this come around, when I see Cenk putting on probably the most snaggle-toothed yokels, with the worst southern drawl, saying some of the stupidest things, I just have to think he was trying.

And I really get this feeling the coverage is mostly as if we're all Hillbillies, and my only point is, we're not.

I've been a little disappointed with the Northern states, where you could once count on to be sensible, to vote their pocketbooks lately. It seems like they've been catching a little of the same race-hating, kind of republican thinking as the South. I used to kind of look up to the North.

I'm not sure what keeps us stuck, but I really feel like a lot of people don't even think much about who they vote for anymore, having chosen the republican "team" a long, long time ago, and have no idea who they are voting for, or how they are affected economically.

If someone wanted to win in the South, they need to run an extremely populist campaign, where they simply refuse to talk about stupid social issues, and shove the economic issues of globalization to failure into the public eye.

[Fawke Em]

17. I live here and I believe those things to be true

because I fucking live here.

What Southerners are complaining about is that humongous broad brush y'all use when discussing our region.

I NEVER talk about the Civil War with my friends and neighbors and co-workers. It never comes up. The ONLY time it comes up is when someone from outside this region says all us Southerners talk about it. Duh.

[DefenseLawyer]

25. No offense, but that makes no sense whatsoever.

On the one hand you say you believe all those generalities and stereotypes about Southerners are true and then you say what you are complaining about is the "broad brush" used to pigeonhole southerners. I'm just a caveman, but... huh? Other than you, can you show me one reasonable person who has ever made a serious claim that "everyone in the south is racist" or "everyone in the south is stupid"? Just one. You can't. And just who has ever said that all southerners ever talk about is the Civil War? Ever. You are making my point. Instead of acknowledging some of the serious flaws that are unique to the South, Southerners are always creating this straw man. Sure people generalize about the South but really, no one thinks everyone in the South is dumb. Really. I'm from Indiana, home of Dan Quayle and Mike Pence. The Klu Klux Klan actually ran Indiana for about a decade in the early part of the 20th century. Those things are all true. My response when someone points them out is never "Oh yeah? Well you should just shut up because every in Indiana isn't fucked up." Now take that for what it's worth and get back to talking about the War of Northern Aggression, like you do every night.

[liberalmike27]

26. Like the guy said

They, the media, from news to entertainment, paint us with a pretty broad brush. I rarely see a show that hypes the smarter people in the South. It's always dumb-ass hillbillies, and rednecks driving fast cars, are stupid sounding people throwing festivals dressing in antibellum gowns, or often made-up homilies.

Besides, I personally never said ALL in my post. I said "we're not all" frequently. And my point is, for those of us who are fairly intelligent (IQ 140 here), it's rather insulting, and what I mean is that it is irritating to me to be represented in the media as a region totally inflicted with stupidity, when there is no other part of the country represented as such in the media.

If they wanted to do us a favor, instead of shows that continue to play to the stereotype, they'd put one on with an intellectual community in the South.

[fascisthunter]

19. Thank You

[nolabear]

22. EXCEPT. When media and others want to rank on the South they insult accent, sexual orientation,

intelligence, poverty level, and many other things that are not racism, conservatism, backward social views, and the other things that are quite legitimate complaints.

I have a Southern accent. When I hear Norman Goldmann do his hick schtick or refer to Texas a Tex-ass and Mississippi as Miz-zippi and so forth, I want to crawl off. I've got a very high IQ and an advanced degree. When I hear my own way of moving and talking laughed at for no particular reason other than it's fun to make fun of someone who irritates us I find it hard to relate to those who are doing it.

Why would I want to support that? It hurts. It doesn't make me inclined to seek people out for conversation when I know I'm going to hear that nudge-nudge wink-wink condescencion.

[pearl]

2. Thanks for your thoughtful post

I live in Chicago but was born and raised in Tx. and recently went back for a couple of years and just want to say there are some awesome liberals down there. They're doing alot of work and the grassroots are really committed. In an oppressive political environment the underground thrives because you have to. Just remember the incredible liberals coming out of the south.
ie Molly Ivans (rip). Peace, J

[liberalmike27]

10. I'm with you pearl

It just gets irritating this time of year, when we get a lot of attention, and there is this very strong vein of throwing us all in the same boat. We're not. I personally voted for Jerry Brown (2%) and Ralph Nader (2%) in Alabama.

I don't think most people know what we're dealing with, and I think the media in general lumping us all into the same Beverly Hillbillies category, doesn't do us any favorites.

I was watching Cenk tonight, and he couldn't have gotten four worse people to interview, even if he was trying, which makes me think he was trying to get the most ridiculous, toothless, yokels he could find to put on Current.

Sadly that fake-religious piece of shit won in both MS and AL, and there was no one to vote for on the Democratic ballot here in Mobile anyway.

[socialist_n_TN]

28. Well remember Mike........

I'm sure they were commenting on the REPUBLICAN primaries in those two states. Who ELSE would they have on, but the most ridiculous, toothless yokels they could find? That IS the Republican Party all over, but especially in Mississippi and Alabama. And yep, in Tennessee too.

I don't stress over it anymore. The Jersey liberal that wants to compare left wing politics with me better pack a lunch. Ain't many commies anywhere, but I'm one right here in Tennessee.

[all american girl]

3. I lived in the south for 2 years

that was more than enough for me...why...the heat and humidity...dear lord it was hot

Seriously, I thought everyone was nice and sweet. I have to admit, I had a snobbish attitude about the schools, until I was actually there. We lived in Huntsville, AL where 2 of the high schools are in the top 100 schools in the states (at least it was when we lived there). The grade school my son went to had the BEST teachers ever...loved it.

But damn the heat

[liberalmike27]

11. Probably two of the best

Places to live are Huntsville and Mobile. Anything in the middle is a lot more racist. Huntsville is very close to the TN Border, and has a lot of NASA people running around. It's where the previous White House press secretary comes from.

Mobile is a port city, and they tend to be a bit more liberal, as a rule, no matter where they are.

[mentalsolstice]

21. Actually, Birmingham proper is pretty democratic and definitely not racist

I'm not talking about the suburbs like Homewood, vestavia, etc. However, Bham has tried very hard to put it's ugly past behind it. Unfortunately, our city and county gov'ts have been horribly mismanaged, so our schools and such are poor. That being said, I would say that anyone of any race, sex orientation, educational background, etc., would feel comfortable living within the city.

[bamademo]

15. I live in HSV and I've lived in Jersey

We have AC here and it's better to take off clothes then to pile them on. I guess that's why (geeks and all of us) get laid a lot more and tend to be more mellow than uptight Yankees. Plus, it's really pretty down here and we can get to beach in about 5 hours.

[mahina]

7. To the greatest page with you.

Happy to give Rec #5

Thanks for sharing about your state. I might be inspired to do the same.

[liberalmike27]

12. I had to change the word I initally used to

FRAKING HOT.

Seriously, if you've not been here on a 100 degree day, you've not lived. I know there are hotter places, with dryer heat though.

[yurbud]

8. after visiting the South, I realized why folks talk so slow down there

if you talked at a Northern pace, the humidity would give you heat stroke.

[ohheckyeah]

13. I have a theory on why we talk

so slow - we were born with slow ears.

Seriously, when someone talks fast I get lost.

It wasn't until I left the small town in Virginia where I grew up that I realized the word dog was one syllable.

I love the geography of where I live and I like the slower pace but the religious zealots and right wingers drive me to distraction sometimes. It's good I live out in the boonies and don't have to deal with a lot of people if I don't want to.

We had a party for my parents anniversary on Saturday and it got turned into a church meeting. *sigh* All I can do is bite my tongue sometimes. I pick my battles.

[yurbud]

16. I grew up in Oregon, which is supposedly one of the least religious states, but...

You still see churches everywhere and run into fundamentalists on a regular basis.

I can't imagine how their could be a higher density in the South, but I'm sure it's true.

[mahina]

9. Inspired by you,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1047357

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Every region has a certain share of knuckledraggers.

Here in "liberal" Minnesota we have people who keep re-electing the execrable and deranged Michele Bachmann. We have plenty of people who, except for their accents, are indistinguishable from the worst stereotype of the southern racist hillbilly. Remember the '08 campaign where the goofy-looking woman at the McCain rally started raving about Obama being an "Arab" and McCain corrected her? That wasn't in Alabama or Mississippi, but in Lakeville, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul. The difference is only that there seem to be more of these people in the South, with the result that they can elect more like-minded politicians.

One thing I do find a little odd and unsettling about the South (aside from sweet tea, yuk) is the propensity for people you just met to ask you what church you go to. Here, that would be considered rude and nosy.

[Aerows]

20. I've lived in the South all of my life

I'm a liberal. I have my own views of the South. Please ask me, or read my posts. Don't speak for all of us, because we aren't homogenized any more than any other region.

The southern demographic is just as complex as the northern demographic, though there are things you can trend easily politically.

Oh, and I'm not a "rabid" gun owner, nor do I think any gun owner is rabid. Owning a gun is a choice, and I choose to own one. I don't hate northerners, and in some instances, particularly with their stances on gay marriage, I envy those in such states since I am a lesbian.

Yes, it is hot as hell down here for 9 out of 12 months. I'd praise God for air conditioning, but I believe in science and I'm a pragmatic agnostic.

I don't have an accent unless I'm speaking with people that have an accent, and it varies from Cajun to hickish to midwestern. It's called mirroring the person you are speaking with to get a grasp of their diction and attitudes, and aids communication - just as learning foreign languages will illustrate.

What you eat doesn't matter. When you insult Southern dishes by calling them a cutesy name, and make them seem childish, you can assume Southerners are going to get insulted because it belittles our cuisine and a cultural dish.

When you miss the point on one item, it's a misunderstanding. When you miss the point repeatedly as a whole, then you are Mitt Romney.