Why do many people hate the South?

(emphasis mine)


First, the South is not the only part of the country where people have strong accents. Last time I checked, Boston, New York, and Chicago all had very distinct accents. Pretty much every region has its own unique accent. Characterizing the South's as "weird" is unfair, I think. Plus, within the south, the southern accent varies greatly across different areas.


Second, according to data from the 2010 U.S. Census, the states with the highest percentage of their population in rural areas is:

1. Vermont
2. Wyoming
3. Maine
4. Montana
5. Mississippi

As you can see, only one of those is a southern state, while two are actually from the northeast!


Third, although you prefaced your post by saying you hated the South and not its people, your fifth and sixth lines seem to be an indictment of southerners.


And finally, we do speak English in America.

 

Southern accents are harder to understand.
And there may be more rural population, but there are also large cities (and also, by North, I meant Northeast, once it goes west of Texas, it could be either way).
And American English is not English.

 

Personal anecdotes are not the same as empirical evidence and studies, and do not carry the same weight as the latter. Following the decision in Shelby County, Alabama v Holder that gutted parts of the Voting Rights Act that has yet to be restored, a study came to light that showed that the state's more likely to be affected by the VRA (ergo, the Southern States) tend to have more citizens that have prejudicial tendencies.

This Study Said the South Is More Racist Than the North | Mother Jones

This goes without saying that while the North also has people who have racist tendencies, and systematic racism via gentrification and the criminal justice system, the South has all of these same problems at a much higher rate.

And to LesbianThrasher, it is easier for people who have a more positive view of one part of the country than another part to look past incidents which put your favored community in a negative light. It may also be the case that, you yourself may not be a victim of racism, which may explain why you yourself may have not thought to yourself that you haven't seen any racism. That's why we have to look at empirical numbers to judge for ourselves.

 

That is your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it. Though, I don't believe that's cause for labeling the accent as "weird". But that's just me.

Incidentally, neither Vermont nor Maine have a city of over 100,000 people. I didn't even realize that until I just looked it up. And another interesting statistic (this one surprised me): Virginia has more cities with 100,000+ people than New York (7/5). Of course, one of New York's cities is NYC, so there's that. But still, interesting nonetheless!

I'm not really sure what to say to the last sentence. I mean, English is a global language with a lot of dialects, including American English. American English is not British English, no. But then again neither is Canadian English or Australian English. But those countries (and many others) still speak English.

 

There are beautiful places in the South, but you have to know your geography. Investigate the Research Triangle Area. We're all hipsters, here. In some parts of the area, it's easier to find a niche organic grocer than it is to find a box store.

As for the "hate" you see against the South, there isn't really much of it. However, there are forum trolls who realize that some Southerners are highly sensitive, and they know they can create an upstir by trotting out certain catchphrases that are designed to upset you and ignite your ire. It's not about their views, but these trolls are immoral people who like causing mayhem. They are actually evil. Report them, report them more, report them again, and move on.

 

I live in the south (Texas) and Yes we have our problems but so does the north.

Majority of us have better manners.
(to everyone who says we are racist) I have never experienced racism here EVER and its also very diverse here.
Its very beautiful in my opinion.
Has a lot of history (good and bad)
We have sweet tea:icon_bigg
We have in my opinion awesome accents
We actually have a lot more cities/urban areas then you northerners think.
And who wants to shovel snow and be stuck in it all winter (not me)

 

I like some aspects of the South, and most of my family is from there, so I've seen the good and the bad... The good are the nature, the close families (sometimes), the good manners (usually), but the bad... well... they're pretty bad.

Racism and homophobia and other forms of bigotry are all over America, but the South has the biggest rap for it. I think probably because they seem to express their opinions much more easily... I heard the n word so often whenever I visited my family down there... *sigh*

And whenever I said, "Please don't use that word (n word), at least around me" they were offended like I was being uppity and better than them... And then they'd reference this, which was awkward... because they were white. (This was even one Thanksgiving conversation T.T)

[YOUTUBE]f3PJF0YE-x4[/YOUTUBE]

 

I would never travel to the South because I'm afraid I would be subjected to violence in the exact same way as if I were to travel to Iran. The only way I would travel to the South is if I had a death wish.

The cruelty of your political systems brings much sadness and anger to my heart.

 

I think people from other regions like to talk about how racist the South is so they don't have to talk about racist their own regions are. (I say that as someone who does not live there.)

 

" Hi, I'm Nathan Bedford Forest.

I founded what is known as the Ku Klux Klan.
Need I say more? "​

Boring stuff...​

Spoiler

The South has a problem with changing, unless that change is more of what is already the exact same. You know, build a third McDonald's in town, but fuck food for the homeless. Gotta be that ten feet closer to a Big Mac. If you come into this world, in the South, there is a tendency to just do as you are told:

"Because.", "God says so.", and my personal favorite "I'm an adult, that's different!", are some of the most common reasons for everything.

Why can't I get a tattoo?
Because.

Why can't I love somebody of the same sex?
God says so.

Why is it okay for you to take my clothes out, mid-wash, to put your's in?
I'm an adult, that's different.
Oooooh, that used to piss me off.

Religion is used to back everything, first and last. It is the opening assault and the final bastion. When you mix that with any of those qualities, well, you tend to get individuals like Mr. Forest.

The American Civil War aftershocks still have not settled. There may not be resentment at DEM DAMN YANKEES, but there is a sort of moral superiority. We're the Bible Belt, we are the Land of God, and his capital is in Dixie.

Religion is a marvelous tool. It has been the fuel for a wide variety of incidents and events, and it still influences many of our commonly agreed upon laws. The South was roughly treated during Reconstruction. And then you have the "freed" slaves who, honestly, wouldn't see real progress until 100 years later. Religion that had justified the way of life until the conclusion of the war, now instills a pride that says, we're tough sons and daughters of bitches, despite what happened to us.

"That's cute and all, Kaiser, but where are you going with this?"
I'm glad you asked!​

The American spirit has always been rebellious. It's what our nation teaches elementary students when it comes to the American Revolution, and how we resist what we believe to be unfair or unrighteous bodies. When the South broke off, it wasn't just about state rights, it was about doing what their forefathers had done before. Break off and represent the real America, which the North was straying from in Southern minds. After all, we had Southern grace and God on our side; we are the Bible Belt.

Southern culture expects and rewards insubordination, when it comes to the federal government. Like the Confederacy did centuries before, today's Southerners rebel in their own way, but not for the same reasons. When culture and religion mix, it is very hard to eliminate prejudices or traditions. They get woven in so tightly, they almost feel necessary, as ridiculous as that may sound. Most individuals I know are not what I'd call highly informed Christians, but they know the basics.

Why is this important? Because it goes back to that doing what you're told.

Many of these individuals I know say they believe in this or that, simply for the fact it's what has been told to them or is expected. They don't pursue their own journey of self-discovery, for whatever reason. In much the same way the South, especially the Deep South, doesn't want to experience this. Why not?

Well, we're comfortably ignorant. This is what we are told, know, and see in general. We don't like to let go of the past, because there is a feeling of losing our identity, even if our identity was a short-lived rebellion.

We aren't stubborn and sore because we lost a war, we're stubborn and sore because we lost and we're being reminded of it. Southern Pride is like a steel wall; ain't nothing getting through some folks.

That mentality fuels much of the South's politics, and it is one of the most significant reasons the North may have issues with us. We won't admit when we're in the wrong, and hate being told we are. To give an inch is to say, "Hey, you guys were right!".

No, if we're going to progress, we'll do it on our own. We just tend to have a terrible track record of progressing, unless pushed, which is unfortunate.

And Billy Ray Cyrus's mullet.
That was pretty bad, too, and totally worthy of hatred.​

 

I hate the south because in our history and in the current time they seem to be the cause of the problems especially the Carolinas. They are the ones pro slavery which was later removed and they got pissed and retaliated. Then they got pissed over segregation and the KKK was largely in the south. Not to mention when racism started to die down (not completely in the least though) they started to making their hate towards gays more noticeable. There hate towards other people is what makes me not like the south at all. I honestly believe I would get lynched down there if they found out I was gay. I would be terrified to live there since they are so intolerant. Although I have gone on vacation in the southern states before. It's not bad and it has some good travel spots. However, doesn't change the fact I am scared of the area.

 

I'm guessing some hate the South, because of it can be quite conservative in certain regards.

That being said, hating the South entirely based on the actions of some people makes no sense to me. Then you don't hate the South, you hate judgemental people in the South.

 

Not in New Orleans. There are several blocks of solid rainbow flags, and transvestites are all over the place and quite open about it. It is true chaos down there. It's great.

And Charleston, in spite of the shooting, is really a very tolerant and surprisingly hip city. Myrtle Beach is also a pretty laid-back part of South Carolina.

Atlanta, surprisingly enough, has some of the more upwardly mobile black folk in the country. It isn't the best place in the country to be black, but it's the most rapidly improving. Unfortunately, it's highly racially segregated.

But like I said, you have to know your geography. I am an NC native, and I know places in the state that I never want to see again. They are actually how Sodom and Gomorrah were described in the story from Genesis: people are so hostile toward their fellow man and cruel, in certain places, it's almost surreal. I also know it's not just in my state.

 

My friend, if you're unable to cope with "weird accents", I'd say the UK is the worst possible English-speaking country you could choose. Which of the very numerous and diverse UK accents do you consider true English, out of curiosity? I live in a not-very-cosmopolitan town on the south coast, but it is still unusual for two of my colleagues to have exactly the same accent.

They use metric in the much more linguistically-homogenous Canada. Just saying.

I've always thought the south looked very interesting. As a Canadian, it's always seemed the most "different" and therefore more compelling as a travel destination than the rest of the US. But, yes, the religious/puritanical bent that dominates much of its portrayal in the media freaks me out a little. I know much of it is exagerated, but it sounds like a lot of it is real, too. That's more of a frustration than "hate", though. It looks like an incredible, rich, and beautiful part of the US.

 

It's not so much an exaggeration as they are focusing on certain areas where there actually is squalor. If you drive through an area peppered with religious spam on the billboards and roadsigns everywhere warning you of hellfire, you know two things: 1) it actually does have the puritanical mindset, and 2) the homicide rate and the rate of substance abuse are through the roof. They are responding to real problems in the only way they know how.

The worse places in the South are really more of a tragedy than anything. Consider reading the works of Faulkner or some commentary on them. Some contain dated but very interesting social criticism of the region. He doesn't just tell you the evils of the South, but he goes into why.

 

Thanks for this. I admit that in the UK the wealth disparity is dramatically less than in the US, which might minimize this phenomenon, but you do still see elements of it here too in more deprived areas. A very good point.

I've added Faulkner to my list!

 

Sadly, I think Southern stereotypes come to people's mind when they think of 'murica. In some ways, they are more "true" to traditional American values, and make up a larger percent of the overall population than more prominent states or cities alone (NYC, CA).

I live in a more conservative part of my state, that has seen waves of Southerners settle, so it wouldn't be that big of a transition, but the weather, natural disasters, and wildlife could take getting used to (along with the religion, sexism, racism, homophobia, etc).

It's also nice being so close to the Pacific Ocean, and being surrounded by more liberal-minded areas, so you don't feel too choked off. Judging from some of the comments I've seen online about Americans who prefer scotch to bourbon, I might have to worry about getting into a few fights over something so stupid, too!

 

I moved to the south 3 years ago for school. I hated it at first because of the homophobic, racist, sexist pseudo-christianity. I quickly found out that the people who are like that are the loud minority. A lot of people here are really cool, but there is a respect for heritage so they are the silent majority. People aren't afraid to accept different ideals, but open support just isn't something they do here. The food is great, the people are nice but the few people with the money are stuck in the 1950's.

 

The south was on the side of the Civil War that wanted to keep slavery. I don't have anything against anyone personally for living in the south, but it has a history of racism, much more than in the north. If I went to the south, I would likely feel unsafe there because I am black.

 

I don't hate the South I just don't trust it. Why.
a) When I was a small kid growing up on the rust belt may older brothers friend hitched hike to Florida to visit his Grandmother. He was picked up by a Sheriff of some ~South Carolina county. When the 16-17 year old (from the North) asked why he got picked up and where he was going the Sheriff replied, ~"I'm giving you a ride to the country line. I don't want any damn Yankee blood spilled in my country tonight." I was only 5 or 6. Funny how you remember things like that.
b) To many intolerant religious people.
c) 95% of the Southern men I've met are super nice on the surface but are actually very mean in the core.

---------- Post added 28th Jun 2015 at 08:56 AM ----------

I like the reply by still me

---------- Post added 28th Jun 2015 at 09:01 AM ----------

I guess in summary. Past HATE