North/South Divides

Had a great mate from Kentucky years and years ago. Funny thing is, he could'nt understand a word I said when I spoke and I could'nt understand a word he said either. He grew up in the mountains and he was without a doubt one of the funniest guys I ever met and a real class act to boot.... and he HATED chicken!

 There ya go .Ta for  [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]Celtic  

Well to tell you the truth, I've always been a proud Midwesterner...I know, I know a lot of people think that all we have are cornfields (bad misconception).  Anyways, I never really thought to much about the North/South thing except that we always called my mom's relatives Southerners, even though they're only from Indiana, guess it had to do with the little bit of twang they have in their accent.

Well the whole North/South issue was really brought to my attention a couple of years ago when my oldest brother lived in North Carolina for a year.  Very nice people, nice weather, etc., but couldn't believe that they told us flat out that anyone from the North was openly referred to as a "Damn Yankee."  Excuse me? :-/  Anyways, I noticed a lot of differences in vocabulary and habits between the North and the South.  Well of course there's always the accent thing, I sound like a Canadian and they sound...well Southern.  They do have different foods, but that's not a bad thing.  But the thing that gets me is the way some (and I did say some, not all) Southern women act.

The Southern woman phenomenom has been hammered into me this year after having a roommate from Louisiana.  Good Lord!  They can be so prissy (so can Northern women...please don't beat me up).  But her sister and mom came to visit for a week, and let me tell you...High Maintenance!  Not only do looks seem to be a TON more important to Southern women that I've encountered, but they feel they can comment openly on other women's appearances.  Maybe it was just the way I was raised but I would never say "well we wear the same size, but I definately carry my weight a lot better than you do."  Yikes!

Also, they feel they need to play up the accent thing when they're in the North.  Yes, they think their accent is much superior to a plain Northern one.  For instance, we were watching Average Joe and one guy is from Boston, and my roomie Tara has to comment on his accent every two seconds.  Ok, I get it...you don't like a Boston accent, but did you ever stop to think that a Louisiana accent can be grating on the ears to some people as well?  I'm not saying I dislike hers, but it's this notion she has that everyone just loves the Southern accent and are charmed by her voice...um, no.  Stupid comments are never attractive, no matter what accent they're said in (sorry little roommate annoyance vent there, completely off-topic).

My roomie also has very high expectancies for men.  They HAVE to, not should, open doors, always bring gifts, pull out your chair, etc.  I mean those are all nice things, but I feel like a child when my fiance does such things as those for me, I can really handle pulling out my own chair. When visiting N.C. to see my brother, I felt very awkward and out of place, like I should be more gentile and subdued because I am a woman.  There is still that notion of being a "lady" or a Southern Belle, if you will.

Like I said, these are only with some Southerners I've met, and some of the same attitudes can be seen in Northern people as well.  Some people say we're aggressive, but I don't really see that so much in the Midwest.  I must say that Southerners do have that charm thing down though...hehehe.  No, but I really do like people from the South, honest!

I too never really took much notice about the north/south issues in the US until I visited the south. I was really quite surprised that most seemed bitter still (and also, at least once, would bring up the civil war)!  :-/ To be fair, I never give the civil war a second thought! I have a co-worker from Texas and he's even mentioned it on a few occasions. I think if a northerner mentions the war to another northerner, they'd think you lost your marbles! It's over!  

As for the UK north/south divide, I only hear the argument from the hubby that the north isn't even really the north..."there's a whole lot of land above 'the north' in case no one's noticed!" (Husband's from Aberdeen!   )

As for the UK north/south divide, I only hear the argument from the hubby that the north isn't even really the north..."there's a whole lot of land above 'the north' in case no one's noticed!" (Husband's from Aberdeen!   )

Hey Lynne, my hubby is from Aberdeen too!  We should swap Aberdeen stories sometime.  (Or maybe they should, I guess.)  

I felt the North/South divide strongly when I moved from Oceanside California to Nashville Tennessee when I was 16...talk about a culture shock!  

The south is a very special place and I feel more southern than I do anything else because I did most of my growing up in Texas.  But I think the differences can be misunderstood in the same way when I tell my family back home about not having a proper tumble drier here....it *sounds* backwards and antiquated to them, but it really isn't.  It's just a different way of life.  I think it's similar with north/south US...it's just different and once you understand why people do and say and act the way they do, it makes sense.  At least, that's the way I feel about it.  

Hey Lynne, my hubby is from Aberdeen too!  We should swap Aberdeen stories sometime.  (Or maybe they should, I guess.)  

LOL! Must be something in the water. We're heading up at the end of March for a wedding of old friend to yet another American lass!  

It's lovely up there but far too cold for me!  

hmmn really?... I hear a fair amount about the So-Cal v No-Cal rivalry!    

California is a world all it's own!  

Perhaps this is just me, but there are a couple of states I always put outside the general boundaries. California being one, where it is the west but it has more of it's own identity as California. Texas is another one. I wouldn't say Texas is the south, I'd say it's Texas!  

Texas is another one. I wouldn't say Texas is the south, I'd say it's Texas!  

Yep...we're our own country.

Louisiana girl here....had to chime in.  I have to admit that what Krissybelle said rings true for me. My mother was telling me to act like a lady when I was 2 years old. And my Englishman learned real quick about southern manners.  I like yankees & I HATE rednecks but I do love proper southerners and all that implies. I'm fairly high maintenence but I bait my own hook when I go fishing and I can shoot straight too!
I don't think the south hates the north in the US at all, it's all in jest I think but here there seems to be quite a bit of animosity, esp. where Londoners are concerned.

I quite enjoyed "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"...an account of one incident in Charleston, South Carolina that painted a very colorful everyday life of this very southern town. The film version even had some of the (real) characters play themselves! Very explicit high maintenance...and charmingly so!

I am from Mississippi and agree with Krissybelle completely. Southern women are high maintenance and looks are extremely important. I can remember my mother telling me at a very young age: "I don't ever leave the house without my makeup on". I also agree that some southern accents can grate on the nerves. Sometimes it can be your own mother's   For example, since I have moved over here, I have spent more time than ever with my mother. I don't know why I haven't noticed it before, but she makes a lot of one syllable words at least two or three, i.e. "dawwwg". Even so, it's been nice to spend this time with her as I probably won't ever have the chance to do it again.

As far as the north/south thing, well the idiotic notion of "the south will rise again" is still prevalent around here. I don't understand it--just idiots me thinks.

The north/south thing in England? Don't understand that one yet. Hubby and I are moving back in a couple of weeks and are open to relocation--everytime we research a place "up north" that seems to meet our requirements perfectly, my husband goes, "yeah, but it's up north". Don't understand it yet.

Jenny

In England the North South divide is simple it historically stems from London ruling the roost.  I believe it to be true that at a time when America was going through the whole "taxation without representation" uprising most towns and cities up north of England had no representation either within London.  We just didn't make such a big fuss about it as them americans.  So it is really London that the folks joke about when saying "soft southerners" and "namby pamby's".

I really do think almost all of it is in fun nowadays and those of us up north know there are plenty of people down south who we would and do invite to lunch and call friends, it's just they like to pay £2 million for a house that would cost £100,000 up north (slight exageration   ).  And I think most Southerners know that not all us up north keep whippets and pidgeons wear flat caps and greet each other by saying "ecky thump" I say not all because that Jade Goody is a Southerner   .  

People are people there are good folk and bad folk many of which seam good and bad based only on your perspective of what is ok.  Where people live is no pointer to who they are (this is obviously not true about France   ).  Hey I even agreed to marry an American   how easy going am I.

 

Hey I even agreed to marry an American   how easy going am I.

  hehehe,you sound like my British hubby.You all should feel so lucky to be blessed by being married to such wonderful yanks   LOL

I said I agreed to marry I haven't actually done it yet   though a huge hurdle has been leapt this weekend so it is looking way more likely  

kinda got a warm fuzzy feeling in both my north and south region (in a bad way to keep it kinda on topic)

People are people there are good folk and bad folk many of which seam good and bad based only on your perspective of what is ok.  Where people live is no pointer to who they are (this is obviously not true about France   ).