lol! 
Principal, not principle, although you could have a principled complaint.
Well, for one thing, people in Rockville don’t spend time trying to convince others that they are not “part of the South” as part of the present culture.
Well, bully for them. I tend to argue against things that I think are wrong.
Show me one single fucking place where I have said there is.
Southerners are very welcoming people.
Why, when I drove from (south-western) VA into Tennessee, I took advantage of the first rest station, maybe a mile or so into the state to take a leak.
Like in men’s rooms everywhere, I was greeted by graffiti above the urinal. I was only there in the state but a minute or so before I was greeted warmly: " Welcome to Tennessee, courtesy of KKK". Wonderful!
I have never encountered such polite folks as Southerners, they can really make a stranger or visitor feel welcome!
:smack:
OK. Has there ever been a case where you did just that and then came to realize that maybe the issue is not as cut and dried as you thought initially?
That was not intended as a backhanded implication. I was trying to suss out the OP’s definition of Southern, and point out that if, indeed, that negative schtick is his definition, then we don’t fit it. Later you’ll notice I made the same assertion about Atlanta’s suburbs.
This whole argument really got off base because we are arguing different definitions of “South.”
Yes, but this isn’t one of them.
You are convinced beyond doubt both that your OP is crystal clear on what your definition of “part of the South” is, and that no other variation is acceptable by anyone, be it your roommate or anyone here?
No, but that’s not what I said. I never thought this issue was all that simple, and . . . you know what, fuck it. Nothing I say is getting through anyway. Can we please, please, just end this hijack?
Oh, I think the only thing we’ve proved in this thread is that it is, actually.
I’m not sure it’s a hijack.
Sure, I was just wondering when you said you tend to argue against things you think are wrong, which we all do, if you ever came to a compromise in such a situation and agreed to disagree.
Not sure why you are so hung up on it unless you are really emotionally invested in being able to mock your roommate at every opportunity. Why not simply say “Oh, yeah, it looks like there are some other ways to think about it I hadn’t considered” and strike that from the list in the OP as being not-so-clear-cut as you thought at the time?
Actually, I really do enjoy that. And in what way am I hung up about this?
Forgive me if I don’t find the arguments of people who have never lived there particularly convincing.
Well, hallelujah! Can you apply this your statements in this thread?
If this is true, it’s probably because there’s less of a dispute regarding the non-Southernness of Rockville’s character. But I suspect it’s not true. There is an ongoing question regarding whether Maryland should still be considered Southern.
No, because my argument, unlike yours, is not statistical. It’s perceptive. My perception is that this place doesn’t feel Southern in character. That’s not a statistical argument.
See the defensiveness. I haven’t said one word about the merits of the South. I’ve even admitted to partaking of stereotypically Southern foods.
Again, not one person has tried to “change history” or to physically move a location.
No, it’s the mere statement of fact that current conditions can be different from history.
If history has tides that means things change. Paris is not culturally Neanderthal any more. The Northeastern United States are not Algonquian in character. Dublin is not a Norse city. Iran is not a Zoroastrian country. Kabul is not a Greek city. Manchuria is not ruled by Mongols. These are not denials of history. They are observations about current conditions.
Well, actually, it is true that people from Southern VT are not true Vermonters; they’re all flatlanders from MA and CT anyways, moving up here with their money and fancy cars. They don’t know how to put in a day’s hard labor, by geezum!
I think the moral of this all is that we often try to distance ourselves from the ‘wrong’ sorts of people by claiming that they are not any relation whatsoever when in fact they read at our son’s bar mitzvah.
Seriously, this is like Christians claiming that anyone who does something awful is not a ‘true’ Christian.
You can’t disavow who you are or where you are just because you don’t want to be a part of it. People from Southern VT are just as much a part of the state as those from the Northern part (and certainly don’t all fit the stereotype), just as VA classifies as a Southern state, despite the protestations of some folks from Northern VA who like to poo-poo The South as some general backwater.
Ah, you’ve found me out; I secretly drive down to Nashville and drop poison in the water supply to kill Southerners. Damn, do I hate them and everything they stand for. :rolleyes:
Actually, it’s more like a Jew saying he’s not a Christian. Sure, the two religions have a lot in common, and were essentially the same a long time ago, and there’s nothing bad about Christianity from his perspective, but just the same, he’s not a Christian.
Any such argument can be done better with statistics. Find a poll showing how other local residents feel about the area.
You do it. It’s not important to me what everyone’s views are on this matter.
I see. You wanted to insult the South just as a way to determine what the OP meant. I understand that.
So I’m safe in saying that you’re ignorant, ugly, and yo’ momma dresses you funny. Just to see if that’s also how the OP views you. Right?
I can’t decide if you’re intentionally obtuse or just slow.
Bless your heart.