# Why don't people like the south? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010 "2017-11-18T18:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/101 "2017-11-20T01:21:21Z")
> [@](#): > > If northerners don’t realize that the southern people know they are being made fun of for being southern, all I can tell them is bless your heart. And I’ve lived in the south my entire life and have most certainly seen and heard plenty or northerners made fun of. It goes both ways. And southerners do call themselves “Southerners” - they definitely distinguish between themselves and damn Yankees. Though I don’t see as much now as in the '80s and early '90, I also don’t socialize with the same people anymore. I’m unaware of anyone ever saying racism is exclusive to the south (though undoubtedly, someone out there has been stupid enough to say it). But the south is where it was codified into law and businesses had to be segregated even if they didn’t want to. And where anti-miscegenation laws were last overturned, and that was only by Supreme Court, not will of the people. Look the most recent times a third party has taken states in the Electoral College - pro-segregation candidates taking southern states. 1948, 1960, and 1968. Hell, last year was visiting with family and they said how they were A-Okay with explicitly racist remarks by elected official and laughed and enjoyed reading the old wills of ancestors bequeathing slaves. Never hear that at work, but get with a “safe” group and I hear it (unfortunately, the one I’m most commonly around - once a year or so - is relatives that I don’t see often, but knew when I was \<10 and they just think I must think how they do, I guess). And it’s not just racism, as far as discrimination goes. Look at polls on same-sex marriage. [Here’s one](http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/alabama_ranks_last_in_nation_i.html), and looks who’s most opposed. And other science things influenced by Bible when they shouldn’t be - [Dixie](https://evolution-outreach.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12052-017-0066-2) does poorly on teaching evolution, though certainly not the only area that does. Saw a poll on percentage believing in “created in current form” (not consistent with what scientists in the field say) and the only state with \>40% polled that believed it and wasn’t part of Confederacy - West Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/102 "2017-11-20T01:30:18Z")
> [@Mr.Goob](#): > > I went to boot camp in Florida. AFAIK the US military has nothing like a boot camp in Florida. Were you like a troubled teen or a Scientology recruit? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/103 "2017-11-20T01:38:29Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > AFAIK the US military has nothing like a boot camp in Florida. Were you like a troubled teen or a Scientology recruit? The Navy had a boot camp in Florida for decades definitely in through the 80s ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/104 "2017-11-20T01:44:31Z")
> [@Tzigone](#): > > I’m unaware of anyone ever saying racism is exclusive to the south (though undoubtedly, someone out there has been stupid enough to say it). But the south is where it was codified into law and businesses had to be segregated even if they didn’t want to. Yes, and the South also gave us Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. The equivocation between the South with white supremacists is itself a byproduct of white supremacy, which discounts the contributions of black Southerners as though they’re irrelevant or other. I am not saying you’re a white supremacist, obviously–but please be careful the way you talk about the South, please be sure you’re including all southerners, not just racist white southerners, in your judgment. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/105 "2017-11-20T02:38:32Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Whereas Kansas is a Mecca of culture and education, not to mention a model of good governance. If you were paying any kind of attention, you may have noticed that I didn’t by barge in here hollering (or start a thread titled)“Why does everybody hate Kansas???” Not a big fan, myself. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/106 "2017-11-20T03:03:42Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > AFAIK the US military has nothing like a boot camp in Florida. Were you like a troubled teen or a Scientology recruit? > [@What\_Exit](#): > > The Navy had a boot camp in Florida for decades definitely in through the 80s Here’s a relevant link. [Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Training_Center_Orlando#United_States_Navy) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/107 "2017-11-20T05:31:56Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > . If we have to claim Robert E. Lee, we also have to claim Harriet Tubman. Does Maryland really count as the south, though? It’s never really felt southern to me. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/108 "2017-11-20T07:25:18Z")
It’s supposed to be in the 30s-40s this week – and we saw some snowflakes today!!! > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What do you mean by real moonshine? Like the kind that might make you go blind, and comes without any labeling? > > Every decent liquor store in the non-south will have “moonshine,” (the fancy term is “corn whiskey”), though you might not count it. The stuff you get in the store doesn’t count. But you can get actual moonshine in the non-south as well. People make it all over the country. My cousin’s father in law knows a guy and they get it from there. (The one time I had it, you’d have sworn you were drinking Kool-Aid, there was absolutely no alcohol taste whatsoever) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/109 "2017-11-20T07:37:32Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > It’s supposed to be in the 30s-40s this week – and we saw some snowflakes today!!! > > The stuff you get in the store doesn’t count. But you can get actual moonshine in the non-south as well. People make it all over the country. My cousin’s father in law knows a guy and they get it from there. (The one time I had it, you’d have sworn you were drinking Kool-Aid, there was absolutely no alcohol taste whatsoever) Lots of people make stuff that’s also not technically moonshine but close. My dad had a bottle of rotgut grappa that some relative or another made. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/110 "2017-11-20T11:49:34Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Does Maryland really count as the south, though? It’s never really felt southern to me. Fair quibble. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/111 "2017-11-20T12:39:25Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yes, and the South also gave us Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. Well, we kinda HAD TO, didn’t we? It’s not like the heroes of the southern civil rights activism were going to come out of Vermont. Also, not sure we deserve credit for creating the heroes of the uprising against the very civil rights abuses that we created in the first place. (Yes, racism existed outside the south, duh, but it was/is uniquely woven in the sociopolitical and legal fabric of the South. There’s a non-trivial population of Southerners who would cheerfully return to Jim Crow if given the opportunity. I know Northerners who apparently moved to the South for the warm winters and racism). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/112 "2017-11-20T13:18:55Z")
I can’t say I dislike everything. Fried chicken, for example. Politeness, always saying “sir” and “ma’am”, and “Don’t call me _Mister_ Jones, that’s my daddy!” We owe a lot of our music to the south, the blues is not only a great genre in its own but it gave birth to rock. Not to say I’m a fan of the south, here’s my dislikes: 1. Right wing politics. There are a ton of single-issue (mostly abortion) voters down there, Republicans exploit the hell out of them in their continuing efforts to make sure that millionaires stop paying taxes. 2. Weather. I hate heat, I hate summer, I hate humidity, I hate bugs. Down there, they never end. 3. The SEC. They think they’re all that, but they benefit from having the pollsters in their back pocket plus their penchant for playing cupcake schedules. 4. Militarism and hyper-patriotism. The south seems disproportionately represented in the military, and there seems to be more soldier worship and thirst for war down there. 5. Evangelical Christians. They just seem to be more in your face down there and a lot more involved in politics than they should be. Which wouldn’t be nearly so loathsome if they weren’t backing guys like Moore and that sexual predator in the White House. 6. Red state mooching. They take in more from the feds than they pay for, yet are the first to call for downsizing the government so that “those other people” aren’t getting the help they need. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/113 "2017-11-20T13:20:52Z")
Well, I think southerners are the most warm, kindly, friendly people on earth, much nicer than everyone else. Or so the professional southerners tell us\*, with such insistence that it seems almost hazardous to believe anything else. \*sort of like professional Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/114 "2017-11-20T13:28:37Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Also, not sure we deserve credit for creating the heroes of the uprising against the very civil rights abuses that we created in the first place. Who’s “we”? Are you telling me that black Southerners can’t feel pride in Rosa Parks, that the local NAACP chapters and CORE and SCLC folks don’t get to take credit for one of the most successful nonviolent social movements in the history of our species? Or are you saying sure, but they’re not real Southerners? Or are you saying that credit or blame for individuals should be apportioned along racial lines? Or are you saying something else? From a mile away, what you’re saying looks reasonable; but when you zoom in, I think it betrays exactly the sort of unpleasant assumptions that plague so much analysis of our country, assumptions rooted in a white supremacist narrative. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/115 "2017-11-20T15:12:08Z")
can we please just “agree to disagree” about this? Every region of this country has some appeal to _someone,_ and this repetitive self-congratulatory “I’m awesome simply because of the patch of dirt I happen to exist on right now” is getting really tiring. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/116 "2017-11-20T15:16:02Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Who’s “we”? Are you telling me that black Southerners can’t feel pride in Rosa Parks, that the local NAACP chapters and CORE and SCLC folks don’t get to take credit for one of the most successful nonviolent social movements in the history of our species? Or are you saying sure, but they’re not real Southerners? Or are you saying that credit or blame for individuals should be apportioned along racial lines? Or are you saying something else? You’ve misrepresented everything I said and shifted the goalposts so fast that there’s nothing stationary to rebut. I don’t care to engage this kind of bad faith. > [@](#): > > From a mile away, what you’re saying looks reasonable; but when you zoom in, I think it betrays exactly the sort of unpleasant assumptions that plague so much analysis of our country, assumptions rooted in a white supremacist narrative. It’s your mind; you can stuff it with whatever incorrect thoughts you care to invent. I leave you to it. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/117 "2017-11-20T16:39:37Z")
Politics aside, I kind of like living in a part of the country where the mosquitos, ticks, and other biting critters have to take a three or four month Time Out. Also, I find snapping turtles sufficiently horrific, so I’d rather not live in a place where actual prehistoric lizards could be lurking in the ponds and creeping around the golf courses. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/118 "2017-11-20T16:41:31Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > You’ve misrepresented everything I said and shifted the goalposts so fast that there’s nothing stationary to rebut. I don’t care to engage this kind of bad faith. There’s nothing bad faith about it, but if you’re done, you’re done. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/119 "2017-11-20T16:53:31Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Does Maryland really count as the south, though? It’s never really felt southern to me. When my family moved to Maryland from Upstate NY in 1972, it certainly felt very Southern. Plus, it’s South of the Mason-Dixon line. I have a feeling that the character of the state may have changed over the past 40 years more than the states of the “Deep South.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010/120 "2017-11-20T17:43:05Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > … > so I’d rather not live in a place where actual prehistoric lizards could be lurking in the ponds and creeping around the golf courses. To each his own. As between prehistoric lizards & frozen white stuff, I know which one keeps me off the golf course in January and which one doesn’t. 😃 My motto: Never live someplace you can’t survive 24 hours outdoors naked. That’s the simple litmus test for “compatible human habitat”.🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-like-the-south/802010.md?page=7)