The North/South divide?

Malty Milk Whistle

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hello! i'm a southerner in England, and recently one of my best mates (from yorkshire) has had a bit of stick because she is friends with " a southern ponce" i'm from a middle class family, and i'm wondering....What is this divide? and what are you opinions on it? i think it may also reach to america, but with superiority feelings reversed?
 

Palademon

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I think I remember something about geography saying there's usually a divide on rich and poor with North and South in most countries.

I'm not actually sure what kind of point the insult "ponce" refers to.

I have talked to some Northerners, and I always find this divide that English Northerners say they speak the real English and may have a superiority complex, seems rather stupid considering the capital and the monarch is in the South.
 

Puddleknock

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The north/south divide really can be quite divisive, I've seen full blown arugments over it which is quite silly. Many people in England can't just be happy being proud of where they are from but have to denounce where other English people are from, it can be quite sad really.

Though I can often get away with being in the north as even though I have a southern accent I have a south west accent so I'm more likely to be laughed at than anything else (unless someone really hates farmers).
 

Malty Milk Whistle

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Palademon said:
I think I remember something about geography saying there's usually a divide on rich and poor with North and South in most countries.

I'm not actually sure what kind of point the insult "ponce" refers to.

I have talked to some Northerners, and I always find this divide that English Northerners say they speak the real English and may have a superiority complex, seems rather stupid considering the capital and the monarch is in the South.
heh, i think thats why it is :L but where are you from? and ive never heard anyone near me speak down about northeners, its strange :S
 

Melon Hunter

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May 18, 2009
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Basically, people in the South are richer, live longer, and speak proper English, in comparison to the North. *smug face*

Seriously, though, there is a large cultural and economic divide between North and South in England. The dividing line is generally agreed to go from the mouth of the River Severn in the West, to The Wash in the East. The South East of England is the most populous and affluent region of the UK, whereas the North East and North West are amongst the most deprived.

There are numerous cultural differences as well, such as the simplistic divide between accents in the North and South (for instance, 'bath' is pronounced with a short 'a' sound by Northerners, but with a long 'a' sound by Southerners, so it sounds like 'barth'). Really, the insult probably comes from the stereotypes we have of each other; Northerners think of Southerners as posh and soft, while they are hard-working and proud of it, whereas Southerners think of Northerners as uncultured and backward (if we're talking about insults, anyway).

My view of the divide is that I was born in the right part of Britain, and no-one's going to put me down because of it. However, being born on the South Coast probably skewed that opinion a bit, as I tend to think of anywhere north of Oxford as 'Northern', including the Midlands. It's a great way to annoy someone from Birmingham, at least, if you call them Northern.
 

ShindoL Shill

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Jul 11, 2011
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Palademon said:
I'm not actually sure what kind of point the insult "ponce" refers to.
i call my friends from Buckinghamshire ponces because down in southern england is where the Queen lives. and she's posh. dunno where the 'nce' came from.
 

GiglameshSoulEater

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We northerners speak proper english, not your 'baaarrrth' as you lot say.
I moved south though and the constant immersion of bad english is corrupting my accent.
 

Combustion Kevin

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the dutch watch from overseas.
we are amused.

we cry a little on the inside too, knowing we still have so many more ethnic groups to gripe at before we turn on ourselves. :(
 

damselgaming

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Puddleknock said:
The north/south divide really can be quite divisive, I've seen full blown arugments over it which is quite silly. Many people in England can't just be happy being proud of where they are from but have to denounce where other English people are from, it can be quite sad really.

Though I can often get away with being in the north as even though I have a southern accent I have a south west accent so I'm more likely to be laughed at than anything else (unless someone really hates farmers).
One of the better accents in my opinion!

The only thing 2 differences I have noticed since move 'north' (anything above Oxford according to the rest of my family) is the way they say (for example) "grass" etc and that it is actually noticeabley colder.
 

Trivun

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I'm kind of in the middle, being from a small town in the middle of the Black Country, near Birmingham, in the heart of the Midlands. However, I have been to London several times, I've been to the South a few times, and I've been to the North a few times. I also lived in Leeds (in the North) for three years while at university, and I have to say I want to live there permanently. It's much nicer than the Midlands (which is basically a scumhole full of dregs of society - yes there are some decent people here, I know some and count them as friends, but on the whole the place is just a rubbish tip. Especially Bilston and Tipton, and if you know those place names then I pity you, I really do...).

Overall, from my experience I've always found Norhterners to be a lot nicer and more friendly than Southerners. I met a really nice pair of girls yesterday, in fact, from Rotherham (near Sheffield), and when I was living in Leeds I was always struck by how friendly and welcoming the locals were. Easy to talk to, easy to have a drink with, great friendliness all around. Whereas I never get that vibe from anyone in the South, or from the Midlands. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I certainly prefer the North to the South. One of the reasons I want to go back and live there again... :p

Regarding the mentality of people in the South, by the way, anyone who thinks the South is better than the North 'just because', without any proper reasoning to back them up, or anyone who thinks they're better just because they're 'posh' (wherever they are from), I see as stuck up idiots who aren't worth listening to, regardless of their birthplace and hometown. I have my views on the divide from my own experience, but otherwise there's no reason to think either is better than the other. My guess as to why people in the South tend to think that (mainly the Southeast) is because of their proximity to Greater London, and thus the capital city, and thus the richest area in the country. Plus, most Tories come from there, and they tend to be stuck up twats anyway...
 

Simalacrum

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I moved from South to North (university), and to me it seems like the feeling of a divide is significantly stronger in the North than it is in the South; from my experience, the North feels like its been let down and ignored by Parliament who, according to them, focus on the South (and thus Norerners don't get as strong a say in government). While I lived in the South however people seemed blissfully unaware that there was a divide at all; people didn't really talk about the North, nobody really cared what went on up there.
 

DEAD34345

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Damn southerners...

Margaret Thatcher was your fault.

[sub](Now you have to imagine me shaking my fist angrily towards the south / a nearby southerner)[/sub]

That pretty much sums up this so called divide, or at least what I've experienced of it. Also it's very much a class division thing, since the south was a lot richer than the north (and I assume it still is). The generally poor working-class people of the north tended/tend to harbour resentment against the generally rich middle class people of the south.
 

Count Igor

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Palademon said:
I have talked to some Northerners, and I always find this divide that English Northerners say they speak the real English and may have a superiority complex, seems rather stupid considering the capital and the monarch is in the South.
Only 'cause she's afraid to leave the palace, what with all you Southerner around there all the time.

[sub][sub][loljokes][/sub][/sub]

Because they often sound funny. That's mainly all there is to it, don't worry. It's not often serious, more as a joke.
I mean, I don't think that I'm better than those plebs from the south. Just because they can't talk properly.
 

MetalBuddhist

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I'd say that the North/South thing tends to leave out us in the South-West, who just end up being the brunt of everyones jokes - but yeah, it's generally been a class division thing, as well as political differences (Labour tends to have greater support in the North, the Conservatives in the south)
 

John the Gamer

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Either one of these should suffice. One is the wealth divide of Britain.(no idea what that means) The other is the divide between the world's wealthy countries and it's poor ones.

 

Elementary - Dear Watson

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GiglameshSoulEater said:
We northerners speak proper english, not your 'baaarrrth' as you lot say.
I moved south though and the constant immersion of bad english is corrupting my accent.
Woah there northern monkey... It is we who speak properly, and act civil! Down in the south west, where the real ales are found, the scrumpy tastes as good as the cream teas, and the cyder flows like the River Plym. :p

In response to the topic though, I am surprised you hadn't heard all the banter being passed between the N and S! Its common place all over the country! I am in the military, and where you are from is the first thing people will banter you about! It sets the tone, and works as an easy ice breaker! Its even seen in British films (see lock stock and 2 smoking barrels for the Northern Monkeys/Southern Fairies quote.) But as I said, it is all banter, done in jest, and is just part of the British way of particularly cruel humour. You'd just better get used to it, because it won't, and shouldn't stop! It part of who we are!

Try it yourself, make fun of the northerners for anything you can! The fish and chips banter is always good for a laugh. Traditional chips in the south have salt and vinegar, where as up north they go for gravy (Or mushy peas in Yorkshire!) Try and be creative and hint at this! The amount of joke arguments about this I have had is astonishing, but always good for a giggle...!

Happy bantering... And don't let the side down!
 

Andalusa

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I've experienced long stretches of living in both the north and the south of the country, at the moment I live in North Yorkshire.
In the south it's just easier to get to and is closer to a lot of things. For example, when I want to go to a gig, the closest place is Leeds (40 miles away) sometimes the band I like won't play there on a tour and instead I'd have to go to Newcastle (70 miles) or Manchester (86 miles). Dahn saaf, things are much closer together.
But, living in the north, the city I live in, it's close enough to some semi decent entertainment places, but it's never more than a 10 minute walk from lovely green countryside. It's not too noisy, it's a relaxing place to be.
Both places have their pros and cons. But at the point I am in life, I'd much prefer to live in the south again. Maybe when I'm 70 and I want peace and quiet I'll move back up to Yorkshire.
 

The_Tron

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This "debate" has arguably been one of the origins of modern racism. Long ago people would believe that since they lived in harsher climates (Northern Europe) that they were "better people" and that those living in the South were lazy (at the time it was referring to people closer to the Mediterranean) because the climate was generally nicer year round. Don't take it seriously as this was still when people still believed that if something was wrong with you the best way to "cure" you was a metal shard to the skull.
 

thiosk

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well, the southern part of the UK is well known for their slavery practices-- the chavs are bought and sold and put to work loitering on street corners and roughing people up. The northerners for their puritanical religious beliefs and for a penchant for tulip-eating.

Its on the verge of civil war.

My heart goes out to my UK brothers.
 

Palademon

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Malty Milk Whistle said:
Palademon said:
I think I remember something about geography saying there's usually a divide on rich and poor with North and South in most countries.

I'm not actually sure what kind of point the insult "ponce" refers to.

I have talked to some Northerners, and I always find this divide that English Northerners say they speak the real English and may have a superiority complex, seems rather stupid considering the capital and the monarch is in the South.
heh, i think thats why it is :L but where are you from? and ive never heard anyone near me speak down about northeners, its strange :S
I'm in the south east of England.
I don't speak down to northerners, and my post meant to imply them spekaing down to southerners.

Count Igor said:
Only 'cause she's afraid to leave the palace, what with all you Southerner around there all the time.

[sub][sub][loljokes][/sub][/sub]

Because they often sound funny. That's mainly all there is to it, don't worry. It's not often serious, more as a joke.
I mean, I don't think that I'm better than those plebs from the south. Just because they can't talk properly.
Well I think Notherners sound a bit American. And I only think Southern accents sound funny when Americans try to emulate it. Although I could understand some annoyance associated with pronouncing words as if there's silent 'r's in them.