The South: Cut us some slack, people.

[Zantos]

And there I thought this was going to be about those shandy drinking, hoity toity, wait a minute I'm getting ahead of myself here.

I've always gone for the attitude of anyone who's worth talking to is a sensible reasonable person, who only refers to stereotypes in jest. That can be quite fun, we have a bit of friendly banter while appreciating it isn't actually true. If you encounter someone who does believe it's all true for everyone, there's no shame in excusing yourself and just walking the fuck away.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

As a Minority New Yorker, I will have to say that I don't think it's the south in General.

When I was traveling in my own state, the smaller the towns became, the more I got looked at. The same type of people the OP spoke of lives about a hour north of me. Not that many people realize that. Country music (the galvanizing sound of Hillbillies and Rednecks the world wide according to 'experts') and rock and roll are the only things on the stations 30 miles north of me, and I live in a suburb of New York City (as the rich people claim it to be).

I think what really happens is the same for all peoples in the world. People congregate with 'their people' The most 'racially diverse' city in the world proves that. There's a reason there are Chinatowns and Little Italies and Spanish Harlems. Given choice, people want to be with similar customs for the feeling of support and kinship. From there, pride is born and... as we all know, Pride becomes before the fall.

Ignorance or outright blasting others that they don't have any way of knowing about or choosing the path of outright ignorance because just as hereditary as facial features. If you're a child, and you hear 'those people aren't like us', you start to wonder what's wrong with them. Obviously, we are good, and something is off if you're not us. That's easier to breed in small towns. Because like it or not, in New York City you will have to travel where the other races, cultures, and creeds are. You can't live in one section of it. But smalltown usa? Mostly self-sufficient and have no need for anything that's not in a 3 mile radius? Those beliefs can easily become reality.

Now, why did I say this? People consider the south to be rural, aka those smalltowns that don't have a need for anything beyond that arbitrary radius. Hell, we even know racists live in New York city. We deal with them all the time. But we have a support system here that if we DO find the idiot who says it, we can get the cops on him.

Smalltown Usa? Where everyone for a ten, twenty, or thirty minute drive expressly is not like me and probably has the same ideas as this guy who just insulted me? Yeah, I'd feel pretty much screwed and will just want to get into my car and book it.

 

[Realitycrash]

So can we just cut the stupid shit and drop the stereotypes? That would make me feel a lot less like a dick. Why? Because I won't have to correct every single person who thinks I have sex with cows every saturday before killing them with nothing but a rake, a straw hat, and a screwdriver.

Most people use stereotypes for humor. If you seriously find someone that believe that just because you live in a southern state you have sex with cows, and that southern states don't have roads, you'll be talking with a moron, and this person won't be swayed by rational arguments, nor will this person be likely to hang out at the escapist.
So your cry for fair treatment might be better aimed...Somewhere else.

Then again, I live in Sweden, and I am fully aware that there are plenty of morons out with stereotypical thoughts about my country (I won't repeat them, and you know what I am talking about), yet I just find this rather amusing, not upsetting. Why be alarmed?

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Aaw, I came into this thread ready to hurl lighthearted abuse at posh southern fairies, like a good northern monkey. Thread's not British though.

OT: These problems exist everywhere OP, don't worry about it. I had a friend of mine ask me once (genuinely) if we had many computers in the north of England. Mind you this same person also thought Cumbria was in Scotland, so...

 

[Darkasassin96]

why do people most people on here say things like,"Dont believe in sterotypes theyre not true, unless theyre about alabama because theyre all true."

Maybe its just me but im probable as far from redneck as you can get and I live in alabama. Yes I do go hunting from time to time, but I hate football, and i dont live in a cabin or a mobile home. I'm not saying that there arent hicks in teh country but theyre not all in my state, in fact ive never met one. Although thats probably not saying much as im not actively seekign them. But seriously the only stereotypes that are true is that asians are super intellegent, and thats only because it will bring shame unto there family otherwise.

 

[krazykidd]

Well all i know is , i was asked if i wanted to go to texas for a trip , and i refused because i'm black and i hear texans are racist . That and they hate interacial couples , so thats two strikes against me . I don't feel like going there and testing if it's true or not thank you very much.

 

[Terminate421]

I'm in Georgia, we are not racist. And we have a badass state.

 

[Patrick Buck]

Gotta say, Coming from Britain, we think All Americans are like that.

Just kidding.
But I would have thought most people would be smart enough to realise that's a steriotype, and not ACTUALLY true?
Oh dear.....

 

[Techno Squidgy]

On a pretty much entirely unrelated note, I think the confederate flag should replace the stars and stripes purely on the grounds that it looks better.

OT: Over here in the U.K. we're repeatedly given the impression that Americans are morons. Because goddamn, you're vocal minorities are very stupid and very vocal. Fortunately I've met a handful of very nice, rather intelligent Yanks. Not quite sure what your beef with Canada is though.

 

[nklshaz]

I feel your pain. I live in Iowa, and a rather alarming amount of people assume I'm a corn farmer or something along those lines when they first meet me. This wouldn't be too bad, if it weren't for two things; First off, I'm only 15, so I honestly doubt I'd be running a farm. Secondly, I don't even like corn.

We all have our little stereotypes to bear. Most people just use them for humor though, and anybody who legitimately does believe them certainly has no right to be judging someone else's intelligence.

 

[lord canti]

Well being from Kentucky when ever I go out of state people automatically assume that I'm some dumb cow farmer. So yeah I feel your pain pal.

 

[verdant monkai]

Here have a nice slice of slack pie. I live in Wales (a country in Britain) where we are often accused of having sex with sheep. So chill bro we both know we dont screw livestock, and who cares if they stereotype us as yokels, that's due to their ignorance. Dont let it stress you out.

 

[BOOM headshot65]

snip

People on the interwebs bashing someone else based on a sterotype?

Everywhere has a stereotype that people like to base thier opinions off of. We here in the midwest are all thought to be in cahoots with Westboro, as well as being a bunch of old, poor dirt farmers who have an IQ of less than 70, and have a fighting streak a mile wide (actually, that last one is true).

And I will admit that whenever you try to tell me about California or the west coast in general, I think: A bunch of lazy, drug smoking hippies who sit on thier lazy butts waiting for the government to give them money so they can keep sitting on thier butts smoking weed, who dont know the value of a dollar or a hard days work.

Of course that is not true(OR IS IT?!).

People make stereotypes about others for no reason, then try to pass them off as fact. It always happen, and it always will.

 

[Strain42]

I'm in Georgia now, but I grew up about as far away from the south as one could imagine (Hawaii and Japan, specifically) and really...yeah, I know about the stereotypes, but I don't really see a lot of them.

Yes, I see a lot more guns, confederate flags and baptist churches here than where I used to live, but whatever. I have nothing against where I live or the people I'm around. Yeah, it was kinda cool the first time a sweet waitress with a southern drawl asked if I wanted some sweet tea, but now it's just...kinda there. It's not a big deal.

I admit, MOST stereotypes do tend to come from some recurring themes (even if they don't really happen anymore) because if I tried spreading the stereotype that people from Wales like too much dressing on their salads, it wouldn't spread...because no one would know what the hell I was talking about (unless they actually do...) but when you go to L.A. and you hear the stereotypes about breast implants...yeah, those are around. You can sit at a cafe in L.A. and just watch them pass. It came from somewhere, that's why it's a stereotype.

Anytime I do see something of a stereotype, it's usually countered by something that's the exact opposite. Like that dad who shot his daughters laptop who was actually an intelligent computer...guy (yes, I'm aware that bit me in the ass, but I forget what he said he actually did)

Just a few weeks ago, I was at a red light, and next to me was a shirtless guy wearing overalls, a nascar baseball cap, driving a pick up old pick-up truck full of dirt, twirling a toothpick in his lips AND...blasting Lady Gaga music. Which I thought was awesome.

 

[superbatranger]

Being from Texas, I've stopped caring about those silly stereotypes.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Dude, some Americans I've met think Ireland is the size of a one-way street. "Do you know the O'sullivans?" Me: "How should I know, Ireland is pretty big" Americans: "Oh but it's tiny, i'd think you would know them" facepalm. They also think we drink heavily, are devout Catholics and get angry easily (mostly true however) I'm as far from catholic as you can get.

It's just the way stereotypes work.

To be fair, Ireland IS tiny compared to the U.S. The state I live in, North Carolina, is nearly twice it's size. And that is just one state out of 48 continental.

It's like the saying goes. Europeans think 100 miles is a long way, Americans think 100 years is a long time.

 

[Icehearted]

I live in Idaho, and I can promise, in all total seriousness, that everything people associate with the south happens up north as well. Hell, one of the northern most cities in Idaho is a Klan haven (famous racist cop Mark Fuhrman wanted to move there for a reason, folks).

 

[RaffB]

Every country has these sorts of stereotypes, just ignore them.

Although, in the UK, we have practically turned it into a national sport

English mock the welsh and Irish, who in turn join us to mock the scottish, then we all join forces and hate the french....

 

[Glexn]

Stereotypes are great. Once we had an American exchange student come to my school, and she sent on email from the plane asking if Australia had electricity. I figure she must have thought the computer that we read the email from was powered by koala juice.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

It's funny: I live in Maryland (a boarder state, I know) and know of more areas wherein KKK members live and meet than I know of there being in Georgia (I know of those places from outside info and hear-say by the way: fuck racists). I'm in the early stages of moving from MD to GA as well and for a bit more irony, I've had the best sushi and know of some really freaking good Korean restaurants in GA that I've never seen here in MD (within a quarter-hour drive of DC no less). Seriously though, screw stereotypes. If you can't ignore them than try harder you silly billy.