so tired of the south

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I don't mind Southerners; I just mind Southern attitudes and they make me feel uncomfortable.

I'm a Southerner. What is my attitude? I am a Southerner, so I must be exactly like everyone else, so please tell me what my attitude is.

Point being: generalizations not only suck, but in many many cases are just dead wrong.

Alright... I was speaking from my personal experience living in the South; as I've mentioned before the point is not that all Southerners have attitudes, but that I have a problem with fake friendliness which I have encountered a lot; as I've said I prefer rudeness and I like to know what people who I deal with think. And while you might be a straight-forward person, most people I've met in the South were not.

If anyone took my personal observations as generalizations I'm sorry, but I don't see a point in anyone arguing about my experiences and whether or not they are correct. I've done my time in the deep South, I didn't like it, and no matter what you say, you're not going to change it...

You tell them, Tracy. She hasn't been to Indianapolis' East Side, I'm sure...

Wrong...

[Fuzzness 2]

A lot of people in the south are very ignorant towards the north. "Ah don't want no f'ing yankee as my president" type of attitude. Makes me double glad to be Canadian. Besides, I hate the yankees too. Steinbrenner is a moron.

Know what I hate? When non-northeasterners call us all yankees! Thats an old term that now, to us, refers to a baseball team, not a region.

Exactly why I mentioned Steinbrenner

[pink_cloud 0]

I'm moving to Charleston, SC in two days and from the time I have spent there I think it is great. The food is great if you know where to go, we have a wonderful new house - and as for bugs, well just get a screened porch!! I am moving from cold, expensive and grey England so to me Charleston seems wonderful. I went to Michigan in December and loved it there too - I would be happy to live in either location.

I think anywhere can be wonderful as long as you are in good company. Sure, I hate the bible thumpers in Charleston and would prefer it if there wasn't a church on every corner, but I saw just as many churches up north so I think that's just America for you. America is the most Christian country I have ever come across -and I find it totally insane that some people actually still believe in Creationism (my fiance included) It almost seems like those people missed a huge chunk of modern science and are living back in the dark ages.

I think living in the US will be a major adjustment for me regardless of what state we are in. I think I will be really happy to just be with my fiance and in a warm climate

[CarolineM 0]

Stewart calls me a yank because all americans are yanks to Aussies.

This thread is stupid. If you live somewhere and don't like it, you are going to come up with a whole list of things you hate to justify why you hate it. SOOOO instead of making broad "observations" that offend people just say "I don't want to live in the south...

end of sentence. Don't insult someone else's way of living. By saying all those things, making broad generalizations, what do you think it's saying to people that live in the south and LOVE it. Does that make me an ignorant, no toothed, bible thumping republican? F that.

I HATED living in NYC. HATED it....but i've never once gotten on here and bashed people who live there or made "observations" about the people there.

Sheesh.

I think anywhere can be wonderful as long as you are in good company. Sure, I hate the bible thumpers in Charleston and would prefer it if there wasn't a church on every corner, but I saw just as many churches up north so I think that's just America for you

DUDE...religious fanatics are EVERYWHERE....there were crazies up in NYC driving around in vans painted with scripture everywhere - preachers on every corner...

Bible "thumping" as you call it is NOT AT ALL exclusive to the south

[LenJayUS 0]

I was born and raised in NJ... left there in 1995 with the army (active army.. did 3 years reserves before then)... was stationed in NC (twice) and Germany... then in 2003 I got out and stayed in NC.. towards teh mountains. (Lenior/Hickory/Morganton Area).

Over all, I like living here. I'm far enough away from big city #######... but I can jump in the jeep and be in Charlotte in less then an hour. Hickory is building up pretty quick and I can be there in 20 minutes. But it's nice and quiet where I live.. which is what I like.

I like the more... laid back living here then what I was used to up in NJ. People don't seem to be in as much a rush... and sometimes at work my partner has to tell me to sit down and relax alittle... we'll get everything done... it can wait for awhile.

And people seem to be alot friendlier here then back home. Where I was from, they weren't out right rude to you... but don't expect more then a hello if you passed a stranger. I think that comes from the fact that people live alot closer together up there, so you have less privacy... so people keep to themsevles.. Here, unless you live in town, sometimes people have to drive for a few minutes to see another house. Where I am, everyone has about 3/4 of an acre of land... so you have neighbors and what not, but your not right on top of each other. So people seem to be more civil and friendly to each other here.

I've never seen an over abundant amount of people being fake to others around here. Of course, for the most part, I could care less what others thought of me.. so I don't pay attention to that either. No matter where you live, your gonna end up have a$$holes every where though.

But there are some things I do dislike about where I live... and even where I used to live...

This is for me, in my particular neck of the woods. Not every one around here falls into these catagories... it's the one's that do that I don't like...

I can't say anyone here has treated me wrongly or what have you because I'm from the north... but I do get tired of hearing I'm a Yankee... and when ever we get into a discussion and there's something I don't agree with, they tell me to go back on home. Number 1... the English named the american colonist yankee's... so learn that all americans are yankee's, not just those up north.

redneck ignorance... goes along with above... They can be some very, very stubborn people... so set in their ways and not open at all to a different opinion, even if it works better.

Country vocabulary... I've been around, I can handle accents and what not. I can even understand that some countries call things by different names then the US does... for what ever reason... but when your so country you have to call things different then the rest of your nation.. you have problems. It's a WINDOW, not a winder. It's a stick shift or standard transmission or manual transmission or a 5 speed, not a straight drive... There's a bunch of others... but jez. This is more of a pet peeve then a real problem though.

There does SEEM to be more bible thumpers around me here then back in NJ. Back home, it seemed like your religion and beliefs were more personal. No one ever asked me up there.. what church do you go to? Down here though is different. It made it's way through my work pretty quick that I didn't believe... why was that any one's concern? Sure, people ask me and I tell them I'm not and why.. but why talk about it behind my back?

And I've never seen so many churches of the same denomination in my life. I remember I went on a quick 15 minute drive some place.. and I counted 18 baptist churches and 7 methodist churches. *shakes head* It seems like down here, when someone gets mad at the preacher, they go and form a new church. Back home, in a place with more people then around here... there was at max 2 different churches of the same denonimation. And they were bigger... and the preacher/reverend/####### ever went to seminary school before he became a holy man.. unlike these Sunday preachers down here. Work and party all week, and then be all christian like on Sunday...

Civil War - Dudes.. it happened... you lost, it's done and over with. Time to get over it. So what if there were a few battles that you guys won... "taught them damn yankee's a lesson!"... does it escape you that in the end, the "yankee's" won, and got to teach the last lesson? I guess not. It's great to remember your ancestors and all that... but trying to keep alive the civil war cause is just plain stupid. I love the t-shirts that say "The south with rise again". Hello.. it barely got to it's knee's the last time before it got b!tched slap... get over it... I don't see the states ever trying to attempt what they did again.

I'm done ranting for now... but like I said, it's not the whole south, or even everyone where I'm at... just some of them.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You tell them, Tracy. She hasn't been to Indianapolis' East Side, I'm sure...

Wrong...

Well, you could not possibly have been speaking of East Indianapolis here :

Moving to Indiana (of all places) felt like a personal liberation; I was totally exited to find out that there were mixed-race couples who held hands in public and that people did not just scream some redneck comments out of their cars.

Not sure about other places in Indiana. The only other place I've ever been was Batesville and folks there literally looked at Nani and I like we were from outter space. Sure wouldn't see any mixed couples there. Not even sure they'd allow black folks to live in that town - or that they'd want to...

Never, ever have we noticed any such reaction in TN, GA or even AL. From what I've seen, Ohio and Indiana are some of the worst places when it comes to racial segregation, racial prejudices and flat out racism. Not sure how it can be a liberating experience to move to Indiana. In fact, friends of ours (white-habesha mixed couple also) moved from Indi to Cinti and feel that Cinti is such a tolerant place. Comparatively speaking.

[TracyTN 237]

If anyone took my personal observations as generalizations I'm sorry, but I don't see a point in anyone arguing about my experiences and whether or not they are correct. I've done my time in the deep South, I didn't like it, and no matter what you say, you're not going to change it...

I never said your experiences were not correct. I don't even think there is a way to suggest to someone that their experiences aren't their experiences. That's totally illogical. I'm sorry that you had bad experiences.

My point was simply to make you think that maybe what you did experience is not necessarily the case with ALL Southerners.

[faith 0]

*STOP*

I just had an epiphany!

I don't think it matters what the topic is... we all like to argue and debate things so much that we're gonna get into a pissing match about everything and anything around here. How many of us really take this personally? I know I don't unless the situation is extremely bad (can remember someone telling me I was a bad mother because I smoked and that I did take personally). We are such an interesting group of diverse people ..... don't ya love it?? In other words.... I'd be surprised if a thread like this didn't turn into an all out debate

*CARRY ON*

[Miranda&James 8]

*STOP*

I just had an epiphany!

I don't think it matters what the topic is... we all like to argue and debate things so much that we're gonna get into a pissing match about everything and anything around here. How many of us really take this personally? I know I don't unless the situation is extremely bad (can remember someone telling me I was a bad mother because I smoked and that I did take personally). We are such an interesting group of diverse people ..... don't ya love it?? In other words.... I'd be surprised if a thread like this didn't turn into an all out debate

*CARRY ON*

Yeah I had a similar epiphany. You can't change what people think and there is ALWAYS going to be a debate about anything someone takes a strong stance on. I'm suprised this thread has stayed as civil as it has, it goes to show the good quality of people posting!

[faith 0]

*STOP*

I just had an epiphany!

I don't think it matters what the topic is... we all like to argue and debate things so much that we're gonna get into a pissing match about everything and anything around here. How many of us really take this personally? I know I don't unless the situation is extremely bad (can remember someone telling me I was a bad mother because I smoked and that I did take personally). We are such an interesting group of diverse people ..... don't ya love it?? In other words.... I'd be surprised if a thread like this didn't turn into an all out debate

*CARRY ON*

Yeah I had a similar epiphany. You can't change what people think and there is ALWAYS going to be a debate about anything someone takes a strong stance on. I'm suprised this thread has stayed as civil as it has, it goes to show the good quality of people posting!

considering how nasty some of the other threads have gotten at times

[Satisfaction 1]

Everyone’s dream is to go South and you want to go North?

I don’t know what’s so good about the North? I used to live on the West Coast before I moved to the East Coast, and I would go back there in a heartbeat if I could!! The weather here is awful (boiling summers, freezing winters), the mentality sucks … The property taxes are the highest of the nation (New Jersey and Massachusetts are on top of the list if I am not mistaken) and job opportunities are scarcer now. The middle class has a very hard time making hands meets nowadays, even with wages above the national average.

I visited Louisiana and Florida. I found that people were generally friendlier there than over here. Again, the places I visited were not necessarily representative of all Southern States. It is, to my opinion at least, a misconception that people are more liberal and that there is less prejudice in the North. If you take New York City for instance, you must know that it is not representative of the East Coast/North. It is very cosmopolitan and you’ll find an extensive immigrant community here. I don’t think that the same is true of Pennsylvania or South Jersey. I suppose that it also depends on which area and which neighborhood you to reside too. Prejudice is a nationwide problem; it’s not a monopoly of the South. It may be more apparent there but it exists here too. Personally, I haven’t felt that people were more racist in Louisiana or Florida. Again I haven’t stayed there long enough to be able to judge on that.

[Miranda&James 8]

*STOP*

I just had an epiphany!

I don't think it matters what the topic is... we all like to argue and debate things so much that we're gonna get into a pissing match about everything and anything around here. How many of us really take this personally? I know I don't unless the situation is extremely bad (can remember someone telling me I was a bad mother because I smoked and that I did take personally). We are such an interesting group of diverse people ..... don't ya love it?? In other words.... I'd be surprised if a thread like this didn't turn into an all out debate

*CARRY ON*

Yeah I had a similar epiphany. You can't change what people think and there is ALWAYS going to be a debate about anything someone takes a strong stance on. I'm suprised this thread has stayed as civil as it has, it goes to show the good quality of people posting!

considering how nasty some of the other threads have gotten at times

Yeah I know!

[Fischkoepfin 1]

You tell them, Tracy. She hasn't been to Indianapolis' East Side, I'm sure...

Wrong...

Well, you could not possibly have been speaking of East Indianapolis here :

Moving to Indiana (of all places) felt like a personal liberation; I was totally exited to find out that there were mixed-race couples who held hands in public and that people did not just scream some redneck comments out of their cars.

Not sure about other places in Indiana. The only other place I've ever been was Batesville and folks there literally looked at Nani and I like we were from outter space. Sure wouldn't see any mixed couples there. Not even sure they'd allow black folks to live in that town - or that they'd want to...

Never, ever have we noticed any such reaction in TN, GA or even AL. From what I've seen, Ohio and Indiana are some of the worst places when it comes to racial segregation, racial prejudices and flat out racism. Not sure how it can be a liberating experience to move to Indiana. In fact, friends of ours (white-habesha mixed couple also) moved from Indi to Cinti and feel that Cinti is such a tolerant place. Comparatively speaking.

You're right: I don't live in Indianapolis, let alone the East Side, but further north; but I've sure seem more mixed race couples in Indiana than in Georgia despite the fact that Indiana is a white state. I'd also be the last person to claim that Indiana is a liberal state or people in Indiana are by default not racist, but it is by far not as segregated as the places I've been to in Georgia or Alabama. I also don't define the open-mindedness of a place exclusively by race, as I tend to have more problems personallly with homophobic comments (as I said, I've no clue why); and Indiana is as bad as Georgia in that respect. There's a saying that Indiana and Ohio are the deep south states of the Midwest, and given their history, I'm more than happy to support that statement.

And I have to admit I felt liberated moving there, but that was a while back and changed within a year at the most; I still prefer it to living in the deep South though. I've never lived in Tennessee, so I can't speak for that state nor was I.

If anyone took my personal observations as generalizations I'm sorry, but I don't see a point in anyone arguing about my experiences and whether or not they are correct. I've done my time in the deep South, I didn't like it, and no matter what you say, you're not going to change it...

I never said your experiences were not correct. I don't even think there is a way to suggest to someone that their experiences aren't their experiences. That's totally illogical. I'm sorry that you had bad experiences.

My point was simply to make you think that maybe what you did experience is not necessarily the case with ALL Southerners.

I wasn't; I was talking about the people I met and the experiences I had and still have whenever I go there. Anyway, thanks for reminding me of the need to be civil. I really didn't mean to step on anyone's toes.

[Englishsammy 17]

This post has been interesting to read.......its interesting to read everyones perceptions of the South. I've never visited the South but a few of Roshon's friends (they are african-american) are from the South and they commented alot about the racism aspect of it.....but we also have friends (white) from missisippi (s.p) and Georgia and they are the nicest people you could meet....I guess there are always gonna be ignorant red-neck type people anywhere you go in the states (or actually the world!). I mean we've never encountered to much direct negativity about our relationship in California (well actually only from african-american women) but we have been told that we would if we lived in the South....but we've never been so what do we know!!!

Oh and to us English folk your all known as yanks.......

[pedroh 21]

I'd like to live in Raleigh NC, its a nice zone and not that expensive for a big city.. u have chapel hill durham and wake forest.. nothing else to ask.. (bonus, Durham is the new little Mexico lol)..

also I'd like to live near Atlanta.. and I know there are some high growth rate cities around.. peach city(or peach something), alfaretta etc etc..