Same-sex marriage

This is a little belated, but I wanted to put my thoughts out on the previous topic of same-sex marriage. This topic is a very heated one and unfortunately I don't see a solution in sight to this debate. Personally, I am for same-sex marriage. As mentioned in the Dr. Phil show that I have attached, marriage is a constitutional right to all Americans and this conflict is discrimination in its simplest definition. This whole issue is a result of people trying to prevent people that are different from having the same rights as them. That is the truth and it is a truth that will never change. The fact is, people are against same-sex marriage because they don't want gay people to have the same rights as the rest of us. They may hide behind religion on the issue but that is the cold hard truth of the matter. My final comment on the matter is being gay is not a choice or preference, people are gay because they were born gay and to deny them the kind of love that comes from marriage is cruel.

My genealogy

My father for the past few years has actually been compiling a genealogy for the paternal side of my family. It has been interesting, especially considering my eclectic ethnic background.

To begin, my last name comes from my ancestor who was one of the original French soldier sent over to French Canada. His wife was in a group of women sent over by the French government (the exact term for which I cannot recall), and this eventually ended up with me.

I would say the keeping of a lineage is not a purely Southern thing however, as even though, like myself, my father spent much of his adolescence in the South, his formative years were in the North, and the majority of my family are "Northern" or something else. My grandparents are from most the Northeast or somewhere comparable like Wisconsin or Illinois.

South vs North

I, myself am from Europe, but have lived in the DC metro area for most of my life. In the last seven years I have lived in Mclean, Virginia and have noticed many differences from Virginia and Georgia. I have many friends in Virginia and to me it seemed like everyone there is more independent. For example all of my friends from the south always said that they had to go home for dinner every day to have a family dinner, while my friends in the north often stayed out and had dinner with their friends from school.

this is an example of a sit down southern dinner(funny version)

This is a funny renditions of a sit down dinner. However it does have all of the family aspects of the dinner. A formal sit down with the whole family, and a prayer before eating. I myself can not remember the last time we had someone pray at the dinner table. In general I feel like southern families are just more united then northern ones. There is a reason why the phrase Southern Hospitality exists.

South Vs. North

Well from living with my mom down in Georgia and Alabama my belief is that more southern families do keep up with memories. My dad is from Richmond, VA and I know almost anyone from his side of the family. Yeah I've met his mom, my grandmother, of course but I hardly or never hear him talk about maybe little cousins I haven't met or aunts and uncles. Sometimes I think maybe he doesn't because I never lived there so the family that was there has moved or maybe he isn't close to them. I've ask about his sisters and brothers but gets off the subject quite quickly before we can get a general conversation started. My family back in Georgia and Alabama are constanly together showing off old pictures of the childern in the family and some of themsleves even. We get together and have cookouts or family dinner. Sometimes I meet family members that has been living in the same city as me and never knew them. But overall I think it's true but factly I know it isn't true because that could just be my dad. I'm 100% sure that there's family just alike as mines when it comes to family gatherings in the North.



Orwin Smith

The north and south interest in genealogy

Today I don't have any interesting videos or pictures to post. I want to discuss how the interest in the record of a families genealogy can differ between north and south families. Here is some background on my question. I am from Tennessee. My mom was born in Tennessee and her side of my family has lived in Tennessee for a very long time (centuries). The reason why I know this is my mom's side of the family has kept records. This is not true about my dad's side of the family. We know very little about my dad's family genealogy and my mom has even tried to figure it out herself to no avail. His family is from Ohio, so that is where I get my generalization that most Southern families know more about their history than Northern families. For all I know, this is absolutely incorrect and it is actually the opposite.

My question for you guys is this, do you think what I said is true? If you guys can find anything to support your thoughts then show them.

-Evan Lohrey

Jazz and Art

Art in the south is on the rise which is obvious by the video above. Corey Barksdale is a very abstract artist who draws murals. Most of his art is inspired jazz music and other southern pastimes. He often listens to jazz as he paints. Corey Barksdale also says that he believes that Jazz itself is a beautiful art and he loves Miles Davis.

When asked what he loves about Jazz the most Corey Barksdale said “I love the improvisation of jazz musicians from the ‘50s and ‘60s. There was a lot of experimentation going on. In much the same way, I want to create something totally new with my paintings each time - to be different in the way I portray certain subjects.” Jazz is only one of the few under appreciated past times of the south.

Jazz also lead into much of the music that we now know the south for such as rap. Many of the biggest hits today are sampled from Jazz songs. This proves the artistic ability of the musician of today.

New topic...?

Hey guys, so we didn't have a blog topic for last week. I guess I'll just post that topic.

In H.L. Mencken's essay "The Sahara of the Bozart", Mencken claimed that when it came to the arts and new ideas, the South was as barren as the Sahara Desert. Do you guys agree with Mencken or disagree with him? What evidence can you draw upon to support your claim?


Also, whoever is up for this week needs to post his topic too :)

Same-Sex Marriage in the South

In a recent poll conducted by The Advocate, which is the nation's oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender publication, the AJC reported that readers chose Atlanta as "America's Gayest City". Furthermore, many people don't know that Georgia Tech is situated in the heart of Atlanta's gay community (Midtown). The following video is a public service announcement issued by participants in Atlanta Pride 2009. Here, homosexuals discuss issues facing Georgia's gay population.




I agree with Ben that due to the South's strong connection to faith, same-sex marriage has not been allowed. I am a religious person, and it is my belief that same-sex marriage does not constitute a valid marriage. I also do not believe that a nation/state/province should impose religiously-motivated restrictions upon its citizens. A country should give all its citizens the same rights. Therefore, as a country, the right thing to do is to legalize same-sex marriage. As an individual, however, I would not recognize same-sex marriages. They are not something I believe in.

The South and Gay Marriage

One of the biggest political issues of recent times has been that of gay marriage. One of the biggest battlegrounds of this has been the South. This has had many arguments from both sides, but one of the most amusing effects is when Texas managed to ban marriage entirely.

In my opinion, I think that the South has largely been opposed to gay marriage because of the Protestant religious sensibilities. Most of the places that have allowed same-sex marriage for any period of time are in more irreligious and liberal states like California, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. So what do you guys think about same-sex marriage in the South?

Rappers and Being "Gangsta"

I really am not sure if I can say much else that hasn't already been said. Like Rabbia and Leonard have said before me, even if the rappers and hip hop artists do good things, their image in what they are famous for (music) is much more negative.

However, I think that it isn't required that rappers and hip hop artists have this image. An example of this are so-called "Nerdcore" rappers like mc chris, whose most famous song "Fett's Vette" is shown below.

Rap: The Good and the Bad

I agree with Orwin and Lenny that rappers actively give back to their communities and help improve the lives of inner city youth. For example, MTV followed T.I., one of the most influential rappers from Atlanta, as he completed 1000 hours of community service in their documentary T.I.'s Road To Redemption: 45 Days To Go. T.I. is shown visiting numerous schools and community groups to talk to them about avoiding violence and on avoiding the lure of gang culture.

I am certain that other rappers also give back to their communities and try to serve as role models for today's youth, but the problem is that those efforts are not revealed to or advertised to our youth as often as the "gangsta" image is shown.  Kids are not aware of the average rapper's good side because they rarely see it. All they know is what is shown to them through music videos and revealed to them via lyrics...lyrics like those found in my current favorite rap song, "We Be Steady Mobbin" by Lil Wayne.

 

I like the "I don't give a f***" attitude of the song, and I love the beat. I know Wayne doesn't mean it when he says:

"Man fuck these niggas
I'ma spare everything but these niggas
I flip the gun and gun-butt these niggas
Take the knife off the AK and cut these niggas"

...but an impressionable youngster can't tell whether Lil Wayne is just expressing his anger at some situation or if he really is gonna bust a cap in someone's ass and leave someone's brains on the street uhhhhhh. And don't forget the expletives, racial slurs, and womanizing. This is the stuff (censored) our youth sees on TV or hears on the radio. They don't always see the good side of their favorite rappers. They just see this goon persona rappers have fabricated. If the good deeds were showcased more, kids would know that the topics rappers rap about are just sick fantasies and that it is not normal or right to want to hurt others.

Rap/Hip Hop

I agree with Orwin that rappers can have a very good influence on the people. However, I think that their are multiple ways that they can help the community. While Lil Wayne helped the community through donations other rappers such as Nas can help the community by the message that they sing/rap about. In the following video Nas has a very positive message to the young children.



Nas was always a very influential rapper and in this particular song titled "I know I can" Nas is telling the children that they can be whatever they want to be, but "it takes much practice" he also tells them "no body says you have to be gangstars, read more, learn more, change the globe". This to me is one of the best messages that a rapper can give to his fans.

Southern Hip Hop Effects

Many people like to think hip hop or "rap" has a begative impact on black communities or just cities and their environments period. Me personally think hip hop impact can both both ways depending on the individual that's taking in the information. Yes many can say kids listening to the music about guns, stealing, robbing, amd killing plays an impact on what kids see and think is cool but parents can dictate how their kids act from how the words and action of their favorite rapper or singer. Hip hop isn't only those types of crimes but it has a positive feedback also. Some people that like to judge rappers from their image or where their from.





People should tske time to check what the rappers are doing for their communities and just family as a man because they do just as much as a typical country singer or gospel singer. A great example is rapper Lil' Wayne. She is seen by many as the best thing to happen to the south and some is cherish him. As a role some see him far from ever being one but others say he's a great man. He may have charges against him and has been in trouble with the police but he also has done things for his communities such as donating to New Orleans after the hurricane and helping the fallen and wounded ones. I'm a person to always look at people for their positive traits and what they are trying to do to better themselves. So what kind of impact do you all think hip hop has on the south and it's people?

The new KKK claims to be a new organization saying that they are going to fight for a nobel cause such as sex offenders. However, the view of the Ku Klan embedded in peoples heads will never change. People will never forget the things that the Klan did before the civil war to African Americans, lynching, beating and torturing them. This video is a perfect example of Americans not accepting such a group back into their society. These are all normal people who rallied to stop a Klan march. Most likely the 8 men arrested had no criminal record, but their hatred for the Klan changed this. For these reasons I don't believe anyone would accept the KKK.

Agreeing with the "New KKK"

I think it is interesting to note this change is the attitudes of people in this KKK group compared to the "traditional" beliefs of the Klan. This trend is, I think, in part to the stigmatization of racism in our society. As society has less and less sympathy for racism, extremist religion, and intolerance in general, groups that support those things will become less and less open about supporting them. I don't find this surprising at all considering things like the sterilization of things like the creationist movement into intelligent design and then the "strengths and weaknesses" movement.

As for the KKK believing rallying against things like sex offenders, I don't think that this actually matters. Just because someone believes in one thing you also believe doesn't make you automatically agree on all other points. This works both ways. The classic example of this is that Hilter was a vegetarian. The implied conclusion of this is that all vegetarians condone genocide, even though it is demonstrably false. This is clear to anyone who has ever seen this argument made, and why it is usually only made in jest.

There was one thing that caught my eye in your post not totally related to the topic that I would also like address. You said:

"I think sex offenders should suffer the most brutal punishments imaginable"

I'd only like to remind you of the Eight Amendment:

"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,

nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

I am all for punishment and rehabilitation of criminals, but I don't

think being specifically brutal to sex offenders will fix anything.

"KKK" Old and The New

I think their are no differences in the KKK as a whole and it's meaning. Maybe the actions of certain KKK Klan may be different but my feeling toward the Klan will not change, only because of previous actions in the past and the mark they have left on others. I feel the KKK plans in Nahunta is more of positive feedback towards the community and city itself. The KKK has always had a negative vibe and attention towards people because of their actions and beliefs and against peoples religions. I feel just as Rabbia mention that people should be punished from what they have done. Me personally is against sex offenders and illegal immagration. I think the rally will have more supporters than people think just because of the main focus the KKK is concentrating on. Most rallies back in the days was known for either some type of death is about to, someone is about to get hurt, or they are mad about a situation. I'm in no way supportive of the KKK because of it's ways in the past but I do support the purpose of this rally and it's purpose.

The KKK Today

While browsing through the AJC, I came across this article titled "KKK Plans Rally in Nahunta, GA." After reading the headline, my initial reaction was of utter shock and bewilderment. I had no idea the KKK was that active in today's day and age. When I read the article, the following snippet caught my attention:

"City officials say the Klan group says it will focus its rally on illegal immigration and sex offenders."

I can support rallying against illegal immigration and sex offenders--I think sex offenders should suffer the most brutal punishments imaginable. At a KKK rally in Stephenville, TX in 2007, the klansmen seem more level-headed and tolerant:

BUT, I still have some reservations about the KKK rally. It is hard for me to forget the intolerant and violent past of the KKK. The KKK might be more open-minded today, but I can't forget how the KKK lynched and harassed people of color in the past. I don't think my animosity towards the KKK could ever fade away, so I do not support the rally in Nahunta.

For this week's topic, I would like to know how you guys feel about the KKK rally in Nahunta, GA and the "New KKK".

Typical "Black' Southern Chick

I agree with Rabbia. There is alot of stereotyping going around and from people talking about southern clothing to southern voices to even "southern" cars. One example is my brother moved to Richmond, VA from Phenix City, AL and took his car with him. His car is label "southern" because of the designs on the outside of his vehicle. He has Superman designs and he car sticks out from other cars and the police regularly pull him over. His car is perfectly fine in the South but no in the northern states. No matter what we do or act southern people have their own distinct title or ways they act in the eye of the public. From my video clip you will see how southern woman is thought of. The video is showing clips from the movie Scary Movie of the an African American woman named Brenda. I think the movie is stereotyping on how women are in the South. The clips give a thought of southern women being loud and ghetto with long hair(which isn't theirs).
Video

Dilemma of the Southern Drawl

I agree with Lenny that there exists this stereotype that suggests that those with a Southern accent are dimwitted, slow, and unsophisticated. Even the legendary singer Johnny Cash acknowledged this stereotype in his song "Southern Accents," which you can listen to below:



Cash was raised in Dyess, Arkansas, but spent most of his adult life in the southeastern United States. Due to his upbringing and due to the time he spent in the American South, Cash developed a characteristic southern accent. In defense of his accent and the accent of his people, Cash wrote "Southern Accent". The song begins with the following stanza:

"There's a southern accent,
Where I come from.
The young'uns call it country,
The Yankees call it dumb.
I got my own way of talkin',
But everything is done,
With a southern accent,
Where I come from."

Here Johnny Cash reveals how he is aware that people assume he is a country bumpkin or that he is an imbecile due to the slowness of the Southern dialect. Cash also asserts his "I don't give a damn" response to the critiques of his accent. For his lifestyle and his locale, the Southern accent is appropriate, and Cash doesn't care what Yankees or youth may say.

I agree with Johnny Cash's indifferent stance towards the stereotypes. He shows that people should be proud of who they are and how they speak. Southerners shouldn't feel inferior due to their accent.

The southern "hick" stereotype

This is the famous quote from the final scene in the award winning movie Forest Gump. Forest Gump is the story of a ordinary man who did extraordinary things. In this scene Forest is talking to an old lady and man who think he is a rather slow man. When forest tells them that he is the owner of a multimillionaire company they laugh at him and don't believe him. When people judge southerns because of their slow accents do you think this is a stereotype?

In my opinion just because you have a southern accent does not make you dumb. There are many people such as Ted Turner and Jimmy carter who have southern accents but are very successful. What do you all think?

The BBQ Song

This is a song about the regional differences of barbecue in the South. This includes differences in the type of meat used, differences in the sauce base used, and differences in the flavor of the sauces used. I enjoy almost all kinds of barbecue, no matter where I go.

As for the sentiment at the end, I think that both definitions can be used, as barbecues (the event) tend to serve barbecue (the dish).

Fried Food in the South

I was reading this article about the history of fried foods and the author brought up a very interesting point, that almost every culture has its own type of fried food whether it be the English's Fish and Chips or fired oriental foods. This statement got me thinking about how some of the problems Americans have with obesity as a result of eating unhealthy foods isn't as prevalent in other places. The reason I settled on was that fried food is made so widely available and cheap. The south has always had problems with poverty, so fried fast food has been the primary choice of many southerners because it is cheap. To an extent fried food provides the poor working class with the energy it needs because of the ridiculous amount of carbs one serving provides. The problem is that people have overdone the consumption of this food and thus have begun to consume much more carbs than they could have ever needed, and thus they have become much, much larger. The thing is that the South has traditionally had oily, fried foods so why should obesity be getting bad now? The main reason is technology has made it so much easier to be lethargic. People just don't get the exercise that they need counteract what they eat. In general, life has become too easy to watch pass by.

Southern Rates and "Problems"

I think southern food has it pros and cons but after all is said the negatives do out number the positives. I agree that the food are mostly bad and that obesity is becoming a nation wide problem by the year. The South is more likely to have health issues such as diabetes, hypertension(high blood pressure), and strokes. 4 states, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina are in the top ten for states with the most overweight people. To add to the problem the south is in the race for top homeless people. Homeless people aren't able to get to health foods so they tend to eat whatever is available, which is mostly fried foods or gressy foods. Places such as McDonalds and Burger aren't helping with the dollar menus which is so cheap no-a-days that it doesn't take much for a person to order a cheap Double Cheese Burger which is nearly 500 calories itself and Burger's burger at 770. The calories are getting ridiculous these days like Rabbia said.

Orwin Smith

Southern Food and the Obesity Epidemic

I agree with Lenny that while Southern food is delicious, it is notoriously unhealthy. For example, you can devour a cornbread muffin in as little as three bites, but those three scrumptious bites can cost you upwards of 180 calories. How about a side of mac and cheese? That's another 330 calories, 108 of which are from fat. Some good, down home pork ribs carry a whopping 477 calories and 60% of a person's daily cholesterol intake. The math speaks for itself--Southern comfort food is inherently unhealthy and fattening.

Years of consuming traditional Southern fare, that too in extraordinary quantities, has earned Southern states the title of the fattest states in the Union. The video below is a compilation of maps authored by the Centers for Disease Control. The video shows how the rate of obesity in America, particularly the South, has increased over time.



Clearly, there is something peculiar about the Southern lifestyle that is causing our obesity rates to be so much higher than the norm. Personally, I attribute this oddity to our food choices, our portion sizes, and our sedentary lifestyle.

Southern "healthy" food

Southern food is good for the soul. It brings families together within the South. Each family has it's own way of creating the meals. Unfortunately, Southern food does not have the same effect on the body that it has on the soul. Often Southern foods are fried and artery clogging. A well known favorite is "Southern Fried Chicken." Fried foods are such a large part of Southern food that children are raised on it from an early age. The food is so high in caloric content and fat that

The food is well known for its amazing taste. However, it has a major draw back, it's very unhealthy. The south is the most obese area in the United States. The problem with all of the southern food is that 90% of things are fried. The song above shows the very stereotypical view of southern food "southern fried chicken". What do you think of the Southern food?

Future of Religion in the South and USA

I agree with the fact that religion has been a very influential element in the South and that in some areas it is still a very influential part of the community. One thing that I would like to say though is that the status of religion in the USA maybe on a decline as this news clip on youtube shows. My take on this survey is that it shows that to an extent people may be getting tired of the things that churches have done and the positions they have taken recently, such as gay marriage, stem cell research, and abortion. Then, of course, this shift may have been a long time coming.
-Evan Lohrey
(I couldn't figure out how to link only the video so I tried linking the whole page. If that doesn't work I will put the link in a comment.)

[Rabbia] Churches Galore (response to Ben)

I am from a small town due east of Atlanta called Snellville. Snellville comes complete with a famed game ranch, gorgeous views of Stone Mountain, two different "Country Cookin'" restaurants, and Ford F-150s adorned with confederate flags, but what really makes it the quintessential Southern town is its sheer number, variety, and influence of churches.

As Ben stated, religion has historically played an influential role in the South--religious beliefs have governed everything from law-making (no Sunday liquor sales) and economics (no Chick-Fil-a on Sundays), to education (creative design). My little ole town of Snellville is no exemption to the rule.

Religion is the backbone and defining characteristic of my town. In fact, I found out that there are 42 different churches within the 9.7 square miles of Snellville--that comes out to over 4 churches in one square mile! The following slideshow gives a glimpse into one of the larger churches in Snellville:



Furthermore, numerous streets in Snellville are named after churches. The street that runs along my neighborhood is named Bethany Church Road, after Bethany Church, of-course. My elementary, middle, and high school were all named after Shiloh Baptist Church. Even the street is named Shiloh Road. Then there is Zoar Church Road just down the street and Church Street, which runs through the town center. I've tagged these streets and churches and a few more prominent churches close to my home on our blog map.

It is important to mention that the demographics of Snellville are rapidly changing, much like the rest of the South. Buddhist temples and Bosnian Muslim congregations (also on the map) have sprung up just across the street from Protestant churches. Regardless of this shift in type of religion, it is still evident that religion is a large part of Southern identity--so much that we name our streets after religious organizations.

Southern Relgion Issues

This is a pastor in Hickory North Carolina talking about the Southern Baptist church. He is arguing on a very influential topic of the link between gay marriage and the influence of the church on peoples minds.

Rev. Reggie Longcrier argues that for years now people have said that it was not right for people to use religion as a justification for racism and woman rights. However, people are using their religious beliefs to justify their hate for homosexuals. This is not right in the eyes of many people in the South which is known for its very narrow view on such controversial topics such as racism and gays.

Week 2 Topic: Religion in the South

Religion is a big deal, especially in the South. Most of the South is known as the "Bible Belt" for the predominance of socially conservative Protestantism, especially Baptism. This is not an insignificant part of the character of the South. In many places, a person's friends may be defined by their religion and where they go to worship.

I believe that religiosity in the South has had a large influence over its political and educational leanings. Georgia's own Cobb county, for example, is well known for its controversy of putting stickers on biology textbooks stating that evolution is a "theory not a fact." Also, Southern states are usually included in the category of "Red States."

These two things are at least in part affected by the religious leanings of the South. Ideas about the origins of the universe, marriage rights for homosexuals, and abortion rights are often religiously influenced.

Another place where we see the influence of religion in the South are in things like the Civil Rights Movement. This is very prominently seen in people like Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister. His ideas about civil rights were very religiously-motivated and many of his speeches were full of religious imagery.

So, what do you guys think about religion in the South?

Simple Man

This song is by a Southern Rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. This song, "Simple Man," in my opinion, exemplifies the south and the tendencies towards of people there to be "simple" people in mindset or purpose. This is shown most explicitly in the following lines: "Oh, take your time / Don't live too fast," which shows the idea of that many people in the South aren't nearly as "upwardly mobile" as many in other regions of the country try to be. This is also shown in the lines: "Forget your lust / For the rich man's gold," showing specifically the advice against even trying to be ambitious.

Another sentiment briefly stated is the idea of religiosity in the South, especially in this line: "And don't forget son, there is someone up above." In general, the Southern idea of religiosity is more pronounced than in other regions, with certain areas being more religious or more secular. However, this song shows that, in general, it is fairly passive religion. The sentiment is merely "don't forget," a reminder, rather than a chastisement.

Also shown is a the fairly general advice to "Go find a woman / And you'll find love." This is somewhat connected to the idea of being a "Simple Man," as it is expected for one to be married to someone from his or her own region. This is appropriate coming from the vessel of the advice in the song: a mother. This sentiment is echoes the idea of being a simple man and not being too ambitious in one's life.

Altogether, I think that this song paints a picture of the south, which not nearly as extreme as some examples, but it still cannot represent all aspects of the South. However, I don't think it has to do so. I think it's primary purpose is just to show part of the South in a somewhat sympathetic way.

Southern Rednecks

One of the most common jokes involving the south are about rednecks. As a result some people may think that they are everywhere in the south. Jeff Foxworthy is well known for his jokes that start with "You might be a redneck if...". This image presents one of Jeff Foxworthy's jokes with a picture of a steriotipical "redneck" wearing a big rediculous red hat and being in a room with a deer head on the wall. Rednecks are often depicted as such and with the misconception of there being multitudes of rednecks running around everywhere (being true in some places), the south and its inhabitants are often looked down upon. There are some who would be offended by this image while thinking of the great injustice it does the south, but then there are those who take the image for what it is ....... and laugh.

The South??

This is a photo of a not true impreesion of how religions are upon our schools around American but really in the Southern region of United States.

The photo shows a wall that is used as a game of some sort and has around 40 different gods of different things. This photo is trying to demostrate how schools mention prayer. The photo clearly has the teacher deciding on what god the school or class would focuse on. School aren't in no case like this with prayer.

Depictions of The South

When many people think of the south they have horribly wrong view, things such as an illiterate redneck shooting a deer while chewing on tobacco. Although, this view of southerners is often used in a very comic way in movies, TV shoes, cartoons and comics, it is a very false interpretation of the south. The following cartoon is a perfect example of this misconception.

The cartoon depicts a "sophisticated" man who is reading a book. This man is confronted by a "southerner" who is dressed like lumberjack who says, "in these parts we don't take kindly to people who... read". This is a false depiction of a southerner.

The Southern tries to tell an educated man that he is not welcome around these parts. Making the assumption that a well educated man would not fit in the south. This is one of the biggest fallacy about the south. Although many southerners have accents that make them sound different from the rest of the U.S. it does not mean that they are any less intelligent. All I'm saying is next time you use the word "hick" or "redneck" think about why you are saying it.

A (Poor) Representation of the South

The following is a YouTube clip from the movie The Waterboy (1998), a comedy featuring Adam Sandler as the dimwitted protagonist Robert 'Bobby' Boucher Jr. The most relevant segment from the clip spans from 3:50 to 6:05mins.

 

In this portion of the video, Bobby Boucher returns to his home in Jackson’s Bayou, Louisiana, aka “The Heart of Cajun Country”.  Once home he tells his mother that he had just been fired from his waterboy job. Through this discourse Bobby and his mother are portrayed as illiterate, unrefined, Bible-beating Southern rednecks.

Firstly, Bobby is seen driving back to the bayou on a tractor. This portrays the Southerner as poor and agrarian, and plays on the notion that Southerners adore their John Deeres. Also, Bobby can't enunciate properly and is shown as a dunce and momma's boy, which are all stereotypes associated with Southern people. Bobby's home is a dilapidated shack that also houses a donkey(?), which paints Southerners as poor and classless.

Bobby's mother is shown butchering some unknown swamp creature, which substantiates the stereotype that Cajun people eat rodents, offal, and other unappetizing food. Furthermore, Bobby's mother calls girls the Devil, which correlates to the stereotype that Southerners are evangelical Christians.

I don't think this is an accurate representation of the Southern way of life, particularly for the Cajuns. Southerners own proper cars and houses. In fact, the standard of living is highest in southern states! Cajun people don't eat possum, squirrel, or roadkill; these are the people that gave the world gumbo and jambalaya. Southerners don't interpret the Bible to the extremes shown in the movie. Lastly, most people in the South obtain at least a grade-school education, which is enough to speak English decently. There aren't any Bobby Bouchers in the South I know.