What do you think of the Southeast US?

[Falcon02]

The only thing Maryland has in common with the south is the fact that it was a former slave state and a former segregated state, other then that there's nothing.

Honestly I feel Maryland is a sort of Transitional State between North and South.

Large parts of Maryland have a bit more Northern Feel (Central Maryland, Baltimore/Washington Metro Area), Large parts of Maryland have a bit more Southern Fell (Southern Maryland, Eastern Shore).

I had a teacher once who had some friends from the South that thought her "Northern Accent" was so funny sounding... She also apparently had some Northern friends that complimented her on her "Southern Accent"

Maryland isn't really "South" nor is it really "North" it's a combination of both... which is why Mid-Atlantic is probably the most accurate term. However that does include Virginia, which is traditionally considered "South" but then again... "Northern Virginia" isn't very "Southern" either by culture/feel.

The History of Mason-Dixon being the line between North and South I think is routed in the Slavery compromises pre-civil war... where a new state north of the line would be a "Free State" and South of the Line would be a "Slave State"

 

[Mad Man]

Honestly I feel Maryland is a sort of Transitional State between North and South.

Large parts of Maryland have a bit more Northern Feel (Central Maryland, Baltimore/Washington Metro Area), Large parts of Maryland have a bit more Southern Fell (Southern Maryland, Eastern Shore).

I had a teacher once who had some friends from the South that thought her "Northern Accent" was so funny sounding... She also apparently had some Northern friends that complimented her on her "Southern Accent"

Maryland isn't really "South" nor is it really "North" it's a combination of both... which is why Mid-Atlantic is probably the most accurate term. However that does include Virginia, which is traditionally considered "South" but then again... "Northern Virginia" isn't very "Southern" either by culture/feel.

The History of Mason-Dixon being the line between North and South I think is routed in the Slavery compromises pre-civil war... where a new state north of the line would be a "Free State" and South of the Line would be a "Slave State"

I agree with you completely, Maryland "IS" in the mid-Atlantic but in a Black and White world it would be more in the North then in the south due to Geography, political ideology, and modern culture. Yes I admit that our rural areas are full of hicks but really which rural areas aren't?

And one last thing, I'd like to correct you that the Mason-Dixon line contrary to popular belief was never a formal division of north and south but only a division of Maryland and Pennsylvania to end the Cresap War which was being fought between the two.

 

[Falcon02]

And one last thing, I'd like to correct you that the Mason-Dixon line contrary to popular belief was never a formal division of north and south but only a division of Maryland and Pennsylvania to end the Cresap War which was being fought between the two.

That is true... the Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed by British Surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to resolve a dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania, and also includes much of the border with Delaware and extends into the border between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Though I'm not aware of any disputes with Delaware or West Virginia (just Virginia at the time) they did Survey and mark those borders, making them better defined.

While it was never formally used as a line of separation (which was an error on my part). However it was informally used to refer to that separation since that's where the division between Slave and Free started in the East (ignoring that Delaware was a slave state on the "Free" side of the Mason Dixon). Apparently it started to enter that usage around the 1820 Missouri Compromise to refer to the length of the Free/Slave "Border."

 

[Ulyaoth]

Maryland is south, deal with it. Why must all these people deny what they're locales are?

 

[Mango Elephant]

It doesn't matter where Maryland it - it's not like it's a war or anything, even though they are in the mid-atlantic. Also hicks =/= Southern; or else Raleigh would be in the North.

 

[Lord of Elves]

It doesn't matter where Maryland it - it's not like it's a war or anything, even though they are in the mid-atlantic. Also hicks =/= Southern; or else Raleigh would be in the North.

I just noticed you listed your location as RTP. Hail, countryman, how do we feel this day as we bring civilization to the backwater rednecks of the Carolinas?

 

[Mango Elephant]

I just noticed you listed your location as RTP. Hail, countryman, how do we feel this day as we bring civilization to the backwater rednecks of the Carolinas?

Raleigh does have a lot of immigrants mostly from the Midwest - we're still Southern, though IIRC, I have more teachers and friends that are from out-of-state than I do that are actually from North Carolina.

 

[frekk]

Also hicks =/= Southern

True. We have tons of rednecks and hicks up here in Canada. In fact, they've even launched a coup and taken over the government:

 

[Lord of Elves]

Raleigh does have a lot of immigrants mostly from the Midwest - we're still Southern, though IIRC, I have more teachers and friends that are from out-of-state than I do that are actually from North Carolina.

I've lived here for most of my life, and I know several people from New Jersey, my parents were from Virginia on one side and New York on the other, I know of only one person in my family who has a southern accent. Something like my great, great grandfather fought in the Confederate Army, but that's on my father's side.

Ultimately on my mother's side the family's Scottish and Slavic, but on my father's it's entirely old-south Anglo-Saxon.

 

[Communisto]

interesting fact: ^ that picture is actually from the wax museum in Niagara falls.

 

[luiz]

My personal opinion of the Southern USA:

The first times I went to that region were in 1992-1993 (Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina), but I was too young (8 in 1993) to be able to decently compare with other regions of the US.
From 1993 to 2010 I only went to the Northeast and West of the USA (plus Florida, which does not count as South), until I spent twoo weeks in Tennesse and Arkansas last May. My general impression was that it was indeed quite different from the rest of the country. They're far more laid back (especially in Memphis) than the rest of the USA, even than California. The food is even more spicy than the already spicy American average, and people are really friendly (I consider Americans in genereal to be quite friendly, but in the Southern US they're pretty much as friendly as people in Brazil, they'll always get out of their ways to help a stranger).

On the negative side, I saw quite a bit more poverty than I saw elsewhere. Nothing too extreme, but the region is definetely not as affluent as some other regions of the USA.

Regarding racism, I really thought the integration was great and people really got along just fine. Memphis seemed to me as integrated as any Northern city, with people from all colors hanging out together and in fact nobody caring about the color of one's skin. I was about to leave the US thinking that there are virtually no racial problems in that region, until something really bizarre happened in the last day. I will not get into specific details, but basically I was in Arkansas with a bunch of other people from my company trying to come up with better ways to do a particular job at our site there. On the last day we wanted to celebrate with the operator who was being our study target, since we managed to achieve considerable success during the last weeks. So we invited him to join us at a bar that we had been to a couple of times and rather liked to have a few drinks with us and then dinner. The operator, who is black, became quite nervous but decided he would join us, though he declined to take his wife and kids, who we also invited. Later, one of the managers at the site told us that one's not supposed to take black people to that particular bar. We all got pretty shocked and concerned and didn't know what to do, so the manager called the bar owner and explained the situation and the owner said there would be no trouble. And indeed there wans't, the operator showed up and it was all fine. But it still depressed me and tainted a bit the image I had of the region.

 

[Mango Elephant]

I was about to leave the US thinking that there are virtually no racial problems in that region, until something really bizarre happened in the last day. I will not get into specific details, but basically I was in Arkansas with a bunch of other people from my company trying to come up with better ways to do a particular job at our site there. On the last day we wanted to celebrate with the operator who was being our study target, since we managed to achieve considerable success during the last weeks. So we invited him to join us at a bar that we had been to a couple of times and rather liked to have a few drinks with us and then dinner. The operator, who is black, became quite nervous but decided he would join us, though he declined to take his wife and kids, who we also invited. Later, one of the managers at the site told us that one's not supposed to take black people to that particular bar. We all got pretty shocked and concerned and didn't know what to do, so the manager called the bar owner and explained the situation and the owner said there would be no trouble. And indeed there wans't, the operator showed up and it was all fine. But it still depressed me and tainted a bit the image I had of the region.

But, that's not legal, is it?

 

[luiz]

But, that's not legal, is it?

I guess not, but that doesn't change anything.

 

[Oerdin]

Thats simply like saying the food on the Mississippi Coast is vastly different that the Mississippi food found in the North/Central part of that state..

No, there is not as a historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural difference. At least not as much NOLA from a place like Birmingham. That's just a fact.

 

[MobBoss]

No, there is not as a historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural difference. At least not as much NOLA from a place like Birmingham. That's just a fact.

And there are linguistic differences between how people speak from Georgia and people from Arkansas, and yet both are considered the South.

Just because it has its own distinct style, doesnt mean its not part of the South.

But what the hell do I know, I was only born and raised in the South after all.

 

[Mad Man]

Maryland is south, deal with it. Why must all these people deny what they're locales are?

There's nothing for me to deny about Maryland's geographical location, It's in the Mid-Atlantic but if it had to be considered one or the other it would be the north plane and simple.

 

[TheDanish]

There's nothing for me to deny about Maryland's geographical location, It's in the Mid-Atlantic but if it had to be considered one or the other it would be the north plane and simple.

I live in Maryland but my college is in New York. On occasion I'll get remarks that I'm from "the south." I don't think I have any sort of accent, though, because my parents are from Pittsburgh and I live in northern MD. Granted, Frederick is about as hicky as it gets in some parts....

 

[DroopyTofu]

I've lived in the South in Tennessee my entire life. I don't have much experience in the Deep South (Mississippi, South Alabama, etc.). I think all of this supposed racism is very much exaggerated. I've never seen any open racism. Some people are, I know, but it's like that everywhere. I think the main difference is that people in the South just don't try to hide it as much.

I think that the "feel" of the South really depends on where you are. Places like Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Nashville, and Raligh aren't that different from cities of similar sizes in the North. The rural, backwards areas aren't that different from backward rural areas in the north. The only differneces are that the people tend to be more friendly alot of the time and that it is hotter.

I think one of the first times I realized that the whole country wasn't like the South was when I watched the second "Home Alone" movie. A young child is kidnapped off the streets of NYC by two homeless men and no one bothers to help the screaming child. In the a southern city, more people would have stepped up and helped the kid. In the South, it is normal to say hello to random strangers. It is expected for people to hold doors for each other. I was walking around with some family from up north and they couldn't believe that people didn't use chains to lock up their bikes.

I also don't get why everyone is complaining about the weather. It's not really that bad. The only thing that bothers me about the weather here is that if you want to run in the summer, you have to do it before eight in the morning. Big deal.

 

[naterator]

Am i the only one who thinks that 'trying to hide' one's racism is a step up from 'being honest' about it?

On the food debate - I will admit my palate is much closer to 'peasant' than 'gourmet', but tasty is tasty and southern food is tasty. Biscuits and gravy, cornbread, pulled pork, waffles, plus an endless variety of barbecue with 2000 different pecan based desserts? Yes please!

 

[Communisto]

Am i the only one who thinks that 'trying to hide' one's racism is a step up from 'being honest' about it?

Nope, be as racist as you want as long as you dont show it or have it affect other people.