Is it normal that i hate the south

For one anyplace that Sarah Palin feels at home is not ok. Second, lets just face that the south is unproductive... I mean their last great invention was the cotton gin right? Don't even get me started on the habit of the Christian Right (which is based in the south)using the bible as a thinly veiled excuse for hatred. The north may have its problems but seriously at least we have a clearer world view on our sides. It may just be that I am educated or something but I completely agree with this kid. O and Zac Efron is a d-bag.

Furthermore... So who does have the most segregated cities in the US? According to recent census reports, it is certainly not the South. According to these same reports, the top most racially divided cities in the United States are northern cities. Yes, lets repeat that again. According to these same reports, the top most racially divided cities in the United States are northern cities. Strangely, among all these “racist” cities in the South, that none of them appear on the top 10 list of being the most racially divided. The number one city for racial segregation is Milwaukie, WI. Number 2 is New York City, then Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo. Where is racial tension the worst? Yankees want you to believe it is in the so-called, "racist" South where all the "rednecks" and "hillbillies" reside. I love their "progressive" and "open minded" attitudes towards others. HA!! If we do a little research, we can find that most race riots over the past 100 years have occurred above the Mason Dixon line. Let’s start with the Chicago race riots of 1919 which resulted in 23 African Americans deaths. Other Yankee cities to experience race riots were Philadelphia in 1917, Harlem in 1935 and in 1943. Detroit also saw race riots in 1943. Several race riots broke out across the north in 1964, which included the cities of Rochester, NY, New York City, Philadelphia, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, NJ and Chicago. In 1966, more race riots broke out this time in Hough, OH. and once again in Chicago. We still aren’t finished because in 1967 race riots broke out in Plainfield, NJ, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.. One of the deadliest riots to occur was the 1967 Newark, NJ riots, which resulted in 26 dead, and many injured. During 1968, more racial tension broke out in more northern cities. These included, New York City, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Summit, IL just to name only a few among the many race riots that occurred during that year. In 1970, Asbury Park, New Jersey broke out into race riots. There were so many race riots up north that I can’t possibly list every one of them. Even in modern times, race riots still occur in northern cities such as the Cincinnati Riots of 2001. So who is bigoted, segregated and so full of hate and intolerance?

Yes there are ignorant bible thumping racists who can barely speak English in the south but they are mostly in the country backwoods or small towns. People in the cities are actully tolerant and highly educated

South lol

I agree...racist toothless bastards! lol!

I agree, it's annoying how traditional and backwards it is. Try explaining to someone in the south about computers.

"except for one region.. THE SOUTH"

that just made me lol idk why

I just happend to go on a road trip across America this past summer. From Miami to Washington State. Went through Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama,..ect. I'm black and not too religious btw. I met some of the most welcoming and gracious people during my travels in the south. It just so happens that when we reached Idaho, we encountered several kkk rallys and my first personal encounter with racism during that trip. Idaho is not in the south. (it was amazing other than that btw) All I have to say is you may not be ignorant but you're definately naive. Get around.

Dude "Try to explain someone in the south about computers " First of all I have alienware pc and I know what CPU is ram,memory, graphics , and a few other parts of the pc.My dad is a doctor so we are not stupid and at least I can spell.

although there are more bible thumpers in the south, they are everywhere now. i can't stand them.

Is it normal for most Northerners like the OP to be so ignorant?? This guy need an education.

I confess you that I am from north of Europe, and I feel similarly of the South, even of South-Europe. The more North (like eskimos, finns or lapps) the more honest people.

I've lived in the South for most of my life. I have a Masters in Economics- and although I'm no egghead, I rarely meet anyone of northern OR southern provenance who impresses me with their intellect. Most Americans are dummies, regardless of where they live. Think about it: We elected a cognitively impaired, barely literate cokehead to the presidency TWICE! And since most polls say that 90% of Americans believe in God, I doubt the South is the only place you will find religious zealotry and intolerance. By the way, the stupidest sounding accents in the U.S. in my opinion are the various NYC ethnic speech patterns. They are coming down here in droves now, and it is beginning to irritate me. Talk about bad grammar.

I am from the South, I have a Masters Degree, I'm not a member of the religious right. I am a progressive Democrat who voted for Obama. I hated George Bush. I like the friendliness of the South bit I hate the racism, ignorance and the religious right. Down her it's all guns, God and abortion. Actually I would like to live in New Zealand. I hate the politics and the guns in this country.

Come to find out, the South is NOT the most overweight after all...Southerners are just more honest about their weight in phone polls. In a recent study that actually weighed and measured waist size the South ranked #4 and not #1.

IIN to hate the South? Only if you're an ignorant bigot.

Totally normal, believe whatever hateful stereotypes you want.

I understand exactely what you mean. I have lived in 3 southern states &I have lived in the south my whole life. but both of my parents are from up north and most of my family lives in the north too. I personally have a love/hate relationship with the south.

The south definitely has a reputation for being close-minded and ignorant. &I have to be honest..its not far from the truth. While not everyone if ignorant and close-minded..there is definitely alot of that. And most of the people that arent ignorant and close-minded are from the north or have simply traveled alot.

Its funny because I am soo use to the ignorance and judgemental people of the south, that when I go up north I am shocked by how open minded and well educated the people are there. Though, there is ignorance in both the north and south...it seems to be especially prevalent in the south.

I do like some parts of the south though...and I am definitely glad that I have been able to get the best of both worlds (north and south)...and the worst. Its made me alot more well-rounded in that I can relate and talk to people better.

I live in Florida and we are definitely not obsessed with the Bible here. I think the part of the country you do not like might be more specifically the so called "Bible belt".

The finest cities of the north..
The city of Detroit is a fine example of their so-called, "progressiveness". Detroit is in utter ruins, really, it has to be the worst American city there is. The city consistently ranks the highest in violent crime statistics. The city is ran by corrupt officials such as the recent mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who was in and out of jail and prison several times due to various criminal offenses. Block after city block in Detroit is full of abandoned homes and boarded up businesses of long ago. Another fine "progressive" city is the infamous, Mistake by the Lake, otherwise known as Cleveland, OH. This city is known for its downtown river fire. Once the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it caught fire!! Even the mayors hair burst into flames once while on public television. Once a city of almost a million people in the 1950's it has now lost over 500,000 people since then. Ohioans love to claim that this joke of a city has changed over the years, but Cleveland is still the same old run down, dirty mess its been for the past 40 years! Besides Detroit and Cleveland there are other northern messes that include Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Newark, NJ, among only a few. The north can also proudly lay claim to some of the most dangerous cities too. Cities like, Detroit, Flint, Camden and Youngstown are consistently at the top of many lists for having the highest crime rates in the country. By the thousands, the Yankee invasion continues! Not only is Cleveland losing its population but the entire state of Ohio seems to be trying to move south to be with us "terrible, ignorant, racist, southern hillbillies". This is not only true with Ohioans but with all Yankees. There are so many Yankee license plates in my county that it makes one wonder if there is anyone left up there in frozenYankeeland. The South has a rich, diverse cuture.
The South has a distinct, diverse culture, unlike the north. What does the north have? Nothing but blandness and an accent that no one wants to hear repeated. People from outside of the South always ask a Southerner to please repeat something because they love to hear our beautiful accent. I’ve never heard anyone ask a Yankee to repeat something in their horrid, bland irritating accent. There is nothing worse than hearing a typical New England accent from New York City, Philadelphia or Boston. Yankees are so jealous of the South. But don't hate us because we are a beautiful people with a beautiful, rich culture full of diversity.

I have traveled and lived all over the US. I found the cities up north to be the most racially segregated cities I have ever seen.. Although most any Yankee will tell you they are not racist, as in this post, what I found was quite the opposite! Some of the most racially divided cities are in the north and they are full of hate. Don't let the Yanks false words fool you, their divided cities say a lot. The people there do not mix with other races, as the majority of northern cities are broken down into racially divided neighborhoods. Outside of these cities, it is virtually lily-white. In the smaller towns and countryside there is little or no cultural diversity like the South. Northerners from the smaller areas and the countryside are rarely if ever exposed to a diverse population. A typical ignorant Yankee will claim that the South is bigoted and segregated. The reality is there is plenty of segregation and racial division in the so-called, "enlighten and progressive" north. Yankees are very uneducated when it comes to divirsity.

I'm also not a religious freak...

Is it normal for most Northerners to be as ignorant as the Op??? This guy needs an education. Bigotry is stupid.

I think it's hilarious how angry people are getting. Y'know, I'm not gonna yell or anything. It's kinda pointless. Im from Texas. We're not ignorant or anything. The only thing that gives away that I'm southern is that I say 'y'all'. And I love it. You only get all that stuff you're talking about in the DEEP DEEP DEEP rural areas. I was born and raised in Houston, and I now live in a tiny town that no one on here has ever heard of, so yeah. It's pretty beautiful down here so y'all come visit. Haha. :)

Lol there are backwards people in every part of the country. For example, where the O P is from seems to breed closed mindedness :)

I actually live in Southeastern Louisiana. I've been told that I don't really have an accent. One thing I have to wonder is have you ever been to the south yourself or is most of this based off of what you see in the media? I cring when I watch the waterboy and watching dirty jobs you see Mike Rowe go out on a lot of dirty fishing/sort of stereotypical southern jobs. Sure we have that here but it really only represents a small portion of the population. The state I live in has parishes instead of counties because of our strong Catholic background. That has its influence on us and a lot of people I know are very religious and recognize religious symbols much quicker than people who aren't from here but there are plenty of people in my area who are athiests. I have a cousin who lives in Mississippi that speaks with a thick accent but got a 35 on the ACT.
Seriously though, your rant is really harsh. Really make an attempt to understand these places before you write them off completely.

I have lived all over the US and overseas and live in the South now. Before you make your judgements try and mice beyond the sterotype. And for the record Chicago had more blatant racism than charllote nc.

Um, okay whatever. You spelled pitiful wrong. It is not spelled with a y. Wow, you were just corrected by a southern idiot. How dumb does that make you feel?

The South not only has a wonderful and beautiful accent and people, but our food is the best as well. The South can lay claim to Soul food, Creole, Cajun, Lowcountry, and Floribbean Dishes to name a few. Food such as Jambalaya from Louisiana, or a tasty South Carolina Low Country boil or excellent BBQ in Tennessee or the Carolinas. There is nothing like country cooking, southern style.. Then there is southwestern Tex-Mex food from Texas.. Every part of the US loves Southern style cooking. But who has ever heard of great cooking or delicious food from New Jersey or for that matter any state in the north? What would that be exactly, road kill from a Jersey Turnpike?

In the South, we strive to preserve the African American culture expecially along the Sea Islands of the Southeast coast. The Gullah and Geechee people who have managed all these years to keep their original African language and way of life, but the racist northern aggressors continue to erode away their way of life little by little by stealing their coastal land and stripping them of their heritage. All the transplanted Yankee cares about is taking and using up our beautiful natural resources and ruining what is left of our heritage and its people. They can care less about Dixie's people and her many years of rich Southern culture and way of life. We Southerners enjoy our easy way of life. We enjoy sitting on the porch during a hot afternoon and listening to the chirps of crickets or birds while we sip on some good ole southern sweetened iced tea or jumping in a swimming hole on a hot summer afternoon or eating a fresh Georgia Peach from a roadside stand. We are proud of our accents, our way of life and our culture. Don’t bring your blandness, nasty attitudes, ignorance and fast pace of life here and then put us down and expect us to be kind to you. If it is such a terrible place and if you don’t like it here in the South or her people then I suggest that you keep your Yankee ass at home, up north, where it belongs and quit moving to the South by the thousands!

American by birth, Southern by the grace of God!

Yes im from NY and i also hate the south, on the surface like yourself. The reason you hate the south is because you love the idea of being a northeast elitist and like to maintain the notion of the southern boy going to his KKK meetings at night when hes not working as a mechanic during the day. This is fun to talk about around the watercooler about 'the wierd shit you saw on your vacation to virgina beach'. I often say when i meet a southern guy 'yo do you guys eat dirt down there, i heard pregnant women eat dirt'. Sometime it is fun keeping the hate alive. All i have to say, is wake the fuck up, its not the fucking 1800s. I know just as many rednecks in NY that listen to country music and fucking NASCAR than i care to know. No matter what it is you do, whether engineering, cyber security, whatever, there is some dirty redneck out there with a pair of levis and cow shit on his sneaker that knows more about your education/job then you ever will!! Be true to yourself, know your own bullshit before asking a forum of people.

Okay i was born and raised in Texas. And this is where i choose to raise my kids. we don't automatically hate people of different color or religion. I am educated, i do own a gun and i have all my teeth. please please do your research throughly before making such ignorant observations.

Wow hypocrite, you say the south is responsible for stereotypes when YOUR stereotyping the south and southern people. Your a disgrace to the American people.

What the hell is wrong with you? I live in Houston, Texas and I have been south all my life. NONE OF THAT SHIT IS TRUE!!!

Is Florida considered to be the south? But anyways, The south is nothing like you think it is. I understand, their are some some redneck people, but there's no need to hate on them. Mind your own business. We are ONE nation dude, the united states of America, not the south and north.

I grew up in new England until I was ten, moved to Georgia, and lived there until I was 22. I came back to new England to realize how fortunate I was in the south . The area I lived in was extremely wealthy, I saw little poverty although it's in every state regardless of region. Because education is extremely important there, the state gives all lottery money to college scholarships. I literally can't name anyone from my high school of 2200 students without some college education. Here in new England I am one of very few with a degree and am shocked at how few people here care about education. There is more povery and, ugh, welfare where I live now. You should visit before you judge!

I bear the accent and the guns of a west virginian. I also inherited the loyalty, patriotic, and independent qualities that come along with being a Mountaineer.
I can do anything I want to- I drive a jeep and my dog is my best friend and I have a fridge full of moonshine.
Also, I'm a geophysicist.
So...fuck you. I'll take my country roads any day. And if you break down in my state, you're more than welcome in our homes.

I am origianally from cincinnati ohio. However I have lived in the south longer than I have any other region. There are a lot of things about the south that really get on my nerver. Southern pride, the souths gonna rise again ect ect. But there are a lot of great people in the south. The truth is there are great people all over this country. I am a evangelist who travels and there are people all of the country who believe in Jesus Christ. To make balnket statements about any region of the country is truley a good indicator of a close minded person. It dosent matter is it is southerners making judgement on northerners or vice versa. If a person spent time in diffrent regions of the great country you will find that people have a lot if things in commom. God bless

maybe if you are watching some kind of sad slavery movie about the civil war then I could understand... But to me, it's just land and people.

U jerk! I'm a southerner Ok I don't know anyone like that ... Ok YOU are steryotyping here! That was unkind and u know what we are independant u idiots in the north want the government to take over and they'll turn us into a socialist country u just wait ok ? Yeah so keeps ur rude comments to urself yank

I live in the south and I do hate that we get a reputation for being totally stupid. I think, like everywhere, it has it's good and bad points. For instance, a lot of great music has come from the south. However, I have to agree, that living here is a bit irritating when a lot of my neighbors don't work for a living, but instead live off of my taxes. And, I have to pass them every day on my route to work. They just sit there in the same spot every day eating pringles and waving at me. And, that's why we're the largest people probably, because a lot of the population thinks they deserve to have things handed to them and refuse to work for a living. So, all they do is sit, watch television, and eat. That system is totally warped because these are otherwise healthy people living off of my tax money. They're just too darn lazy to get a job. That burns me up the most about living here. But, the sunsets are beautiful and our musical heritage is awesome.

Everyone has a redneck in their family tree and one day your's is gonna come home to roost. I can't wait for that day for you. Howdy, America, you sure do got a purty mouth....

Austin is one of the top most sustainable cities in the U.S. and the GLBT scene in Dallas is huge. You just have to know where to go.

And I want to thank the person in front of me that was nicely worded!!:)

what if people hated the north. u are so rude to be sterotyping people.

The South gets pounded for having slaves but rly, we weren't the 1st ones, and we were for the most part actually nice to them. I know there are exceptions of course, but leave the south alone and stop hatin'!

The South is great. We are very friendly and hospitable, but we don't like to be pushed around. Many of us may not be wealthy or college graduates, but we work hard for what we do have. We can't help our accents. No matter where you're from, you have one yourself. We don't go around lynching black people or treating them cruelly. They are friends and family to us. You sound as though you are the racist one. You've got some serious issues.

Well. That is your opinion and you have the right to that opinion. I am sorry that you feel that way about us southerners. I, for one am not a bible thumper, am very well educated with a wonderful career, but I do know what you mean. We can not even get electronic bingo passed because it is considered gambling nor can we get the lottery in Alabama. We can however have strip clubs and alcohol sales on Sunday because of the needed revenue. We can go to Tennessee or Mississippi and give them our money though and help their schools. Go figure. I can assure you that there are plenty of open minded people here. Yes, there is poverty. Particularly in the deep south. I also seem to recall that there are also major poverty levels elsewhere Up north, out west and also east. It doesn't exist only in the south. As for the people themselves, we are hospitable and polite. We say please and thank you. I have traveled all over and can honestly say that the south is genuinely nicer. We are laid back. We do not get in a hurry and a scurry. We take life in and enjoy it. So less stressful. Yes, we have rednecks. So does the rest of the country. We are not so different from everyone else. And our state and Tennessee are beautiful. Especially Tennessee in the fall. Anyways., come down for visit and see how times have changed!! Oh yeah, every state has people that want to live on handouts by the way. It's everywhere, that is not secluded either. By Ya'll!!!!

BTW, there are more hobos up north than down south...So, I guess all the Yankees are freeloaders!

That's not nomal. Sorry but it's also inaccurate. Wow. NASA. University of Texas. T A&M. Texas medical center with Dr. Debakey who did the first heart transplant. The Dallas Cowboys! Your anger and bias are misplaced. Generalizing a region is impossible based on fact. But you are entitled to your opinion. LOL.

But me im from the dirty, the dingy, the south
From everywhere we at we smoke it out...

In my opinion it is perfectly normal. We share exactly the same view. Congratulations, mate, for this great description of both mine and yours anti-dixie view. Btw, it can in no way be described as generalization of Southerners, but rather an opinion that Bible Belt is the conservative hell which contributes to the regression of USA. Sometimes I think that if I was American I would maybe loath why Lincoln didn't let them go, making me ashamed to call myself an American.

South will NOT rise again. Face it!

Funny - I am a southerner but 100% agree. Just know we all aren't like that, but waaay too many are. The root cause of all of it is religion. They don't call the South the Bible Belt for nothing. Religion keeps ignorant, complainant, and they have a history of voting against their self interest, which keeps the cycle of ignorance going.

For a minute I thought you meant South Park lol.

I think that the South isn't THAT bad, but the only thing I can not stand is how religious they are. I have nothing against religion, but when they TRY TO CRAM IT DOWN YOUR FUCKING THROAT,(figuratively, of course,) it gets quite frustrating how people have their mind clouded by religion.

I think African-Americans finally get the revenge they deserve. All we need is a few dozen trees and ropes and we start massive hangings of these filthy Crackers! And i don't care if it's old hillbillies who committed crimes with impunity. And then black people can get their digital cameras and we can stand in line with smiling faces as the Crackers swing. And no i am not black, Hispanic, or Asian. I am however Jewish and these pigs would hang me as quickly as any minority groups. Besides you are too stupid, violent, lazy, inbred, and religious nutjobs to be allowed to live let alone breed. You need to be killed and enslaved while African African-Americans get every dime while you work for free. EITHER SECEDE OR we come and start taking over every last piece of land you have
and take all your money. Burn it all down. Maybe you'll finally know what it's like to be looked at something less than Human. God i hope you are killed off.

I hate the SOUTH! I can give you a very long list of viable reasons. But i will stick with the big ones. The South has been responsible for over 95% of the evil that has been inflicted on the country. From the time they entered the Union they have proven time after time that they are violent, hateful, stupid, inbred, lazy, and horrible excuses for so-called human beings but i am not even sure i would call them human. They have been mooching off us since they lost the civil war. A war that they started because they wanted to keep human beings as slaves. We have the documentation of Crackers standing with their young children smiling at the camera that shows African Americans being hung from trees. They have raped, robbed, murdered, degraded and dehumanized anyone that isn't white. And got away with it. Now why should i have my tax dollars go to these hillbillies. For those of you that didn't know since reconstruction the people of the North have had our tax dollars given to those lowlives. They claim that they are morally superior to us "Yankees" as we still are called. Not only are they inferior to us: they are at the bottom of the food chain. They also have gone against the Constitution and pushed religion into government affairs. What's even worse is that this country will never elect a Jewish or Muslim or how about this one: Someone who might be spiritual but doesn't observe any religion at all. You are not supposed to pass a religious litmus test. They deny science and evolution. They even have a museum down there with not actual artifacts but Dioramas showing how people coexisted with the dinosaurs!!! Okay, I need to take a minute because I had to stop and laugh. If we lived with the dinosaurs people wouldn't have never come to be because we would have been eaten. All these cretins care about is being stupid, lazy, uneducated, god, guns, hate, and trying to tell people how to live. Stop fucking your relatives, get an education, stop pushing your religious beliefs on the rest of us and for god sake please visit a dentist so you will have more than four teeth in your head. Of course I could go on because there's more but it would be a book by the time i am done. I will leave it off with this sentiment: Please Secede Now!! This Time We Won't Stop You!! At least if you do my tax dollars will no longer be going to support Crackers who have done nothing but wreak havoc, pain. despair, and is the main reason why this country is one of the worst in education, mortality, the murder rate by guns, healthcare and governments in the world. May The South Burn In Hell!

"Dear Red States
We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we've
decided we're leaving.
We in Enlightened Amerca intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware that includes New York, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of
the Northeast.
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America
(E.S.A).
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of
America 's venture capital and entrepreneurs.
You get Mississippi.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of gun-slinging rednecks.
With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92%
of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living
redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99%
of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush
Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite , thank you.
38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death
penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
We're taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely,
A Citizen of the Enlightened States of America"

While this might be entertaining it isn't helpful. Reconstruction was abandoned because of divided politics and 150 years after the Civil War the South is just now coming to terms with itself. We did more for Europe after WWII than we did for our own fucking country after the Civil War, and it's hard to believe that's still relevant but sadly it is when we take every possible chance to denigrate those different from ourselves - the conservative Southerners, rural folk, people who haven't been afforded the opportunity for education and economic opportunity because of generations of division and mistrust, and that encompasses people of all races in the "red states." Stop feeding that beast, it is eating our country alive.
It would take a self-righteous, smug liberal (and I say this as a liberal Midwesterner who'd be way left of center in CA) to give up New Orleans, the Florida Keys, Low country, Blue Ridge Mountain, Mississippi Delta, Carolina Piedmont, Tidewater, you-name-it awesome region of the South to make themselves feel better about where they are here and now. It is ignorant of the history of this country and prevents our moving forward together. Neanderthals? No place in public discourse.
Let's stop judging each other and solve some problems, beginning with our lack of respect for one another. Let's do the work and our ideals will win, but we must begin with mutual respect and dignity. The haters and obstructionists will isolate themselves in time, but it will take time and lots of work. We've dug ourselves into a big hole in this country, and that hole is dissonance, mistrust, finger-pointing, self-righteousness, and bigotry, which cuts both ways. Let's stop digging and start building, it's the only way up. We elected Obama, let's make this a UNITED States of America as he has asked of us. Get to work.

The only people who like the south are moron's and people who exploit moron's for money.

I find many people in the south to be really good people with a lot of good manners. However, many of them are so stupid. Especially the women. I had a friend who was raised there and was sexually abused as a child by her Uncle. When she told her own mother this, she was told to "keep quiet" about it. They didn't want to hear it again. Her very cowardly father did nothing either. Yet he thought he was so tough because he could go out and kill innocent deer. But he couldn't protect his own daughter. What a frigging coward. Okay, things like this happen in the North too but I found it to be more often in the south. The women are more weak and needy there and seem like they kiss a man's ass. Seems to happen more down there than up here. It's hard to find a truly strong woman down south. I cannot stand those ignorant idiots who use the Bible for everything and who hate people who never did anything to them, like gays. My friend down South is no longer my friend because I could no longer stand her stupidity. She told me one day that her cousin was over her house and that he kicked their dog. But her stupid cowardly father told her "not to say anything". So the frigging coward kicks her poor dog again. No one should EVER give anyone the chance to do this a second time!!! She told me he did it because he "doesn't like dogs". Shows what a piece of garbage he is. How can anyone not like dogs?? Something is seriously wrong with someone like that if they cannot like such loyal and loving creatures like dogs. What a cold piece of crap people like that are. I couldn't get over the fact that she and her stupid cowardly father did nothing at all to protect the precious dog. Their accents got on my nerves too. Very strong like they didn't know their asses from a hole in the ground. Her mother is deceased now but when she was alive she was a bit too much of what's called a "southern lady". She was too weak and stupid to protect her daughter from sexual abuse. Have you ever seen the movie "Bastard out of Carolina"? Shows how really stupid many southerners are. I'm not saying all of them. In this movie, a little girl is raped by her mother's boyfriend but the mother still stays with him. The so-called mother should have been beaten to death for not protecting her child. It was really sickening. It seems the south has more weak and stupid women than anywhere else. And the so-called men can be just as weak and stupid.

I think that it's a bit inaccurate to state that the South as a whole is ignorant and backwards.While there are some unfortunate conservative religious fanatics, there are also many intelligent and progressive thinkers in the South. Have you ever spent time in New Orleans or Lafayette? The french Louisiana culture quite amazing and people are warm and welcoming.

No. You just haven't been to the good parts of the South. Every region has it's flaws and pros. I'm not religious zealot either. That's just a dumb stereotype. And we're not all brainless hillbillies.

Cities like Charlotte and Atlanta are some of the fastest growing in the country and most of the people are moving there from the northeast. These cities are newer, cleaner, have less crime, and the people are more polite than those in the north. Yes, in general people are more conservative and religious but Charlotte is one of biggest banking centers in the world and Atlanta is a huge center for television broadcasting and music. There are reasons why the populations in cities like Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Philadelphia and I think even New York are declining while Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, etc. only grow exponentially.
Bible Belt > Rust Belt

Bible thumping idiots give all of America a bad name. I'm glad you can move north to get away from them (except Utah).

Go ahead and hate us. I can't think why on earth we should care. It's been going on for over 200 years! LOL

Apparently it's just normal for some people to hate whatever they perceive as different. The difference is some kind of threat to their world view. Then, they take it personally.

To the OP: You are obviously a very bigoted person making such sweeping generalizations about an entire region. The South, as defined by the US Census Bureau, is home to approximately 114,000,000 people. It's the most heavily populated region in the US and the fastest growing. You can check the 2010 census to verify that.
To hate a region because it is more conservative, generally speaking, is to be quite prejudiced. Additionally, it discounts the fact that there are millions of people there of various political leanings.
Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Pagans, Buddhists, among others, call the South home. Maybe it would be a good thing for you to travel more.
As for poverty … I grew up in the South and since moving to the Northeast have seen more poverty and toothless people than I ever saw at home. Don't get me wrong. I love New England and even if it is poorer, or costs more to live here, I don't hate the people who make up the region. I love the realness and genuineness of people wherever I go.
Accents? Everyone has an accent. Sarah Palin's and Michelle Bachmann's accents are like nails on a chalkboard to me AND…. they are NORTHERN Conservatives.
You feel concerned about what is holding this country back, do you? I think what holds us back more than anything is the divisiveness, shallowness and judgmental attitude of people like you. I hope you learn the lesson of how to accept all people regardless of where they call home.
Finally, people like you are the reason so many Southerners have a bad taste in their mouths about Northerners. You are just rude and arrogant and, after all, who likes either of those characteristics?

I'm from the south and was born there. All my life I was judged and told I would be nothing by all you southerners. You pieces of shit did nothing but bring me down. Put me in group homes and foster care because that's the only way you cocksuckers make enough money. And tried to send me to a homeless shelter when it was all over after making $2000 a month for me being in foster care. It took a kind hearted northerner to see who I really was and who I could become and that's why I'm successful today with nothing to ever worry about. Because you so called bible religious thumping southerns are the most corrupt and backwards people in America today. You have done nothing but make me hate the south. The place that I should call home I hate with a passion. You say that northerners are rude and crude but get it straight the reason we don't listen is because we know the difference between a person and an animal. And you people are animals. And for the gentleman that said fly over manhattan and see the zoo. Well why don't you fly over your states and see how god forsaken your fucking states have gotten. Our zoo may be in one city but your zoos are all over. I just got to take a plane to gainesville Florida and I would have stepped in a zoo bigger then New York City and Connecticut put together. Go eat that shit you fucking racist fucks.

I don't understand people that ask these questions. I am from the Deep South in Georgia and it seems just fine. I have something to tell to the Northerns that dislike the South. If you have NEVER been anywhere in the Deep South, don't go around saying that you dislike it without knowing what it's like. As far as we know, the South has its Pro's and Con's. But at least we don't have the people with their Flat Bill hats on backwards and spitting out raps about killing their wives or whatever or even putting a bullet in a random women just to get her purse and kidnap their daughters. I just don't understand, why do you guys hate us so much?

Thanks for posting a most cogent and astute question. Being a practicing mental health professional for almost 20 years, I can say that this is certainly not a normal way of thinking. In a nutshell, this mode of thought is clearly described in the DSM-XX as Numbnuttia Syndrome. Specifically this disorder has genetic roots. Typically, it is seen in the offspring of a orangutan and human. This hybrid is then subjected to to repeated sexual, mental, and physical abuse from both parents as well as other family members who are, incidentally, also the offspring of a orangutan and human. The human,in all cases, comes from north of the Mason-Dixon line. One should see a specialist when they find themselves posting silly, hate-filled diatribes against the inhabitants of the southern U.S. on internet forums. The only known treatment(effective in approx. 40% of cases) is self-abortion as well as the horse they rode in on. Now, if you think this ridiculous you south haters, go back and read your utterly dumbass comments, and ask yourself,"Do I really believe this hateful trash"? If you do, then you truly are the disturbed offspring of an orangutan and human.

Thank you for posting this. For a long time i have felt that was the only one who despised that god forsaken hellhole that much but now i feel better. I honestly wish we could force the south out of the union or carry out a mass genocide and expel thier filth and america could finally move forward

Ain't the north just as bad?

OK. Here's the thing.

I think it IS normal for many people to experience a dislike of or disdain for the South and Southerners...but that doesn't make it RIGHT...or an informed decision. Many of the things you mention...illiteracy, ignorance, racism, and poverty are stereotypes...but just because they're stereotypes doesn't mean they're not also true!

I was born in Southern Mississippi and except for a couple of years in college and some misspent time in Florida, I've lived in the Deep South all my life (Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and now, Texas.) Admittedly, my "Southern experience" is atypical - my dad was a univerity professor and an entrepreneur - but our family is definitely Southern. My entire family is from the Deep South - mostly Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.

I supposed I am a study in contrasts. My dad is proud to call himself a redneck...and honestly, I am proud to call myself one, too! I DO have Southern values and I DO read my Bible and witness...BUT, I try not to be overbearing about it. I have two Master's degrees from an Ivy-League University, and I'm working on a third from Case Western Reserve. I say "y'all" and "fixin' to." I often drop terminal consonants when I am speaking with friends or family. My dad gave me a gun for Christmas a few years ago. I think fried chicken is diet food. I am in an interracial marriage - my husband is of Mexican descent. I like to cook, and clean. I am a successful independent consultant. My grandfather - just two generations ahead of me - could not read or write. My mother's home had no running water until she was sixteen.

I am not disagreeing that a lot of what you say about the South is true - it is. BUT, there's more to the story. Just like there are more rural and more cosmopolitan places in other regions of the United States, so it is the case in the South. And I will say that some of the best, most LOYAL, most DECENT people with HIGH INTEGRITY that I have ever known have been Southerners.

I've lived in Louisiana and Mississippi and I hate both States. people down here are haters and control freaks in my experiences with them. They are intrusive, overbearing,ill mannered, and obnoxious down here. They are also fat. VERY FAT! It is impossible to interact with some, if not most of them, on any kind of intellect. If you demonstrate you have any sort of knowledge about anything, they're quick to dismiss that with some stupid attitude and then insult you with a lame remark. To get along down here, you have to ACT dumb in order to try and not stick out like a sore thumb or something. I hate it here. Can't wait to leave it all behind. The south can go to hell.

Aint nothing wrong with the south HATER!!!

lived a lot of places, i do call the south a part of me. Living now in north. I have found it amazing the blue collar working man puts up with so much crap. where up this way it is not put up with. I have learned that the southern worker has not a clue nor other ppl in the south. The needed education is not on average given in the south. I THINK the original thread is awful accurate. But does say enough of why. oh my my my, the poor south.

Although I try to avoid making blanket statements about subcultures, I must say that as a Mid-Westerner who has lived in the South for the past 7 years, I think that the Southern mentality is directly at odds with progressive and rational/enlightenment values. In my experience, most of the native southerners I have interacted with possess a tribal mentality, where they are empathetic to members of their own group, but often outwardly hostile to people they deem as outsiders. Just as Western Europeans can spot an American tourist a mile away, southerners know who the non-southerners are and tend to treat them accordingly. I am miserable in my current location of Georgia because I feel that I am surrounded by a mass population of people undergoing a state of arrested development. It's truly tragic, and due to their willful ignorance, 'southern pride' and good ol' boy mentalities, Southerners will be left behind by modernity. In my experience, the South deserves the label of being backwards. Any non-southerners accustomed to living life through a progressive/rational worldview, please reconsider the decision to relocate to the Bible belt. Over time, you will regret it.

I agree.. in part with you. Those bible thumpin idiots are embarrising, but not all parts of the south are like that. Texas is one of, if not the most progressive and economically successful state(s) in the US. Not to mention Florida especially south florida (which is where im from, is also very wealthy, and not under the bible belt.

We know who you are, Doug! Maybe you are the dumbass with the accent!