Southern Culture
Anyone traveling in the South will notice several things immediately. One obvious thing is the language. They have their own language down there, in which there are very few one-syllable words (we-ee-ee-ll), a lot of idiomatic expressions (I ain’t funinya), and no such words as “rush,” “hurry,” or “quickly.”
I often could not understand people who spoke this language. My cousin, a college student in the Northeast, translated for me a few times, but quite often I just nodded and smiled. One woman at a museum told me about a big “pahn.” I thought she was telling me about a pine tree, but she was actually talking about a pond.
Everything slows down in the South. It took us over an hour to get our rental car, and we were the only people in the place! If there was one person standing in line at the Food Court, the line was already too long. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just a cultural difference. There’s something to be said for not rushing through life, for stopping to have a conversation when you are supposed to be helping a customer…life is tough, so we might as well take our time and enjoy it. New Yorkers would be absolutely flummoxed by this notion.
Another thing about Southerners: they are a friendly bunch. As a Yankee, when someone gets in the elevator with me and has a big smile and a “how y’all doin,’” I wonder what they want from me. I was not familiar with such friendliness. No one snarled at me, and most everyone even made eye contact upon getting in. My cousin told me that even if Southerners run into someone they don’t like, they are liable to give them a hug and make small-talk. That seems like a colossal waste of time to me…I’d rather ignore them and save my energy for people I like, but that’s just my Yankee background talking. So we have people who are generally relaxed and friendly.
There was a show in our hotel on New Year’s Eve for $65 per person, and an ad in the elevator telling everyone about it. There was many a time when I heard “what…sixty-fahv dollars? Whoooweee, I ain’t never payin’ that much for a show.” Those of you from New York, who pay $65 for dinner and almost twice that for a Broadway show, can understand the big difference here regarding the cost-of-living. My cousin pointed out a nice house in Tennessee that her friend bought for $85,000. Granted, it wasn’t a mansion, but it was a decent-size place. Try finding a decent apartment for that in New York, never mind a house. So we have friendly, relaxed, people with a low cost-of-living.
Now, think of the average person in the Northeast. Is he or she a relaxed, easygoing, friendly [to everyone, including strangers] person who enjoys a low cost of living? Does he or she make eye contact with strangers and nod hello? Maybe sometimes, but certainly not always. Not like our brethren down South. In New York or Boston, people run for the subway or the T just to cram themselves in and rush to work to deal with more stress all day. It is a different culture down there, almost a different country. The United States is a big place, and it’s difficult to get us to agree on anything. Just like a large extended family, so it is with this country.
I often could not understand people who spoke this language. My cousin, a college student in the Northeast, translated for me a few times, but quite often I just nodded and smiled. One woman at a museum told me about a big “pahn.” I thought she was telling me about a pine tree, but she was actually talking about a pond.
Everything slows down in the South. It took us over an hour to get our rental car, and we were the only people in the place! If there was one person standing in line at the Food Court, the line was already too long. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just a cultural difference. There’s something to be said for not rushing through life, for stopping to have a conversation when you are supposed to be helping a customer…life is tough, so we might as well take our time and enjoy it. New Yorkers would be absolutely flummoxed by this notion.
Another thing about Southerners: they are a friendly bunch. As a Yankee, when someone gets in the elevator with me and has a big smile and a “how y’all doin,’” I wonder what they want from me. I was not familiar with such friendliness. No one snarled at me, and most everyone even made eye contact upon getting in. My cousin told me that even if Southerners run into someone they don’t like, they are liable to give them a hug and make small-talk. That seems like a colossal waste of time to me…I’d rather ignore them and save my energy for people I like, but that’s just my Yankee background talking. So we have people who are generally relaxed and friendly.
There was a show in our hotel on New Year’s Eve for $65 per person, and an ad in the elevator telling everyone about it. There was many a time when I heard “what…sixty-fahv dollars? Whoooweee, I ain’t never payin’ that much for a show.” Those of you from New York, who pay $65 for dinner and almost twice that for a Broadway show, can understand the big difference here regarding the cost-of-living. My cousin pointed out a nice house in Tennessee that her friend bought for $85,000. Granted, it wasn’t a mansion, but it was a decent-size place. Try finding a decent apartment for that in New York, never mind a house. So we have friendly, relaxed, people with a low cost-of-living.
Now, think of the average person in the Northeast. Is he or she a relaxed, easygoing, friendly [to everyone, including strangers] person who enjoys a low cost of living? Does he or she make eye contact with strangers and nod hello? Maybe sometimes, but certainly not always. Not like our brethren down South. In New York or Boston, people run for the subway or the T just to cram themselves in and rush to work to deal with more stress all day. It is a different culture down there, almost a different country. The United States is a big place, and it’s difficult to get us to agree on anything. Just like a large extended family, so it is with this country.
posted by Wounded Liberal at 4:56 PM
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