Going to a majority Northern filled college, I am constantly hearing people's farfetched and incorrect assumptions of Southerns. Just because I say "y'all," and maybe sometimes include an extra syllable in my speech, or drink sweet tea religiously, certainly doesn't mean my characteristics apply to every Southern stereotype. People in the South have feelings too! And we don't like hearing things that discount our roots. So here are a few Southern misconceptions that I found necessary to address:
1. We actually don't live like Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind."
OK, to even think that we live like Scarlett O'Hara would imply that we were still stuck in the 1800s, and I hate to break it to you, but time moves in the South too. We don't all live on Southern plantations named after our most prized ancestors, wear circle dresses and floppy hats in public, or have daily barbecues with 300 of our closest friends.
2. We really aren't stupid.
I can't even begin to explain how many times I have heard that Southerners are stupid because of their accent. I know this is difficult for some people to understand, but we actually have brains, and not all of us are stupid and ignorant. I'm pretty sure ignorance and stupidity doesn't reside in one part of the country, but I may be mistaken. What do you all think? It's in the water? Or is the humidity going straight to our brains? I guess we'll never know.
3. And just because we talk slowly doesn't mean our brains are slow too.
Try getting us riled up about something and see how fast our mouths can move.
4. We don't sound nearly anything like how movies portray us as.
If anyone has ever seen "The Secret Life of Bees," or "Dukes of Hazard," or any Nicholas Sparks movie, you should know that we really don't talk like that.
5. We aren't all rednecks.
I don't drive a pickup truck, I don't pull shotguns out on people, and my entire closet isn't made up of my favorite pattern: camouflage.
6. We aren't all Republicans.
Isn't that crazy?
7. We don't all live on a farm.
Or drive tractors, have chickens in our backyard, milk cows, or anything of that sort. We actually have cities in the South. Surprise!
8. We aren't all scared of snow.
Yes, we may cancel class after even a prediction of snow, but that's just because we want to protect our students! Plus, if you haven't already noticed, we really don't have the equipment for a fast recovery. And don't make fun of us because we aren't used to it. Why do you think so many people from the North retire in the South? It's because it never snows.
