As a northerner who made her way south for college, I definitely experienced a large dose of culture shock when I first got here. Heck, I'm still going through it. And I'm not even in the deep south. When college students first meet, they usually ask about your major and then immediately ask where you are from. It is like a formula we have developed to classify the hundreds of people we meet into basic categories.
The reactions I get when I reply that I am from New York (Long Island, more specifically) vary from disgust to awe to confusion. I've gotten sneers because I'm a Yankee (I'm sorry, is that a disease I'm unaware of?), big bright eyes from girls that think my life is like "Gossip Girl" (I wish I could say it was) and some scrunched eyebrows when people can't figure out why I go to school in NC. I've come to realize that once I tell people I am from New York, and I do so proudly, some assumptions are automatically made about me as a person and my life at home. I'm here to set the record straight.
1. Yes, I have an accent.
I know I say New Yawk, Lawn Guy Land, cawfee, dawg, I know. But hey, guess what? You have an accent to me too! Southerners have just as thick, in fact sometimes thicker (I might be biased), accents.
2. Yous guys is not a real phrase.
Apart from movies and television where this extra s is added to emphasize Northern-ness, I have never heard someone actually say "yous guys." I'm really not sure why this mysterious s exists, maybe from the "Sopranos" or "The Godfather," but I hate it. I will probably never say y'all, especially since it just doesn't work with my accent, so "you guys" is how I address a group of people. But it is you, not yous. I cringe when I speak to someone and once they hear my accent, they start imitating it using this phrase. I think it sounds just as ridiculous as you do.
3. The North is not Antarctica.
Geographically, yes, we are farther from the Equator, yes, it is colder, and yes, we get more snow. But we also have beaches on our coasts, our summers are just as hot (although they don't last as long, you win) and you do not need a full ski suit every time you leave the house.
4. Yes, we do really love bagels and pizza that much.
This is a little more specific to New York, where bagels and pizza are practically food groups. Apparently, it has been proven that our water is what makes them so special. Some argue that the overload of Italians and their expertise in all things carb-related are what does it. Either way, the pizza/bagels of NC will never compare to those of NY, and only personally experiencing both can teach you such a valuable life lesson.
5. No, I don't take the subway everywhere. Or trains. Or buses.
Occasionally, yes, I do find myself on a subway/train/bus. These are definitely preferred methods of travel in cities, where cars are just a pain and public transportation is fairly cheap. But not all of the North is a city, so just like you, I drive a car just about everywhere I go.
6. We have manners too!!!
Southerners are a million times better at saying ma'am and sir; I'll give you that. But that does not make me a rude person! I was taught manners and the importance of please and thank yous my whole life too, just because they sound funny in my accent doesn't make them less genuine. This stereotype probably frustrates me most. I've actually had someone say to me at a Starbucks, "Wow, you have such good manners for a Yankee!" … Yankees are people too.
7. We don't all have terrible tempers!
I like to consider myself to be a happy, friendly and reasonable person, not some hostile maniac with a short fuse. Although, I must admit, I do have strong road rage. And every time I try to argue against this stereotype, I do wind up ranting a bit like a maniac… so maybe there is a little truth to this one. I promise we don't mean it.
8. WE AREN'T SHOUTING AT YOU! THIS IS OUR NORMAL VOLUME!
I definitely know some Northerners who are super quiet, or are actually able to restrain their voice to a normal volume, but I do unfortunately fall into the category of a "loud-talker." I have awful volume control. I don't realize it as it is happening, but I have learned that I am not so good at gauging my own volume. I swear I don't mean to shout, and I know you're sitting right there; my volume just tends to increase exponentially in relation to my excitement. But to be fair, I've met plenty of Southerners whose squeals echo across town. I'm not sure that this is unique to the North, but I will admit that we have a large loud-talker population.
Next time you meet someone from the North, take the time to listen to them loud-talk about their lives to you guys in their funny accents over some pizza before you judge them as a person based off stereotypes. They'll thank you for it (but probably won't say sir/ma'am as they do).
