Living in the South gives you the chance to be the butt of some really nasty jokes.
According to much popular sentiment throughout America, Southerners are bare-footed, uneducated, clumsy, dim-witted, tooth-pickin', banjo-strummin' Klan members.
Of course, we Southerners know this couldn't be farther from the truth - for at least 98 percent of us. The South, as a whole, is as progressive and educated as the remainder of the United States (which may not be that educated and progressive, we admit).
The stereotypical hillbilly is as much of a hyperbolic caricature as the California valley girl or the streetwise Brooklyn cop. Only, it seems that people can't really get past the Southern stereotypes that label us as dumb and, perhaps worse, extremely annoying.
This results in a climate in which Southerners struggle to be taken seriously everywhere except in the South itself - especially in the professional and business worlds.
Research has proven that these strong stereotypes affect the way Southerners are treated. A study done by researchers at the University of North Texas found that job-seekers with Southern accents were more often recommended for lower-level jobs than their Midwest-accented counterparts. The result was that Southerners ended up being recommended for lower-profile, lower-paying jobs - despite their often lofty academic and professional achievements that surpassed those with other accents.
John Shelton Reed's lecture last night, "What's Southern about the South?" brought to light some Southern stereotypes and how they relate to everyday Southern life, while highlighting particular Southern quirks and characteristics.
Reed pointed out his theory that there are actually three "Souths" - old-school Dixie, the cultural South and the emerging South - that are diverse and culturally significant, not to mention fascinating.
Reed's acknowledgement that the South is actually as diverse as any other region is reassuring and encouraging.
Stereotyping Southerners is just as counterproductive as stereotyping any other ethnic group.
It's high time that Southerners take pride in their regional homeland, and shun and disprove these stereotypes that seem to be impossible to destroy.
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