Naaaaahh, gotta fact check you there. Sundown towns started in the north and were all over.
https://www.grunge.com/880027/the-disturbing-truth-about-sundown-towns/
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
GAFers who've done a lot of traveling in the US or have lived all over: is "southern hospitality" real or a myth?
- Thread starter DragoonKain
- Start date
https://www.grunge.com/880027/the-disturbing-truth-about-sundown-towns/
baphomet
Member
That's great.
I lived in an area where adults and kids would stand above a gas station off the highway and throw rocks at cars stopping to get gas if they weren't white.
The same town that houses weren't sold to black people unless they were in dilapidated area across the railroad tracks known as, you guessed it, n word town.
And this isn't way back in the past, it's like 10 years ago when I moved out of that shit hole.
Flash Junkins
Member
Well he'll ask me about them, and I'm front the North.
We all know where the idiots live.
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
Born and raised in Mississippi...
Southern hospitality is def real! But when your mayor STILL had public ties to the KKK ... Yeah.
Still plenty of racism but a lot more genuinely nice people.
Atlanta is a city with a lot of transplants and they're usually easier to see they're not FROM GA. The manners and dialects will tell you. Not that there's not a lot of really nice and kind transplants but too many bring their northern attitudes with them.
Southern hospitality is def real! But when your mayor STILL had public ties to the KKK ... Yeah.
Still plenty of racism but a lot more genuinely nice people.
Atlanta is a city with a lot of transplants and they're usually easier to see they're not FROM GA. The manners and dialects will tell you. Not that there's not a lot of really nice and kind transplants but too many bring their northern attitudes with them.
Winter John
Gold Member
I find most southerners to be pretty welcoming in general. The locals probably won't take kindly to you if you march into their place and shout, my goodness just look at all these shitkickers. And look, they have shoes! You don't wanna do that. It won't go down well.
TDiddyLive
Member
Absolutely real. For example: I went to a Monday Night Football game in New Orleans where the Saints were playing the Falcons. These teams hate each other. I was decked out in Falcons gear, walking through the city heading to the game. The worst thing anybody said to me was “Who dat?” Plenty of people decked out in Saints gear told they hoped my team played good. Falcons won, just a lot of “Congrats. Maybe we’ll get you next time.
Yet at a 49ers game, no real current rivalry there, I had constant cussing, weak ass death threats, people bumping into me trying to knock over my drink, and various other hostilities.
Yet at a 49ers game, no real current rivalry there, I had constant cussing, weak ass death threats, people bumping into me trying to knock over my drink, and various other hostilities.
Laieon
Member
I've been to 10+ countries and traveled all over the US. I grew up in Houston. I think southern hospitality is a thing, but really only in the sense that people might try to strike up random conversations with you more than somewhere else. Nice people are everywhere, show respect and you'll get it back.
Last edited:
Ailynn
Faith - Hope - Love
I've lived in Tennessee all my life, and it's definitely real...regardless of skin color or any other differences. There are many people who are flat out as friendly and helpful as Dolly Parton, who is loved very much by most Tennesseeans for being such a sweetheart. 
It's not universal, of course...there are certainly rude southern people, but they are generally not looked kindly upon.
Also, there are the type who are very cordial face-to-face, but will share every detail about you to others through gossip. The "well bless their heart" types.
Then, there are the types who truly are racist and LGBT-hating assholes who seemingly trust and worship Donald Trump over Jesus Christ; let alone follow the teachings of Christ from the Bible. "Love they neighbor as theyself" and "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" are the furthest things from their hearts.
Generally, though...southern people are mostly kind and cordial in public. Just don't expect it from everyone.
It's not universal, of course...there are certainly rude southern people, but they are generally not looked kindly upon.
Also, there are the type who are very cordial face-to-face, but will share every detail about you to others through gossip. The "well bless their heart" types.
Then, there are the types who truly are racist and LGBT-hating assholes who seemingly trust and worship Donald Trump over Jesus Christ; let alone follow the teachings of Christ from the Bible. "Love they neighbor as theyself" and "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" are the furthest things from their hearts.
Generally, though...southern people are mostly kind and cordial in public. Just don't expect it from everyone.
Last edited:
AmuroChan
Member
Real from my experience. With that said, I do live and work in NYC. So the bar for hospitality is about as low as it gets. In the past couple years I've been to North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. People there were much more friendly and conversational than what I'm used to in New York.
DeafTourette
Perpetually Offended
I've lived in Tennessee all my life, and it's definitely real...regardless of skin color or any other differences. There are many people who are flat out as friendly and helpful as Dolly Parton, who is loved very much by most Tennesseeans for being such a sweetheart.
It's not universal, of course...there are certainly rude southern people, but they are generally not looked kindly upon.
Also, there are the type who are very cordial face-to-face, but will share every detail about you to others through gossip. The "well bless their heart" types.
Then, there are the types who truly are racist and LGBT-hating assholes who seemingly trust and worship Donald Trump over Jesus Christ; let alone follow the teachings of Christ from the Bible. "Love they neighbor as theyself" and "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" are the furthest things from their hearts.
Generally, though...southern people are mostly kind and cordial in public. Just don't expect it from everyone.
Exactly!
Methos#1975
Member
To be fair, almost everyone looks down on California, not just the South
What town?
baphomet
Member
East Tennessee about 15-20 minutes from the Kentucky border.
Caryville, Jacksboro, LaFollette area.
Trazyn the Infinite
Member
The most hateful people I have ever met were from California and Washington State. The south had some of the most kind people, unless your entire personality is derived from some immutable characteristic like race/sex/gender. Then you will be treated like a pariah. Be a normal person who keeps their sex life private and treat others kindly, you will be treated kindly in return.
Lady Jane
Banned
Born and raised in New Orleans. Lived two summers in LA and a year in NYC. Two things I want to point out in my experiences
1.
Very much this. I was surprised when people who are generally assholes were accepted in groups of friends. "Yeah that's just him haha", girls who are homie hoppers still have a large group of girl friends, guys who openly admit to spiking drinks and no one telling him to leave, etc, etc. it blew my mind that these people weren't shunned from groups. When I did comment on actions even if the tone was civil, I would be the one looked down on. It was like pointing out assholes was worst than being one. It was frustrating since I'm used to these actions being called out and addressed on the spot.
2.
There is little culture of taking care of your guests. In the South, when you have a guests, it's generally accepted that you offer them a drink (water, sweet tea, alcohol, etc.) and if they're a friend and they need a couch to crash, you say yes even if you don't want too. If they stayed over, you offer breakfast or a place to go out. Its the host's job to take of the guests where this is flipped in LA and NYC culture. When people are over, they are expected to bring their own drinks and it's almost considered as a demand when asking the host for something out of their kitchen. I got awkward responses when I casually asked for something out of their fridge. I've heard hard "No" when we would ask if we can crash at their place to avoid an expensive Uber. Even if we do end up sleeping in the living room, there was zero hospitality in the morning and I was always the one recommending some food.
I'm not trying to generalize regions but that is my experience in multiple groups of friends I connected with in LA and NYC. With that said, the positives of LA and NYC is that it has a healthier lifestyle. I've seen some people claim that it's just city living and I disagree. New Orleans has it's problems for sure but having less southern hospitality than other Southern regions isn't one. The same goes for Houston and Austin (despite it being more liberal, it's still very much Texas).
1.
Very much this. I was surprised when people who are generally assholes were accepted in groups of friends. "Yeah that's just him haha", girls who are homie hoppers still have a large group of girl friends, guys who openly admit to spiking drinks and no one telling him to leave, etc, etc. it blew my mind that these people weren't shunned from groups. When I did comment on actions even if the tone was civil, I would be the one looked down on. It was like pointing out assholes was worst than being one. It was frustrating since I'm used to these actions being called out and addressed on the spot.
2.
There is little culture of taking care of your guests. In the South, when you have a guests, it's generally accepted that you offer them a drink (water, sweet tea, alcohol, etc.) and if they're a friend and they need a couch to crash, you say yes even if you don't want too. If they stayed over, you offer breakfast or a place to go out. Its the host's job to take of the guests where this is flipped in LA and NYC culture. When people are over, they are expected to bring their own drinks and it's almost considered as a demand when asking the host for something out of their kitchen. I got awkward responses when I casually asked for something out of their fridge. I've heard hard "No" when we would ask if we can crash at their place to avoid an expensive Uber. Even if we do end up sleeping in the living room, there was zero hospitality in the morning and I was always the one recommending some food.
I'm not trying to generalize regions but that is my experience in multiple groups of friends I connected with in LA and NYC. With that said, the positives of LA and NYC is that it has a healthier lifestyle. I've seen some people claim that it's just city living and I disagree. New Orleans has it's problems for sure but having less southern hospitality than other Southern regions isn't one. The same goes for Houston and Austin (despite it being more liberal, it's still very much Texas).
Last edited:
I went to ut knoxville for a year and the one thing i remember about its hospitality was getting splashed by a wave of frozen slush by some frat guys in a pickup truck
In their defense your ass looked scrumptious in those jeansI went to ut knoxville for a year and the one thing i remember about its hospitality was getting splashed by a wave of frozen slush by some frat guys in a pickup truck
baphomet
Member
I went to ut knoxville for a year and the one thing i remember about its hospitality was getting splashed by a wave of frozen slush by some frat guys in a pickup truck
I'm sure that was the highlight of their month too.
Similar threads
- Locked