When I decided to go to college 800 miles from home, in a totally different region, I knew I would face some culture shocks. I could count on one hand the times it snowed back home in Georgia, and now I would need winter tires and a good coat and definitely more beanies. I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was becoming a staunch defender of the South.
Growing up as a Black kid in the South, I never really held much love for it. We learned about the Civil War at least five separate times, and the association of the South with slavery can be pretty hard to break after that. I’ve also always had an interest in the Civil Rights Movement, and the most publicized events occurred in the South. I had negative associations and stereotypes about my own home, and they had been brewing for a very long time.
I thought I would be okay with hearing criticisms of the South. At first, I was. I joined in, even. The South has a lot of issues, and I enjoyed discussing some of them. But as time went on, and I heard more and more criticisms, I started to get a sour taste in my mouth. I began to feel protective, in an “Only I can make fun of my family” way. Most of the criticisms I was hearing were not specific to the South, ignoring the true root of the problem, or downright wrong. I think there’s an idea of “the South” in many people’s heads that misrepresents the true South, so I want to set some things straight.
The South is not some insanely racist cesspool. Or at least, it’s not much more of an insanely racist cesspool than the rest of the United States. If I asked you to imagine a racist, you’d likely picture some redneck in Mississippi. The truth is there are racists everywhere in this country, and where you’re from doesn’t determine if you’re racist or not. I would go as far to say the South doesn’t even have a higher number of racists, it’s just a different type of racism. (But that’s a conversation for another day.)
The South is not full of backwards, outdated views. Yes, conservatives win most of our elections, but they don’t win by a landslide the majority of the time. Democrats get votes and support. There are many progressives in the South, and Southern leftists are often some of the most committed to their work. Not only is the South much more progressive than most people know, there is a thriving community of progressives. When the South is stereotyped as being conservative, the work of thousands of activists is ignored.
The South does not deserve to be punished, regardless of the politicians being voted for. When bad things like natural disasters happen and politicians handle it poorly, I’ve heard a lot of, “Well, they voted for them, so that’s what they get.” As I mentioned before, there are many progressive constituents of conservative politicians that didn’t vote for them, but this statement is wrong for more than just that. An entire region of people should not be punished for the political views of the majority, and the South deserves empathy.
There’s many differences between regions in the U.S., but the South truly isn’t that different or remarkable, at least not for the reasons people think. If you hate the South for the mosquitoes, that’s fine by me. But don’t hate it because of stereotypes and preconceived notions. If you’ve never been to the South, go! It’s full of culture and has some pretty cool people. Check it out and form your own opinion on it, because the South is not a lost cause.
