Prejudiced Bigots

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Dixie - In Memoriam

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I keep seeing these posts from people, talking about "Southerners" and showing a complete disdain for them as a group. I won't mention names here, but several posters are guilty, and they know who they are. It is obvious they have a prejudice against people from the Southern region of the United States, one that borders on complete hatred and revile. They will always give various reasons for this rationale, most of which are complete generalizations or stereotypes. Now and again, they will sense this obvious biased prejudice, and preface their remarks with; "not all Southerners, but most..." However, I venture to say, they don't personally know "most Southerners" so this remark is nothing more than camouflage for their overt prejudice.

Unlike many people from Alabama, I have a college degree in Psychology, and one thing I find fascinating is, these same people will claim they are not racially prejudiced at all. They are also not the least bit prejudiced toward homosexuals, or anyone other than Southerners, to hear them tell it. I find it fascinating, because the same bigoted ignorance is involved in all prejudices. It requires that you assume stereotypes and generalizations to be accurate, and refuse to accept the idea that everyone is different.

I am curious as to how a human mind can discern the difference, or establish a different mindset regarding prejudiced bigotry and discrimination. It would seem, if you have the propensity to determine "all southerners" are a certain way, you have exhibited the same exact type of prejudiced bigotry found in sheet-wearing klansmen, or swastika tattooed skinheads. If you can be blind to your ignorance in one area, how can you be enlightened in another? It seems to be quite the paradox from a psychological point of view. What is even more strange is, these people don't seem to think this is noticed. It's as if they have justified bigotry and prejudice they have for people from the South, therefore, no association can be made to racial or sexual prejudice, or bigotry of other types.

Generally speaking, people who have the tendency to lump others into groups, and stereotype them with broad generalizations, are the same across the board, it is not isolated to one particular type or group. Granted, it isn't always apparent because it's not 'politically correct' to openly admit racial or sexual bigotry, so this is kept quiet and seldom ever publicly mentioned. Which brings me to my inquisition. Are all of these people who supposedly hate Southerners, really prejudiced bigots toward blacks, homosexuals, women, Hispanics, Jews, and anyone else not like them? Psychology would suggest they certainly are, unless they have found some profound human secret of compartmentalizing prejudiced bigotry and hate. I don't believe this to be the case, I think we have a lot of very prejudiced and bigoted people here, and it is only socially acceptable to let the demons out of the bag on Southerners.
 
southern people are by and large stupider. They also get divorced more, are less healthy, and poorer. This is supported by facts.
 
There are plenty of idiots down here. There are also facts to support the less healthy, more often divorced, and fewer teeth accusations.

Can the same be said for blacks? As far as education, they have a lower rate of college graduation and even high school graduation. That would mean that more whites than blacks graduate from high school & college. But to call blacks ignorant is an insult and a generalization that is not tolerated.

To call southerners ignorant and bigoted is, apparently, an accepted practice. There are plenty of highly intelligent, well educated southerners. Perhaps a better way of insulting the ignorant ones should be found?

I agree with Dixie on this matter, to group all people in a geographic area into on stereotype is bigotry.
 
I live about 50 miles south from where I work. I grew up there and my family are mostly farmers. I have a little bit of a Southern accent... just a little hint of it. But I hear it all the time from my co-workers how I have a 'redneck voice'. When I hear that, I act kind of proud of it. I don't know why but I do. I'm a little different I guess and appreciate being different. There is nothing wrong with being redneck.

The only people I think we should lump together and stereotype are Trekkies.
 
DigitalDave said:
I live about 50 miles south from where I work. I grew up there and my family are mostly farmers. I have a little bit of a Southern accent... just a little hint of it. But I hear it all the time from my co-workers how I have a 'redneck voice'. When I hear that, I act kind of proud of it. I don't know why but I do. I'm a little different I guess and appreciate being different. There is nothing wrong with being redneck.

The only people I think we should lump together and stereotype are Trekkies.
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Hey! Now you are stepping on my toes. And in a battle of the verbal wits, I don't think you can take me.
 
I have no problem with people calling me a redneck. My southern accent has had me called worse.
 
Redneck was a term designed to supposedly insult those who worked the ground. Farmers tend to look down as they work, thus getting burned on the back of their neck by the sun.

Farmers would tend to take it as a compliment, as a sign of their industriousness rather than as a disparaging remark.
 
Grind said:
southern people are by and large stupider. They also get divorced more, are less healthy, and poorer. This is supported by facts.
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But they are going to heaven :clink:

This thread is a farce though. Dixie whining about pidgenholing people ???
Pinheads!
 
Damocles said:
Redneck was a term designed to supposedly insult those who worked the ground. Farmers tend to look down as they work, thus getting burned on the back of their neck by the sun.

Farmers would tend to take it as a compliment, as a sign of their industriousness rather than as a disparaging remark.
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That is the origin of the word. But it has not been used in that manner for a very long time.

If someone is talking about my tan or the sunburn on my neck, I would be most surprised.
 
uscitizen said:
But they are going to heaven :clink:

This thread is a farce though. Dixie whining about pidgenholing people ???
Pinheads!
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It's "pigeonholing" people, which apparently I knew, and you didn't. I'm not "whining" about anything, I am making the perfectly valid and scientific point that all people who lump other groups of people together and stereotype them, are prejudiced bigots. If you have the propensity to display bigotry for southerners, you are just as predisposed to have the same kind of bigotry toward blacks, women, Jews, Hispanics, etc. It's just not socially acceptable for you to publicly display it.

We are all individuals, with unique individual attributes, and where we happen to be born, makes as little difference as what color skin we happen to be born with. The "farce" is that you think your bigotry and prejudice is well hidden, and it's not. The sadness is, you believe your ignorant bigotry is somehow justified, and no matter how much I disprove your stereotypes and myths, as I did in the opening of this post, you will continue to revel in your bigoted prejudice.
 
look, the facts are there. Of course not every southerner is a mouth breathing in-breeding never showering uneducated hick, but for the sake of discussion it's easy to say southerners than 78% of southerners. it's just simple math.
 
blacks go to prison and have babies earlier than others, jews like money, southerners are dumb, rich people are greedy, mexicans like tacos and landscaping.
 
Grind said:
look, the facts are there. Of course not every southerner is a mouth breathing in-breeding never showering uneducated hick, but for the sake of discussion it's easy to say southerners than 78% of southerners. it's just simple math.
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No, it's not "simple math" it's "simple bigotry." Perhaps an argument can be made that all humans are predisposed to bigotry in some form? Maybe we all suffer from this, and there isn't anything we can do about it, as it's a part of being human? As individuals, we have our own individual preferences, and therefore, we are prejudiced against the things that aren't preferred, to some degree.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, I would venture to say less than 1% of southerners are in-bred, breathe through their mouth, never shower, and lack basic education. And this statistic is probably not much different nationwide, 'stupid' doesn't have boundaries. Nevertheless, it is a stereotype you have applied to a large group of people, based on ignorant bigoted prejudice. It's really no different than saying 'blacks are less intelligent than whites' or 'women are less qualified than men', as it uses the same bigoted stereotypical viewpoint and mindset. If you are willing to do this with Southerners, you are just as likely to do this with any number of other groups of people, yet we are all individual.
 
Grind said:
blacks go to prison and have babies earlier than others, jews like money, southerners are dumb, rich people are greedy, mexicans like tacos and landscaping.
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These are all prejudiced stereotypes, and not true. Not ALL blacks go to prison or have babies earlier than others, some go to Harvard and become lawyers, and eventually get elected President. Not ALL Southerners are dumb, some go to UAB or Vanderbilt and become heart or brain surgeons, and may be called on to save your life one day. Not ALL rich people are greedy, Bill Gates gave more to charity than anyone else in America last year, except for maybe Ted Turner. Not ALL Mexicans like tacos or landscaping, some like steak and potatoes and being Attorney Generals. We are ALL individuals, with unique and individual attributes, and very little can ever be accurately said of an entire group.
 
Dixie said:
These are all prejudiced stereotypes, and not true. Not ALL blacks go to prison or have babies earlier than others, some go to Harvard and become lawyers, and eventually get elected President. Not ALL Southerners are dumb, some go to UAB or Vanderbilt and become heart or brain surgeons, and may be called on to save your life one day. Not ALL rich people are greedy, Bill Gates gave more to charity than anyone else in America last year, except for maybe Ted Turner. Not ALL Mexicans like tacos or landscaping, some like steak and potatoes and being Attorney Generals. We are ALL individuals, with unique and individual attributes, and very little can ever be accurately said of an entire group.
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O RLY WE DIDN'T KNOW ALL OF THIS TY DIXIE FOR YOUR SPEECH

I BET YOU DON'T CARE WHETHER OR NOT A PERSON IS WHITE, BLACK, BLUE ETCC...
 
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