O Brother, Where Art Thou

O Brother, Where Art Thou is probably one of my favorite movies in general and it's filled with images of what we think the South was or even is. It's actually based on Homer's Odyssey. For a complete review, check out the summary at Wikipedia. First of all, it's set in Mississippi 1934 during the Great Depression, so the setting, the locations, the images are all the director's interpretation of the South. Many of the songs in the soundtrack are typical Southern style of the time like folk music, bluegrass, and so on. Also, the main characters are entranced by the baptism they see by the river. So, this idea of religion and Christianity is definitely portrayed in the movie. Also, the KKK and the burning cross, Grand Wizard are further portrayed, and in a sense suggests that the South must be represented with these images. Of course, most, if not all the accents in the movie are the typical Southern drawl, which have to be included in the movie to make it a genuine Southern movie. And also, on a deeper level, the plot shows the transition of the Old South to the New South. The plot is three men traveling around trying to get to a valley and find the treasure and money one of them buried there before it is flooded by the creation of a hydroelectric power plant. And on the way to the valley, they go through the Southern farmlands and forest. So, the audience gets to ideas of the South, one of industrialization but also agriculture. You can check out this video of a song that the main characters sing here.

Stupid is as Stupid does

One of my favorite movies and the best example of southern stereotypes in movies is Forrest Gump. The most offensive stereotype is that southerners are all stupid, portrayed through Forrest who is slow, but a good-hearted southern boy from Greenbow, Alabama. When asked if he is "stupid or something" he comes back with "Stupid is as stupid does". He unintentionally teaches Elvis to dance, busts the Watergate scandal, meets John Lennon and John F. Kennedy, and becomes a "gazillionaire" through Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. However, Forrest is not the only with a low IQ. After enlisting in the army he meets Bubba, who is also dumb and talks about nothing other than shrimp and the family shrimping business all day.

Nothing in the South is bigger than college football. In Forrest Gump, Forrest is offered a scholarship to play at Alabama because he can run, but he is so dumb he runs the ball for a touchdown and keeps running through the tunnel, and Coach Bryant says "That kid may be the stupidest I have ever seen, but he sure is fast". However, this shows that anyone in the South can go to college and graduate if Forrest can.

Another common stereotype of rednecks and incest is shown through Forrest's best friend and true love Jenny, who runs away from a sexually abusive father. Her childhood drove her to run across country and finding escape through drugs and men.

In the movie, Forrest cuts grass for free because he loves riding the lawn mower so much. This refers to the stereotype that all southerners are rednecks with tractors and lawn mowers.
However, on the more positive side, the movie also shows that southerners are very hospitable and loving through Forrest's love and forgiveness for people. He loves Jenny and lieutenant Dan no matter how they treat him. Forrest Gump is a very entertaining comedy that I can watch over and over, even though it is poking fun at southerners and contributing to the stereotypes southerners are constantly trying to get rid of.

The Andy Griffith Show

I don't know about my favorite southern movie, but my favorite southern TV show would have to be the Andy Griffith Show. The show's main character, played by Andy Griffith, is a sheriff in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina.

Most of the plot revolves around the sheriff's duties keeping the town in order while taking care of social problems. Both issues are always light, allowing humor and a happy ending.

Despite its great humor and storytelling, the show was still full of southern stereotypes. For example, the town is always peaceful, and the sheriff, Andy Taylor, doesn't even carry a gun, while his deputy carries a gun with only one bullet. The show tries to represent an image of a better time gone by similar to that of Gone With the Wind.

The show was also somewhat racist. It did not show blacks as inferior, because it hardly showed them at all. The show was aired during the height of the civil rights movement, yet there wasn't a single black person with a speaking part in the first five seasons.

Sweet Home Alabama

There are many movies that portray southern stereotypes, but one of my favorites is Sweet Home Alabama. I personally have never lived or submersed myself into Alabamian culture, but if I did I honestly think that it might correlate with the stereotypes seen throughout the movie. That is my stereotype of Alabama, whether it is true or not.

Even in the trailer for the movie, many southern stereotypes can be pointed out. The way that southerners view the north, the reenactment of battles fought in the south, the concept of having babies in a bar, rodeo type dances and the great outdoors filled with mosquitoes, all some type of southern stereotype, come into play throughout the movie. This movie is filled with southern stereotypes that can be followed closely throughout the movie. As soon as Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) leaves the north, the way she acts and her identity completely changes. There is an enormous difference between the north and south in this movie and is portrayed very distinctly. This shows the effect that the northern and southern cultures have on people and how they can change the way they act and talk.

The trailer, as seen below, incorporates many southern stereotypes in order to draw in the audience and show the portrayal of the southern culture.

Sweet Home Alabama is one of my favorite movies. Maybe it is because it is a romantic love story, I am not really sure, regardless, I will watch it over and over. I find the southern humor relatable, even being from the south. I was not offended by its assumptions, even though they could have been directed towards me and my background. This movie does correlate with some of the stereotypes even I, a native southerner, think of when referring to Alabama. These may or may not be true, but if I, someone who lives in the south, thinks of those things, then non-southerns are definitely going to think the same. This movie portrays many typical southern stereotypes, from the way people talk and dress to how they view the north. But that is not why i love the movie. Most of all, it has an interesting and amusing southern plot, funny scenes, with a happy ending. What's not to love?

Topic

What is your favorite southern movie and what stereotypes throughout the movie make it southern?

Southern Accents

Everyone knows the stereotype of the slow southern drawl. But how common is it really? In my southern hometown, far less than half of the people I knew had what would be considered a southern accent. In fact, a large percentage of my high school was born outside of the south. I never even felt conditioned to the southern accent, if I heard someone with a heavy accent it would sound strange to me.

Of course, Tech is even more of a counterexample for the accent stereotype. Hearing Asian languages or accents is far more common than hearing a southern drawl. As the south is becoming more connected globally, we are seeing a disappearance of these stereotypical properties (which in some cases may have never existed at all).



Paula Deen embodies many southern stereotype, specifically that of the accent. Yet, if I heard her talking on the streets of Atlanta, it would sound very odd to me. I think this shows that in many places, the southern accent is a thing of the past.

Passion

The main reason why football is so dominant in the South, especially the SEC conference, is the influence sports have on families in the South. Parents sign up their children in sports at a young age. These parents pay for lessons and take them to practices and camps for that sport and sacrifice whatever it takes to make their child better. As the child grows up and the sport gets more competitive, the crazier the parent becomes, coaching and yelling from the sidelines, arguing with coaches about playing time, and bragging to everyone they know about how great their child is. Because children in the South start out in sports at such a young age they develop a love and obsession for the sport and will do whatever it takes to make it to the next level and play for their college. This love and dedication carries over to the team and makes southern teams dominant for their true passion.

Another important reason the SEC dominates sports is the fans and their passion for and dedication to the sport and their team. In the south, many children are brought up with a die-hard love for their team. These fans never miss a home game, even travel to some away games, wear crazy outfits or paint up for games, and fight any person trashing their team.

However, having been a die hard Tech fan since I was born and after all this talk about the SEC and how dominant it is I just have to say...GO JACKETS!!!! TO HELL WITH georgia!!!

The Dominate South

Ever since 2005, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has dominated in football. In 2005 Texas claimed the national title, in 2006 Florida, in 2007 LSU, in 2008 Florida once again, and most recently in 2009 Alabama. Given there are other schools in other parts of the country that are very good at football, but the difference is that a vast majority of southern football programs can compete at a very competitive level with one another.

Why do southern states attract such elite football player? Are they just bred in the south? It's possible. But i think that the reputation that the south upholds, especially regarding football attracts the best players from all around the country. But many players come from in state. I think that this is because southern states start involving their children in sports at a very early age and make it a very large part of their lives while growing up. Kids learn to be competitive, to work hard at something and stay in very good physical shape.

It is interesting that southern states are dominate at certain sports like football. There is such a big emphasis on sports in the south. That could be for two reasons. One, because the athletics are so good and fun to watch that most people get really into supporting their team. Or that the large emphasis on sports cause parents to start their children in sports at an early age. Or it could even be a combination of the two. Regardless, southern sports, especially football in the SEC have been very successful over the years and been recognized as the top in the nation.

Blog Topic for the Week

Certain sports in the South seem to have much more value than in other, non-southern states, especially football. Why do you think that these sports seem to be most dominate in the South, like the SEC football conference? Discuss what causes you think could contribute to this

It has long been a tradition of my church youth to go out on Sunday nights to Olive Garden. Sometimes the whole family would come, and everybody would just have a good time. Although the food isn't admittedly Southern in any way, one of the most interesting Southern experiences happened nevertheless at this restaurant.

There was a certain waiter there that was very inviting, smiling. He was probably born and raised a Southerner, because he had the accent and was full of that Southern hospitality. However, what makes this experience so special is that the waiter started to get to know us more and more and before we knew it, he was learning the Romanian language (because we are Romanian). He was greeting us and taking our orders and conversing with us in Romanian, in our very own language! He is the nicest waiter I have ever met, and his manners and politeness is more than a facade; he really is the real deal. It is ironic that in the South, we don't meet such people very often.

Pizza Hut

A few years ago, a Pizza Hut opened in my hometown of Franklin, Tennessee just a few miles away from my home. I was excited, because I love pizza.

So, fast forward to two years later. The "historic committee" of my town somehow got the information that an army general *may* have died on the Pizza Hut land. Note that this was highly speculative because they didn't have much land and there really wasn't anything to distinguish this land from the land 500 feet away from it. So what did the historic committee do? Well they forced Pizza Hut out of course. They demolished the building and built an old style fence around the property with a little sign next to the street.

I think this is a great example of when the reminiscence of the Old South goes too far. The fact that we have a group of people that just get together and decide that what parts of the town do not properly emulate the Old South image seems to be too much for me.

A Southern experience..or not

Write about an experience of yours in the South and how does it fit into either the traditional Southern culture or the new Post-modern South culture.

Favorite Icon of the South

My favorite icon of the south would definitely be fried chicken! My ethnic background is Romanian, and if you guys know any other Romanians, but we just love to eat, and one of the greatest contributions of the American South to the world was its fried chicken. According to wikipedia, apparantly, the American South was not the first culture to prepare "deep frying" foods; there is evidence of deep-frying cooking techniques in Europe during Middle Ages, Vietnam, and Africa. Although the South probably borrowed the idea, they definitely made fried chicken popular, resulting in today's love for fried chicken. I had fried chicken for dinner last night, and it was good!

My favorite southern icon is Elvis Presley or "The King of Rock and Roll". Elvis started his singing career in 1954 with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. Some of Elvis's most popular songs included "Hound Dog", "All Shook Up", and "Jailhouse Rock". A list of other Elvis songs includes: "Suspicious Minds", "Mystery Train", "A Little Less Conversation", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Suspicion", "That's All Right", "Blue Moon", "It's Now or Never", and "Love Me Tender". Elvis was known for his stage presence and controversially suggestive hip movements. He was the most popluar musician ever with thirty-eight top ten hits, which has yet to be challenged. He sold over one billion records globally, and earned gold, platinum, or multi-platinum awards for one hundred thirty-one different albums and singles. He received fourteen Grammy nominations, including three wins, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from the National academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Elvis's home, Graceland, is one of the most visited homes in America today, attracting over 600,000 tourists a year. It is the most famous home in America after the White House, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Elvis Presley's talent, good looks, sensuality, and charisma made him one of the most important figures of twentieth century popular culture. Elvis died at his home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977.

The Ryman Auditorium

When I think of a southern icon, I can't help but think of the country music at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. The auditorium began as a large church in downtown Nashville. In 1943, it became the home of the Grand Ole Opry, a live show that was broadcast over the radio every week. The Grand Ole Opry became famous as the best country music radio show and the home of country music. In the 1970s, the show was moved to a new home, but it still plays at the Ryman for a few months each year.

I have seen multiple shows at the Ryman. The auditorium is a perfect size;
it is just small enough so that you feel close to the stage regardless of where you are sitting. The last show that I saw there was a Christmas show by Alan Jackson. Looking back, I find it ironic that the show was of a country singer singing gospel songs in an old church famous for its country music. I think this shows how closely related country and gospel music really are.

The Romantic South

"Gone With the Wind" is one of the most famous southern movies of its time and still remains that way today. When I think about "Gone With the Wind" I see the romantic south, the southern gentlemen suitors looking for love in the southern bell. I think most girls from the south wish that they were Scarlett, courted by every man imaginable, having whatever her heart desires. The idea of men chasing after you is very appealing to girls, every girl wants to be wanted and I think that is one of the reasons women love this movie. It gives hope that the romanticism of the south still exists and that it continues to exist today.

This picture tells me so much more than what the name of the movie is. It tells me that there is love and passion in the south, that the beauty and serenity of the country engulfs you and that love is one of the greatest things you can find.

I believe that whenever people look at the image, they see the South. This movie has been a southern icon ever since it was released. The love and passion of the movie gives the audience the idea that that is what the south is truly like. I love this icon because of the idea of the southern gentleman and the southern bell. I will admit that I do wish I were a southern bell, being laid on hand and foot, falling in love, and everything that comes with it.

Whenever people think of southern movies, "Gone With the Wind" is one of the first to pop up. It is a classic that will always be there to remind us of what people perceive and idealize the south the be like. Personally, I would love to be apart of the south that has the gentleman, the hopeless romantic who pursues the woman he can't live without. The romantic south is one that I believe most girls want to be apart of. Maybe it is true for some parts of the south and not for other, I am not really sure, but nonetheless, the icon still holds a special place in my heart.

Topic

Be it internationally recognized or just something local, what is your favorite icon of the South and why?

Maybe it's because I am from Texas so it has a little bit to do with my home state pride, but either way, I love the Alamo. When you visit it, it may not look like all it's built up to be, but to me, it still represents something great. It was the turning point for Texas during its fight for independence. The Alamo represents courage and faith. With only two survivors, the Alamo flipped the switch in the Texas and gave them reason to fight with all they had against the Mexicans. They were fighting for the people who bravely faced the Mexicans during the battle of the Alamo. Even though the Texas lost the battle of the Alamo, it was the battle that gave the Texans incentive to win the war.

For some reason this historical landmark sticks out to me. It shows me how much a state or country cares about its residents and how each soldier was willing to give up their life for the well being and overall goal of the entire country. Personally, I think that I am partial to Texas. It's said that if you live in Texas, you love Texas and everything that comes along with it. I am extremely proud to claim that I am from Texas and I believe that every single person who fought in the battle of the Alamo would claim the same thing.

Today, the Alamo is a popular tourist stop in San Antonio. Many go to see the infamous fort and see where the bloodbath took place. It has become quite the Southern landmark for Texas. To Texans, this represents a pride in our state, something that we should all look at and see courage, and bravery, and a symbol of why our state is the one we know it as today. I am proud to say that Texans fought at the Alamo and that Texas was able to declare its independence from Mexico because of the courage and character that each of the soldiers proved when fighting and dying in the battle of the Alamo

Fun at Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain located in Gwinnett County in Georgia is one of my favorite historical landmarks in the South. The mountain is more than five miles in circumference and offers a great view of the Atlanta skyline, Kennesaw Mountain, and sometimes the Appalachian Mountains. Tourists can reach the top of the mountain by the walk-up trail or by skyride. The carving on the mountain depicts three Confederate leaders of the Civil War, President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (and their horses, "Blackjack", "Traveller", and "Old Sorrel".

Stone Mountain park is Georgia's most popular attraction with activities including tennis, river boats, pedal boats, hiking, boating, fishing, golfing, and bicycling. One of the most popular attractions is the laser show on the lawn with special effects and music. Families arrive early in the day to get good seats, picnic, and play on the lawn. Stone Mountain also offers museums and The Crossroads, which is a simulation of a town in the 1870's with everything from candy making to glass blowing. Stone Mountain's newest attraction and one of my personal favorites is Snow Mountain. Stone Mountain Park's Laser Lawn is transformed into a seasonal family snow park, featuring a 400-foot tubing hill and a 30,000 square foot play area in snow at least two feet deep. Because snow in Georgia is very rare and two feet of snow is almost impossible, snow mountain is fun for all ages and it is local and convenient. Stone Mountain is a popular tourist attraction and has entertainment for the whole family.

The Biltmore Estate

My favorite landmark in the South has to be the Biltmore estate. The Biltmore is a mansion built by George Vanderbilt from his wealth, which was amassed from several businesses as well as large inheritances. The house was finished in 1895, and despite his large sum of money, it is thought to have used up a majority of his wealth.

When I visited the Biltmore, I found it fascinating because of it seemed old yet at the same time it was so revolutionary at the time. It is an odd mix of an old house an a luxurious home. For example, it has a swimming pool, a two story library, and even a bowling alley. It was truly revolutionary with features such a an intercom system, an elevator, and centrally controlled clocks. It is massive as well; the tour that I took a few years ago took well over two hours. It is hard to imagining living in anything close to the size of that house.

The gardens around the mansion are not to be ignored, either. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same man who designed Central Park. All of the greenery is still very well tended to today because of the large amount of tourism that the house sees.

The estate is still very alive, with tours happening everyday and hotel rooms (on the grounds but in a separate building) that cost $600 or more per night.

topic

What is your favorite historical landmark in the South? Why?

What makes someone Southern??

What distinguishes you being Southern? What are some key differences that separate Southern culture from other American cultures?

These are all big questions, that require more than a stereotypical and superficial answer. After living in Washington state for 7 years South for 10 years, I truly feel that the answer varies greatly and there isn't a straight recipe on how to be Southern or Northern (which may surprise some people!). Southern-ness varies from person to person and in this new technologically advancing age, the culture is being redefined and people are widening its boundaries daily. For example, Southern music used to be slaves composing and singing religious songs because they looked sought refuge in religion and God when their lives were like crap, to put it bluntly. That's how you get the common song of "i'll fly away." The songs were sungn with a fiddle, violin. Then guitars started to come into the picture, acoustic by the way. The genres of music, blues and jazz started in new orleans in the early 1900s, by blacks. Then rock and roll and gospel had their impact on southern culture with Elvis Presley. And now more modern southern music is being shaped by rap music, again by African-Americans! But listening to a certain style of music doesn't make you Southern or Northern! If I was trying to act Southern, I would immediately switch to a redneck, hillbilly accent. But this doesn't make you one way or the other either! America is a melting pot of cultures and since the South nowadays has the largest influx of people, one's history and ethnic background doesn't make you Southern anymore. So if not's speech, music, food, religion; if these are all relative, then what makes someone Southern?

I guess the answer to this question is very elusive, but I have to conclude that the Southern identity is slowly materializing away. With the globalization of the south an the new influx of ideas and cultures, post-South doesn't really exist anymore. The idea of how the South was persists as how the South is today, but a little deeper dig underneath shows its supericiality.

Southern vs. Northern upper class food

Responding to Jason's question regarding the essence of what is known today as "Southern food."

Everybody is familiar with the traditional Southern fried food. This kind of food is seen almost too often on dinner tables in homes, fast food restaurant chains, and also in family-owned small restaurants. So I wanted to see if this idea of "Southern food" is preserved in more elegant and artful forms of food. After a short enough search on Google, I found a company called Debra Jane's Classic Gourmet Southern Delicacies. You can check it out here. It's not very functional though, because the company is more recent and I am guessing the website is as a result also very new. However, it does include several pictures of the Southern food that they offer! The most notable of which I've shown here.

The website says that this company is dedicated to "quintessential southern food." Since this company started recently (2007), I feel that it offers great insight into how traditional southern food is twisted and turned into the modern southern delicacies of fancy expensive restaurants. Although it is a modern elegant type of food, you can still see the influence of the traditional ideas of southern food. For example the very first picture is one of fried chicken (well at least I think it's chicken); my point is that it is fried and very noticeable. Also, the food in the middle pictures look so fresh, that it seems like the chef had just picked it from the garden! Again, a subtle idea of the farming and agrarian society of the traditional south. But I think the strongest sense of southern culture is that it's not like the abstract art of very elegant and fancy restaurants.

Here are some pictures showing how there is a different kind of elegant' upper class food, and it almost seems that the chef's forgot they were preparing food! It doesn't look filling at all, with all the small portions, which is in agreement with a profit-oriented and ungenerous philosophy on how to run a business, which seems to fit in with a northern city-like culture.

I close with a picture of a 'northerner' kind of upper class food from the Chicago gourmet 2009 that i got from this website.

The Golden Rule

The biggest differences in the North and the South are manners and morals. In the South, many children are taught at a young age to respect their elders, which includes referring to adults as "sir" or "ma'am". This generally carries over into a respect for all. Children are taught to share and live by the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Most southerners will do anything to help others, which comes from the southern stereotype of "good ole southern hospitality". This is not to say that all northerners are rude and inconsiderate, however, southerners are usually more willing to help.


Southerners are also known for their morals. They are considered a conservative and religious people. The south is considered the "Bible belt", because church attendance is very high. Southerners are generally very strict on their thoughts of politics, abortion, interracial marriages, and sex before marriage. Not all southerners follow these stereotypes, but they are very common among the majority.

A Great Home Cooked Meal

The North and South have always had their differences. Beginning before the civil war, and still today, the stereotypes of the two can be quite ridiculous. Northerners are thought of as more rude, stuck up and better educated than Southerners. While Southerners are seen as slow, big hearted, people who eat fried food all the time. When Northerners look at the South, they see people like Shelly, the woman in this everything southern video:

In this video, Shelly is teaching her audience the way to a man's heart. She claims that by making good food that men cannot resist, you can get away with just about anything. She states that this is the game that southern women understand and know how to play. Women in the North are thought of as more independent and able to fend for themselves, less dependent on things and other people, especially their husbands. This video shows why there is a common stereotype of southerners. It claims that women are constantly making good food for their husbands to get away with either spending too much money or some other thing. The main stereotype between the North and the South here is that women have a difference outlook on the way they view men. Southern women need their husbands and Northern women feel that they don't need men in their lives, it is just an asset that they like to keep around. Although this stereotype may not be entirely true, it is a common difference associated with women in the North and South. There seems to be a higher standard set by Northerners, to be accomplished, work at a a nice job, and make a lot of money. Whereas in the South, people do what they please and seem to do it out of enjoyment.

Essentially in the South, give a man a great home cooked meal, and everything else will seem so much less important to him. A good lesson learned, taught by the original southern housewife.

The Kind, Slow-Paced, Ignorant South

Many people (especially those who do not live in the South) differentiate between the North and the South by looking at the South as a slow-paced environment filled with southern hospitality and home cooked food. The North is then seen as the reverse, filled with fast-paced businessmen living in the city. In reality, these stereotypes are not nearly as true as they once were, with the South becoming globalized and both cultures changing to a similar suburban culture.

Southerners are also seen as dumb and uneducated. While this is a very broad (and generally false) stereotype, it is partially based in truth. In US News' rankings of best schools by state, no southern state makes it into the top 10. Luckily, this is a trend that seems to be changing, as education becomes more vital in the New South.



When someone sees a video like the one of Miss South Carolina, instead of just thinking that she is dumb, they revert to a stereotype and think that this is proof that all southerners are ignorant, which is just not true.

The North and South are different?

What distinguishes being Southern? Why are there such cultural differences between the north and south, and what are some of these key differences? Try finding any images or videos to support your ideas.

The Redneck South

The term red neck was first used to describe the lower working class, because they would work all day outside and would get sun burnt. Over the years, this term became a stereotype that classified everyone who lived in the south. When I think of the term redneck, I think of a toothless white male with overalls and a mullet which is depicted in this image. However, most people who live in the south are not like this at all. Many southerners are very wealthy and live luxurious lives and are the complete opposite of this toothless redneck. Although, of course, you will find the occasional redneck who dresses and acts like the sterotype.

The media gives the south a bad reputation. Many people actually believe that all southerners are white trash rednecks. Those who have not been to the south would get a bad first impression of the south from images like this one. This could make some one not want to visit the south. Atlanta is considered part of the new south and is very sophisticated. Southerners are working very hard to get rid of this bad reputation and become known as a high class, sophisticated region.

Stereotypes in the deep south

The Office is a great TV show that was very popular when it first started. What made it so popular is the relaxed atmosphere of the business world at a paper company Dunder Mifflin. In season 6, there is an episode called "Murder" where the people in the Office have to act out a Southern accent, thus the idea of the representation of the South is extremely fresh and present in these scenarios. I found two video clips of Pam trying to do a Savannah accent after which Andy ends up saying that she is actually doing a Florida pan handle accent, quickly followed by Andy's attempt at a Savannah accent. The second clip is of Oscar trying to do a southern accent which is absolutely hilarious. Notice the reference to Forest Gump when Pam is imitating a southerner. Forest Gump is definitely remembered for his long drawn out accent in the movie "Forest Gump." These videos are categorically stereotypes of the South. One cannot imitate a Southerner without trying to speak in a southern accent!

Now the question is whether these video clips are good representations of the South. In other words, do these stereotypes still hold today? I was born in California, grew up in Washington state, and i moved to Georgia in 2000. I have to say that since moving to Georgia, the Southern accent has slowly been dying out. Right now, I do not even notice on a daily basis that the Southern accent exists. This is probably because most people that live in the South have a weak southern accent. Whenever family comes and visits us from Washington state, they say that I have a Southern accent, but when I asked my physics lab partner the other day, he said that I did not have one! I feel as if I do not have a Southern accent, but maybe the truth is that I have a very faint one. So the question still remains, "Are the video clips representing the South accurately?". If one takes into the rhetorical context of the media, one notices that these video clips are not made for historical accuracy or to inform, but are aimed to entertain. Thus, I must conclude that this is not an accurate representation of the South; rather, the video clips are playing on a reality of once was and not is. Experientially, looking over my ten years of living in the deep South, I have to admit that a deep Southern accent was definitely an exception and not the norm! I guess this is because of the globalization of the South and the great influx of various people to the South, like myself!

The "Real" South

The way that Hollywood portrays the south leads Americans to believe that everyone living in the Southern region of America is filled with hicks who deep fry everything and marry their cousins. The movie "Sweet Home Alabama" portrays a very "southern" Alabama. The trailer from the movie, click here or play below, is an accurate representation of what some very common stereotypes are. It perceives a civil war reenactment, a state filled with bugs, babies in a bar, and implies that Alabama should require a passport to travel to which leads the audience to believe that the south is a different country than the rest.

These stereotypes portrayed in the movie trailer are very common and not all entirely untrue. Civil war reenactments are common because of the importance of the war to many people who inhabit the south. If you have ever seen the movie, you know that there are many other stereotypes that stem from the movie. Eating, greasy fried food, are getting into a lot of trouble as a child are also common themes of the South in the movie.

While many of these assumptions can be deemed true for some of the South, saying that every southerner fits that profile is unrealistic. The post-modern south does not fit the profile of a minority of people in the south that this clip is perceiving it to. People who live in the post-modern south are ambitious, hospitable, good cooks, and very family oriented.

This South is not often portrayed by the media. That southern personal does not make interesting movies or shows that will entertain people. Because of this, many people tend to get the wrong impression of the south and are quick to judge every southern as the same. This can be seen by the blog of Shyla Martin, shown here. She is very quick to judge all southerners without thinking twice. I believe that people should think twice before making hasty generalizations about anyone. The south, the north, people of different races or ethnicities, every person is different, and judging people because of their background or where they come from is unfair and plainly ignorant.

Stereotypes!!

Find a Southern stereotype in a picture, video, audio, or in some other graphic element, defend your image with reasons why you believe it is a southern stereotype, and then say if it is a good representation of the post-modern South.

Southern Food in my Hometown

When I think of southern food, I can't help but think of my favorite southern restaurant near my hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. This restaurant is the Loveless Cafe, a local restaurant seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Yet, the tasty food and the way that it embraces the southern way of life has made it famous, with appearances on shows like Tennessee Crossroads, Martha Stewart, Ellen, and even Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

So what has made the Loveless Cafe so famous? For one it is their biscuits, which are truly amazing. But it is more than that. It is the way that the cafe adheres to that notion of southern food. The restaurant itself is an old house surrounded by a motel and a few country stores selling items like jams and preserves. It is also marked as southern by its delicious and homemade comfort food. This restaurant really identifies itself as an icon of southern cooking by letting you slip into the feeling of being at home.

Comfort Food

The south has always been known for its distinct southern style cooking. Southern food was influenced by both the Native American and African American people. The Native Americans introduced the first Southerners to vegetables such as corn, pumpkin, and squash, while African Americans introduced Southerners to greens such as okra, field peas, and eggplant. Through the years, southern food has developed into recipes such as fried chicken, black eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, peach cobbler, collard greens, and biscuits and gravy. The south is also known for its sweet tea. However, each region has a different flare of southern style food. Lousiana is known for its hot sauces, while Virginia is famous for its Smithfield ham, apples, and peanuts, and Tennessee for its country ham. Most states have their own style of barbecue. Georgia is called the peach state and is also noted for its pecans, peanuts, and vidalia onions. Southerners can find a way to fry just about anything, making southern food not just the most fattening, but the most delicious cuisine.
In my opinion, Mary Mac's is the best place to get an old fashion homecooked meal. Their menu features all the best country food such as country fried steak, meatloaf, and fried chicken. They also have the best vegetables around, and there are so many options of sides to pick from such as cole slaw, fried okra, collard greens, mac and cheese, cream corn, dumplings, cornbread, sweet potato souffle, and steamed cabbage. You will never leave still hungry!

Food is one of the many things that the south is very well known for. From anything fried to the mashed potatoes, the corn bread, green beans and cole slaw, the South has a very unique style of food. When people travel to the south, they want to experience the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and corn that comes along with it. Where else do states of countries fry bananas or pickles? Anything you want fried is available.

Southern life is very revolved around working and doing things yourself. The food that southerners eat is very similar, it is all food that you can find in the south. Given, there are always going to be restaurants that serve exotic or non-native foods. But if you are looking for deep south cooking, you are going to find things that are grown and harvested in the South.

Styles of food vary from culture to culture. Southern food has developed over the years and adapted some different cultures' styles. Tex-Mex, a blend of American cuisine influenced by Mexican food and culture, has started to move across the south. It is an Americanized version of Mexican food, and is most common in the Southern states, especially in Texas. This version of Mexican food is not common in the northern states of America, and the further away from the border of Mexico, the worse the tex-mex.

Southern food has originality that began many years ago. But this food culture that the south has become known for was taken from the Afican American people and Native American people who lived here in the early stages of America. As the years go on, the food develops, but the reputation for food in the South is undeniable.

Topic Intro

How is southern food different from other cultures and how does it reflect southern life?

Transformation of Southern Music

Music in the South started before the Civil War with the slaves and traditional folk music. African Americans started the blues, gospel music, bluegrass, and jazz in the South. Other types of music that developed during this time were country, soul, rock and roll, and funk. Rock and roll and country music developed through folk music of the white southerners. Rock and roll began in the South in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Elvis Presley sold over 1 billion records and is considered the “King of Rock and Roll”. He was known for songs such as “Hound Dog”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “All Shook Up”, “Jailhouse Rock”, and “Love Me Tender”. Johnny Cash is usually considered a country music artist, but can also be included in the Rock and Roll genre. His most popular songs include “Walk the Line”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Ring of Fire” and “Get Rhythm”. Southern rock is defined by Lynyrd Skynyrd and their song “Free Bird”, which is considered a rock and roll anthem. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006.
African Americans started the rhythm and blues. Motown Records was the first record label owned by an African American to feature other African Americans artists. Motown signed artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and The Jackson 5. Rap music is the newest and most popular genre of music and is a form of hip hop music that emerged in the late 1980’s and is often referred to as the “Dirty South”. The most popular southern rap artists include Lil Wayne, T.I., and Ludacris. Southern music has dramatically changed over time, and continues to transform with new artists bringing their own new style.

The Progression of Southern Music

Music is a cultural aspect of America that never ceases to change. Both black and white Americans help in this process. As the culture changes, so does music. Music in America truly began to flourish and spread during the beginning of the 20th century. Folk and Jazz music became most popular very shortly after the civil war. The Jazz Age began a new era of music. People like Louis Armstrong helped set the tone for this new era of music. No longer was music just people singing with a banjo or violin, but different instruments were brought into a song and the mixtures that were produced are legendary.

From folk music to the blues, from the blues to jazz, from jazz to rock n roll. The early 1950's is the time that rock and roll really began to flourish. Next, blues rock, including such bands as Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, came into the culture. The next up and coming genre, country, based on folk music of the white southerners, with legendary names such as Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash are where it began. Country music is still very popular in the south today with new artists like Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney.

The newest genre of music, rap music, is the up and coming style. This type of music targets the younger generations. Cities like Atlanta are hot spots for up and coming artists. This development in music can be attributed to the changes that society has gone through. As our society becomes more rebellious and explicit, the music that is created and listened to, follows the trends. Music in the south has gone through drastic changes throughout the years. From folk music to rap, the differences are startling.

Topic Intro

How has music changed over time in the south?

just a little hospitality

When I think of the South, I think of southern hospitality. I chose this picture because it portrays a woman and her child bringing food to their neighbor. This woman is reaching out and making an effort to welcome and become friends with her new neighbor who may not know anyone else by bringing her food that she took the time to prepare. In my neighborhood, this is the polite thing to do and a great way to meet the new neighbor and offer help to them if needed.

This southern hospitality just comes natural to most southerners, but may seem strange to those from the north. Something as simple as a wave in passing to a stranger may be considered southern hospitality to some, but to those in the south it is just a polite way to acknowledge others. This friendly way of living makes the south a pleasant place to visit and makes strangers feel welcome and at home. Northerners sometimes get the reputation of being loud Yankees who may be rude and obnoxious. In comparison, southern hospitality is a very accurate representation of most southerners, evident in their warm and polite manner, and a characteristic to be proud of.

I found a song that talks deeply about what it means to be a Southerner. The song is called Red White and Blue by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Although the instruments used in the song, the rhythm of the song, and the timbre of the singer's voice all say something about the South, the lyrics emphasize the strongest about the modern Southern region, or rather, in the author's opinion what the South is all about now. You can find the lyrics by clicking here.

These lyrics talk specifically about how the people act and behave in the "South." According to this song, a Southerner is a die-hard patriot, a very down-to-earth simple person, a hospitable character, a heavy drinker, religious (to some degree), and of course "my neck's always been red."

Throughout the song, you can see the repetition of "We've always been, Red, White, and Blue." This shows the Southerner's patriotism. Also, in the first stanza, the author says that it doesn't matter if you're a lawyer, a respected oil man, or a lowly waitress; all that matters is that you "got Soul." This, along with a later stanza talking about how love is what makes the South so rich, just shows how the people in the South are simple, hospitable, caring people. And of course, what is a country song without the reference to drinking and God.

Do I think it is a good representation of the South? Well, I lived most of my life in Gwinnett County, which is just north of Atlanta, which is supposed to be "deep" in the heart of the South. I grew up in a place where rednecks were a minority and where diversity flourished. Being Romanian, I grew up in a culture where drinking was frowned up. This song presents many of the stereotypical aspects of growing up in the South, which I feel were almost nonexistent where I grew up! The South that the author is portraying is not a good representation of the South. Actually, it appears that the author knows that his idea of the South is a thing of the past and that he is trying to hold onto it because at one point he states rather strongly, "If they don't like it they can just get the HELL out!" This 'South' portrayed in the song probably exists only in the rural areas, but is definitely not the defining culture of the region anymore.

Dixie

I found the song Dixie, written by Dan Emmett. The song originated in the 1850s, and it eventually became unofficial anthem of the Confederacy, because of its happy view of the South.

The lyrics depict a happy view of the plantation life, the glorious "land of cotton". "In Dixie Land I'll take my stand to live and die in Dixie", one of the lines in the chorus, shows the view taken throughout the song, that the South is a flawless utopia. The song was often performed in blackface, which gave the appearance of the South as a very happy place for slaves.

Dixie represents what seemed to be the common opinion of plantation owner in the South, that everyone was happy and that even the slaves enjoyed their lives working on the plantation. Sadly, this is not a perfect representation because of all of the work that was done by others (mostly by the slaves) in order to create this lifestyle for the plantation owners.

The Confederate South

Still to this day, there are many southerners who believe that the civil war should be referred to as "the war of northern aggression." The confederate flag represents a mindset that many still hold today. Racism still exists in today's society, and many believe that there is an ongoing battle to forgo this way of life. This image is a representation of the deep south, the south that many still believe exists and that is still very real in the lives of some.

The confederate flag was the southern states' symbol during the civil war, and served as a representation of what they stood for against the north.

This flag was a symbol to the southern states. It represented the south as their own independent unit, willing to stand up for their beliefs in what they saw as an attack on their way of life. It stands for many different things. To some, it stands for the south's fight for individuality and the end of their feeling in superior to the northerners. The confederate flag represents the south standing up for what they believed were their American rights.

The confederate flag reminds us of the hard times brought on the south. It also shows how the south dealt with these trials and became better states, leaving an impact on history and the lives of many as well as influencing the actions and thoughts of many American people. This flag is a good representation of southern identity. It reminds southerners of what they have been through, the hard times they fought through together, and also helps us to remember why the south is the way that it is today. This flag is a representation of the south and the ways to which they can to find their identity today.