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JoeTarheel---
I totally agree. I don't understand why there is a negative perception of the south. I mean, when I think of the south I think of great food, friendly people, a sense of community, and of course...college football. In southwest VA (and pretty much everywhere else in VA with exception to NOVA) people embrace being southern...it's a point of pride. It's the northeastern transplants that have a problem with being labeled southern. Mid-Atlantic has never had any cultural significance attributed to it until recently I feel like and the attributions of anything cultural are usually done by out of towners who shutter at the thought of being associated with the south. NC has the same thing...an ex girlfriend of mine lived in Atlantic Beach near Wilmington and she always thought it was mid-atlantic (she was born in NC but her parents were from Hartford, CT). I feel like that is the norm...it's either the kids of people that moved there or the people that moved themselves that have a real issue embracing being southern. Nevertheless in most parts of va, nc, and the rest of the south people that are truly locals embrace the hell out of being a southerner and wouldn't have it any other way....I know I wouldn't.
Calling NC "mid-atlantic" doesn't make it any less southern. People can call it whatever they like I guess, but it is solidly part of the South and there is no shame in that. I think part of the problem is that many people are still stuck in the past with their perception of the South and therefore are embarrassed to be a part of it...for example, try even hinting to a resident of Maryland that it is southern and just wait for the explosion.
I think part of the problem is "the south" is so big and has so many parts that are culturally distinct that it seems weird to lump Virginia and North Carolina in with Louisiana and Arkansas. I think the more appropriate term though for NC, SC, VA, and GA would be South Atlantic states, so as to differentiate them from their neighbors on the other side of the mountains. As to Mid-Atlantic I was always taught that that was PA, NJ, and NY or in other words the NE that is not New England.
wnewberry, I and a lot of friends of mine are true blue Tar Heel natives, and although we realize NC is of the South, a lot of us don't personally consider ourselves Southern. No offense to those who do, but that is just not my personal or family identity as North Carolinians.
wnewberry, I and a lot of friends of mine are true blue Tar Heel natives, and although we realize NC is of the South, a lot of us don't personally consider ourselves Southern. No offense to those who do, but that is just not my personal or family identity as North Carolinians.
You and your "true blue" friends aren't fooling anyone.
I'm from NC, I know a TON of people from NC, and they all identify as southereners. Proudly.
My history will be what I make it, I don't need to hide behind revisionists.
You and your "true blue" friends aren't fooling anyone.
I'm from NC, I know a TON of people from NC, and they all identify as southereners. Proudly.
My history will be what I make it, I don't need to hide behind revisionists.
I have a feeling Tarheelhombre is a "native" via transplant parents.If that is in fact the case, he can't identify his self as southern because as I'm sure you know, southern is in the blood.
I have a feeling Tarheelhombre is a "native" via transplant parents.If that is in fact the case, he can't identify his self as southern because as I'm sure you know, southern is in the blood.
I'd tend to agree, and the inference from the "Mid-Atlantic!" bleating is quite telling. These are folks for whom being labeled " southern" is tantamount to calling them derogatory names. It demonstrates their prejudice against southereners. Although their experience tells them southern isn't necessarily toothless and cousin-married, they can't escape their bias against the "southern" moniker and try to hide behind the mid-Atlantic veil.
Some will insist that the only thing that makes NC [tolerable/productive/successful/different] (insert one) are the [philadelphians/south jerseyites/new yorkers] (insert one) that moved here to help us dum-dums [make textiles/bank/work with skill] (insert one).
Then they will feign extreme insult if they hear someone mutter the word "Yankee". Really, it's enough to make this southern boy chuckle. Obviously these are the Yankees for whom the word is an insult (ironically enough)... Imagine why?
These are not the Yankees we enjoy, and thankfully they are not like the majority of Yankees I meet. You know... the NICE ones.
wnewberry, I and a lot of friends of mine are true blue Tar Heel natives, and although we realize NC is of the South, a lot of us don't personally consider ourselves Southern. No offense to those who do, but that is just not my personal or family identity as North Carolinians.
That's fine, but you still live in the South. You can't change what or where NC is just because of your bias towards the South.
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