Christianity in the South

I guess I'll be talking about religion like Ankur did before me since religion is a huge thing in the South. I have always known that in the South, religion is a huge part of the Southern identity but I never realized that it was this huge until I came to Atlanta. From the communities to streets, one can see churches nearly in every block(slight exaggeration). As everyone knows, the South is also known as the Bible Belt.

Since I am Christian, the biggest similarity I can make with the South is the religion. My parents were Christians so I grew up in a family where Christianity was not foreign but more as a part of the family and the identity of the family. Therefore, when I came to Atlanta, I didn't feel like I was in a foreign country or town because of the hospitality and love that I received from the churches I visited and other Christians that I met here in Georgia Tech. Because there was similarity of my identity and the South, it actually helped me to grow up in many ways: emotionally and religiously.

How Hindu is Similar to Southern

Since I am Hindu, there are not many obvious similarities between my culture and Southern culture; however, there are some striking comparisons that can be made between the two. For example in the South, religion is a huge part of the Southern identity.

The South is mostly Protestant Christians, majorly considering that it is the primary location of the Bible Belt (below). In this area, church attendance across the denominations are extremely high since religion is a major feature of Southern identity. For many Hindus, religion is also a major part of our lives because that is where we derive most of our values, traditions, etc. Religion is a major part of my life as well: I pray everyday and go to my temple every Sunday. This is similar to many Christians in the South that go to church on Sundays.


Another similarity between my background and Southern identity is that both have some sort of hospitality. As we blogged about this topic before, we all know what Southern hospitality is. In the same way as a Hindu, I also believe in some sort of hospitality or respect. Hindus believe that whenever some sort of guests visit, we must treat him with hospitality and serve them with respect to their every needs. Basically we must treat them as if they were a part of our family. Just with these two examples, you can see the similarities between the two seemingly different cultures.

Festivities

In this class, we have discussed Southern culture in various different aspects. This has made me analyze how Colombian culture is similar to American culture. The first observation I made was the fact that in both countries regionalism exists. In America, the rivalry between the North and the South is very popular. This is very similar to Colombia because the culture from the coastal (caribbean) part competes with the culture from the interior part, which includes Colombia's capital (Bogota). The truth is that there is not a best region, they are just different. Colombia's caribbean region is very similar to the American South. Both have a warm weather and are known for their hospitality and the warmth of their people. The food also plays a big role in differentiating them from each others competition. Another similarity is that the South is known in America for being less industrialized than the North and the Coastal part in Colombia is also known for its rural aspect. In Colombia, the coastal part is known for its vacation sites and for its relaxed environment, which is similar to what we have learned about how America views the South. This is also shown by the fact that both regions have popular carnivals. In Colombia, Barranquilla celebrates " El Carnaval de Barranquilla" and in a similar way New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras. Both carnivals revolve around famous parades which are organized by krewes, which in Colombia are called "comparsas". Both have kings and queens who are selected based in their social status. When looking at some pictures of Mardi Gras, I also realized that costumes are very similar and both contain colorful masks. Both of these carnivals shape how each region is viewed by their own country. Here are some pictures of the Carnivals celebrated in each country where their similarities are obvious.

With this being Easter weekend, I was in church a lot. My faith plays a big role in my life and is part of my identity. Another big part of my identity is being a Southerner. In our studies of Southern identity we touched on the subject of religion as a part of the Southern identity. Even though religion is a big part of my life, it is not something that connects me with the South. I am Eastern Orthodox Christian, which is not your typical Southern religion. I went to a lamb roast after the Easter service and while I was there I couldn't help but see how similar an Orthodox identity was to a Southern identity at that specific time. I went with a friend and her whole extended family and their neighbors and friends were there. It was so similar to a Southern barbecue. Everyone was eating and drinking and having a great time. The men were all sitting around the lamb spit working the meat so that it would be just right while the women were inside setting up the buffet. We stuffed ourselves and then lounged around in the yard and drank some more. Pretty soon the papou (grandfather) brought out a bag of cigars and all the guys sat around talking while smoking cigars.

We all come from different backgrounds so this week I would like y'all to discuss how some aspect of your identity is similar or different from a Southern identity.

Merlefest

A big part of the South is it's music. It is very distinct and is full of emotion. We see in Bastard Out of Carolina that it also arouses our emotions. I love music and more specifically Southern music. 95% of my iTunes library is Southern music. So one type of Southern event that I love is the music festivals and jams. It just so happens that I will be going to one of the biggest Southern music festivals, Merlefest. For those who don't, Merlefest was started by Doc Watson (an amazing guitarist) in memory of his sone Merle Watson who died in a farming accident. It is held in Wilkesboro, NC and raises funds for the local college. There are going to be quite a few big name musicians there including Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, The Avett Brothers, and Steve Martin.

Many times at music festivals there is great Southern food and at Southern cookouts usually there are a couple of people jamming. This is because the two things that Southerners in general enjoy the most are their food and their music. There are so many small bluegrass jams and cookouts in the Southern country with amazing music. I have included a clip of a great band, Trent Wagler & the Steel Wheels, at the Oak Grove Folk Music Festival in Virginia.

Southern Cookouts

Hey, it has only been a couple of days since Spring Break ended, but I know that we all had fun because we either did many activities or participated in many events. So for the next topic, we will talk about the different significant activities or events that the South participates in.

Whenever I think of a Southern event, I think of the basic outdoor cookouts. In these cookouts, the people get together, eats some barbecue, drink, listen to music, and basically have a good time. Usually, these types of events are held in summer afternoons so that everyone can enjoy the bright sunny weather. I think that barbecues are really important to the South because they unite the entire Southern community. They are not just social events, but events that remind the community of its culture. The food at these events pretty much contain some sort of grilled or barbecued meat, usually pork, because these foods remind the South of its history. Also it is a custom in these cookouts to listen to some type of country music since this is the music most closely related to Southern identity. So cookouts mean more to the South than just an ordinary event but an event that reminds the community of its identity.

In this music video, there is a perfect example of a Southern barbecue:

An Experience with Southern Hospitality

Every time I go back to Nashville, I always go get fried chicken fingers from McDougal's. Not only do they have the best chicken fingers you will ever eat, but they also are extremely nice and hospitable. When I was in high school I would go with my friends a couple of time and it soon became our favorite spot. When we ordered our food, the cashier was really nice and chatted with us a little bit. After just a couple times the employees knew us by name making us feel like regulars. Pretty soon Ricky, our usual cashier, was giving us our drinks for free. Up until that time I hadn't experienced southern hospitality like that so I would always end up leaving what I would spend on the drink as an additional tip. Also, they had free ice cream with each order.

What I thought was great about their southern hospitality, was how short of a time it was before they started giving us a discount and just how nice they were when I went there for the first time. They are right by Vanderbilt University and are a college hang out spot, which in my experience don't tend to have that much southern hospitality, but this place and their employees were really nice from the beginning. Whenever I go back to Nashville I will always eat at and support McDougal's Chicken.

Southern Unfriendliness

For this week, I would like to talk about my experience of Southern inhospitality. I know that the topic is about Southern hospitality but I wanted to share my experience of inhospitality. Yesterday, I went to Waffle House with 6 other friends around 1 a.m. First of all, they did not greet us with a huge smile or a "Welcome." They sent us a sign saying "Just site wherever you want." We found out that the largest table could only hold 4~6 people maximum, so we sat at the largest table and grabbed two chairs so that we can all sit, eat and talk together. However, as we were sitting, the lady who was working there came to us with a serious face saying that there were too many people in one table. We explained that we wanted to sit together. She stared at us for few seconds and left us mumbling something.

After we sat down, she only brought 4 sets of forks and knives, even though there were 7 of us. She never brought the other 3 until we asked her for them. When she was taking our orders, she didn't even look at us and just wrote down the order. Although she was asking questions, her eyes were focused on the order sheet. She also didn't serve us water when we first arrived. She brought cups of water after the food was served. She didn't talk in a friendly voice but rather in a ignorant manner. Her manners and attitude offended some of my friends, including me. So, although Angelica said that Waffle House was friendly and presented the Southern hospitality, I did not feel the same way.

Moving In

Since I have been living in the South for my entire life, I never really notice any kind of Southern hospitality. However, when I first moved into my new house, I really experienced Southern hospitality. The minute my family drove into the neighborhood with our stuff, everyone around was staring at us because we were new, which I thought was kind of weird. After we entered our house, we began unpacking some of our stuff so we could settle in as soon as possible. When we began bringing in our larger furniture, many neighbors even asked to help bring them inside. Later, our next-door neighbor rang our doorbell and began talking to my parents. The neighbors were telling us useful information about the neighborhood, the city in general, and where we could find general places such as the post office, nearest hospital, etc. As they were leaving, they invited us to their house for dinner the next day. After we finished moving in and settling at our new house, we felt like we were already part of the neighborhood.

Here is a cartoon of neighbors moving in:

Southern Hospitality in Different Ways

For me southern hospitality has been around me for 10 years since I have moved to Virginia. I have experienced it everywhere. Hospitality from people and places I know to people and places that I do not know. There were several instances where I have experienced this hospitality, but the most memorable remembrance was with my old track coach. Now I'm guessing your might be saying thats your coach he's supposed to be nice, but he helped through one of the hardest moments I have experienced in my life and that was the death of my grandfather, which takes a real hosp.

The traumatic event event happened around my sophomore and junior year of high school. Though we knew each other for 2-3 years we weren't extremely close. But when the fateful week that my grandfather passed. It was difficult for me, because my brothers and sisters were at college, my dad was working, and my mom with the rest of the family at the hospital. I was in a bad state and not many were open to help with me. Then after my track meet, my track coach gave me a ride home. He noticed I was acting different and was open to discussing with me about my grandpa's death. He showed hospitality or southern hospitality he talked me through my struggle and told me that my grandfather had passed certain traits of himself to me that I will live without through my life, in a sense living through me. Now my coach really didn't have to open his mind to discuss this with me about my struggles, but he showed hospitality that comforted me tremendously.

Now there were other people and places where I have received hospitality. Though as the my home town becomes more commercialized. But there have been several places where I have felt that southern hospitality. There are places by me that greet with the southern hospitality and feeling of being at home. One of these places was a hole in the wall BBQ place by Toccoa, Ga where the people were really nice and the food was even better. You had to know it local because of the classic outdoor appeal and some of the people just got back from hunting and were eating there. There are several places by my hometown that have that homey friendly feel like Wayside Fried Chicken and our local Dairy Queen, or 'DQ', and the Brownsville Market where everybody knows what the high school's football score was and the lastest news in town. But these places are also very open to the widest array of strangers and always willing to lend a helping hand.

Those many of these places or people did not have specific examples, except the one with my coach, they were all happy/comforting moments that touched me somehow. They all showed me what southern hospitality is and what it is about.

Southern Hospitality

As I have mentioned several times throughout the blog, I am not originally from the United States and I lived 5 years in Florida, so the stereotypical South is kind of new for me. However, two weeks ago I experienced a characteristic of the stereotypical South that we have mentioned several times in class and is most appreciated by non-Southerners-- Southern Hospitality. The past weekend, my roommate's parents, who are Colombian as well, came up to Georgia because she was running a Half- Marathon in Rome, Georgia in Berry College. So we went up there and stayed from Friday to Saturday. While my roommate ran 13.1 miles, her family and I decided to grab breakfast in the first dinner we saw, in this case it was Waffle House. As soon as my roommate's mother and I entered through the door, the cooks and people who worked there welcomed us with big smiles and pleasant greetings. They made conversation with us and referred to us with words like 'honey' and 'sweetie'. My roommate's mother was really surprised and did not understand why they were being so overly nice. In that moment I remembered all the discussions we have had in ENG 1102 about this topic. I could finally say-- 'Oh, so this is what they are referring to when they say Southern Hospitality.'

This impacted me very much and I would like to hear more experiences like this, so for this week's topic I would like you to narrate a memorable experience/moment that you have had where you felt that you were a victim of Southern Hospitality.

Texas

When I first think about the South, I automatically think of Texas. I have never been to Texas nor have any friends from Texas. However, somehow in someway, Texas has always been the representative of the South to me. So although I do not have specific evidence to support why Texas best represents the South, I would like to share some of my thoughts.

South is first distinguished by their typical southern accent. Throughout my life, the southern accent that I have always heard was the Texan accent. Well, to tell you the truth, I thought there was only one southern accent. I didn't know it differed from region to region. However, in my opinion, the most used southern accent in movies or TV shows were Texan accent. Therefore, I think Texas represents the South.

Another reason why Texas represents the South is because of the food. I was well aware that Southern states are famous for fried chicken. Although I still have not tried a typical southern fried chicken yet since I came here to Georgia, I heard that the Texas fried chicken is the best. I may be right or wrong, but that's what I heard. Therefore, I believe that Texas represents the South in food.

Moreover, I have a strong image of a cowboy when I think of the South. Furthermore, I think about Texas when I listen to word 'cowboy.' It makes me imagine a red plane with cactus standing still on its own, and cowboys riding a horse with their jeans on. Well, I do know it's a common image of a cowboy riding a horse in a hot glazing red plane; however, that's the image that I had and heard from other people before coming to the South.

-Hye Jin Ahn-

Which South is the True South

As I was watching TV recently, I saw a lot of new shows and many of them were so to say about battles between opinons and restaurants over which stuff was better. So for this weeks topic, it is the battle royale of which state is the most southern or most important and why. Nobody can be wrong, just use supporting facts or what u think characterizes the south and give your best opinion.

Although being biased in several ways I feel that Virginia is basically one of the most southern places, though geographically it is one of the most northern southern state. There are several facts that contribute it to being one of the most important states of south. First they produced some of the best and biggest generals in the Civil War. Two of the most famous ones were Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee. Also still today there are rural places in Virginia where there is confederate pride present. Also many farms including tobacco a southern staple is still grown in Virginia. Other staple products like Virginia Ham, peanuts, soy, and hay. Even with farming being the number one industry in Virginia it is still tied to its roots with 87% of farms owned by an individuals or families. Though it is still northern compared to other states its still prides itself in its southern history. Another fact is that most of all the fights in the Civil War took place in Virginia. It is also home to many of the famous leaders in United States history: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, Zachary Taylor, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Woodrow Wilson.

Richard Wright

I don't know how many of you guys heard about Richard Wright, but he was an American author in the mid-20th century who wrote many novels and short stories. Wright's literature provided a real image of the racial relations of the South at the time. Because he experienced these racial relations firsthand, he was able to use those experiences in his works.

One of his most famous works is Native Son, which is about a young African American who has to run away from the cops because he accidentally kills a white girl. Throughout the novel, the protagonist commits many crimes such as murder, robbery, and rape and is confronted with racism, violence, and debasement. The main theme of the novel is that racial inequality and social injustices affect a person so deep that it is nearly impossible to determine where the expectations of society end and free will begins. Wright's Native Son is a good illustration of the image of the South at the time because it provides the emotional and social issues that African Americans faced in the South.

Another important piece of literature that Wright provides a good image of the South is Black Boy, which is Wright's semi-autobiography which talks about his race relations in the South and his affiliation with the Communist Party after he moved to Chicago. When Wright was a young teenager, his mother became ill, so he took it upon himself to get a job. However, his white employers often treated him really awful due to his race. Because he felt harassed, Wright would quit that job and go to another one, only to find the same type of employers. This book showed how African Americans in the South were treated in terms of their labor. In a way, African Americans still were harassed like slaves even though it was the mid-20th century.

To Kill A Mockingbird

For this week's topic, I would like you guys to find a book that represents and portrays the image of the South.

The only book that I can think portrays the image of the South is "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. I have read this book when I was in 9th grade in high school, and it was a huge shock to me. I was amazed and surprised in how the whites treated the blacks in the old days. Sometimes, I even felt disgusted. Below are famous speeches by Atticus during the trial.

The speeches by Atticus portrays the South in those days. Blacks were not treated right. Although Tom Robinson was accused of rape, there was no single medical evidence that he had done it. However, Bob Ewell still accuses Tom for the rape. The witnesses of the State thinks that Tom lies when he says he did not do it. Atticus calls that a "evil assumption, that all negroes lie; all negroes are basically immoral beings." Through these speeches, it is clear that the South did not treat the blacks properly and there were no equal rights. The South is portrayed as the whites being superior and has all the power.

-Hye Jin Ahn-

Johhny Cash

Whenever I think of music that exemplifies the south or gives a taste of it, I cannot help but think of Johnny Cash and his own unique type of country music. From the beginning of life I occasionally heard Johhny Cash because ge was one of if not the favorite of my Grandpa's. Johhny was one of the pioneers in Country music giving his own twist with his unique characteristics.

His characteristics ser him apart from many artists of his time, including his well known deep raspy at times voice. That was not the only thing that set him apart. His songs unlike most of the country singers was about misery or religious misery, instead of most country singers of the time proclaiming to be saved by God and other subjects. Though he did at time sing about happy things he still was most well known for his dark deep songs. His life story is also shown in the movie Walk the Line. He grew up in the terrible conditions of the Depression that affected his family and had to work picking cotton in his family. Not only that but he had to deal with the death of his brother who was in a table saw accident. With his voice and determination he became one of the premiere idols in country music.

He opened a new book and sub-genre in Country music. His life story of drinking and struggles is sad but inspiring that he made it through and created such incredible music that was made even into a movie.

Georgia on my mind

When I think about the song of the South, I can only think about 'Georgia on my mind' by Ray Charles. I was in choir when I was in high school and we sang this song. I really loved the rhythm and the lyrics. Who would have known that I would come to Georgia, the place where it seems like peaceful yet graceful, according to the lyrics.

The lyrics represent the South through depicting Georgia's beauty. First of all, the song contains one of the southern states, Georgia. Georgia is a state that has a important history and was really involved in the Civil War. The song's lyrics mentions the finding of no peace, because Georgia has gone through so many wars that keeps Georgia on Ray's mind. The lyrics also mentions the love for Georgia, "Other arms reach out to me Other eyes smile tenderly."

Moreover, Ray Charles is a blind African-American man. Although he may be blind, he still views the south in the same perspective as other people. The song was recorded around the Civil Rights Movement, but the fact that it gained so much recognition in Georgia state illustrates that the song was important and somehow relevant to the state of Georgia. Furthermore, Charles essentially brought another genre of music: soul music, into the R&B world of the South.

-Hye Jin Ahn-

"Chicken Fried"

Since my project group focuses on the topic of Southern music, I have already talked to you about this song, "Chicken Fried", and how it identifies the South. This song, by the Zac Brown Band, has a very interesting background. Before writing the lyrics to this song, Zac Brown wanted to make a music video that shows that the Southern lifestyle can be celebrated. In order to do that, he wanted to make an image of the South that would help the viewers of the video be able to visualize what the South truly is. Brown made this image by making a list of things that are southern or characterize the South, mostly consisting of the basic stereotypes that most of the world looks at the South as.

In the music video, there are many stereotypical details of the South that are related to the Old South, such as the food, music, and clothing themes. However, there is one interesting theme that you wouldn't expect to be a characteristic of the South. Zac Brown included many patriotic images and lyrics to show that the South was patriotic and not the Confederacy supporter that one would stereotype. Basically, a couple months after Brown began writing the song, the 9/11 attacks occurred. In order to show that the South in fact supported America, Brown added an entire third verse dedicated to those who died for our country.

When you watch the video, be sure to notice the details in the music, the images, and the lyrics that provide a mostly stereotypical identity of the South.

Chicken Fried @ Yahoo! Video

Coming from Florida, I have not been acquainted with Southern music. Since coming to Georgia Tech, I always pass by the Fraternity houses making it inevitable to hear country music. This was my first encounter with this type of music, so I will analyze the song-- What Hurts The Most from Rascal Flatts. It is a beautiful , at the same time a very sad song, that describes the pain of a young girl who's boyfriend just died. I have attached the video from youtube in the post. The video clearly demonstrates that this is a typical southern song. The first thing that has to be mentioned is the setting of the video. She is with her boyfriend in a typical southern field, where a truck owned by her boyfriend is parked. Obviously, the truck is a perfect representation of the South. I also have to mention the clothing of everybody in the video. Notice that both her dad and her boyfriend are wearing plaid shirts-- which are symbols of the South as well. I will like to experience more of this music, so I am open to any suggestions.

SEE VIDEO

Southern Music

Music is not only a source of entertainment that people have enjoyed for thousands of years, but it is also a way to show our identity and part of culture. Southern culture is rich with many different types of music: blues, bluegrass, country, rap, and more. The topic for this week is to pick either a genre of music or a specific song and talk about it and how it is part of Southern culture or depicts Southern identity.

I will talk about shape note singing (also known as sacred harp singing because the book they sing from is titled The Sacred Harp). It is called shape note singing because the music is written using 4 different shapes to depict different notes making it easier to read. Everyone sits in a square facing inward to the singing leader. People keep time with their arm as can be seen in the videos. Shape note singing was sung both in the northeast and the South in the first half of the 19th century but it fizzled out in the north and flourished in the South. It was sung in many churches, and with how religious the South is, it makes sense it became more popular in the South. Shape note singing is not a refined music, the singing is rough and unique. In recent years shape note singing has gained popularity and there are singings that occur quite often. The singings nowadays are not a church service but the lyrics of the songs they sing are religious. The singings have a very hospitable and homely feel to them. Everyone is welcome to join in the singing and get up and lead a song (the singing leader changes with every song). The singings usually are an all day event where they sing for several hours and then break for food and then sing some more. There is a singing at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church that meets on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wed. of every month. It is marked on the Y'all Come Back Now map. The first video is a trailer for a movie about shape note singing and it talks a little bit about the music and history and the second video is from the movie Cold Mountain in which shape note singing appears and is heard a couple of times.

Stars & Bars

I think the most Southern symbol out there is the Confederate flag, the stars & bars. Everything else might be largely associated with the South, but the Confederate flag is always associated with the South. Not only is it always associated with the south, it's quite common to see it. It's on hats, shirts, swimsuits, belt buckles, bumperstickers, and the flags themselves flown outside houses (it was on the Georgia State flag until 2001).

The stereotypical southern truck will have several bumper stickers about southern heritage with Confederate flags on them and will be driven by a guy with a shirt or hat that has a rebel flag on it (sometimes both). There is a horrendous statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest on the highway coming into Nashville, and it has either all 50 state flags or just the state flags of the Southern States in a semi-circle around it. Above every state flag however there is a Confederate flag flying.

A lot of people believe the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism. A lot of other people believe that it is not, that it is a symbol of heritage, a government, or rebellion (hence the name "rebel flag"). The ongoing argument, shown in the video at the end, is whether this flag stands for slavery and racism or not. It's different for everyone. For some people racism and slavery is all they see when they see the Confederate flag. For me, it is a symbol of my heritage not a symbol of racism or rebellion.

The PICKUP

In regards to the topic of what symbol of object comes to my mind when I think of the South, I can only think of one thing and that is the pickup truck. I am originally from the Midwest and am accustomed to seeing the casual pickup in such an agricultural place, but when I moved to Virginia I saw more pickups than I had ever seen before.

Not only does this vehicle symbolize America, but it more reminiscent of the southern culture or the stereotypical south. When people come to the south they expect to see pick up trucks, whether it be with off-road tires or have a old confederate flag on the rear window. They are the best-selling cars in the world and whether your in a small town or a city in the south there will most likely be a pickup truck somewhere around you. The pickup truck represents many demographics and groups from the farmers to the southern confederates to workers, making a niche with almost every group.

Its hard not think of the south without thinking about pickup trucks and their lasting presence in the south and its personality. Heck its even my dream to have a pickup sometime in my life.

-Ryan Dettmann

Waffle House

Hello everyone! To respond to the topic for this week, I think that Waffle House represents the South in many different ways. I never knew about Waffle House until I came to Georgia last fall. Like In-n-Out is only in California, Waffle House is mainly in the Southern part of USA.

Waffle House serves delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner food. Waffle House is not that expensive, allowing everyone to dine there anytime. Moreover, since it is open for 24 hours, 365days, they attract lots of travelers and college students.

Waffle House represents the South by their workers. People working there are mainly Southerners who have southern accent. Therefore, whenever you visit there, you can hear the unique southern accent everytime you server comes to serve. For me, hearing the southern accent makes me feel happy and nervous at the same time. Happy because I actually feel like I'm in southern part of America; nervous because sometimes I don't understand what the server is saying. Moreover, the workers are also very kind and friendly. When I went there, the lady who was serving our table was very kind and interacted with my table. She asked us questions about our nationalities and how we came to Georgia, etc. Waffle House makes a feeling like you are at home.

South is also famous and well known for food, and I think Waffle House plays a part in that role of representing the food of the South.

-Hye Jin Ahn-

John Deere and the South

Since I grew up in Georgia, I used to see this logo almost everyday, whether it was on equipment or on clothing. This logo represents John Deere, a company that makes equipment such as agricultural, construction, and forestry machines. However, when I see this logo, it does not remind me about the company but about something else.

In my high school, there were many cliques, one which was the redneck group. These guys believed they represented the South, so they would perform some of the stereotypical characteristics of Southerners. For example, they would have the redneck accent, drive red pick-up trucks, camouflage clothes, and of course the John Deere merchandise hats and jackets. But why would those guys want to where John Deere? It's because they feel in order to perform a Southern identity, they need to incorporate one part of it, which is the agriculture/construction identity. The redneck clique knew that if they wanted to be a part of the South, they need to acknowledge the agricultural/construction part of their performed identity.

So whenever I see the John Deere logo, especially on clothing, I think about how some Southern people try to perform their Southern identity by embodying themselves with specific stereotypes of the South. So the topic that I'm introducing is to talk about any symbol or object that you feel represents the South or at least provides a portrayal of the South.

Git-r-Done!

Hey, it's Ankur. Since I was born and raised in the South, I really can't recognize any Southern idioms that other people do. There are always the "y'all" and "'em" as well as "ain't" that are words that almost everyone relates them to the South. Because I really don't know any idioms that sum up the real South, I will talk about a phrase that sums up the stereotypical South.

I'm sure you guys have heard of Larry the Cable Guy, a stand-up comedian and actor who frequently stars on Comedy Central. If you just take one look at him, you can figure out that he is the icon of the Southern stereotype. What really made this guy popular was his catch phrase: "Git-r-Done". According to the urban dictionary, the phrase means lets do this or go for it. Whenever I hear this phrase on TV or random people talking about it, it reminds me of how everyone views the South (rednecks with accents) from this one phrase and in association, Larry the Cable Guy.

Here is a video to show Larry's trademark phrase:

Y'all

I am honored to be able to talk about one of the greatest words in the english language. Y'all. I absolutely love the word. I think of all sayings or words this is the one that identifies someone as Southern more than any other. It is the contraction of you all. Many people misspell the word as ya'll. This is wrong however.

I know many northerners that have come down to the South and will accept listening to country music or doing something else that is mostly Southern, but they refuse to say the word y'all. They say "you guys" instead hoping to hold onto the last bit of their northern identity. It seems like the deciding factor to if you are Southern or northern is if you say y'all or "you guys". We all take pride in the way we refer to others.

Since y'all is so commonly associated with being Southern, it is even the name of a Southern magazine, Y'all: The Magazine of Southern People.

It's such a great Southern word because it begs to be said with a Southern drawl. You cannot say it properly without dragging it out and saying "Yawl". It even made it into Rush Hour when Chris Tucker was trying to teach Jackie Chan how to say y'all properly.

Put 'em up?

Hey you guys,
I want to share with you an experience that impacted me when I came to the States 6 years ago. The first day of school I noticed things were different--the people, especially the way they interacted with me, some treating me as if I was a complete "alien," others a little more accepting of my bizarre accent. And this leads me to the topic I want to present.

In every country, more so in every country's subdivision, regionalism exists. Some define regionalism as "a feature that is characteristic of a particular region" and to me accents and colloquialisms are everything. Hispanics are characterized by their mispronunciation of "r's", since most are "rolled" in Spanish. There's also the challenging difference between "sh" and "ch" sounds, and the infamous "th" and "t." People stereotype me by my accent, as I do to others.

That being said, I would like you to mention a particular word, phrase, or sound that you believe characterizes the South. As for me, there's one experience that stands out vividly. As I mentioned before, when I moved to the States my life changed completely. I knew English since I attended a bilingual school, but I realized there were specific phrases I did not understand. One day, I dutifully placed my textbook on top of my desk as I did every other day. As soon as I did that, my teacher addressed the class and said, "Ok, put 'em up." That did not make any sense to me... first off, put what up? and up where? The book? But mine was already up? And why was everyone just sitting there without their books on their desks? Well, I guess it was because, ironically enough, "put 'em up" really meant "put 'em down" (aka away...).
So that's what they say in the South.. not too rational, but hey, it makes the South, the South.

Misrepresentation from popular TV shows

I hate to talk about more TV shows, but the ideals of today's media are apparent mainly from the popularity of TV and its shows. One show that I thought really presents a misrepresentation of the South is My Name is Earl, which is a comedy about a "white trash" crook who turns his life around by beginning to do good deeds in order to gain positive karma. The setting is in Camden County, a fictional location on the border between the North and the South. Because of the exact location, the show compares and contrasts the people of each region. Earl and his family, representing the South, live in trailer homes and fulfill the white trash stereotype. Throughout the show, there are multiple extramarital affairs among the characters, even interracial affairs. Compared the "Northern" suburb which the rest of Camden County represents, Earl and his family are portrayed as dirty, unsophisticated, and unintelligent.



This show like many others, such as The Cleveland Show, demonstrate the stereotypical South as a bunch of dumb, racist rednecks or white trash that live in trailer homes with the Southern accents. From these TV shows, we can see that the media itself misrepresents the South without it ever actually learning about the South and portraying it as it is; however, as we know, the South is more than what the media presents.

Sweet Home Alabama

The first movie that popped into my head was Sweet Home Alabama. It doesn't necessarily present ideas of the old South. It is more presenting what people think the stereotypical South of today is. Gone with the Wind is about a family with southern money, however Sweet Home Alabama is mostly about middle-class folks. I feel that when people think of families of the old South they imagine rich plantation owners, but when they think of Southerners from today they think of rednecks. This stereotype is represented in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The movie suggests that just about everyone drives a truck and that it is commonplace to dress up in a Confederate uniform and shoot mortars around the backyard of the plantation house that was owned by our relatives. It also suggests that everyone goes to watch or participate in the Civil War reenactment and then goes to get drunk at the bar. The overall feel of the movie is that Southerners have lost what "class" they had and have not forgotten about the Civil War and believe that "the South will rise again!" and northerners are heartless and cold (well, that partly is true). A large portion of Southerners probably know very little about the Civil War.

Equal opportunity in current media show

To tell you the truth, I have not watched american TV shows for the past few years so I do not exactly know about current TV shows. However, reminding myself of the TV shows I have watched few years back, I can say that current media does not portray old southern ideals or values. Today media shows contains characters from different ethnicity and background. However, they all have equal opportunities and rights in the shows.

For example, Project Runway is a tv-show that is a competition of fashion designers to win the title and open their own fashion store. They also get to present their collection in a famous fashion show. Because it is a competition, designers with talent and uniqueness get to compete in this show, despite their background and ethnicity. Therefore, whites and blacks and even Asians get to join the competition. This show portrays that there is no old southern values or ideals. These days, it's more of a talent and ideas that makes you superior and powerful rather than skin colors and history.

Another show that I would like to introduce is the America's Next Top Model. I bet all the girls would know this show. Similar to Project Runway, this is a show where girls from around the United States compete to become America's next top model. Although the picture above is a picture from season 5 (I think), just by first look, you can tell that not everyone is white. About 35% of the girls who competed in this cycle were blacks. It is a show that is not only for white Americans, but for girls who have the potential to become American's next top model and represent America to the world.

I don't know about other shows that portrays the old souther ideal or values. The shows that I have watched since I came to the United States were all about competing and winning. Maybe that's why the shows that I can talk about are shows that gave everyone equal rights and opportunity to achieve their goals.

-Hye Jin Ahn-

Media That Reflects Old or New Ideals?

By Ryan Dettmann

In some of the readings this semester’s readings there has been mostly separation between the races and them rarely conversing. One example is Gone With The Wind, in which Mammy rarely is basically the only main black character in the movie and the rest are white, which reflects old ideas of the South. The subject we should investigate or look at is the media today and see if you can find certain shows or current media that portrays old southern ideals or values, or shows a counterexamples to presumed old southern values and/or instead injects breadth of different ones.

There are several modes of entertainment in which today are still in a sense like this, in which generally the characters are of one ethnicity except for one or two characters. Granted sometimes this is for humor in a way, it is seen in movies or shows such as This Christmas or Family Guy. In the first one the all the main characters are black except one who is at first considered an outcast based on her skin and then accepted to the family through her struggle and marriage to one of the men in the family. In Family Guy Most of the characters that appear are white except Cleveland, who they occasionally poke fun at him and actually made a spin off show on him and his new family.

Other shows have happened to have this similar trend such as Tyler Perry’s House of Pain, in which all the reoccurring characters are black except one of the firemen, who is kinda slow. But the show also addresses many stereotypes and situations that can be racist or have racial tensions that happened in the South and how they can affect many ethnicities. These and other shows address issues of old southern ideals or satirically portrays.

Many Places or Nonplaces

By Ryan Dettmann

Throughout my life I have lived in towns or cities that are described as a place on a nonplace. I was born in Chicago, Illinois which is by far a place. Its known for its deep dish pizza, sports teams, skyscrapers, and many other things that make the town memorable. But with this, it makes a crowded city that more crowded with the millions of tourists and visitors that visit the city. From Chicago’s hospital, I was taken to my families suburb of Barrington, Illinois which at the time was away from the city a somewhat of a nonplace with a small town atmosphere. But Since I left there it has become a place mainly, because it was engulfed by the city and has gotten significantly larger.

After living there I moved to the great cheese state of Wisconsin to a town named Middleton. It is the sister city of the capital Madison and is across lake Mindota. In most the sense Middleton was a place with big schools and places, with it literally being connected to Madison. Madison/Middleton was most known for being the capital of Wisconsin, its school University of Wisconsin, and cheese of course. It is also a place known for its liberal ideas and commonly in schools being clicky. Most recently the town was known from being picked a couple of years ago as the best place to live in the United States, which makes it that more a place.

After living there five years my family moved again and that next place was Charlottesville, Virginia. We actually live outside the city near the towns of Crozet and Ivy, but my address says Charlottesville. Charlottesville is a smaller town compared to Middleton of Barrington, but is widely known for rich history that attracts tourists from around the world. The most notably places are Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and also University of Virginia, the school that Jefferson founded. It’s streets are flooded by tourists and college students every year, yet it fights to expand its boundaries like adding bypasses or allowing buildings to be taller than the Rotunda at UVa’s Lawn.The city is also known for being named the best place to live recently like Middleton. I did not go to school in Charlottesville, but rather I went to high school in Crozet, which is 20 minutes outside of the city. It is a quaint town, with three gas stations, a small library by the railroad tracks, and small town feel. It doesn’t have much going on unless its a school event, but everyone likes it that way because the big events are what Charlottesville are for. Though it keeps expanding rapidly I hope it will never become place and stay a none place.

The Diversity in Clarkston

I currently live in the perfect nonplace of Lilburn, Georgia. This city is the very representation of the suburban areas that are portrayed in movies or on TV, where there is a "perfect" community of people living in harmony. In your dreams, this is the place where you wanted to grow up in and where you want to raise your kids in. In essence, Lilburn is the place where you feel "normal"; however, for the last twelve years of my life, I always missed, for some reason I can't explain, living in a place like Clarkston.



When my parents first came to America from India, a relative suggested that they live Clarkston because it easily provided an area where my parents could start their new lives. From then on and continuing until I was six, my parents stayed in that city, took advantages of various opportunities, and lived happily. As a kid, though, I never like it there. The buildings were too old, the city was too congested, and the lifestyle was below average. Nevertheless, I got my wish and moved to a suburban area, but after a while, I realized that I never appreciated the city as it was.

You heard of Clarkston in one of our readings for class, an essay by Sally Jenkins, where it mentions that the city that houses one of the largest refugee resettlements in the nation. In the 1990s, refugee resettlement programs made Clarkston a home for displaced people of many different backgrounds. Several ethnics groups were also attracted to the city because of the city's location right outside of the core of Atlanta. According to the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the city is as follows:

• African Americans - 56%
• Caucasian - 19%
• Asian - 13%
• Hispanic/Latino - 4.61%
• Other races - 3%
• Two or more races - 10%

As seen by the numbers, Clarkston truly is a ethnic melting pot. In the 2000s, the local high school had students from more than 50 different countries. From these facts, you should probably be able to figure out why Clarkston is a place. I agree with Jenkins in that the city does foil the stereotype of the South, and in a way, it helps build a new Southern identity because the ethnic groups "have revitalized the region’s business and spiritual life" (Jenkins).

Music City, Cashville, Nashville

I was born in San Francisco but I consider Nashville to be where I'm from. I moved to Memphis when I was 1 and to Nashville when I was 4, so Nashville is the only place I really remember. Nashville is a place without a doubt, according to Walker Percy. Just about everyone knows of Nashville because of all the country music that is recorded there. It is home to the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, and the only full-scale replica of the Parthenon. There are many famous people that live in Nashville and you see them around the city all the time. For how well it's known, Nashville isn't that big. There are only about 1.5 million in the city and surrounding area. Nashville has a lot to offer, especially music-wise, and is not too crowded. Nashville is home to the Titans (football) and the Predators (Hockey), so there is a fairly decent sport scene as well. Nashville is sometimes called Music City (obviously for all the music there) or Cashville (for Johnny Cash). Also, Nashville hosts the Country Music Association Awards (CMA Awards).

Contrast

I have experienced both, living in a place and in a nonplace. I was born in Colombia in a tiny, but very recognized city called Barranquilla. I lived there for the first 12 years of my life. Barranquilla is in the coastal part of Colombia and is known by its famous Carnival, which everybody should attend once in their lifetime. It is a huge celebration, even causing schools and important government issues to come to a halt. As in America, Colombia is divided into stereotypes. The people from the Coastal area labeled as joyful, partiers, and kind of lazy. The coast is recognized for being home to the most beautiful beaches and cultural cities of Colombia, such as Cartagena. The other stereotype that exists is for the people from the interior of Colombia. They are portrayed as serious, educated, and boring. I consider Barranquilla a place, because as Walker Percy's essay "Why I live and Where I live" pointed out, people from Barranquilla carry in their shoulders all the traditions and history that the city and its surroundings have embedded in them. After 12 years, when I moved to the United States, I lived in a new, small city called Weston. Weston is located in South Florida, 40 minutes from Miami, which I consider a place, and was established in 1996, 14 years ago. When I first went to Weston, I realized it looked like paradise. It is full of big green palms and trees, the streets were broad and royal, and it had an empty atmosphere. I consider Weston a nonplace because although it had a resemblance of being perfect, it seemed fake. Something that characterizes Weston is how nothing interesting occurs. There is no news, no crime, and by 10 p.m. the streets are empty. Don't get me wrong though, in both cities I have had pleasant experiences and I am emotionally attached to both, but I would consider Barranquilla the place that contributed to my cultural preferences and makes me in many ways how I am. This is why, if anybody asks me if I was characterized by the place I was born/raised in, under no hesitation would I respond, "Yes."

The picture at the top is of Weston and the picture at the bottom is of the 'marimondas' from the Carnival of Barranquilla.

Topic #1

Hello! This is Hye Jin. So I'm the first one to introduce the topic. Because it is the first topic and we don't know each other very well, I was thinking what topic would relate to our class discussion and somehow introduce ourselves.

After reading Walker Percy's essay "Why I live and Where I live", I have thought about my life and said that I have mostly lived in a place and once in nonplace, based on Percy's definition of place and nonplace.

I was born in Seoul, South Korea but lived there for about 7 years total. I have lived in Chennai, India for 8 years and 3 years in Irvine, CA. I was also in Kiev, Ukraine last summer because my parents lived there at that time. In my opinion, Seoul, Chennai and Kiev is a place. These cities are huge and are full of history of the country. The modern building and the historical buildings in major parts of the city blend with each other very well.

(left is Seoul, center is Chennai, and right is Kiev)

However, Irvine, in my opinion is a nonplace. Irvine is a suburb that does not have unique and historical architects. It is a city that clearly differentiate residential area and shopping area. Automobile is required to go some where. The main reason why Irvine is known to people is because of its academics. Although my father's workplace was 30 minutes drive from Irvine, my father wanted our family to live in Irvine because of my high school academics. Due to the high reputation of academics, a lot of Asians currently live in Irvine. About 50 % of my high school students were Asians. Because of the increase in population and more malls coming in to the city, it might be considered as a place. Nevertheless, most suburban people tend to live on their own inside their houses, according to my observation. There was no interaction between neighbors.

Yeah, so that's how I defined the cities I lived to place and nonplace. So the topic for this week is to introduce where you have lived throughout your life and discuss if it was a place or a nonplace.

The Stereotypical Southern

By Ryan Dettmann

When people think of the stereotypical southern identity, many think of several things such as football, pickup trucks, hunting, alcohol, and possible a good ole southern draw. Before we had even gotten this assignment there were several ideas and stereotypes that came to mind about views on southern culture which included the ones mentioned before. So when we got the assignment I found a youtube video that further skews people's views on the people of the south.

This is a video about a man who bet his tv on the Washington Redskins winning against the New Orleans Saints and sadly lost. Now his friends are cashing in on that bet. He explains also in the video what they might do and show what they actually do, which is shoot up his tv while having some beers by their pickups and big southern accents. This video offers a stereotypical view of the south as a bunch drunk guys or hillbillies shooting up a tv over a football game. This is not what I view most the south as but it does show strengthen people's stereotypes that its a bunch of unintelligent drunk people who are not very smart have nothing better to do than shoot up a tv and this is shown in the video.

Though many people could view this video as a representation of the south, for me it does not accurately portray the it. Not everybody shoots up their friends tv, or drink beer and shoot up things, or even have pick-up trucks (though many Americans do). Though I do believe that many people live by football or other sports, this is true all over the world like europe with soccer. Although this video wrongly portrays southerners as a bunch of drunk stupid rednecks, some underlying things are popular in the South like football.

Stone Mountain

Hey! Since I live five minutes (literally) from Stone Mountain Park, it's really easy for me to say that this landmark really defines my representation of the South. If you didn't know, Stone Mountain is not really a mountain, but a large piece of granite rock; however, more importantly, you should know the history of it in order to understand the South.

The most recognizable feature of the mountain is the sculpture of Confederate Memorial Carving, which depicts the three Confederate leaders of the Civil War, President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson. This idea originally came from the organization of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), an association dedicated to honoring the memory of those who served and died in service to the Confederacy. The organization believed that there was no justice done to those Southerners who fought for what they believed them throughout the war. By 1915, the mountain gave birth to the second Klu Klux Klan, who used the site for Klan rallies. In 1924, the new Klan, which included many members of the UDC, were able to influence the federal government to issue special fifty-cent coins with Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall Jackson".

As seen through its history, those ideas that were the cause of the creation of Stone Mountain were not specific to one area, city or state, but instead those ideas reflect the ideas of the entire South. Just as the UDC created a memorial of Confederate Civil War heroes, the South, in general, still supported the ideas that the Confederacy fought for. Even today, many Southerners have so much respect for those Confederate leaders that it could compare to respect of those UDC members that influenced the special fifty-cent coins. The point I'm making is the history that Stone Mountain provides accurately portrays the ideas that existed in that time and even today. I hope that if you go to Stone Mountain, you will feel that you have somehow experienced the South.

Black, Brown and White

When this assignment was announced, I asked around if anyone knew an inspirational representation of the South. I came across a song called "Black, Brown and White" by Big Bill Broonzy.

Big Bill Broonzy was an African American blues songwriter and singer in the Jim Crow Era. In this song he narrates situations the African Americans were placed in, such as the fact that they were paid less than a white person was paid although they did the same job.

I think this song encompasses many of the situations in the South that we discussed in class when going over the essay "The ethics of Living Jim Crow" by Richard Wright. He mentions how he would not be served any beer or wine because of the color of his skin.

In fact, it focuses on all the injustices that African Americans passed through during this era. Towards the end of the song he mentions how slavery ended, but now he asks : “What you gonna do about the old Jim Crow?” I think this song is a good representation of the South during this era because it informs how African Americans had to work hard and still did not receive what they deserved.

Angelica Grillo