When I saw the subject line of the original thread, I expected that
someone would probably end up bashing southerners. In this NG, which is
relatively politically correct, I really didn't expect so many of the
posters to do it, though. Primarily, of course, the slams were related to
the southern dialect, but dental hygiene placed at number two, with
inbreeding making a showing, and a few others popping up as well. None of
these are anything new, they've been fostered by the entertainment media
for many years, but that is simply a reflection of the widespread beliefs
of non-southerners. Let's look at some of these assumptions.

"The southern dialect is improper english, and indicates laziness,
slowness of thought, and ignorance." Right. What does the Boston dialect
indicate? The Minnesota dialect? How about Brooklyn? It's just a regional
dialect, and in fact there are at least two different ones, called
tidewater and piedmont southern, respectively. It doesn't indicate a
blessed thing except where the speaker grew up. It should also be noted
that any American who believes that they speak "proper" english is most
likely to be referring to the General American used by newscasters.
"Proper" english doesn't even exist in England. The language has fragmented
into literally thousands of regional dialects as it evolved. I'm a native
Alabamian, but I use a General American dialect. Why? The use of General
American keeps opportunities from being closed to me by bigoted fools. I
realized that as a kid, and took steps. Why don't all southerners simply
adopt a different dialect? Some, like some people everywhere, are ignorant
and don't know that they're discriminated against. Most, unlike me, are too
proud to knuckle under to bigots. I'm not proud of using a different
dialect. I did it out of cowardice when I was young.

"They're all married to their sisters." Oh, please. For the record,
incest does take place in the south. It also takes place in every other
inhabited region of the planet, specifically including within a ten
kilometer radius of you, the reader, wherever you may be. Is the incidence
higher in the south? I have no earthly way of knowing, nor does anyone
else. In the absence of any hard data, I'm guessing it's pretty uniform in
distribution.

"Toothless! They're all toothless!" In the past, there was some
basis for this one. Dentistry, like all medical advances, originates in
large population centers, and then slowly migrates out into the poorer
rural areas. Forty years ago, a native of, say, Chicago, would have been
accustomed to seeing people who enjoyed good dental care. If that person
travelled to the rural south, they might have been shocked to discover that
many people had serious dental problems. When a visit to the dentist
entails a two day trip and a weeks salary, not very many such visits take
place. I assure you, gentle reader, that things have improved. Roads have
been improved, the population has swelled, and now just about any small
town has at least one busy dental practice.

It is only in the last twenty to thirty years that the south has
finally recovered from the aftermath of the civil war. I'm referring to what
is called the Reconstruction, and is described to schoolchildren as
something resembling the Marshall Plan after WWII. That's a neat bit of
revisionism. It more closely resembled forty years of government sanctioned
economic rape and plunder. It's been a long road, and the southern states
are still among the poorest in the US, but the culture is finally starting
to become homogeneous across the country. One of the last obstacles
remaining to that recovery is the bigotry against southerners. I ask you to
take a look around in your area. Look for rednecks. I bet you can find them
in Oregon, Maine, California, just about anywhere. If you can't find any of
your neighbors who fit some "southern" stereotypes, then I invite you to
come visit me sometime. I'll make you welcome, and show you around my
beloved Alabama. I bet you'll be surprised.

Thanks for your time.

Luke