Notes on "Hillbillies, rednecks, and southern belles" to p. 209

by Mark VanderVeen

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The first half of this article focuses on the different attitudes toward the south held by northerners and southerners. Students from the University of Minnesota were found to believe that a "Southern Trough" exists in the United States. This Southern Trough is a boundary line that marks undesirable places to live in the U.S. U of Minn. students held the be lief that certain states in the south, namely Mississippi, Alabana, Arkansas, Louisiana, and parts of Georgia, were undesirable places to live. These places made up a "core" of the south, where U. of Minn. students believed that the old ways of the south still survived.

The same survey was given to Alabama students. Their map of the U.S. was found to be a "mirror image" of the Minnesota students. Alabama students found that the most desirable place to live is indeed in the south. No southern trough existed according to them. Interestingly, both the Minnesota students and the Alabama students found that California was the most desirable place to live in the U.S.

The article continues, drawing the conclusion that though the south is usually seen as a monolithic structure in the U.S., people still˙divide it into specific regions. A study showed that many people found˙that Texas was its own south. New Mexico and Arizona were considered˙their own region of the south, and Fl orida was, in many cases, found to not be considered the south at all. After students were given tapes to˙of southern english to listen to, it was found that a linguistic map of˙the south was much larger than .

It is further mentioned that it's foolish to believe that all southerners speak with a southern accent. Some people that live there are transplanted from other places, $some are not native English speakers, some speak Native American Languages, some speak Louisian Creole.

Southern culture is also an important factor in determining what is and what is not south. Certain cultural beliefs and practices are considered to be uniquely southern. Most southerners hold firm to these beliefs, most northerners don't find them to be inherent in determining southernness.

Questions for thought. . .

Question 1: What is Bourdieu's Strategy of Condescension?

Question 2: What is the Southern Trough?

Question 3: What are some stereotypical beliefs about Southerners contained in this article?
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