An Address Against the Misconceptions About Southerners

To many outsiders, southerners might seem stupid. TV shows and the media in general are often guilty of perpetuating this stereotype in even serious settings. It is not uncommon to see a southern character be a religious nut or an incestuous rake on TV.

As someone who was born in Alabama, raised there and still lives there, I’m here to tell you that, though we have our faults, like every other people in the world, we’re not stupid or incestuous (or any other negative stereotype in general, for that matter).

Regina Spektor once sang a line in her song, The Ghost of Corporate Future, which I would like to share: “People are just people like you”. That is a very simple, yet sound notion that most Americans forget when thinking about their southern counterparts. They assume we’re backwards and still live in the year 1954. But this is not the case.

Like the rest of the country, southerners are a diverse group of people. We have many different beliefs thoughts, feelings, and quirks that make us unique. We come from different backgrounds, we speak different languages, different accents, and we follow different religions. We have different economic backgrounds. Many struggle, while there are those who are far from struggling. Really, the only thing that you could really say that we all have in common with each other than other people in the world is our shared region of birth.

First of all, I would like to address the religion of southerners. This seems to be a pretty big misconception. Yes, Southern Baptist is a common Christian denomination down here. However, most of the people I know are not Southern Baptist. Most of the people I know aren’t even Christians. Christianity is not the only religion. Many people in Alabama are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, pagan; or, more commonly, atheist. Yes, that’s right: atheist. Many southerners are secular humanists or atheist, not really adhering to any religious beliefs of any sort.

The biggest misconception about the people down here is that we’re all racist. This is wrong. Racism is just as common here as it is in the avant-garde setting of New York City. In fact, most white southerners are not pure Anglo. Most are mixed with Native American or black ancestry. If southerners were a bunch of racist hicks, this would not be the case. Interracial marriages are also common here, perhaps just as much as in the north – if not more so.