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Comment by wallawe | Hacker News Reader

100% agree. It's become so commonplace to stereotype southerners in a particular way in the media and by Hollywood. I live in NYC now and have to deal with constant judgement whenever I mention I'm from Alabama. The most ironic thing is that it's typically from the "tolerant" left.

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When I lived in Vicksburg Mississippi, I got a lot of flack for my weird yankee (actually neutral midwestern) accent as well as typical northern stereotypes (and I’m a westerner, not even a real yankee). I guess you could say that should be expected from the less tolerant right, but it definitely goes both ways.

Growing up in the south and not having a southern accent was REAL fun in school. Kids are evil.

I went to school at All-Saints there in Vicksburg, small world! Yes, there is definitely a stereotype in the south towards yankees (which is pretty much anyone not from the south as you alluded). I just expected more from highly educated folks with a wider world view in NYC.

I had friends that went there, but I was in public school (WCHS).

I think you’ll find people are insular everywhere. The only thing that might be different in NYC is that more people didn’t grow up there and are transplants.

The NYC people that judge you are obviously not "tolerant".

Also most stereotypes have some truth to them, otherwise they wouldn't be stereotypes.

E.g. IIRC Southern states come last in education ranking.

Southern states are the most predominately black states in the country. Are you sure you want to bring this up?

Actually, poor areas all over the US come up last in education rankings. Your poorest areas in Los Angeles or NYC will rival or underperform the poorest areas in the south.

And your wealthy southern suburbs will outperform or rival any posh LA or NYC school district.

I've seen subcultures in NYC that are like that, but the majority subcultures are not IMHO.

Try hanging out with more diverse typical immigrant and native lower middle class to middle class new yorkers, not just other several-generation upper middle class suburban new englanders and transplants from the midwest and rest of the country which are a minority in NYC... You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Basically, hang out with non software tech people :)

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