This article claims that southern identity is becoming less and less prevalent, slowly heading toward a "No South". It brings up many points, including a specific perspective on identity, cultural mindsets, and religion. Write about your opinion on one or more of the author's following assertions and whether or not you agree:
"We've had the Solid South, the Old South and the New South. But are we heading toward a "No South"?" - Is the South now losing its own individuality due to urbanization?
"The South has become "sort of like a lifestyle, rather than an identity anymore," James Cobb [..] would argue." - The author makes a reference to Martha Stewart's housing development in Raleigh based off of her neighborhoods in New York and Maine. Is the idea of the 'South' similar to New Orleans/Mardi Gras, just an unrealistic concept marketed to consumers?
"When the local paper recently ran a landfill story with the headline "N.C. set to become Yankee dump," he fired off an angry letter wondering when we'd finally get beyond the Civil War references." - Are people still holding onto the Civil War and that strong feud between North vs. South? If so, why?
"And what about the so-called Bible Belt? Are Southerners really more religious than other Americans?" - Do you think that religion plays a bigger role in the lives of Southerners?
Sorry there are a ton questions, you don't have to answer them all... but since I'm still trying to figure out and understand these Southern cultural ideas, your responses would help a lot!
2 comments:
I believe that the statement,"The South has become "sort of like a lifestyle, rather than an identity anymore," James Cobb [..] would argue.", is semicorrect. In heavily urbanized area with more diverse popluations, such as in the metro-atlanta area, a sort of southern lifestyle is portrayed more. Where I'm from there are a lot of people from Ohio and Korea and all sorts of places. This leads to a lot of kids to try reinforce their southern identity. They'll wear mossy oak jackets and lift their new F150's their dad bought them to show that their southern. These "gated community rednecks" have to compensate in a more diverse city. Outside Atlanta, i feel is much more geniune in its southern identity.
Well Teresa, to address the point of the south moving torwards a "No South" has its basis in reality. Conversely I must first start off by stating that people have different experiences of the south which crops a person's view of where the south is heading. The media has the depicted the south as a "good ol boy" way of life for so many years the perception of what is really happening here is just now being brought to light. The article makes reference to claims such as people in the south stay married longer, and that southerners are more likely to attend church, and ultimately that the south isn't the "south" anymore which all present sterotypes of the south. Most of which are fallises that can be censured. The bottom line is that movements such as urbinization have taken place in the south molding it into what it is today. Atlanta, Birmingham, and Charolette to name a few are a testament to this urbinazation.
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