murksiderock
Superstar
We don't have much dissension on what "northern" or "western" or anything like that is, but there's plenty of variance on what people consider "southern". And as always, given this is a mainly black space, I'd like to hear The Coli's residents tell me what they think it means when you say someone or somewhere is "southern"...
For me, I've learned that what defines "the South" or "southern" tends to be a mix of ideology, self-identification, climate and landscape, demographics, style of food, musical interests, accents and speech, and cultural identifiers. But most people can barely define what they mean expressly...
Case in point, I've seen some debate online whether DFW is the South or not. It's a silly question to have to me, as I don't see what other region you could call it:
•people here call themselves southerners; transplanted residents say they've moved to the South if they came from outside the South (at the place I'm working I have Midwesterners from Minnesota, Chicago, Indiana, and Cleveland here, they all feel like they are in the South). There's alota Midwestern transplants here
...
The natives of this area all self-identify as Southerners;
•the South to me is synonymous with warmer or hotter weather, but humid, unlike the Southwest or California. It's so fukking hot and humid here, there's absolutely no other region this area could be considered;
•Texas BBQ is such a southern thing
;
•go listen to Dallas and Fort Worth rappers. These nikkas can't be confused for being from any other region;
•the accents here are distinctly southern;
•the cultural identity is here. Definitely more conservative leaning. High school football being a weekly movie is a southern thing. The pro-gun shyt is more of a southern thing though of course there are gun advocates outside the South. Just way too many things that show a southern cultural identity;
•the built form of these cities is southern. Right outside of downtown you'll find streets with no sidewalks, mad single-family homes, etc. Wide main roads, big thick ass interstates, etc. It looks like the South here...
I also have to say having a smallish Downtown is a southern thing, and in this regard places like Atlanta are unique, as it's Downtown isn't small and it's core city is built up pretty well...
For me, I've learned that what defines "the South" or "southern" tends to be a mix of ideology, self-identification, climate and landscape, demographics, style of food, musical interests, accents and speech, and cultural identifiers. But most people can barely define what they mean expressly...
Case in point, I've seen some debate online whether DFW is the South or not. It's a silly question to have to me, as I don't see what other region you could call it:
•people here call themselves southerners; transplanted residents say they've moved to the South if they came from outside the South (at the place I'm working I have Midwesterners from Minnesota, Chicago, Indiana, and Cleveland here, they all feel like they are in the South). There's alota Midwestern transplants here
...The natives of this area all self-identify as Southerners;
•the South to me is synonymous with warmer or hotter weather, but humid, unlike the Southwest or California. It's so fukking hot and humid here, there's absolutely no other region this area could be considered;
•Texas BBQ is such a southern thing
;•go listen to Dallas and Fort Worth rappers. These nikkas can't be confused for being from any other region;
•the accents here are distinctly southern;
•the cultural identity is here. Definitely more conservative leaning. High school football being a weekly movie is a southern thing. The pro-gun shyt is more of a southern thing though of course there are gun advocates outside the South. Just way too many things that show a southern cultural identity;
•the built form of these cities is southern. Right outside of downtown you'll find streets with no sidewalks, mad single-family homes, etc. Wide main roads, big thick ass interstates, etc. It looks like the South here...
I also have to say having a smallish Downtown is a southern thing, and in this regard places like Atlanta are unique, as it's Downtown isn't small and it's core city is built up pretty well...
