Preview

Stereotypes Of South Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
652 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Stereotypes Of South Essay
Olivia Beck
Rough Draft People from the southern states are put into a group called Southerners. People are stereotyped as soon as you find out where they’re from, from Virginia to Georgia and over to Tennessee, people from the Southern region are referred to as “Rednecks.” They have an image of being a person with bad personal hygiene, drive old beat down trucks and spit chewing tobacco. Southerners have had this reputation since the early 1900’s when slavery was prominent and the stereotype is still strongly alive today. There are two different stereotypes of Southern people, one as the dirty, illiterate, and one as the well-mannered southern gentleman
Southerners are known to be illiterate, dirty, racist, old fashioned and violent along with
…show more content…
Studies show that “fourteen of the top fifty schools in the nation are located in the South.” One third of Miss America winners come from southern states, as well as the majority of early presidents too.
The other stereotype that someone may think of when they picture a Southerner would be the classy, clean dressed family. They are pictured to live in old, historical homes that may have been an old slave plantation. Rich Southern families are known to have a love for sports such as tennis, golf, and or polo. The family should be hospitable, referred as “Southern hospitality”, quiet living, and pride in their ancestry. The men in these families are referred to as “Southern Gentlemen” and the females as “Southern Belles.”
There are still movies and shows today that present the Southern Stereotype. Movies that do so would be Sweet Home Alabama, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Blindside, and Forrest Gump. Major TV shows that show the stereotype as well are Beverly Hillbillys, The Waltons, and Mama’s Family. These examples clearly show the Southern stereotype as the poor, dirty family like in Forrest Gump or the rich, polite family like The

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    After the war the South went through a harsh period of rebuilding called the Reconstruction. Carpetbaggers are mentioned and shown several times…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Murica!

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Honey Boo Boo, Duck Dynasty, Moonshiners, Buckwild and plenty other shows are spreading the “gooder-then-grits” life of a redneck. Political, media, religious and a bunch of other public leaders in their political correctness, cannot bring themselves to utter the word "redneck." So…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Southern Reality Shows

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Southern identities created in reality television are shaping the work and wellbeing of southerners, as well as their loss concept of self through southern livelihood. In recent years, reality television programs featuring “redneck” culture in particular have witnessed increased popularity. These southern reality television programs present southerners doing everything from frequently proceeding with unacceptable rude and obscene behavior, eating triple fried foods at county fairs, fishing with their bare hands, and making up words not found within the traditional English dictionary. The issue here is that while southern reality television shows may be watched exclusively for their entertainment and popularity attraction, and while they seem…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The idea of Southernization came from the observation that "Southern" values and beliefs were becoming more important to the success of the government, reaching a climax in the 1990s, with a Democratic president and vice-president from the South, and Congressional leaders in both parties originating in the South. Some would agree that Southern values started to become more and more important in national elections through the early 21st century. American journalists started to use the term "Southernization" in the late 2000s to describe the political and cultural effects. Credit is given to the American South for different values and beliefs, including religious fundamentalism, and patriotism or nationalism. Other than the cultural influence, many would comply that the South had permeated the national political stage.…

    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Southerners love a good tale. They are born reciters, great memory retainers, diary keepers, letter exchangers . . . great talkers.” -Welty…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    These characters use exaggerated stereotypes of the African American slaves in the southern part of the country. Stereotypes include: a form of physical handicap, lack of common sense, laziness, alcoholism, and pure stupidity. While many of the northern…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Southern people do not believe in living a life where they have to or choose to work every possible hour of the day to be able to have nice material things. It is not necessary to overindulge in life. Southerners believe it is just enough for the simpler things in life. Reality television industries have intruded on the innocence of southerners and their lives by discovering an easy way to exploit a perceived otherness of the…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    At the beginning, what they now call "Southern Cooking" came from Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Africans, Creoles, and the French. African Americans had even created a simple and inexpensive food style, known today as "Soul Food". They would eat food they were able to afford because the more money you had, the more you could afford. If you were working on a farm, you would produce your own food, and whatever was decided upon would be breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper. However, once the Civil War began, it had a major impact on the South and the food that the citizens had access…

    • 1651 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Redneck Research Paper

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rednecks are often misunderstood. When a typical person thinks of the word “redneck,” most of them often associate this type of person as loud, hot-headed, violent, undereducated, racist and poor. People also associate rednecks with outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping and riding atv’s or dirt bikes. (Flora 1) Rednecks, most of the time, are associated with the confederate flag as well. They are also perceived to be rude. A term often used to define rednecks is “white trash,” meaning “poor white people, especially those living in the southern US (White 1).” What people don’t realize is that rednecks are also associated with intelligence and respect. They are loving, caring and are proud to be themselves. Rednecks all share the same love for cowboy boots, old jeans, pickup trucks, mud and learning lessons from their parents. This does not make rednecks “white trash.” This makes them general people, which is often overlooked.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mississippi Eassy

    • 711 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I was in the grocery store one day picking up some collard greens. A young girl that was from China asked what was I buying. I explained to her that it was collard greens and my mom use them to cook a big southern meal. She also asked me what was so great about living in the South. I will write an opinion essay about southern living to answer her question using personal experience. I will discuss the natural resources of the south, the culture and heritage of the region, and how people live and work here. I will also explain some positive about living in the South. My name is La’Trinae Robinson I moved from Salem New Jersey when I was 3 years old to South Florida and have been staying here since then so you can say I been in the south all my life. Living in the South is a great place to live for many different reasons. Living in the south is great because of the food, whether and Southern hospitality.…

    • 711 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Tradition In The South

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages

    While there are numerous outlooks of the South, such as obliviousness, bigotry and “backwardness,” one could respectively say that there is a sense of tradition in the South that is upheld. The idea is aimed towards the depictions of these traditions in the South. The South has been seen as a “backwards”…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    And I have watched some good football. And the southern girls are just beautiful. That is just my opinion. The environment when you get around other people from the south are great even the parties have gotten wild from time to time, but I wouldn’t trade that in for the world. Everyone in the south has somewhat of a positive upbeat attitude, and they are always willing to help.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    You might be a redneck if you have ever mowed the lawn and found a car. We have all heard this famous phrase, along with many more, from the comedian Jeff Foxworthy. But what does being a redneck really mean? Many southern people have been stereotyped as rednecks because of their accents, slang and lack of formal communication ability. But it takes more than just the way a person talks to make them a redneck, like attitude and appearance.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Southern Stereotype

    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The mass media, or media at large, would include motion picture makers, television producers, news programs, newspapers, radio, magazines, or any source which has the capability to deliver images or messages to the masses. It seems to be common knowledge that the mass media has inundated homes all across the fruited plain for decades with images of southern stereotypes. Ask a few dozen strangers to describe a southerner in sixty seconds or less and the common descriptions most may have of southern folks are reasonably unsurprising. A few details that come to mind when describing a southerner may include the following: a strong accent or drawl, ignorant, lazy, a barefoot mountain person, an inbred, a hillbilly with buck teeth and overalls, a hick with a pick-up truck and a gun rack, and a moonshiner with a big beer belly. Most will also agree that the mental figures or perceptions on hand are those branded in the brain by the mass media, film makers, and theatre companies. “When you think of stereotypes, you often only think of negative ones. There are also positive stereotypes – the South being a land of nature and holding onto traditions,” said Tom Hanchett, staff historian at the Levine Museum of the New South. (Baldwin 1-2).…

    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are examples that prove that African Americans are stereotyped in media. Nadra Kareem Nittle, a race relation expert, explain there's no shortage of black drug dealers, pimps, con-artists, and other forms of criminals in television shows and films such As the wire and training day. The disproportionate amount of African Americans playing criminals in Hollywood fuels the racial stereotype that black men are dangerous and have zero respect for the law.” African American actors and actresses can be objectified only to roles that add to their negative stereotypes which is Mammies, drug dealers and baby mamas. These roads have significantly added to the negative viewing of African…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics