More than Stereotypes—The Real Impact of Bullying Southerners
Becca Boynton | March 23, 2023
There are a number of negative stereotypes about Southerners. Media such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Deliverance and Duck Dynasty feed into the false image that southerners — especially Appalachian individuals — are idiotic, impoverished and sluggish individuals.
However, these are tired and false characteristics that impact southerners daily. According to an article written by a University of Georgia linguistics professor, Jon Forrest, people who work in a high-end profession speak in a less southern manner than people in jobs that do not require a college degree.
Obtaining a slight accent that indicates one is from the south can lead to assumptions and mocking. James Davis, a native southerner and Warren Wilson College (WWC) sophomore, experiences others imitating his southern accent on campus often.
“You get a lot of people like throwing the accent back at you,” Davis said. “People think it’s funny or cute, but you don’t do that to any other group of people, and it would be very strange if you were.”
WWC sits in America’s bible belt with the nine other states stretched on the southern edge of the United States. WWC juxtaposes a standard southern location with its medley of non-southern students.
Although not maliciously intended, stereotypes about Southerners fill WWC.
“I had a lot of friends tell me that when they first met me and saw my accent and my body language and whatnot and were like, is this guy good?” said Davis. “People just assume a set of values when you carry yourself or talk a certain way.”
Beliefs about Southerners, particularly Appalachians, do not come without rich history. The term redneck dates back to before the Civil War. A derogatory term, it is used to reference farmers of the south, along with the commonly used term hillbilly, which originated during the settling of Scotish-Irish immigrants in the Appalachian mountains.
These terms were derived in early America to taunt the southern lower classes, such as farmers, immigrants and other vulnerable populations. The assumption that everyone from the south is Confederate flag-waving, Bible-swearing and racist is wholly inaccurate.
This stereotype also erases the positive political advancement that has progressed amongst previously red states.
In Georgia, Joe Biden became the first democratic presidential candidate to win the popular vote in 28 years. In 2020, 168 Confederate monuments were removed in the South and efforts are emerging daily that work to remove the 700 remaining monuments.
The south is more than cheap Hollywood portrayals and inaccurate assumptions. The south is full of culture, history and hardworking Southerners that built lives for themselves and their families despite their own country working against them.