Moving South, anything I should know?
- Thread starter Abhorsen
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Southern Hospitality is a great thing as is Southern Food. But the people can't drive for shit, so watch it there. And unfortunately during the summer you have to deal with the double whammy of Hot and Humid. Where as most places its one or the other.
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Its more slow going in the south than in the north. In general anyway. Sweet Tea is the drink of the South. But yes its ridiculously humid and uncomfortable in the summer.
If you have allergies, they will be inflamed every day. Due to the excess pollen and this climate.
If you have allergies, they will be inflamed every day. Due to the excess pollen and this climate.
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Where I am, its been raining off and on for about a week now.
I joke that the South has a monsoon season and a dry season. And you'll find its fairly accurate.
I joke that the South has a monsoon season and a dry season. And you'll find its fairly accurate.
Hmm, I'm a little worried about fitting in with the culture. How much will I be obligated to return this, and what are my obligations to do so? Also, I tend to swear a ton, will that be a problem?
D
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Eh that depends? Saying Dammit is how we southerners express our anger all the time, casual throwing of F bombs is a bit more uncouth.
Thats a good question. At first probably not much if at all. But over time as you adjust, its all on you. Most in the South are friendly, but not too pushy. Also, people will talk about weapons and gun ownership. Here in the South its just a thing, and there is real fear of losing that right. So understand what you're getting in to there.
Oh, people embracing the 2A is the things I'm looking forward to most, so no worries there. The hospitality thing I'll be happy to adjust to, I'm just worried about committing some Faux Pas early on. Any basics I should know, or is it just go with the flow, and I'll probably pick it up?
Is Goddammit considered significantly worse? Because at this point in my life, when among friends the swears of nearly all types just flow freely, so if there are particular ones to avoid that would be useful to know.
Not really. Some of these guys and girls can curse like a sailor. Others are more straight laced. Just be honest and upfront and things will be okay.
Don't assume you can just jump into any body of water to take a swim like you can up North. You do so and you can become an Alligator Lunchable.
Ha! Good point. Fortunately, I hate swimming, but I'll remember that. I'm not sure that I've heard of Alligators in Alabama though.
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
So from Tennessee rather than Alabama, my advice might be only moderately useful since I think their culture is a bit different than Appalachian.
"Northerner" is an insult. Expect to be called that a time or two if you've got a Boston accent, something you'll just have to tolerate unfortunately. They'll get over it as they get to know you.
Be fastidious about cleaning your home. Due to the general high humidity and warmth compared to where you've been, bugs and fungi simply multiply faster and will infest your abode very quickly if you're not careful about it.
Edit: Should add, same with mowing your lawn. I made the mistake of letting it slide a couple weeks once and had a tree a foot tall coming up through the grass. Kudzu will also eat your lawn and grows so fast you can see visible growth in a single day. Don't let it have a foothold or it will take over.
Religion is serious business. In Tenn. you can find a different church every couple of blocks. People take it seriously there.
People are generally less standoffish and more prone to helping each other than you may be used to. If your car breaks down somebody will stop to help you fix it, probably within minutes. You'll get farther if you cultivate the same attitude, and remember that just minding your own business can be considered rude.
People in the south aren't stupid. I can't emphasize that enough. The accent is standard shorthand for "idiot" on TV and you might have to fight an automatic assumption that the accent and slow speech patterns are a sign of a slow mind. They're not and southerners can be very quick to spot it if you're assuming they're morons. It's a stereotype they're constantly fighting.
It doesn't help that southerners also don't always use the same logic as other areas, for instance if you get directions it won't be "go to X street" but "Turn at the big rock with a white mark that looks like Texas." Again, this can look stupid when you just want a street address but it works for them. This is because their environment is different, street signs are relatively rarer and the roads are often windy and unmarked, so they use landmarks to navigate and sometimes don't even know what a street is called as there hasn't been a sign there in fifty years.
"Northerner" is an insult. Expect to be called that a time or two if you've got a Boston accent, something you'll just have to tolerate unfortunately. They'll get over it as they get to know you.
Be fastidious about cleaning your home. Due to the general high humidity and warmth compared to where you've been, bugs and fungi simply multiply faster and will infest your abode very quickly if you're not careful about it.
Edit: Should add, same with mowing your lawn. I made the mistake of letting it slide a couple weeks once and had a tree a foot tall coming up through the grass. Kudzu will also eat your lawn and grows so fast you can see visible growth in a single day. Don't let it have a foothold or it will take over.
Religion is serious business. In Tenn. you can find a different church every couple of blocks. People take it seriously there.
People are generally less standoffish and more prone to helping each other than you may be used to. If your car breaks down somebody will stop to help you fix it, probably within minutes. You'll get farther if you cultivate the same attitude, and remember that just minding your own business can be considered rude.
People in the south aren't stupid. I can't emphasize that enough. The accent is standard shorthand for "idiot" on TV and you might have to fight an automatic assumption that the accent and slow speech patterns are a sign of a slow mind. They're not and southerners can be very quick to spot it if you're assuming they're morons. It's a stereotype they're constantly fighting.
It doesn't help that southerners also don't always use the same logic as other areas, for instance if you get directions it won't be "go to X street" but "Turn at the big rock with a white mark that looks like Texas." Again, this can look stupid when you just want a street address but it works for them. This is because their environment is different, street signs are relatively rarer and the roads are often windy and unmarked, so they use landmarks to navigate and sometimes don't even know what a street is called as there hasn't been a sign there in fifty years.
Or piss off a Water Moccasin.
As long as it isn't Yankee. I hate the New York Yankees with a burning passion.
This is great advice, and something I might have missed otherwise.
Fortunately I'm moving to an apartment complex, so I'll be fine in that regard, but I'll remember it for when I later get a house. My ideal lawn is solid asphalt though, so that might help.
Are there any implications to that I might miss? Like things being closed on Sundays, or avoiding certain swears?
I'm honestly looking forward to this. I'm generally more outgoing, so hopefully I can fit in here soon.
Also something I want to avoid.
Also, will anyone care about me being openly gay (really bi)? I've been warned about that by people in the North, but whenever I've interacted with Southerners and Republicans I've had no issue. I'm very doubtful it would matter, but I'd figure I'd check just in case. I'm not one of the people that drop it in every conversation (it just comes up more often on this board because we talk about politics a lot).
Mostly, the point of this thread is I don't want to come off as that entitled Northerner asshole when I move down South, and I don't want to be one of the ones turning the south blue either. I figure it's up to me to adapt mostly to where I'm moving to, rather than the other way around.
Dude, no one really gives a fuck about that. From most you might get a 'meh' about it. But like anywhere else, they may be one or two who won't like it. But such people exist everywhere.
That's what I thought. Christ, it feels like half the people up North are already guessing how I'm gonna be hate crimed the second I go down South, making me slightly nervous. Thanks for the reassurance.
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Yeah, most Northerners buy into the Hollywood propaganda that living down south makes you some racist, hick hillbilly who hunger for the blood of black and brown children or something. Its totally ridiculous.
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
Unfortunately, they're all different. Most of it is some variant of baptists but there's a pretty wide range of churches. I'd avoid using Jesus' name as a swear and such to be on the safe side.
And yeah, a lot of places are closed on Sundays, especially places like liquor stores. In many counties it's flat illegal to sell liquor on Sunday.