The American south

The American south -

I had to drive around the "South" three weeks, and was to give this opportunity Area a chance. Where I come from, the South is not suggesting great ideas. My preconception of the South was that it was a land of rednecks, racists, and rages bible thumpers. She thought the Civil War was still going on, and it was filled with trash, trailer parks, idiots, and the occasional poetic way. Apart from a few large cities, was worth nothing, and let them secede from the Union may not be have been a bad idea.

I know it was a hard opinion, but it was a view reinforced by what I saw on TV, things southern politician said, the fact that the South pays the least tax and gets the most federal aid, and because they. have the highest rates of abortion, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, child and spousal abuse, and drug abuse in the country All in all, it seemed like a cultural desert, and I was glad that it had never really gone.

But I had traveled the whole country, and, for better or worse, the southern part of my country.

Traveling is good about seeing new places, experience new people and going left your luggage down. That was my chance to see the area and give it a chance to see what was right and what wrong. Was it as bad as I thought it was? Or was it all hype?

Like all clichés, there was a bit of truth and a lot of hype.

Going to the good through a piece of the South, I have a slightly new, less negative view of Southern life. During the journey I noticed many cultural differences I knew existed-and some I have not. One thing I have noticed is that everything is on the radio either country, Christian, preaching or conservative talk radio. There are only one or two stations that play new rock / pop / rap. You can definitely tell by the radio how far "South" you really are. Once Pop is relegated to a station and the land gets seven, you know you are in the deep south. If the opposite is the case, the road you are in the north.

The food down here is a symptom of the S-lifestyle they dominate. I noticed that many outside of the big cities, many southern residents live in developments cookie cutter. This is especially true east of Alabama. All these developments look the same. (Florida was the worst offender.) Everything was a modern suburban nightmare, and distributed that monotony to their shopping centers and restaurants.

Up North, outside the cities, we tend to have more local and unique restaurants. Sure, we have our Applebee's, Chili's and fast food, but that is not "good" food for us. Down here, it seems that these chains are the "good" cuisine. If you ask people here about their favorite restaurant, it's a chain normally. "I love Chick Fil A." "I love Cracker Barrel." We go to these chains as a last resort, cheap place, not first pick. It was only in the big cities, you tended to see the nice, non-chain restaurants.

Despite all that the South has great qualities, and I walked away, as if I came up with a better opinion. The weather is hot, the hot cities, the women's hot, the accent hot, and the Creole food even hotter. The people were very friendly and courteous as well. It was strange to go to this Bostonian or stand on the street and have people come and talk to me. They also move at a slower pace in the south. You are not in so much hurry than their northern compatriots.

Going through the south was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about my own northern attitudes towards people, time and places. It also shed light on a part of my country I had always criticized.

I found out that people here are not so backward, and that some live in the 21st century, although they are not a real form with public transport everywhere. (Atlanta, I would love you more if you had a train!). There were some amazing cities I would come back to visit, especially New Orleans, Savannah and Charleston.

This is the beauty of traveling. It opens your mind and breaks down stereotypes. It forces you to confront preconceptions and helps you to understand other ways of life. I'm not in love with the South, but I understand it better now, and it is a place I would love to visit again.

For more information on the United States, my country and city leaders to visit US trip.

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