Listen, y'all:
I and many other southerners on this board would really appreciate a courtesy. Please do us the courtesy of not treating the south as monolithic. It's not. There are plenty of us who were born here, and have lived our lives here, who are just as liberal as you are. There is a political spectrum in the south, just as there is in the north. So please stop referring to the south as universally bigoted, racist, ignorant, stupid, poor, living in trailers, engaging in incest, etc., etc. Please stop starting posts with "the South" or "Southerners" or at least type "some Southerners." If you don't live here or haven't lived here, you really don't have the experience to generalize, so please don't.
Far too many people down here have been deceived by revisionist history (and it's been going on for generations). Far too many people down here haven't had experience with people different from them. Far too many people down here have been deluded into voting against their self-interests. Far too many people down here have been brought up in the toxic stew that is religious fundamentalism. It makes the life of southern liberals somewhat harder than how you have it up north or out west. We can catch a lot of crap for our views down here. We'd appreciate it if y'all wouldn't pile on, too, by including us in a mix that we want no part of and speak out against.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Although it's not specifically Southern, I do a great iron-skillet cooked steak with wine and mushrooms with baked potato on the side. Also Parker House style yeast rolls from scratch.
But breakfast... I make my grandmother's from-scratch biscuits and sausage gravy like she did them.
And I make a pretty good key lime pie from scratch.
Would that do? 
The thing I say the most when I come back from a visit is how stuffed I am. The food in the South is insane, and I'm from California and we have awesome food. I'll have everything you're cooking!!!
Food is definitely the way to my heart. So now we are friends.
funny thing is they served for the south, never said a SINGLE word and my mother into adulthood thought her family was union. She was ashamed to find out they weren't but the family's silence and teaching to treat everyone right spoke for their core beliefs. I hope people remember that when they go off on Palin or the permanent fund. Truly. I want some cookin' too. 
I want good fried chicken. Now.
biscuits, sweet potato biscuits, gumbo, fried catfish, squash casserole, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, oysters, crab and shrimp. I could eat it all, even though I eat very healthy most of the time. It's good I don't live there because I would weigh a ton. I make the best fried chicken west of the Mississippi but I learned how to do it in the South (though I do have my secret). And I have not perfected hot chicken and wish I could. And po boy sandwiches, don't get me started.
Mmmmmm mmm.
I like Southern people. I like their hospitality and laid back attitude. I wish that would permeate their politics for the most part. I like to visit and explore the region because it is so different from where I live. But I don't like bugs or humidity. So I guess it all evens out. I'm pretty much cool with everyone as long as they are cool with me. I was scared the first time I went because I am not the lightest person, but everyone was very nice. And usually they were giving me delicious food!
thank you for that list of luscious food. It is unbelievably good.
Yankee! 
Funny grits story: I went over to an apparently ex-DUer's house one morning to watch his bootleg copy of F9/11. The Mrs. made us ham and grits for breakfast -- and proceeded to explain to me what grits were! I gently reminded her that I had lived in NOLA for a time and knew perfectly well what they were.
even the Republican ones. 
I will do better in the future.
Thank you all our southern friends here at DU.
I was raised in the blue northeast, but have lived in Texas for a long time. I understand why people say what they do about this state, but there's a lot of good here, and a lot of liberals like me. I think it's only a matter of time, once we figure out how to oust the GOPers, which isn't easy since they've rigged the system in their favor.
You said it just right. Even here in darkest Mississippi, most of the local elected officials are still Democrats. Not everyone in the south is bigoted, hateful, and ignorant.
The south is anything but monolithic. Yes, there is quite a few racist, but they're not the majority. They're just loud and get the majority of the attention.
People Who Reported as Both Black and White More than Doubled
The U.S. Census Bureau released today a 2010 Census brief, The Black Population: 2010 [PDF], that shows 14 percent of all people in the United States identified as black, either alone or in combination with one or more other races. In 2010, 55 percent of the black population lived in the South, and 105 Southern counties had a black population of 50 percent or higher.
Of the total U.S. population of 308.7 million on April 1, 2010, 38.9 million people, or 13 percent, identified as black alone. In addition, 3.1 million people, or 1 percent, reported as black in combination with one or more other races. Together, these two groups comprise the black alone-or-in-combination population and totaled 42.0 million.
The black alone-or-in-combination population grew by 15 percent from 2000 to 2010, while the black alone population grew by 12 percent compared with a 9.7 percent growth rate for the total U.S. population.
Black and White Multiple-Race Population More Than Doubled
People who reported their race as both black and white more than doubled from about 785,000 in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2010. This group’s share of the multiple-race black population increased from 45 percent in 2000 to 59 percent in 2010.
Majority of the Black Population Lived in the South
Compared with 2000, the percentage of the black alone-or-in-combination population increased in the South, stayed about the same in the West, and decreased in the Northeast and the Midwest. Of all respondents who reported black in 2010, 55 percent lived in the South, 18 percent in the Midwest, 17 percent in the Northeast and 10 percent in the West.
The percentage of the black alone population also increased in the South, from 55 percent in 2000 to 57 percent in 2010, whereas it decreased in the Northeast and the Midwest. The black alone-or-in-combination population comprised 50 percent or more of the total population in 106 counties. All these counties were in the South except for the city of St. Louis, which is considered a county equivalent. In contrast, 62 percent of all counties had less than 5 percent of the population identified as black. These patterns were similar for the black alone population.
Concentrations of blacks outside of the South tended to be in counties within metropolitan areas. There were 317 counties where the black alone-or-in-combination population was 25.0 to 49.9 percent of the population, and only 17 of these counties were not in the South. Of these 17, 15 were in metropolitan areas.
Multiple-Race Black Population More Geographically Dispersed
A considerably higher percentage of the multiple-race black population lived in the West (23 percent), relative to the black alone population (9 percent). While a large percentage of the multiple-race black population lived in the South (36 percent), this was much lower than the black alone population (57 percent).
About 60 Percent of Blacks Lived in 10 States
The 10 states with the largest black alone-or-in-combination populations in 2010 were New York (3.3 million), Florida (3.2 million), Texas (3.2 million), Georgia (3.1 million), California (2.7 million), North Carolina (2.2 million), Illinois (2.0 million), Maryland (1.8 million), Virginia (1.7 million) and Ohio (1.5 million). Among these states, four experienced substantial growth between 2000 and 2010. The black alone-or-in-combination population in Florida grew by 29 percent, Georgia by 28 percent, Texas by 27 percent and North Carolina by 21 percent.
Of the 10 states above, nine also had the largest black alone populations. The state with the 10th largest black alone population was Louisiana (1.5 million), replacing Ohio (1.4 million). Similar to the black alone-or-in-combination population, the black alone population also experienced considerable growth in Florida, Georgia, Texas and North Carolina.
The District of Columbia, which is treated as a state equivalent in this report, had the highest percentage of blacks alone-or-in-combination among states, with 52 percent in 2010, even though this population decreased by 10 percent between 2000 and 2010. Similar findings were also observed for the black alone population.
Detroit had the Highest Percentage of Blacks Among Largest Places
Among places with populations of 100,000 or more, the highest percentage of blacks alone-or-in-combination was found in Detroit (84 percent), followed by Jackson, Miss. (80 percent), Miami Gardens, Fla. (78 percent) and Birmingham, Ala. (74 percent). These four places also had the highest percentage of the black alone population.
Race Definitions
People who reported only one race on their 2010 Census questionnaire are referred to as the race“alone” population. For example, respondents who marked only the “black or African American” category would be included in the black alone population. This population can be viewed as the minimum number of people reporting black.
Individuals who chose more than one of the six race category options on the 2010 Census form are referred to as the race “in combination” population. One way to define the black population is to combine those respondents who reported black alone with those who reported black in combination with one or more other races. Another way to think of the black alone-or-in-combination population is the total number of people who reported black, whether or not they reported any other races.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb11-cn185.html
http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/
Taking this information into consideration, and allowing for the fact that not all the white people in the south are racist, or even Republican, then figuring in the the growing Hispanic population in the region, it goes to show how small minded such broad-brush approach to the south really is.
The problem in the south is a system which marginalizes the voting power of the non-white and non-Republican voters. This is what people should be ranting about and working to change. Not wasting their time bashing all the people who live in the region. A lot of the people who live there are fighting daily for change, but rather than offering understanding and help in their plight some people want to generalize and ridicule the entire region so they can feel better about where they live. It's a classic example of "screw you, I've got mine."
I appreciate every Democrat who lives in the south and works to help change the system there into one which is representative of the the actual population of the south. I know it's not an easy task, and I know you must get discouraged when you see the generalizations being used against you. You're a tough bunch, though. Just keep on working for what's right and ignore the fools who don't bother to let facts get in the way of their opinions.
I'm not demanding. I'm asking. I even said "please." I've got a reply a little further down in this sub-thread that explains my viewpoint in a little more detail.
A "yellow dog Democrat" came from the saying that many Southerners would "vote for a yellow dog before they would vote for any Republican." I think it originated in the 1890's. Of course, the parties have flip-flopped with respect to social issues, and many down here are really "yellow dog Republicans" now. Not me. I'm a modern-day yellow dog Democrat because I repudiate all of the conservatism and bigotry that the modern Republican Party represents. And I stuck "Dawg" in there because I'm a University of Georgia graduate and huge Dawg fan. But thank you very much for your compliment.
It's against my nature to agree with a Dawg, but it's 100% on this one.
I haven't had sausage gravy in ages, but darn if you didn't make me crave some!
Maybe I'll pick up some boiled peanuts too.
My first ancestor arrived in Virginia in the early 1600's, and the family moved to McCrae, Georgia, in the early 1800's. So I'm "really" Southern.
So while I abhor slavery and the history of our race relations, it hurts me to the core when some people mindlessly bash my home and everything Southern.
Thanks again GaYellowDawg, and . . Go Gators!
you are where you are needed most. keep up the good fight!
I grew up in Alabama, and lived there for decades. I've been working in CT recently and in the last month I've heard the N word more than I heard it in the last twenty years. I reckon they hear the accent and assume I'm racist too. It doesn't take them long to realize they made a mistake.
I think the issue is we've got a 60/40ish mix in both places....60 racists/40 nonracists in the South, the other direction in the North. The thing is, in the South, we're winning slowly but surely. The ratio is changing. Within the next decade or two, racists won't see it as a place they can run their mouths with impunity anymore.
The trailer thing is just pure classism. We don't mind poor people, long as y'all keep 'em where we can't see 'em.
I believe the plural of y'all is all y'all.
Also rec'd because I know plenty of bigoted, racist, ignorant, stupid people up here too.
is more of a movie thing, unless being used to clarify a previous y'all.
For example:
Us: Y'all need to stop overgeneralizing southerners.
Y'all: Who needs to stop?
Us: All y'all!
Haha
If the american revolution had failed, we'd look to our british government as confederates view the US.
we can see this thread a few more times as well.
