Monday, April 5, 2010

The Finish- My Reflection on Southern Identity


In my third blog post, I mentioned that southern identity is shrinking but will not be forgotten or gone in the future. I said this because I felt that media, entertainment, and food will always remind people about what it means to be southern even though the southern identity is being expressed less and less now. I based my opinions on my own experience. Since I grew up in the North, I did not really know much about the southern identity. Even when I finally moved to the South, I still did not have a clear notion of what it means to be southern. Thus, I felt that southern identity is shrinking. The majority of my knowledge of southern identity, however, actually came from common southern stereotypes.

For my fourth blog post, I introduced a topic about southern stereotypes. I wrote about common southern and northern stereotypes and asked my blog group if they thought there is still a difference between northerners and southerners now. I feel that when people describe the southern identity, they are describing an identity that contrasts with the rest of the regions of America, mainly the North. I believe that the southern identity still exists. If there is no longer a difference between northerners and southerners, then the stereotypes are no longer valid and the southern identity does not exist anymore. Stereotypes, although sometimes extremely exaggerated, do represent some truth. Southern stereotypes are more like exaggerated generalizations of the southern identity.

In conclusion, I would like to add to my third blog post. Southern identity will not be forgotten or disappear because of media, entertainment, and food-- more specifically-- the portrayal of southern stereotypes in media, entertainment, and food. Stereotypes may not completely represent southerners, but they provide a starting guide for people who do not know much about the South to learn more about the South. As long as the southern identity exists, southern stereotypes will always exist.

In this video below, a southerner, who has lived and traveled all over the south, talks about southern stereotypes. He goes in depth about politics, laws, sports, education, etc. He thinks that some of them are very true.



No comments:

Post a Comment