The South Shown in Graphics.

[petronius]

77. I had a similar experience, as a Californian who lived 8 years in Louisiana

It struck me that racism was perhaps more overt, but not necessarily more prevalent than what I have seen elsewhere. People who were outright bigots made no bones about expressing it, but they were not everybody by a long chalk.

One thing I always felt, and perhaps I won't describe it well and perhaps it's just a figment of my own adaptation to Southern courtesy and Southern mannerisms, but when I as a white person met a black person that I didn't know - whether socially, or at a business, or wherever - it seemed that there was a short period of almost exaggerated courtesy, a negotiation of sorts, to determine how we were going to interact. I always attributed that to the racial history of the region, and the existence of overt racists and separatists.

That said, I really liked living in the South - the region has its warts like every other, but I found a gorgeous landscape filled with interesting cultures and thoughtful (and thought-provoking) people. It's always disappointing to see any region or state bashed on DU, or reduced to a caricature...