I live in Canada and we get this reputation for being polite and nice and stuff, while yes a Canadian will hold a door for you or say sorry if he bump into you we are not polite like Patriots from the Southern States.
I work for an American company and so we get all of our stuff shipped from America, the drivers from Tennessee are so polite and just a joy to interact with. Im 24 and an old Southern man called me sir asking how much trouble it would be to use the bathroom, he said please and thank you, and then cleaned a bunch trash in the yard I was avoiding while unloading his truck. The second truck had a younger man who complimented me on my driving skills and was extremely polite asking me about what he needed to do. Its always like this without fail, they treat me like they are a guest in my home and its just amazing. One man even brought a little sewed prayer thing for the office lady when she got cancer, said his entire family preyed for her to get better. Its just crazy to me how polite and giving those guys are.
America is an amazing country with some really great people. All my lie I thought American Southerners were stupid racists because ya'll are made fun of so much in all culture. It honestly really makes sense because you guys are some of the best people on Earth. One day I will move to Texas and become a citizen. Thank You Patriots for keeping America Great.
Southerners were portrayed as idiots after they lost the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee, usually portrayed as a horrid racist, fought on behalf of the South largely in part because he wouldn’t fight against his home state of Virginia. That’s a sizable loyalty. Honor and loyalty was and still is a good portion of Southern culture. Places in the South still consider a verbal agreement to be legally binding (I think this is primarily a Southern thing, but I could be wrong.)
Northerners seem to willingly misunderstand the South because it’s easier than understanding the nuances. I have friends who have moved down from Northern states, and what I hear a lot of is “Southerners are just so fake, they only act nice to your face. At least up North we tell is like it is.” But, really, are Northerners just mistaking rudeness for honesty?
I can say “so-and-so is dead”, and it’s true, or I could say it in a gentler way that’s softer to the hearer, and I think it’s that subtle consideration of the other person that makes Southerners a little kinder.
Plus, you have to factor in religion. If you’re an asshole on the inside, God knows and you’re not really fooling anyone.
Too many people hear Southern twang and assume it equals stupid or unsophisticated because they won’t/can’t be bothered to see the person.