A novel view of the American North-South dichotomy

From the beginning of American history, there has existed a strong North-South dichotomy. This culiminated, by but no means concluded, in the American Civil War, taking place in the early 1860s. This notion has been refurbished recently, in large part because of the last two presidential elections; I'm sure you've all seen the "red state/ blue state maps" In many ways, the North country (especially the Northeast) represents an extremely different country than the South (especially the "deep south").

Born in raised in Trenton, NJ, I am very much a Northerner. Having lived the last 3 years in Montreal has done little to change this, as central Canada does not differ substantially from the Northern US. If this is a point you wish to debate with me, please e-mail me at ROCO148@msn.com with your disagreements. However, this point is not really the focus of this entry, so I will not really discuss it any further.

Politically speaking, I definitely identify much more with the North. I, like most people north of the Mason-Dixie line, believe that the Bush administration has been horrendous for the USA and for the world. I am economically and socially liberal- I support welfare and gay marriage, like many of my Northern comrades.

Despite politically identifying with the North, in almost all other ways I feel more sympathetic for the South, in particular the "Deep South" (ie, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana). Admittedly, my travel experience in the South is extremely limited, but I have been, briefly, to Nashville, TN, and I have met people from the South. Let me discuss why I am more attracted to the South than to the North.

1. The North is dominated by decripid old indistrial cities, while Southern cities have more "charm".
I don't really think this statement needs too much support: just take Detroit, Phildelphia, Baltimore and Albany, and compare them to Nashville, Savannah, New Orleans and Mobile- which cities seem nicer?

2. Southerners are extremely friendly and hospitable.
This isn't to say that Northerners are terrible people. Quite the contrary. However, have you ever been walking on the streets of New York when a stranger went up to you, bade you good afternoon, asked where you were from/where you were going/how long you've been there, and wished you all the best? This has only happened to me in two places: the American South and Burma.

3. Southern culture is extremely rich.
The South has an entire culinary tradition to itself- and it is arguably the best in North America (North of Mexico of course). What does the North have? Pretentiously expensive Italian food, and a bazillion fast food chains. Will you ever see a book based on good ole fashioned Northern cookin'? How many great styles of music come from the North? As opposed to all the music coming from the South (jazz, rock n roll, country-western).

4. Southerners are much more generous
One of the most striking differences between North and South is the difference in per-capita GDP. The wealthiest states, like New Jersey and Connecticut, are all in the North, whereas the poorest states, like Mississippi and West Virginia, are Southern. Yet, charitable donations percapita is almost the inverse of the per capita income list. According to the generosity index, http://www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/natl/generosity_index/2006.html, a state like Massachussets, one of the 5 richest, consisitently ranks among the 10 least generous. According to this USA Today article, http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-20-national-giving_x.htm, Mississippi is the most generous state, despite having the country's LOWEST per capita GDP. In fact, of the top 10 states cited in the article, almost ALL were in the South (the sole exception being South Dakota). You can get full rankings here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-20-state-giving_x.htm. It's almost the opposite of any ranking of state by percapita income.

5. Northerners are overly obsessed with money
Everything in the North seems to be about money. People work 60 hours a week and commute 2 hours to work, just because that means more money. This isn't inherently a bad thing. This is, of course, why Northerners are so much wealthier than their Southern counterparts. However, is this the ideal? While Northerners quibble over dollars, people in the South are willing to sacrifice some money in order to spend more quality time with their famiy, or community.

Anyway, I apologise if anything here seems horribly inaccurate or overly generalising. And it maybe true that my view of the South is overly romantic. At any rate, I believe the South is the superior part, and the true heart and soul of America.