The North Vs the South

If you are reading this, it means you too managed to be born. How and where we come into this world affects our experience of the world, and I hasten to add that none of us asked for the adventure. However, once here on earth, the adventure is often delightful and occasionally destructive. I arrived in New York, which was the right place for me, even if it is in Yankee territory. Technically, therefore, I am a Yankee. I've been called worse. I have, since moving to Tennessee from New York, been teased and have heard all the "You know you're a Yankee ..." jokes. You know the ones I mean: "You know she is a Yankee because she doesn't have any problems pronouncing "Worcestershire sauce" correctly," "You know she is a Yankee because for breakfast, she would prefer potatoes au gratin to grits," or one of my all time favorites, "You know she is a Yankee because she doesn't know what a moon pie is."

Seriously though, the phenomenon of the cultural divide has assumed particular significance in our modern world, particularly in the context of globalization, the dismantling of geographical barriers arising largely on account of the internet and an emergence of digital communities and digital means of communication. All these have resulted in a high level of interaction amongst people of different cultural backgrounds. Bridging the cultural divide has simultaneously gained importance. Yet the cultural divide between Northerners and Southerners in the United States of America continues to be evident in almost all areas of our daily lives.

We are all Americans, yet, the cleavages between the cultures of the North and South have not been filled with forgive and forget. These differences entail more than brides in the North being registered at Tiffany's and brides in the South being registered at Wal-Mart. The chasm which exists north and south of the Mason-Dixie Line can not be explained away by choices such as in the North: No kids in the back of the pick-up, it's not safe, to the South: "Ya'll pile on in the back of the truck, kids, we're a headn' for the creek."

If a person studies American History in the South and another studies the same period of time in the North, they would be hard pressed to realize that both are discussing the causes of the divide between those north of the Mason-Dixie Line and those who live on the south of that same line. The Southern perspective of the Civil War lists specific reasons for the causes of the war; while those fundamental reasons for war would be totally different if you were to receive an education in the North. The South believes that the war was caused by Northern greed and State's Rights. The North, on the other hand, believes strongly that the cause of the war was to end slavery.

What creates and nourishes this cultural divide today? To really compare these concepts we have to review a little history. The Southern United States (or the South) constitutes a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historical heritage, including the doctrine of states' rights, the institution of slavery and the legacy of the American Civil War, the South has developed its own customs, literature, musical styles (such as country music, jazz, bluegrass, rock and roll and blues), and various southern food dishes (mostly fried).

On the other hand the Northern United States or simply (The North) is considered a separate region in the United States of America. This region does not contain all of the states in the northern half of the country, but instead, for historical reasons (mainly involving the American Civil War), the Northern states are only those that lie in the northern half of the country east of the Missouri River (Those states in the northern portion of the West are referred to as the Pacific Northwest; those states that lie in the northern reaches of the middle of the country, beyond the Upper Midwest, are the Great Plains or Intermountain states.)

The states of the North are, from east to west: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas. The North also has its region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including the doctrine of a strong central government, a strong stand against the institution of slavery and the legacy of defeating the South in the American Civil War; the North has also developed its own customs, literature, musical styles (such as hip hop, Metal, Classical, Soul Music, and Opera), and a plethora of foods from a melting pot of cultures from immigrants like the Irish, Polish, Italian and Russian.

West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri are Border States. These states have divided loyalties between North and South. Occasionally the loyalties vary greatly within the state, for example, people from northern Missouri consider themselves Northern, people from southern Missouri consider themselves Southern. Self-identification may be based on lifestyle as well. Those living in urban areas of Maryland usually think of themselves as part of the Bo swash, (an amalgam of Northeast cities and suburbs.) You might say the inhabitants of these states are "stuck between a rock and a hard place."

Another area which helps to perpetuate this cultural divide is that Southern culture has been, and remains generally, more socially conservative than that of the North. Due to the central role of agriculture in the antebellum economy, society remained layered according to land ownership. Rural communities often developed strong attachment to their churches as the primary community institution. The more liberal Northern communities were, and still are,