Let's get into it

On place, comparison, and hypocrisy.

Hi Folks,

Before we even get into today’s post, I would encourage you to watch this TikTok, which summarizes what we are about to discuss here nicely.

Okay, now let’s get into it.

In case you don’t have social media, the video is a reply to a comment made by someone living in the American Pacific Northwest, who says they pity anyone who lives in the Southeast. In their eyes, these are places with no worth, value, or beauty, and it is completely fair to write them off entirely, including all the people who reside within them.

A few important assumptions are made here: one, that anyone living in the Southeast is living there not by choice but instead by lack of ability to move elsewhere; and two, that the Pacific Northwest— and by extension, most heavily-liberal areas— are inherently better than these places. They are more educated, more socially-aware, more diverse, more kind. Within that, they are more deserving of our respect, empathy, and solidarity.

To understand this, let’s look at two states from both regions: Oregon and North Carolina. Both are actually quite similar states. Regionally, they both include coastal and mountainous areas. They both have large cities contrasted by incredibly rural communities. Both have major tech companies putting down roots. Both have plenty of self-proclaimed hillbillies and rednecks. Both have histories of extreme racism, discrimination, and white supremacy. Both are known for their stunning natural landscapes, their access to hiking, climbing, and rafting, and their increasingly-popular cities— many of which are associated with liberal-leaning politics— such as Asheville, Portland, Bend, and Raleigh-Durham. Yet, Portland is actually ranked as the whitest city in America, with roughly 3 out of 4 people living there identifying as white. It is one of the best examples of neoliberal racism we have in this country.

If I were to go to someone in, say, the American Northeast, and tell them I’m moving to Oregon versus North Carolina, I can guarantee there would be different reactions.

The amount of times I have been told or had to read “why would anyone want to live in North Carolina?” still astounds me. I’m not going to say it’s not a valid question, because we all have the right to live wherever we would like. But the implicit bias within it is something I will never get over. Even here, in North Carolina, so many people I know tell me they can’t wait to get out— and (shocker!) many of them want to go to the Pacific Northwest. Or Colorado. Or Utah. Or Montana. Or Wyoming. It doesn’t even really matter; what matters is that, in this conversation, we have moved past a stereotyping of rural communities and instead moved to a direct, outspoken dislike— and sometimes, even hatred— of Southern communities. There are “cool” rural areas. And then there is the South. And often, it is those of us who call this place home that are critiquing it the most. If you asked me five years ago, I don’t think I could have named a single thing I appreciated about this place.

I do understand where these stereotypes come from. It’s not to say that there isn’t a terrible history here. In order to do any meaningful work, we have to first recognize that. But this constant attention the rest of the country spends on either looking at the South as a place to be reformed or a place to be abandoned is exhausting for those of us here. The larger point is that there is discrimination and injustice and racism everywhere— not just here. And by focusing on one specific region as the cause and root of these practices, we allow them to slide by unnoticed in other, publicly “liberal” presenting regions. Furthermore, pinning the blame on one single region directly overlooks the thousands of people of diverse identities who live there— and when people take to social media saying that places like Texas and West Virginia deserve what is happening to them because of who runs the states, that they might as well be left on their own with no aid or support, it is as though you are saying you don’t care about the people there at all. It also leaves out an entire separate conversation about voting access in Southern states and how the people in power got to be there.

On a list of the top ten states people moved to in 2021, half are in the South. Clearly people want to be here, and yet these stereotypes persist. I don’t think we are going to get to the root of why unless we start talking about it. Personally, I am very happy to see these conversations begin to happen, and to be a part of them. We have to start thinking critically about the places we call home, and what our presence there does. Even being from here, I have no claim to this land; at some point my family came from somewhere else. I am sure I have said so many stupid things about the South in my lifetime, things rooted in judgement, bias, and stereotype. I am just as much a part of the problem. This is all as much of an unlearning practice for me as it is for anyone who reads it.

There’s so much more to say about this topic, but we’ll leave it here for today. I would also like to direct anyone interested in the politics of home, leaving home, and returning to take a look at these Twitter threads from the Appodlachia podcast about why people chose to leave Appalachia, why they chose to stay, and if it isn’t their home, why they chose to come.

Have a great week, friends. Personally, I will be hoping the South is done with snow for a while. I have no clue how to drive in this.

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