Today at coffee break, a couple of my co-workers were perusing the "Peach"--the Sioux Center version of the coupon-filled 'Shopper.' On the back page was the headline "TRACTOR PULL EXTRAVAGANZA!" or something to that effect. Nancy explained to me that this was a national tractor pull convention that was on a circuit to travel around the country. I've never been to a tractor pull, but I voiced the opinion that it sounded rather back-country. Barb also laughed at the idea that someone would pay $10 to go to such an event.
That got us onto the discussion of being redneck. "I'd never live in Kentucky," said one person. "If you want to meet Joe Dirt, well, he lives there."
They went on to list other states--Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi--as being some of the hick locales in the U.S. One woman said that West Virginia is filled with people who have intermarried. She brought up an Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt that had a picture of West Virginia on the front of it with the words "It's all relative" printed within the state border. A&F pulled the shirt off the shelves soon after. But, according to my co-worker, a friend of hers from West Virginia claims that this t-shirt holds the truth.
'Whenever someone comes into the hospital, we ask for their last name' is what my West Virginia friend told me," said my co-worker. "That lets them know whether or not there is a history of cleft palate, hemophilia, and other inbred diseases."
By the end of the conversation, I was just a little bit irritated. Sure, stereotypes often arise from some truth, but this conversation was on the verge of blanket-stereotyping entire states.
My uncle lives in Arkansas, for instance; Little Rock is much more of a cultured community than I've seen in most states. I've been to Alabama and have enjoyed staying in Birmingham, Montgomerey; there are beautiful mansions, Civil War museums, and art museums down there as well. My dad is currently working in northern Kentucky, and my family says that the community there is where most of the well-off of Cincinnatti, Ohio live. Mississippi is the poorest state in the United States, sure. But didn't William Faulkner come from that state? And there are other writers, celebrities, and the like that originated from there.
I know nothing of West Virginia--Elijah, what's your thoughts on that stereotype?--but I do know that, as an outsider to the Dutch community, I found it a little strange when they played Dutch bingo to see if they're related. I've heard horror stories of Dutch guys and girls dating, falling in love, and even getting engaged only to find that they're related. In-breeding could happen just as easily here as it could anywhere, I'd say.
I don't really live in the South, but I can tell you one thing: the South has its perks. People are pretty friendly and caring down there, which is sometimes more than can be said for Northerners. Gorgeous countryside and forests, especially around the Appalachian Mountains.
There's stereotypes about Iowa, too. Most of my friends and family from home asked me why in the world I'd want to go to Iowa for college. "Idiots Out Wandering Around" was frequently thrown at me.
"Are you going to become a child of the corn? What do you do for fun up there, watch the soybeans grow?" people snickered.
The same with stereotypes on Northerners. My friends and family would say that the snow never melted there; that I'd develop a habit of speaking out of my nose as if I had a perpetual cold; that I would be as cold-hearted, frank, and bitter as those people up North.
But I've found that the people really aren't so rude as they thought, that the snow does melt (in mid-April....), and that I do speak out of my nose when I say words like "no" or "yeah," but I'm fine with that.
It seems that most people stereotype one another, and apparently that includes me. I get frustrated when others stereotype, yet I laugh at tractor-pullers for being backwoods. Most of the time it's just for jokes and good fun, but there are times when people can get offended.
For example, I think being called "Homeschool" is funny now, but a few years ago I might have been a bit insecure about it. Does that mean that those who are offended by stereotypes are insecure? Are those who abide by and laugh at stereotypes ignorant? I'm not sure.
At any rate, I'm an amalgamation of stereotypes: northern drawl with a southern personality. English nerd, former homeschool kid. And, to most Saint Louis people, an Illinois outcast.
That's right, tractor-pullers. I just stereotyped myself. Hope that makes you feel better.
About Me
- Sarah G.
- I am desperate to write. I am crazy to write. I want to write. (A.P.)
2 comments:
I just wrote a really long comment because I really enjoyed this entry...and then it mysteriously disappeared. Excuse me while I yell at my computer and regroup my thoughts
Ok, round two, albeit possibly not as well thought out.
Basically I would argue that while stereotypes are often funny, they can be offensive and hurtful. Clearly this goes more towards something like "homeschooled" where the demographic is smaller, than a whole state which offers potentially more diversity (or all sorts) to buck the stereotype. But I would also argue that stereotypes are used because they are convenient as a sort of classification. It is hard enough to keep track of all the oddities and uniqueness of family and friends without having to do it for every stranger you meet. Typically there is some sort of truth to a stereotype or else they wouldn't be around for very long. As long as one does not limit one's definition of something to a stereotype that it might have, then I think you're ok. I think someone is only ignorant if they can't get past a stereotype. Anyone who has met someone or been somewhere that has been stereotyped might see some truth in it, but also might be left wondering what it's all about because the stereotype didn't line up with the actual facts.
For states, I think a lot of stereotypes go back to history (think animosity between South and North) and immigration patterns due to the melting pot aspect of America(obviously there's going to be differences between the largely Scandinavian populations of the Upper Midwest and the Scots-Irish and English of the Carolinas), although this might be largely limited to less recent history as clearly immigration has changed even in the last century. But I still would contend that immigration plays a large role. Think of the jokes that exist for pretty much every nationality and ethnic group. Part of stereotypes is probably that we are often afraid of the unknown.
As for West Virginia, I'm probably as guilty as any. The stereotypes of backwards, inbreeding, etc. are all there. That being said, I don't know any West Virginians, so there's no one to buck these stereotypes. Interesting take on Dutch bingo. Being an outsider as well, I've often wondered how everyone seems to be related but still intermarrying.
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