Can booze fix the American South's problems?

[Soldati Senza Confini]

If Pepsi is so communist, why is Coke the one with the red label?

Maybe it's a Nazi thing... Which one was it that used swastikas in their marketing in Asia, but had to stop because people in the West were getting offended?

[Nazi Flower Power]

Maybe it's a Nazi thing... Which one was it that used swastikas in their marketing in Asia, but had to stop because people in the West were getting offended?

That would be a cool thing to have.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

That would be a cool thing to have.

A collectionist item, AND a pretty cool bottle opener

What's not to like about practical objects?

[The Rebel Alliances]

I was lucky to get directions in Chicago. Actually had one lady try and charge me for telling me to walk down two lights and take a left. And in another conversation with a Chicagoan I had a woman state that my home, Georgia, was "Her favorite third world country".

I never had anything like that happen when I visited Chicago, but I can see how it would make a bad impression. Was the woman who tried to charge you for directions a panhandler? Cos I've spent a lot of time in the North and that's not normal to me.

Now, I get that maybe I just drew bad cards, but first impressions count for something. The South, at least for me is friendly, home oriented and sincere. Even if you hate what they stand for.

I don't think you can tell just by visiting a place if the people are "home oriented." And that is also an area where urban vs. rural makes a big difference. Boston and Providence aren't especially home oriented, but smaller cities and towns in New England definitely are.

My experience with Southerners is that they are friendly when you first meet them, but that friendliness is frequently insincere or it's contingent on you conforming to narrowly defined social norms. New Englanders are more likely to ignore you or cuss at you, but they are less likely to judge you, talk down to you, or stick their nose in your business and tell you how to live your life.

Well, like I said, Augusta is a urban place. Not as large as Chicago by far, but not small. At least in my scales.

I dont know, I dont really pick up on insincere friendliness here in Louisiana or Georgia. I mean, sure, I get it sometimes but that is a strange day when I meet a stranger and get insincere friendliness. An issue I have with yanks is that they just dont seem to want to know you. At all. Cause it is an inconvenience for them or something. I can sit down on a public bench here in Bossier or Augusta, wait a while. And someone sit next to me. Then start a whole conversation and it is not weird. I so much as attempt that up north(Or Nawth in my native speak) and they want to know what I am trying to sell. But, people help people down here. I mean, I have drawn maps for, and had them drawn for me when someone is lost. No charge. But, on the prior case of being charged for directions, I am going to write that off as a anomaly. But, I can only have so many doors slammed in my face before I get my bus ticket and head to the nearest grey hound station and head south again.

I have had some good times too, but how can I say this...It just feels like a foreign country north of Virginia or west of Texas. It really does for me. I have about as much in common with someone from Ohio as I do from Canada or England.

So, maybe you could just write my experience off as me feeling unfamiliar in the north.

[Infected Mushroom]

Heil NSG!

Earlier today, I came across this article about the drinking habits of various US states. It's somewhat silly, but it got me thinking...

Apparently, the North is into booze more than the South. Southerners, feel free to quote this if anyone stereotypes you as drunks. I'll also back you up if anyone rags on you about your hygiene. Northerners are less likely to bathe or shower every day. This is probably because people sweat less in colder climates and don't want to dry out their skin in the winter, but feel free to bring it up if anyone makes disparaging comments about "dirty" Southerners.

There are very few subjects where I will defend the South and say that negative stereotypes are not accurate. In fact, these two -- drinking habits and hygiene -- are the only two I can think of off the top of my head. I think the South is very fucked up, and that got me wondering if it is really a good thing that they drink less. A lot of the things I dislike about the South come from Southerners having irrational fears. People are afraid of terrorists, afraid of being overrun by illegal immigrants, afraid of black guys, afraid of change, afraid of the federal government... Not every individual Southerner has every one of these fears, but paranoia is a recurring theme behind a lot of Southern attitudes. I can't help but wonder if drinking more would help to calm their nerves so they can stop overreacting to minor threats (e.g. Saddam Hussein) and stop feeling threatened by things that aren't actually dangerous (e.g. gay marriage). They say alcohol doesn't solve your problems, but I think that depends on the type of problem you are trying to solve. Drinking a little is a good way to relax.

So what do you think, NSG? Would it make the South a better place if they drank more? For those of you who do not share my preference for the North, do you think the North would be a better place if we drank less? Does it surprise you that the North and West are "boozier" than the South?

No.

There will just be more drunken people causing problems... wife beatings, drunk drivers etc...

[Nazi Flower Power]

I never had anything like that happen when I visited Chicago, but I can see how it would make a bad impression. Was the woman who tried to charge you for directions a panhandler? Cos I've spent a lot of time in the North and that's not normal to me.



I don't think you can tell just by visiting a place if the people are "home oriented." And that is also an area where urban vs. rural makes a big difference. Boston and Providence aren't especially home oriented, but smaller cities and towns in New England definitely are.

My experience with Southerners is that they are friendly when you first meet them, but that friendliness is frequently insincere or it's contingent on you conforming to narrowly defined social norms. New Englanders are more likely to ignore you or cuss at you, but they are less likely to judge you, talk down to you, or stick their nose in your business and tell you how to live your life.

Well, like I said, Augusta is a urban place. Not as large as Chicago by far, but not small. At least in my scales.

I dont know, I dont really pick up on insincere friendliness here in Louisiana or Georgia. I mean, sure, I get it sometimes but that is a strange day when I meet a stranger and get insincere friendliness.

How do you know it's sincere if they're a stranger? I'm talking about when you get to know someone a little better and they turn out to be a dickweed, but they expect you to stay "friends" with them no matter how much offensive shit they say and even when they don't believe you deserve social equality. It happens way too often with Southerners. In the North, if someone is a dickweed, they are usually more up front about it in the first place and more understanding if their attitude bothers you and you decide you'd rather go your separate ways. It's not friendly to hang around and keep talking to each other if you're constantly saying things that hurt each other. That's toxic.

An issue I have with yanks is that they just dont seem to want to know you. At all. Cause it is an inconvenience for them or something.

Sometimes it is an inconvenience. Maybe they are busy. Some people prefer to have a few close friends rather than schmoozing with everyone.

I can sit down on a public bench here in Bossier or Augusta, wait a while. And someone sit next to me. Then start a whole conversation and it is not weird. I so much as attempt that up north(Or Nawth in my native speak) and they want to know what I am trying to sell.

That's not unheard of in the North. It's kind of hit or miss. Some people think it's friendly and other people think it's weird. When I was selling art on the sidewalk in Boston, I had a lot of interesting conversations. Sometimes it was with customers, but other times it was just people who felt like chatting.

But, people help people down here. I mean, I have drawn maps for, and had them drawn for me when someone is lost. No charge. But, on the prior case of being charged for directions, I am going to write that off as a anomaly. But, I can only have so many doors slammed in my face before I get my bus ticket and head to the nearest grey hound station and head south again.

I have had some good times too, but how can I say this...It just feels like a foreign country north of Virginia or west of Texas. It really does for me. I have about as much in common with someone from Ohio as I do from Canada or England.

So, maybe you could just write my experience off as me feeling unfamiliar in the north.

I understand about feeling like it's a foreign country. I feel a little bit that way about anything south of New Jersey or west of New York State, and very much so anywhere south of Virginia or west of the Rockies. Virginia and Maryland are somewhat familiar because I grew up in southern Maryland, but I don't actually like the area and it feels more and more foreign every time I go back.

When people try to pretend that the Civil War, improved transportation, and mass media have eliminated all meaningful differences between different regions of the US, I think they are full of shit. I have a book that tries to illustrate the point by saying that people in Birmingham, Alabama and Lowell, Massachusetts eat at the same restaurant chains and shop at the same stores, and that's a load of crap. I really doubt that Pho Dalat is one of the big restaurant chains in Birmingham, Alabama. I mean I guess I might be wrong cos I've never been to Alabama. I just think it is unlikely.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Well, like I said, Augusta is a urban place. Not as large as Chicago by far, but not small. At least in my scales.

I dont know, I dont really pick up on insincere friendliness here in Louisiana or Georgia. I mean, sure, I get it sometimes but that is a strange day when I meet a stranger and get insincere friendliness.

How do you know it's sincere if they're a stranger? I'm talking about when you get to know someone a little better and they turn out to be a dickweed, but they expect you to stay "friends" with them no matter how much offensive shit they say and even when they don't believe you deserve social equality. It happens way too often with Southerners. In the North, if someone is a dickweed, they are usually more up front about it in the first place and more understanding if their attitude bothers you and you decide you'd rather go your separate ways. It's not friendly to hang around and keep talking to each other if you're constantly saying things that hurt each other. That's toxic.

An issue I have with yanks is that they just dont seem to want to know you. At all. Cause it is an inconvenience for them or something.

Sometimes it is an inconvenience. Maybe they are busy. Some people prefer to have a few close friends rather than schmoozing with everyone.

I can sit down on a public bench here in Bossier or Augusta, wait a while. And someone sit next to me. Then start a whole conversation and it is not weird. I so much as attempt that up north(Or Nawth in my native speak) and they want to know what I am trying to sell.

That's not unheard of in the North. It's kind of hit or miss. Some people think it's friendly and other people think it's weird. When I was selling art on the sidewalk in Boston, I had a lot of interesting conversations. Sometimes it was with customers, but other times it was just people who felt like chatting.

But, people help people down here. I mean, I have drawn maps for, and had them drawn for me when someone is lost. No charge. But, on the prior case of being charged for directions, I am going to write that off as a anomaly. But, I can only have so many doors slammed in my face before I get my bus ticket and head to the nearest grey hound station and head south again.

I have had some good times too, but how can I say this...It just feels like a foreign country north of Virginia or west of Texas. It really does for me. I have about as much in common with someone from Ohio as I do from Canada or England.

So, maybe you could just write my experience off as me feeling unfamiliar in the north.

I understand about feeling like it's a foreign country. I feel a little bit that way about anything south of New Jersey or west of New York State, and very much so anywhere south of Virginia or west of the Rockies. Virginia and Maryland are somewhat familiar because I grew up in southern Maryland, but I don't actually like the area and it feels more and more foreign every time I go back.

When people try to pretend that the Civil War, improved transportation, and mass media have eliminated all meaningful differences between different regions of the US, I think they are full of shit. I have a book that tries to illustrate the point by saying that people in Birmingham, Alabama and Lowell, Massachusetts eat at the same restaurant chains and shop at the same stores, and that's a load of crap. I really doubt that Pho Dalat is one of the big restaurant chains in Birmingham, Alabama. I mean I guess I might be wrong cos I've never been to Alabama. I just think it is unlikely.

I can't say much in this discussion because it all seems similar to me as an immigrant

[Olthar]

The only problem booze is capable of solving is being sober, and that's only if you consider it a problem.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

The only problem booze is capable of solving is being sober, and that's only if you consider it a problem.

Well, I have two choices in general:

1 - Get pissed off at half the universe for being so utterly incompetent
2 - Get some alcohol in my system and then relax and be more laid back.

I think I'll take killing my body via my liver and not my body via heart attack.

[Nazi Flower Power]

The only problem booze is capable of solving is being sober, and that's only if you consider it a problem.

Usually being sober is OK, but sometimes it is a problem.

[Immoren]

The only problem booze is capable of solving is being sober, and that's only if you consider it a problem.

Well, I have two choices in general:

1 - Get pissed off at half the universe for being so utterly incompetent
2 - Get some alcohol in my system and then relax and be more laid back.

I think I'll take killing my body via my liver and not my body via heart attack.

"Booze is drink of the sages."

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Well, I have two choices in general:

1 - Get pissed off at half the universe for being so utterly incompetent
2 - Get some alcohol in my system and then relax and be more laid back.

I think I'll take killing my body via my liver and not my body via heart attack.

"Booze is drink of the sages."

Truer words have never been spoken

[Immoren]

"Booze is drink of the sages."

Truer words have never been spoken

Or like refrain of one Finnish song goes.

"lets drink booze
lets become wiser this way
lets drink booze
Reality torment sometimes is
While sober"

[Republic of Coldwater]

No, a different form of alcohol cannot fix the American South's problems. The American South is generally a poor region following the War of Northern Aggression in which the Union pillaging of the south had effectively destroyed the industry of the south, and their economy had to be rebuilt from the ground-up (so yes, the Union Anaconda does want to completely and utterly destroy the once glamorous American South. The best way to end this terrible lack of wealth in the south can be mainly done by deregulation and tax cuts. Some states like Mississippi have to balance their budget and try to attract businesses by creating an efficient and attractive regulatory environment if they were ever to generate any interest from businesses, and finally, they can lower the barriers of entry by giving no tax to new businesses and making it easier to create a business (maybe fill out one sheet of paper instead of a huge pile of paper just to start a business)

[Soldati Senza Confini]

No, a different form of alcohol cannot fix the American South's problems. The American South is generally a poor region following the War of Northern Aggression in which the Union pillaging of the south had effectively destroyed the industry of the south, and their economy had to be rebuilt from the ground-up (so yes, the Union Anaconda does want to completely and utterly destroy the once glamorous American South. The best way to end this terrible lack of wealth in the south can be mainly done by deregulation and tax cuts. Some states like Mississippi have to balance their budget and try to attract businesses by creating an efficient and attractive regulatory environment if they were ever to generate any interest from businesses, and finally, they can lower the barriers of entry by giving no tax to new businesses and making it easier to create a business (maybe fill out one sheet of paper instead of a huge pile of paper just to start a business)

I live in Texas and I had to do little paperwork to actually register and start running my business

[Laerod]

No, a different form of alcohol cannot fix the American South's problems. The American South is generally a poor region following the War of Northern Aggression in which the Union pillaging of the south had effectively destroyed the industry of the south, and their economy had to be rebuilt from the ground-up (so yes, the Union Anaconda does want to completely and utterly destroy the once glamorous American South.

That's largely incompatible with reality, in particular the attribution of war guilt on the unjustly attacked Union.

The best way to end this terrible lack of wealth in the south can be mainly done by deregulation and tax cuts. Some states like Mississippi have to balance their budget and try to attract businesses by creating an efficient and attractive regulatory environment if they were ever to generate any interest from businesses, and finally, they can lower the barriers of entry by giving no tax to new businesses and making it easier to create a business (maybe fill out one sheet of paper instead of a huge pile of paper just to start a business)

Red states in both the North and South have had decades of tax cuts and deregulation to prove that hypothesis correct. Since they're still largely welfare leech states, we can safely assume that what you suggest is bullshit.

[Asterdan]

No, a different form of alcohol cannot fix the American South's problems. The American South is generally a poor region following the War of Northern Aggression in which the Union pillaging of the south had effectively destroyed the industry of the south, and their economy had to be rebuilt from the ground-up (so yes, the Union Anaconda does want to completely and utterly destroy the once glamorous American South.

That's largely incompatible with reality, in particular the attribution of war guilt on the unjustly attacked Union.

Hey, hey, hey... The South stayed in the South, it was the Union that came down here, surrounding Fort Sumter. They could have easily taken it back. It was a military strategy and also a political one (albeit a pretty smart one) to just wait and force Fort Sumter to fire first.

[The Floating Island of the Sleeping God]

No, a different form of alcohol cannot fix the American South's problems. The American South is generally a poor region following the War of Northern Aggression in which the Union pillaging of the south had effectively destroyed the industry of the south, and their economy had to be rebuilt from the ground-up (so yes, the Union Anaconda does want to completely and utterly destroy the once glamorous American South. The best way to end this terrible lack of wealth in the south can be mainly done by deregulation and tax cuts. Some states like Mississippi have to balance their budget and try to attract businesses by creating an efficient and attractive regulatory environment if they were ever to generate any interest from businesses, and finally, they can lower the barriers of entry by giving no tax to new businesses and making it easier to create a business (maybe fill out one sheet of paper instead of a huge pile of paper just to start a business)

What industry did the south have before the union kicked our asses? Oh, that's right, none. That's why the union so heavily outproduced us on food crops, because we fucked around with cotton and used people-power to make it instead of heavy machinery. The union anaconda doesn't want to utterly destroy the south because we're not at war with the union any more. We lost, the least we can do is show some Southern honor and lose graciously instead of dragging our own names through the mud for 150 years.

That's largely incompatible with reality, in particular the attribution of war guilt on the unjustly attacked Union.

Hey, hey, hey... The South stayed in the South, it was the Union that came down here, surrounding Fort Sumter. They could have easily taken it back. It was a military strategy and also a political one (albeit a pretty smart one) to just wait and force Fort Sumter to fire first.

Let's all agree to not threadjack, yeah?

[Asterdan]

No, a different form of alcohol cannot fix the American South's problems. The American South is generally a poor region following the War of Northern Aggression in which the Union pillaging of the south had effectively destroyed the industry of the south, and their economy had to be rebuilt from the ground-up (so yes, the Union Anaconda does want to completely and utterly destroy the once glamorous American South. The best way to end this terrible lack of wealth in the south can be mainly done by deregulation and tax cuts. Some states like Mississippi have to balance their budget and try to attract businesses by creating an efficient and attractive regulatory environment if they were ever to generate any interest from businesses, and finally, they can lower the barriers of entry by giving no tax to new businesses and making it easier to create a business (maybe fill out one sheet of paper instead of a huge pile of paper just to start a business)

What industry did the south have before the union kicked our asses? Oh, that's right, none. That's why the union so heavily outproduced us on food crops, because we fucked around with cotton and used people-power to make it instead of heavy machinery. The union anaconda doesn't want to utterly destroy the south because we're not at war with the union any more. We lost, the least we can do is show some Southern honor and lose graciously instead of dragging our own names through the mud for 150 years.

Hey, hey, hey... The South stayed in the South, it was the Union that came down here, surrounding Fort Sumter. They could have easily taken it back. It was a military strategy and also a political one (albeit a pretty smart one) to just wait and force Fort Sumter to fire first.

Let's all agree to not threadjack, yeah?

Yeah

[Calimera II]

Is this a joke?

[DnalweN acilbupeR]

youre overly generalizing and exaggerating, OP

[Luziyca]

No. There is no magic cure-all to all problems, and booze is definitely not a cure-all.

[Immoren]

No. There is no magic cure-all to all problems, and booze is definitely not a cure-all.

Nonsense. Alcohol is cure and source to all worlds problems.

[Anglo-California]

The West Coast has wine, no wonder we're so cool.

Most popular beer in California, Corona Extra. Drink up compatriots.

Gross.

[Saiwania]

I'm sure there are plenty of southerners that don't think the South needs fixing.