Traveling in the Deep American South: Misconceptions & prejudices as a Northerner & an Asian-American…

 

Savannah Georgia, waterfront 

Woodrow Wilson:  “The only place in the world that nothing has to be explained to me is the south.”

American South, especially the Deep South, comprising of states like Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, had a huge role on this Korean-American immigrant’s view of the United States.  As someone living in the American North (New York City), I had a difficult time understanding the motives of Southerners, who relied on slave labor to drive their plantation/agrarian economy at around the time of the Civil War.

I questioned why anyone would condone slavery.  Why would anyone use other human beings as sources of income?  

Civil War, which pitted the North against the South, was a pivotal moment in the development of this nation.  As traumatic as that war was, the end of the war brought about a new path forward for this healing nation to work together as one, to forge a path into the 20th century, full of innovation, prosperity, and hope.  It can be argued that United States wouldn’t be the leader of the free world, a true juggernaut of innovation/military prowess, and the richest nation on earth, without going through this process.  

Traveling along American roads, both large and small, we’re constantly reminded of that tumultuous past in our nation’s history, in places like Gettysburg, Fort Pulaski, Fort Sumter.  United States may be a young country, but due to their utmost importance to the identity and development of the nation, both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War historical records/locales are up front and center.

Growing up, I have to admit it was easy to have misconceptions & prejudices about the American South, in light of what happened leading up to the Civil War, the bloody war itself, and its aftermath.  I, and probably most immigrants like myself, had this unspoken belief and honestly, fear, about the Deep South.

Popular movies like “Mississippi Burning”, “Malcolm X”, and popular songs like “Mississippi Goddam”really drove that point home, in imprinting in my mind the image of the Deep South as a place of racism, ignorance, and hatred.  I felt it was best to be avoided at all costs…

All that changed after spending 8 weeks in the American Deep South, finally visiting states like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Northern Florida, and really spending time there.  During our 8 weeks in the Deep South, we didn’t run into blatant racism or harassment, and we didn’t run into any ignorant bigots who didn’t want to see people that don’t belong, like us.  

To be honest, we ran into more instances of racism, ignorance, and harassment growing up in New York City area.  We got harassed much more frequently by fellow minorities than by white people.  We found this strange, as we felt like we were in the same boat at the time.  

We were just another group of newly arrived minorities trying to fit in, to live the American Dream.  Why can’t we get along, instead of making fun of each other, or worse, harassing each other?

Driftwood Beach, Georgia 

Our time in the Deep South opened our eyes.  We prepared ourselves expecting to find Confederate flags everywhere, but we rarely saw them.  We must’ve seen more Confederate flags flapping in the wind up North in places like eastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York in just the last four years alone.

We were being extra careful when traversing through the Deep South, trying to be vigilant everywhere we went.  This was a non-issue as we found the Deep South just like any other place we’ve visited in America.  People in the Deep South were not the ignorant, deeply hateful racists who despised seeing anyone who doesn’t fit in.  They were, dare I say, more friendly and welcoming than many places we visited in the North.

This was not what we expected in the least.  We needed to recalibrate our thinking, to change the way we thought of the Deep South, especially the people of the Deep South.  We realized how prejudiced and ignorant we were ourselves for believing certain things without actually experiencing it first ourselves.  How are we so different than so-called ignorant bigots & idiots who don’t like foreigners???

Assuming something or someone is, without actually experiencing it first hand qualifies as being a bigot.  We were bigots ourselves thinking back, full of misconceptions and prejudices…We needed to clear the air that the Deep South is not what we assumed.  Our misconceptions were solely based on third party information like popular culture (movies, music etc.).

After traveling through the Deep South and spending 8 weeks in various parts of the Deep South, here are what our first hand experiences were like:

• There are so many new construction going on, both residential and commercial 

We often thought the Northeast was where everything was at, in places like New York City, Boston, Philadelphia.  We only thought in terms of great cities growing up, and dismissed the notion that most places in the South was just rural, without much culture or sophistication.

Traveling through the Deep South, we were taken aback by the amount of new construction going on in many places.  In places like Gulf Shores (Alabama), Savannah (Georgia), Destin (Florida), we saw so many new residential buildings going up and we saw so many new commercial developments going up.  

Compared to many places we’ve visited in the Rust Belt, like Binghamton (New York) for example, it was as if all the money available for investments went straight to the South!  Combining these new construction with already existing infrastructure like manufacturing facilities that we’ve seen throughout Georgia (Hyundai and Kia), or South Carolina (BMW), we saw the emerging South as a place of economic growth, opportunity, and dynamism.

We were completely shocked at how beautiful Gulf Shores (Alabama) or Destin (Florida) were.  There were high rise condos, hotel chains everywhere, with beautiful shopping centers.  We thought we were in Honolulu.

We felt kind of bad for Rust Belt, as once proud cities like Binghamton or Detroit are shells of their former selves.  We saw first hand how the economic boom, especially from manufacturing, has really provided a boon for the South, which translates to more residential and commercial construction projects.

• There seems to be this unseen, but definitely-felt energy about the South

Maybe because of the economic boom in the South, there seems to be a growing sense of optimism and opportunity in many places we’ve personally visited.  We felt this when we were growing up in New York City, a place full of ever growing number of people with ever more cars and more buildings going up everywhere.  

Walking the streets of New York City, you couldn’t possibly not be impressed by all the kinetic energy of the city: of people going everywhere at all times of the day, of cars always moving about, of excitement surrounding you everywhere, being true to New York City as the “city that never sleeps”.

We felt this similar energy in places like Hilton Head Island, Savannah, Destin, and Jacksonville.  There just seemed to be things happening all around us, with lots of people and vehicles coming and going.  If you haven’t visited a Southern city lately, you’re really missing out!

•  The South’s peoples are not what we remember just 20 years ago 

When we traveled through the South, to places like Alabama or Louisiana years ago, the unmistakably heavy Southern accents were everywhere.  We sometimes had a hard time understanding some people when we chatted up a conversation.

This trip was completely different.  Maybe because of the retirees moving South from the North or the job opportunities available in the South, we actually heard more neutral American accents being spoken in many places.

It almost felt like I was back in Pennsylvania hearing those neutral accents in places like Panera Bread, Chick Fil A, hotel lobbies, attractions, and so on.  It’s true what we’ve been hearing lately of people moving to the South in search of job opportunities, cheaper homes, and lower cost of living.

In places like Savannah, Destin, Gulf Shores, and elsewhere, we found people to be hospitable, friendly, and welcoming.  We liked the fact that many locals would greet each other even if they’re complete strangers.  This is bit odd for someone who grew up in the North, but I like it.

It doesn’t hurt to at least acknowledge each other when we can.  Of course when we were living in Pennsylvania, we would greet fellow hikers often, but not so elsewhere, like while grocery shopping or at restaurants.  For Southerners, greetings come easy and often, which I found to be charming.

• Many of the Southern places we visited are well maintained

We’ve visited many places in the North, including New York City (where we both grew up) where roads and streets are in need of serious repairs.  It makes sense, as people leave these cities for greener pastures, tax base dries up, leaving them with less and less funds to do simple maintenance.

Southern cities we visited were cleaner, with better roads, less litter, and we didn’t see many homeless people begging tourists/locals in the streets like in New York City or Detroit.  Savannah’s waterfront area for example, is kept clean and well maintained, despite the age of the area with homes that are over 100-200 years old.  

In Destin (Florida), we were impressed by all the beautiful, newer commercial buildings dotting the main road into town.  People used to make fun of the Florida Panhandle, but we were impressed by how clean and well-maintained the place is.

Even visiting rural northwestern Georgia to visit Providence Canyon State Park, we were impressed with road networks leading to the park: clean, well maintained, with clear signs to the park.  What more can you ask for?

I can’t say the same for many Northern cities with its combination of deteriorating roads, dying or neglected buildings, and worsening homelessness.  The South is not what it used to be, and not something to be dismissed or worse, to be laughed at.  The North now has some catching up to do…

• Bigotry, racism, harassment will always exist as long as there are humans, but we didn’t notice any during our 8 weeks in the South

I had mentioned that I personally experienced more instances of these things while living in New York City.  There will always be bigots, racists, and idiots everywhere, whether that’s the North or the South.   We’re human after all…

What I can personally say is this.  I didn’t run into any problems during our 8 week trip in the South.  That speaks for itself.

This was one of the most thorny issues for non-white, naturalized American citizens contemplating traveling to the South, thanks to all the reasons I presented.  We felt instead, welcomed and found the people friendly, which was refreshing.

In conclusion:

Because we’re human, we will never truly get rid of bigotry, racism, ignorance, and hatred completely.  Despite knowing all that, we were half expecting problems traveling through the South.  Instead, we were pleasantly surprised by how welcoming the place is.  

It is no longer the butt of many jokes from years past, when it was portrayed as a backward, rural, hate-filled place.  Although some of these may have been true in the past, the South is no longer that.  

It is a place of renewal, modernization, industrialization, and with all that comes that unmistakable kinetic energy and that hopefulness that seem to permeate the place.  We may have been prejudiced about the South, but we’re no longer now.

Actions speak louder than words.  We got to experience the South first hand, and we liked what we saw and experienced.  

We can’t wait to return to many of these places in the South.  We wish you do the same and see the South for yourself before making judgments, like we did…

Thank you for reading and happy trails! 

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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