"Uneducated Southerner" stereotypes

N&P: Discuss governments, nations, politics and recent related news here.

Moderators: Alyrium Denryle, Edi, K. A. Pital

User avatar
Darth Wong
Sith Lord
Sith Lord
Posts: 70028
Joined: 2002-07-03 12:25am
Location: Toronto, Canada
Contact:

"Uneducated Southerner" stereotypes

Post by Darth Wong »

Take a look at the state rankings for education:
  1. Massachusetts
  2. Vermont
  3. Connecticut
  4. Montana
  5. New Jersey
  6. Maine
  7. Pennsylvania
  8. (tie) Wisconsin and Iowa
  9. (tie) Wisconsin and Iowa
  10. New York
  11. Nebraska
  12. Minnesota
  13. Indiana
  14. Wyoming
  15. Kansas
  16. Rhode Island
  17. Virginia
  18. Maryland
  19. Delaware
  20. Michigan
  21. North Carolina
  22. Ohio
  23. Alaska
  24. North Dakota
  25. Utah
  26. New Hampshire
  27. Illinois
  28. Missouri
  29. West Virginia
  30. Idaho
  31. South Dakota
  32. Oregon
  33. Washington
  34. Texas
  35. Colorado
  36. Georgia
  37. Kentucky
  38. Arkansas
  39. Oklahoma
  40. Florida
  41. South Carolina
  42. Tennessee
  43. Hawaii
  44. California
  45. Arizona
  46. Alabama
  47. Louisiana
  48. Mississippi
  49. Nevada
  50. New Mexico
Now, we all know how testy some people get about Southern stereotypes, but take a good look at the states bringing up the bottom of that list. Notice a pattern? :D
Image
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing

"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC

"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness

"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.

http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike/RantMode/Blurbs.html
User avatar
Stravo
Official SD.Net Teller of Tales
Posts: 12806
Joined: 2002-07-08 12:06pm
Location: NYC

Post by Stravo »

You could argue money...but I see California nearing the bottom there so that's a problematic argument.
Wherever you go, there you are.

Ripped Shirt Monkey - BOTMWriter's Guild Cybertron's Finest Justice League
This updated sig brought to you by JME2
Image
User avatar
Trytostaydead
Sith Marauder
Posts: 3690
Joined: 2003-01-28 09:34pm

Post by Trytostaydead »

California and Hawaii? I could've told you that :-D Yes, I'm sad to admit I'm a Californian sometimes. I come from one of the richest school districts that has (had) the world's number one school symphony orchestra but even then.. there were clear delineations between the type of students you saw.

It was really an economic and sometimes racial division line down our school. Those in honors and advanced courses were often from the well-to do families and comprised up of (Whites, Jews and Asians). The more remedial courses were made up of the whole gamut of ethnicities. The interesting pattern though was that there were hardly any hispanic or black students in my classes and the few that were were from more well-off families (one's father was an alumnus from Harvard).

My 9th grade english honors teacher told the students, "I never once had a black student in my class all the years I have been teaching." I guess if you were to take a demographic of my school you would find that the classes were divided economically which also had correlations ethnically. Just an observation so don't go screaming racist.

When I was down in the South, Louisiana they had a very different attitude there towards education especially in the more rural parts of the state. There was almost no money for education and the emphasis was not on cerebral learning, but hands on, practical skills. Such as typing, workshop and farming.
User avatar
Trytostaydead
Sith Marauder
Posts: 3690
Joined: 2003-01-28 09:34pm

Post by Trytostaydead »

I should add something to the above. In my school, we almost all knew each other. Until recent years we were relatively small class sizes, and at least in the honors program we all saw the same 100 or so people year after year after year again and again. So we got pretty familiar with each other. And a lot of them lived in million dollar homes.
User avatar
Utsanomiko
The Legend Rado Tharadus
Posts: 5079
Joined: 2002-09-20 10:03pm
Location: My personal sanctuary from the outside world

Post by Utsanomiko »

Stravo wrote:You could argue money...but I see California nearing the bottom there so that's a problematic argument.
Actually, I'd say it's totally expected they'd be at that spot. :P

Not I shall invoke my 8th/9th-ranked State's authority, stick my tongue out at your 10th-ranked State, and go "nyah!" :wink:
By His Word...
User avatar
The Yosemite Bear
Mostly Harmless Nutcase (Requiescat in Pace)
Posts: 35211
Joined: 2002-07-21 02:38am
Location: Dave's Not Here Man

Post by The Yosemite Bear »

Stravo wrote:You could argue money...but I see California nearing the bottom there so that's a problematic argument.
You should see our tax laws....
Image

The scariest folk song lyrics are "My Boy Grew up to be just like me" from cats in the cradle by Harry Chapin
User avatar
InnerBrat
CLIT Commander
Posts: 7469
Joined: 2002-11-26 11:02am
Location: In my own mind.
Contact:

Post by InnerBrat »

Bah, always take league tables with a pinch of salt.
These included such positive attributes as per-pupil expenditures, public high school graduation rates, average class size, student reading and math proficiency, and pupil-teacher ratios. States received negative points for high drop-out rates and physical violence.
Of these seven criteria, three are to do with spending on education, and are economic factors, and one appears to have absolutely nothing to do with the standard of education.

Graduation and drop out rates must surely be so intricately linked to count as one criterion, right?
I personally would use just the literacy and numeracy criterion combined with pass rates of those taking the HSD, but they may well have been watered dwon in all the noise.
"I fight with love, and I laugh with rage, you gotta live light enough to see the humour and long enough to see some change" - Ani DiFranco, Pick Yer Nose

"Life 's not a song, life isn't bliss, life is just this: it's living." - Spike, Once More with Feeling
User avatar
Chardok
GET THE FUCK OFF MY OBSTACLE!
Posts: 8488
Joined: 2003-08-12 09:49am
Location: San Antonio

Post by Chardok »

I'm in Florida (40th)....this state didn't wasn't always full of dumbasses who'd rather be delinquents and fuckwads who shoot out streetsigns...Damn, when I went to school in florida, we seemed to be on the cutting edge. there were nice classrooms, several Apple IIE's in every classroom...*sigh* we've really gone downhill..... :oops:
Image
User avatar
Tsyroc
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 13748
Joined: 2002-07-29 08:35am
Location: Tucson, Arizona

Post by Tsyroc »

Some of this stuff fluctuates from year to year but I'm still surprised that Montana is so high up on the list.

I am not surprised that Arizona is low. This state has nearly all the problems you can possibly have with education.

People don't want to pay for it. Parents just want the schools to do everything. There are gang problems. No one wants to teach (myself included).

I think there are problems because there's a siginifcant billingual population and the schools never satisfactorilly address that one way or another. Ideally everyone would be taking English and Spanish but instead the English speaking kids get Spanish the same "effective" way that American kids get all languages.

As for the Spanish speaking kids that is a political mess that goes around and comes around. Billingual education vs. English only etc... is always coming up.

Plus, it doesn't get very cold here. I don't have any proof of this correlation but I've always thought that schools in states that actually have a winter benefit because for some reason the winter helps cut down on the distractions, at least if it isn't a state with a huge winter sports industry. Basically the warmer states have the potential for "Spring fever" stretched out over most of the school year.

It's a nice sunny day in Florida or Hawaii, would you want to be sitting in class? Me neither.

I always thought that Arizona should have it's main school year in the summer because it's so freakin' hot that the kids might as well be in the airconditioned indoors. I think some other people think the same since "year-round" school has become somewhat popular here. It's not really year-round but there are fewer and shorter breaks for the students. The longest one generally only being 3 weeks in the summer.
By the pricking of my thumb,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
User avatar
haas mark
Official SD.Net Insomniac
Posts: 16533
Joined: 2002-09-11 04:29pm
Location: Wouldn't you like to know?
Contact:

Re: "Uneducated Southerner" stereotypes

Post by haas mark »

Darth Wong wrote:Take a look at the state rankings for education:
<snip>
Now, we all know how testy some people get about Southern stereotypes, but take a good look at the states bringing up the bottom of that list. Notice a pattern? :D
As fucked up as it sounds, considering New Mexico IS on the bottom of the list, NM also managed to get above average SAT scores overall. However, this does only measure people that actually took it, I realize, but still.. amazing, nonetheless, considering I think it was 30 points above avg. for math, and 20 pts for verbal.

Makes me a bit ashamed to say I graduated here.. :|

~ver
Robert-Conway.com | lunar sun | TotalEnigma.net

Hot Pants à la Zaia | BotM Lord Monkey Mod OOK!
SDNC | WG | GDC | ACPATHNTDWATGODW | GALE | ISARMA | CotK: [mew]

Formerly verilon

R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero, 09 October 1967 - 13 November 2005


Image
User avatar
Alyrium Denryle
Minister of Sin
Posts: 22224
Joined: 2002-07-11 08:34pm
Location: The Deep Desert
Contact:

Post by Alyrium Denryle »

*cries because my state is at the bottom of the list*

Oh well, we have some of the best non-ivy league Universities in the country... And they are top of the list for their science and engineering programs... But our public school DO suck ass.
GALE Force Biological Agent/
BOTM/Great Dolphin Conspiracy/
Entomology and Evolutionary Biology Subdirector:SD.net Dept. of Biological Sciences


There is Grandeur in the View of Life; it fills me with a Deep Wonder, and Intense Cynicism.

Factio republicanum delenda est
User avatar
haas mark
Official SD.Net Insomniac
Posts: 16533
Joined: 2002-09-11 04:29pm
Location: Wouldn't you like to know?
Contact:

Post by haas mark »

Alyrium Denryle wrote:*cries because my state is at the bottom of the list*

Oh well, we have some of the best non-ivy league Universities in the country... And they are top of the list for their science and engineering programs... But our public school DO suck ass.
Well, we have one of the best schools for medicine right here in Albuquerque, as well as one of the better Tech schools in Socorro.. but that doesn't matter, still. [shrugs]

~ver
Robert-Conway.com | lunar sun | TotalEnigma.net

Hot Pants à la Zaia | BotM Lord Monkey Mod OOK!
SDNC | WG | GDC | ACPATHNTDWATGODW | GALE | ISARMA | CotK: [mew]

Formerly verilon

R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero, 09 October 1967 - 13 November 2005


Image
User avatar
phongn
Rebel Leader
Posts: 18487
Joined: 2002-07-03 11:11pm

Post by phongn »

Chardok wrote:I'm in Florida (40th)....this state didn't wasn't always full of dumbasses who'd rather be delinquents and fuckwads who shoot out streetsigns...Damn, when I went to school in florida, we seemed to be on the cutting edge. there were nice classrooms, several Apple IIE's in every classroom...*sigh* we've really gone downhill..... :oops:
That's one problem: FL's DOE tends to waste money a lot. Like buying computers all the damn time. IMHO, they really should concentrate first on basic education then start adding more computers and such. (Says the person who went here.)
User avatar
Hotfoot
Avatar of Confusion
Posts: 5835
Joined: 2002-10-12 04:38pm
Location: Peace River: Badlands, Terra Nova Winter 1936
Contact:

Post by Hotfoot »

Hah! Jersey Rocks! Take that you New York and Penn bastards! :P

Never underestimate the staggering teaching power of the Garden State! :mrgreen:
Do not meddle in the affairs of insomniacs, for they are cranky and can do things to you while you sleep.
Image
The Realm of Confusion
"Every time you talk about Teal'c, I keep imagining Thor's ass. Thank you very much for that, you fucking fucker." -Marcao
SG-14: Because in some cases, "Recon" means "Blow up a fucking planet or die trying."
SilCore Wiki! Come take a look!
User avatar
Joe
Space Cowboy
Posts: 17314
Joined: 2002-08-22 09:58pm
Location: Wishing I was in Athens, GA

Post by Joe »

I'm surprised Georgia is so high on the list. Public schools in suburban areas and such often tend to be good to quite good, but schools in the inner city and out in the boondocks just aren't up to par, to say the least.
Image

BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman

I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
User avatar
MKSheppard
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Posts: 29842
Joined: 2002-07-06 06:34pm

Post by MKSheppard »

Hotfoot wrote: Never underestimate the staggering teaching power of the Garden State! :mrgreen:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Don't you mean the TOXIC WASTE State? :twisted:
"If scientists and inventors who develop disease cures and useful technologies don't get lifetime royalties, I'd like to know what fucking rationale you have for some guy getting lifetime royalties for writing an episode of Full House." - Mike Wong

"The present air situation in the Pacific is entirely the result of fighting a fifth rate air power." - U.S. Navy Memo - 24 July 1944
User avatar
Hotfoot
Avatar of Confusion
Posts: 5835
Joined: 2002-10-12 04:38pm
Location: Peace River: Badlands, Terra Nova Winter 1936
Contact:

Post by Hotfoot »

MKSheppard wrote:
Hotfoot wrote: Never underestimate the staggering teaching power of the Garden State! :mrgreen:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Don't you mean the TOXIC WASTE State? :twisted:
Tut tut Shep, no need to advertise your state's lower ranking so blatantly. :)
Do not meddle in the affairs of insomniacs, for they are cranky and can do things to you while you sleep.
Image
The Realm of Confusion
"Every time you talk about Teal'c, I keep imagining Thor's ass. Thank you very much for that, you fucking fucker." -Marcao
SG-14: Because in some cases, "Recon" means "Blow up a fucking planet or die trying."
SilCore Wiki! Come take a look!
User avatar
haas mark
Official SD.Net Insomniac
Posts: 16533
Joined: 2002-09-11 04:29pm
Location: Wouldn't you like to know?
Contact:

Post by haas mark »

Hotfoot wrote:
MKSheppard wrote:
Hotfoot wrote: Never underestimate the staggering teaching power of the Garden State! :mrgreen:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Don't you mean the TOXIC WASTE State? :twisted:
Tut tut Shep, no need to advertise your state's lower ranking so blatantly. :)
Actually, that would also be my state.. [points at WIPP.. and White Sands.. and LANL.. and SNL...]

~ver
Robert-Conway.com | lunar sun | TotalEnigma.net

Hot Pants à la Zaia | BotM Lord Monkey Mod OOK!
SDNC | WG | GDC | ACPATHNTDWATGODW | GALE | ISARMA | CotK: [mew]

Formerly verilon

R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero, 09 October 1967 - 13 November 2005


Image
User avatar
MKSheppard
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Posts: 29842
Joined: 2002-07-06 06:34pm

Post by MKSheppard »

Hotfoot wrote: Tut tut Shep, no need to advertise your state's lower ranking so blatantly. :)
jersey's motto "Garden state", is a bad joke, Hotfoot. The entire state
is full of strip malls, mile after mile, along with Toxic waste :twisted:
"If scientists and inventors who develop disease cures and useful technologies don't get lifetime royalties, I'd like to know what fucking rationale you have for some guy getting lifetime royalties for writing an episode of Full House." - Mike Wong

"The present air situation in the Pacific is entirely the result of fighting a fifth rate air power." - U.S. Navy Memo - 24 July 1944
User avatar
Col. Crackpot
That Obnoxious Guy
Posts: 10228
Joined: 2002-10-28 05:04pm
Location: Rhode Island
Contact:

Post by Col. Crackpot »

MKSheppard wrote:
Hotfoot wrote: Tut tut Shep, no need to advertise your state's lower ranking so blatantly. :)
jersey's motto "Garden state", is a bad joke, Hotfoot. The entire state
is full of strip malls, mile after mile, along with Toxic waste :twisted:
you forgot the official state plant: The Jersey Barrier! :wink:
"This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.” -Tom Clancy
User avatar
Hotfoot
Avatar of Confusion
Posts: 5835
Joined: 2002-10-12 04:38pm
Location: Peace River: Badlands, Terra Nova Winter 1936
Contact:

Post by Hotfoot »

MKSheppard wrote:jersey's motto "Garden state", is a bad joke, Hotfoot. The entire state
is full of strip malls, mile after mile, along with Toxic waste :twisted:
Having lived there my entire life, most of which was spent living next to a cow pasture, I think I'll take my word over yours. :P

Honestly Shep, people are going to start wondering how you got so high. :roll:
Do not meddle in the affairs of insomniacs, for they are cranky and can do things to you while you sleep.
Image
The Realm of Confusion
"Every time you talk about Teal'c, I keep imagining Thor's ass. Thank you very much for that, you fucking fucker." -Marcao
SG-14: Because in some cases, "Recon" means "Blow up a fucking planet or die trying."
SilCore Wiki! Come take a look!
User avatar
MKSheppard
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Posts: 29842
Joined: 2002-07-06 06:34pm

Post by MKSheppard »

Hotfoot wrote: Having lived there my entire life, most of which was spent living next to a cow pasture, I think I'll take my word over yours. :P
[/quote]

http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/34000.html

http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/24000.html

7,417 sq miles in NJ: 832,600 acres of farm...

9,774 in MD: 2,154,875 farm acres


MD is 30% bigger yet has 250% more farmland than the "Garden State" :twisted:
"If scientists and inventors who develop disease cures and useful technologies don't get lifetime royalties, I'd like to know what fucking rationale you have for some guy getting lifetime royalties for writing an episode of Full House." - Mike Wong

"The present air situation in the Pacific is entirely the result of fighting a fifth rate air power." - U.S. Navy Memo - 24 July 1944
User avatar
MKSheppard
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Ruthless Genocidal Warmonger
Posts: 29842
Joined: 2002-07-06 06:34pm

Post by MKSheppard »

Image

EPA Superfund sites in NJ

vs

MD Superfund:

Image
"If scientists and inventors who develop disease cures and useful technologies don't get lifetime royalties, I'd like to know what fucking rationale you have for some guy getting lifetime royalties for writing an episode of Full House." - Mike Wong

"The present air situation in the Pacific is entirely the result of fighting a fifth rate air power." - U.S. Navy Memo - 24 July 1944
User avatar
Hotfoot
Avatar of Confusion
Posts: 5835
Joined: 2002-10-12 04:38pm
Location: Peace River: Badlands, Terra Nova Winter 1936
Contact:

Post by Hotfoot »

MKSheppard wrote:http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/34000.html

http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/24000.html

7,417 sq miles in NJ: 832,600 acres of farm...

9,774 in MD: 2,154,875 farm acres


MD is 30% bigger yet has 250% more farmland than the "Garden State" :twisted:
Not that bad once you factor in population density, however.

Persons per square mile in NJ: 1,134.4
Persons per square mile in MD: 541.9

Plus, well...we do need some space for our kickass schools. :D
Do not meddle in the affairs of insomniacs, for they are cranky and can do things to you while you sleep.
Image
The Realm of Confusion
"Every time you talk about Teal'c, I keep imagining Thor's ass. Thank you very much for that, you fucking fucker." -Marcao
SG-14: Because in some cases, "Recon" means "Blow up a fucking planet or die trying."
SilCore Wiki! Come take a look!
User avatar
Phil Skayhan
Jedi Knight
Posts: 941
Joined: 2002-07-08 10:31pm
Contact:

Post by Phil Skayhan »

Perhaps a graphic would help illustrate the trend
Image

And Shep, it says "Garden State" not "Farm State". If your only experience in NJ was along the Turnpike (especially above New Brunswick) then your assumption would seem true. But go just a little west of that and you might be surprised.
Happily married gay couples with closets full of assault weapons. That's my vision for America
Image
Post Reply