I've got a trip to the States coming up, a three week
sojourn through the southern states. As I've never been
before, I've only the second-hand impressions of others to
go on, but many of them did tell me that when in America
one should avoid niggards if at all possible.
I've been made to understand that they are very unpleasant
in the south, even moreso than those in the northern
cities, such as New York.
Perhaps I could trouble any Americans on this list to give
a few helpful hints should I be confronted by any niggards
during my trip?
Thanks in advance
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THIS IS JUST AN ATTEMPT AT HUMOR, FROM A NATION OF TEA
DRINKING MILKSOPS WHO LIKE TO MAKE NAIL BOMBS IN SPARE
TIME. PLEASE EXCUSE
utter lack of originality.
CARRY ON
what's a niggard?
I have lived in the Midwest, Northeast, and South. The
reception of foreigners (or people from other US regions)
is probably more varied in the South than elsewhere. This
is the least wordly part of the US---people really are tied
to their roots and experiences (personal or vicarious) that
are at odds with this are difficult for them to undertsnad
let alone accept. Midwesterns are are just enough more
worldly that, for the most part, they seem like
cosmopolitans by comparison (I'm a native Midwesterner and
enjoy going back because there's much less nastiness and
other bullshit to people there).
x
Having said this, it's also true that some parts of the
South (e.g., Atlanta, cities in North carolina) have
experienced large inmigrations from other regions and the
degree of open-ness or at least tolerance does vary. For
example, In New Orleans, there's great tolerance for
eccentricity and other than residual racism, it's a very
open environment. On the other hand, in places like
nashville (and even to some extent, Atlanta), the lack of
worldliness does intrude. There 's no sense of urban-ness
(exc for old cities like New orleans or Savannah) and the
arts really struggle to do anything that isn't very
"traditional".
x
In many places, you will be overwhelmed with politeness and
nice comments (i.e., you will positively gag on the
sweetness). In other places, esp. rural areas, you will be
treated with great distance and perhaps even suspicion.
Service in stores, hotels, etc. is often quite awful (I've
worked in service fields in my younger days, so I am being
informed not snobbish about this)---it tends to be
overbearingly sugar-y or indifferent or downright stupid.
More than other parts of the country, workers are more
interested in chit-chat with friends than in attending to
you. The "best" of "southern hospitality" occurs once in a
while and is a treasure--a graciousness that mixes
diplomacy and a subtle frankness that is truly distinctive.
x
Race occasionally plays a role. What I've described above
easily applies as much (or more ) to whites serving whites
than to blacks serving whites. There is still racism and it
can go both ways.
x
The unpleasantness in the South is different from the
unpleasantness in NYC. New Yorkers can be self-centered,
obnoxious, etc. but may make no claims to be otherwise.
Southerners think thay have the best manners, are the
nicest, etc. There's more self-delusion in the South. In
fairness to New Yorkers, I like the relative
transparentness, the gritty sensibility of New York humor
and the genuine cultural diversity of the place.
Southerners get extremely defensive if you start attending
to the lack of diversity, the shopping mall culture, and
the awful ethnic food (with the exception of Bar-BQ or
"soul food", think of the worst in traditional British
cooking and you have typical Southern cuisine).
x
One thing to consider is that the ethnic roots in the South
are Scots-Irish, Welsh, and British, which means that we
can thank the folks in the UK for bequeathing this awful
Southern culture. In fact, the social chilliness of
Protestant Northern Ireland reminded me very much of what
it was like to travel in east tennessess and parts of North
carolina and kentucky!
You get what you give! You obviously are either superior
minded or ignorant of Southern terminology. And so should
fit right in with typical rednecks. Yes avoid blacks at all
cost. As your experience with them will mimick (sp) your
own projections.
For those who wouldn't know a troll if it bit them on the
ass: this is a strange british attempt to be funny. He's
suggesting americans can't tell the difference between the
word 'nigger' and the word 'niggard' (which means
ungenerous with money). In my experience, (most) americans
I know are too intelligent to fall for something this lame.
Yeah, right.
The District of Columbia had a recent flap in which a supervisor used "Niggardly" in description of funidng restrictions. One of the two people being addressed immediately took offense, left the meeting, and complained that the dread "N" word has been used. This produced a series of musical chairs personnel movements and surfaced the following as a philosophical question: Was the supervisor wrong to use a term which might reasonably be misunderstood by a sensitive but ingorant employee? To what extent should language be dumbed down to avoid any possible insult? Anyhow, it is New England which has the reputation of being overly thrifty.
So rich you seem to think you are the worldliest man with
all the knowledge about the south. Did you get the joke
about " niggard" or a stingy person with the topic being
labeled ungenerous people. I thought it was quite humorous
and followed to see what idiot's would write and then you
came along. Rich you obviously suffer from highly
delusional propaganda about the South or just prefer to
think that the industrialzed farmland you call the Midwest
is actually cosmopolitan. That was a good laugh. As far
as a few comments about the south here I feel obligated to
respond to your indignant comments about the most unique
and treasured culture in America. No that is not
delusional. You say no culture in south, Huh? Well it's a
good thing that jazz, blues, country, bluegrass,rockabilly
then rock and roll did come from the south or we would be
playing the jugs and cowbells from the glorious cultural
paradise of the midwest. yes all of those musical
categories were originated and started off in the....South.
No arts you say. Well after years of going unrecognized
have you been to the folk art exhibit in D.C. No i guess
you haven't since you would not want to admit that one of
the truly original artforms of the modern era in the US has
come from the South. Or I guess you fail to notice the
burgeoning literary scene that has always thrived from the
days of Faulkner. Even though i don't like him, i am
assuming that you despise everything with a John Grisham
name on it. I am positive that the strong dislike of
southern culture in American helped propel these books and
movies to cultural icon status. Or what about 'Sling Blade"
and " Opposite of Sex" two of countless indie films that
were directed and produced by SOUTHERNERS.
As far as our hospitality, if you love to be moody and
cantankerous then i guess the midwest is for you. With that
type of geography around me, i probably would be rude and
bitter too. It's in the weather , rich. Ever wonder why
people in the tropics are so pleasant. Get over it and
admit that you wish you could live in such a wonderful
climate. Also may i ask if the Midwest even has a regional
food? oh yeah steak real fucking typical, ?
I live in Atlanta and have travelled to numerous countries
and i must say Atlanta now provides the city with numerous
cultural and ethnic events that anyone could possibly
enjoy. yes some of the rural areas are not that way, but I
also doubt Utica, NY is any more worldly than Cordele, GA.
get my drift. Also worldliness isn't everything about
visiting somewhere rich. If you went to a city such as La
Paz, Bolivia would you complain that it doesn't represent
countless nationalites or enjoy that it DOES represent
Bolivian and an Andean culture?
New York genuine you have to be joking. I am sure that New
Yorkers aren't transparent( I hope you understand
sarcasm). No racism in New York? I guess that explains the
cops firing 40 times on an innocent black man just because
his skin color was similar to some perp. Keep your
delusional statements about the south being backwards and
racist to yourself or tell them to that poor man's wife.
If you ask me the Midwest and Northeast could possibly be
the most racist areas. No that's impossible i never saw a
black person in upstate new hampshire or the corn fields or
Iowa. Get the point rich!
Boy, Robert----(1) I active ignored the silliness about
niggardly; (2) "Curious Brit" may be having ajoke with us
(which I suspected) or is simply stiff (3)I live in the
South; (4) you draw all manner of conclusions about racism,
southern culture, etc. which are never mentioned in my
post. I'm sorry if I prefer trading obnoxiousness with New
Yorkers to listening to Southerners congratulate themselves
on their "friendliness" and the "great service" you (don't)
get here. You want to believe this crap, fine.
Although this may (or may not) have been a joke, it was
in a way informational, at least to myself.
-
I am 23 year old male from the Midwest USA and I have never
heard (at least that I am aware of) or knew about this term
niggard which means not being generous with money.
-
From my own personal world travels and the not, I have found
out that although English is English, it still varies quite
a bit depending on what region of the world you are from.
-
This is just one more example of the varying dialect that
the English language has.
-
Although I find it disrespectful and rude that somebody
would try to joke about such a situation, I do applaud that
person for opening my eyes up to learning more about the
differences in the english language itself.
-
Thank you for that eye opening experience. I hope to be
better now because of my increased knowledge of the
language.
TJ
This brit is certainly one racist thug. That word did not
define his way of spending but the race of people
identified. If he hates Blacks he should go to the White
states of New Hampshire and Vermont.