DARE TO ASK: Men from the South: Dangerous?

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

Movies portray Southern men as potentially dangerous. Images of evil sheriffs and psychopathic swamp dwellers come to mind whenever I'm south of Peoria. The stereotype is definitely out there. I'd love to hear from others about it.

Tom, 42, white, Wheaton, Ill.

Replies

When people hear a Southern accent, the person's IQ drops 50 points in their estimation. If you need a villain, why not pick someone who likes doing things a little slower, speaks funny and has different cultural sensitivities? It plays into the old fear that if someone is different, they are wrong and potentially evil.

Sheila, 39, white, Jacksonville

The South has long been one of the most dangerous parts of the country for anyone who isn't white. Nowhere else have I had more drunken idiots threaten me. Until your average white Southerner is more like Jimmy Carter than Zell Miller, I'll be thankful I live in a part of the South that's nothing like the rest of it.

A., male, San Antonio, Texas

There are some mean, small-minded people in the South. They are few and far between. If you want a fight, go in those little country honky-tonks. [But] as far as rednecks, I have met them in Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Colorado, New York ...

Mark, Crossville, Tenn.

Expert says

Don't head-butt the messenger, but it may be true that Southern males are more likely than your average Vermont office clerk to open up a can of whup-ass on somebody who crosses them.

University of Michigan social psychologist Richard Nisbett, a native Southerner and author of Culture of Honor (Westview Press), says his studies show Southerners are more apt to use violence when insulted or threatened. That translates to homicide rates in small Southern communities triple that of, say, New England.

What's behind it?

The North was settled chiefly by English and German farmers, the South by herdsman from Scotland and Ireland, says Nisbett, who speculates herding people were "tough guys" whose entire wealth was at stake if their animals weren't protected.

"You took a stance that said, 'Look at me cross-eyed and you're a dead man.' Also, Southern kids were ... taught to strike back at bullies, to make sure people don't truck with you."

That all carried over to present-day attitudes, he said.

"The only objections [to his conclusions] come from politically correct Northerners who want to protect Southerners. But Southerners know exactly what I'm talking about. [They] regard Northerners as wimps."

"Honor violence" may be fading, however, with some evidence that Southerners overestimate the extent to which other Southerners endorse physical force, Nisbett added.

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers, or mail to Phillip Milano, c/o The Florida Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Include contact information.