2016 Postmortem

starroute

(12,977 posts)

10. How can you say *anything* about the South without talking about poverty?

Mon Jan 14, 2013, 02:52 PM

Jan 2013

I am getting so sick and tired of "cultural" explanations that ignore economic realities.

Since the Civil War, the South has been the poorest area of the country. The hints of liberalization in the 70s and 80s went along with an apparent trend to catch up economically -- but now that's all come to a grinding halt.

Even the "alienation" of the South -- and its passion for fundamentalism and conspiracy theories -- is not some weird psychological manifestation. It's a direct consequence not only of poverty but of the destruction of its traditional small town and rural way of life, without the payoff that was supposed to come from urbanization.

Deal with poverty and you might just have a hope of addressing the real issues. Ignore it, and the problems are hopeless.

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SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT: a large historical shift is under way [View all] DonViejo Jan 2013 OP

The Union should never have abandoned Reconstruction and allowed Jim Crow, even if the South leveymg Jan 2013 #1

The Reconstruction went all wrong. Jackpine Radical Jan 2013 #2

I read the history books a little differently. leveymg Jan 2013 #8

+++1 patrice Jan 2013 #3

All the planters should have been executed and the land redistributed... Odin2005 Jan 2013 #16

Executed? Even li'l old me? leveymg Jan 2013 #17

great point, Reconstruction stop, stopped social progress in its tracks.South 'reenslaved' the free Sunlei Jan 2013 #19

This is all well and good, but what's the solution? According to the article... Moonwalk Jan 2013 #4

What do we do? We wait, because the South (and America) is CHANGING Demo_Chris Jan 2013 #6

thanks for the laugh nt msongs Jan 2013 #9

The South is changing RobertEarl Jan 2013 #11

Well. The article does close with the suggestion that the South should reclaim traits that patrice Jan 2013 #7

The south is not "courteous" at it's core. Dawson Leery Jan 2013 #15

So a "pinko" is now a just right of center Republican? yellowcanine Jan 2013 #5

How can you say *anything* about the South without talking about poverty? starroute Jan 2013 #10

The article mentioned the South's aversion to unionization. Aristus Jan 2013 #13

I agree totally. Third Doctor Jan 2013 #20

kick samsingh Jan 2013 #12

Lincoln's great error! Dawson Leery Jan 2013 #14

DeNazification? leveymg Jan 2013 #18

It's a fair comparison. Dawson Leery Jan 2013 #21

The Nazis learned much of their "race theory" from the American eugenics movement leveymg Jan 2013 #22