Is stereotyping of Southern small towns just as wrong as stereotyping by race or sexual orientation?

If stereotyping is wrong, then yes, I would say it is equally wrong. I think the point in the south is not that the majority of people hate gay people. I don’t believe, in fact I know not all southerners hate gay people. My experience is the majority of southerners are not hateful towards gay people. The stereotype is if you are going to find people who are against gay rights and to some degree hateful, you are more likely to come across them in the south. Like the man in the video damning them and all nonChristians to hell. The south is part of the bible belt, and the bible belt has more of those types of Christians, it is a statistical fact. But, I don’t think the majority of Christians or southerners are walking aroung saying, or even thinking, gay people should not have their rights protected.

Of course it’s wrong, we’re not all dumb toothless hillbillies that wear over-alls and go barefoot with ten dirty kids trailing behind us. :)

When we start talking about gay rights and animal rights, religion and military actions, it’s just a different culture, we were raised differently and yes, mostly traditionally. At least in my area.

Although the news in this video was phenomenal and showed how many southerners are actually opening their minds and hearts to this gay man (against the Bible by the way), it was done sarcastically and seemed to ridicule them instead of acknowledging how much kindness and love were in their hearts. It was pretty sad, but what do you expect from Mr. Sarcasm.

It would have been interesting to know if those townsmen are ok with gay marriage.

Based on my experiences speaking with gay youth from the “Bible Belt”, it is incredibly difficult to be gay there. Being bullied relentlessly, rejected by parents, and forced to try and “convert” and “repent” your homosexuality are commonplace from the gay youth that I have spoken to from there. Being raised to think homosexuality is wrong might justify not immediately accepting your child’s orientation. But it does not justify treating them like garbage. Based on that, I think that some of my stereotypes are at least partly accurate. And I don’t have a lot of respect for people who make life so difficult for other people that way. That said, anything that defies negative stereotypes is a positive thing.

Stereotypes often serve no purpose but close your mind off from getting to know other people. Some stereotypes might save your life. I can’t write off all stereotyping as One Big Negative that easily.

Equally as wrong? No comparison – the stereotyping of small Southern towns has neither a history of nor a conceivable future that results in a high incidence of hate crime. When was the last time anyone heard of someone being strung up or dragged or beaten – or any of the other horrible shit that’s been done to black people and gay people – because he was a Southern good ole boy? Stereotyping Southerners is a shitty but relatively harmless mental problem.

Stereotypes are equally wrong in general.

The place it changes so that one type may be worse than another is when that stereotype affects how others treat a person within the realm of equal rights, legal biases etc. etc. It’s when those things are perpetuated in order to benefit one group over another that those things become more wrong vs. less wrong.

Generally, with regard to equality or putting one group above another in regard to rights – I don’t think that the “good-ole-boys” are lacking in benefit when we consider the more marginalized groups like people of color or the LGBT community.

@wildpotato Doesn’t it depend what the stereotype is? My people were led to the ovens, but if someone throws out a stereotype of Jews being cheap it doesn’t conjure up gas chambers in my mind. If I see a swastika it does, or even a confederate flag freaks me out, and I am sure for black people that is a reminder of the slave days and KKK. Southerners get pretty upset about being stereotyped as racist, they feel they live with that stereotype even if they personally have never done or thought anything racist. I don’t think they feel it is a harmless stereotype.

Unless the stereotype is directly related to something that is a reminder of a past or current situation that caused the group harm, I can’t see how your reasoning applies.

@JLeslie Agreed. As I wrote above, the one stereotype has drastically worse consequences than the other. To use your example, the stereotype of our people as less than animals is way more harmful than the stereotype of our people as cheap. There is an inequality between the two, in terms of harm done and potential for harm being done. What I’m saying is, no one ever has been or will ever be treated as badly for simply being a Southerner, racist or not, as certain members of the black community or the gay commutiny have been treated.

I can definitely see @wildpotato & @Jenniehowell‘s point about the level of harm done by various stereotypes differing. Lots of people think of football players as generally a bunch do dumb jocks, even though some have been brilliant. Myron Rolle ended up a Rhodes Scholar. So the stereotype doesn’t hold true, but it certainly doesn’t do the harm that white supremacy or anti-semitism have done.

I have to confess that having been born and reared in the South, and knowing a lot of good people there, I just wanted to share this video because it warmed my heart to see all those hillbillies (self confessed) judging their mayor on the job he was doing and not his gender preference in a lover.

Given the conversation above, I wonder if we could all agree to this: stereotyping small Southern towns is equally wrong, but it is not equally harmful. Thus some stereotypes and prejudicial behavior are worse than others, but that does not excuse any of it.

@SavoirFaire I am totally ready to agree to that. Thanks for a great answer.

@SavoirFaire GA.