Both of my parents were born and raised in Ohio, and it is still where a lot of my family lives and where I have spent extended amounts of my childhood. For the past 17 years, I have resided in various parts of Tennessee, however, my familial upbringing has caused me to have a more “northern” outlook and lifestyle. There are many traits I have acquired that are more characteristic of these roots, which many of my friends down South simply do not understand. I have yet to meet a fellow Tennessean that shares my frustrations of the disproportionate amount of sweet to unsweet tea in fast food establishments south of the Mason-Dixon line.
Recently, through a turn of events, I have decided to move back to Ohio for my last year of high school and collegiate career. As the word started to spread around to my friends, I received an influx of questions. "How can you live there when it’s such a cold wasteland?" "People aren’t very close with their families there, right?" "Are people in the North really set in their old ways?" So I figured that I should address some of these northern stereotypes.
We care about family and our relationships just as much as those in the South. I understand that southerners have taken a claim stake in their family ideals and hospitable manners. However, in my experience, I have found that this is not solely prevalent in the southern states. I myself come from a very large family. I talk to my cousins almost every day, and I receive pictures from my aunts at least once a week to keep me updated to keep me updated on the youngest of the Mushett clan.
We are not all city-dwelling liberals. As a matter of fact, I have come in contact with far more Democrats in Tennessee than in Ohio. Some people believe that the north is a booming metropolis full of large cities and industrialization, the converse of their southern neighbors. That being said, the North also carries a connotation of being predominantly left wing. Both of these beliefs have truths and fallacies to them. There are many heavy industries that originated in the Union states, but it is often overlooked that there are many rural areas and farmland in the New English area. There are many northern hunters and agrarians just as there are in the south.
Finally, let us further address the sweet tea issue. I won’t lie—most people that I have met in Ohio are slightly disgusted by the taste of sweet tea. That’s not to say that there are not a few who have developed a pallet for the sugary drink, but a vast majority of us Yankees do not share the same affection that southerners do. I will admit many stereotypes are derived from a certain amount of truth, but keep in mind that there always exceptions and oversights. I have an affection for both areas of the United States and love both sides’ quirks and uniqueness.
