# Regional stereotypes within your own country...



## albondiga

Some of the discussion on my other thread about who different countries target in jokes about "stupid" people has moved into discussion of this very different topic, which I also find interesting, and which I think deserves its own thread...  Please note that I am interested as much in "positive" stereotypes and "negative" ones, as you will see from my examples...

I think the concept of regional stereotypes is less developed and less sharp in the US than elsewhere, probably because most of our cities or regions do not date back to an age sufficient for these to have developed...  Likewise, most regions of the Unites States have never really been separate from each other since the European conquest, unlike the regions of many other countries which had long histories before being united in modern nation-states...  for example, Florida's demographics have changed more than Catalunya's in the last 500 years, and the average Catalan probably is far more likely to have ancestors from Catalunya 500 years ago than the average Floridian is to have ancestors from Florida 500 years ago, and Catalunya's regional identity within Spain is stronger than Florida's within the US...  So stereotypes about Floridians have not had the same opportunity to ingrain themselves in our minds...

We do have some regional stereotypes... Californians are seen as laid-back, Southerners are seen as friendly (and laid-back as well, since of course everyone is seen as laid-back relative to those from the Northeast), New Yorkers are seen as rude... but I have little or no particular preconceptions about someone coming from most major American cities, e.g., Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia (except as relates to their sports fans!)

By contrast, I have heard that in some countries, including Morocco and Iran, certain cities (e.g., Fes, Meknes, Marrakesh, or Shiraz, Isfahan, Tehran) are almost synonymous with certain traits (e.g., sophistication, greed, intelligence, etc.), though I can't remember among those examples which is which... those stereotypes have had many centuries to develop and be reinforced...

Likewise, I would imagine that similar regional stereotypes exist in modern "nation-states" that in reality are comprised of the territories of previously distinct entities (e.g., in modern-day France, Germany, and many others)...

here is an example from the other thread, from *Heidita *about what she has heard in Spain (in the context of who they joke about): 





> Catalans being very mean and tight fisted; basques being brutes; Madrileños being chulos; Andalusian being lazy


Of course, I am _not _particularly interested in this thread to hear simply who you joke about, but to know in a more general sense what traits (positive or negative) people associate with different regions or cities within your own country... as before, any historical or sociocultural context greatly appreciated...


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## invictaspirit

The are more complicated regional and city rivalries in England but that would take the rest of the thread.  

The over-arching one is simply North vs. South.

*What Southerners think of Northerners and the North:*
old-fashioned, boring, miserable, sexually-repressed, racist, depressed, silent, always whining, lazy, drunk, aggressive/violent, it's always raining, awful beer

*What Northerners think of Southerners and the South:*
loud, flashy, brash, cocky, arrogant, talk too much, effeminate men, can't handle their beer, rich, posh, too influenced by other Europeans/French/Continental, faddy, too expensive, awful beer

*What Southerners think of themselves and the South:*
happy, confident, go-getting, hard-working, progressive, open, broad-minded, ambitious, clever, sunny, cultured, where everything 'is', 

*What Northerners think of themelves and the North:*
honest, hard-working, romantic about the past, genuine, 'real' men/women, tough, humorous, had-it-tough, stoical, friendly, kind, practical, innovative

There is more history to this than you can shake a stick at. Some put it down to the 'Danelaw' line that seperated the development of the two Englands during the Danish/Viking occupation/settlement. Others point to the cultural and economic differences between the two regions which were immense. The South worked in offices and the North bashed metal and mined coal. These differences are far less noticeable now.


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## Toepicker

The British, and here I include the Welsh, Irish, Scots and the English have got a whole encyclopaedia of petty prejudices against their fellow citizens, They are clearly ridiculous, and for the most part not taken seriously, although it is amazing how these sentiments persist. A few examples:

*Inhabitants of Liverpool* (Scousers, Liverpudlians) are supposed to have a quick-witted sense of humour, but on the darker side are also criticised for being wingers/moaners/complainers, or worse, light-fingered/thieves

*Yorkshire people* *and the Scots* are supposed to be very mean/tight-fisted

*Southerners* are considered unfriendly and 'don't smile or let on/say hello' to strangers.

*Northerners* are considered to be rough and even vulgar by certain southerners. My cousin, from Manchester who stayed in London whilst at college was told by his landlady that Northerners found it very difficult to learn foreign languages because of the way they talk!!!

*The Welsh* are considered clan-ish by the English, who accuse them of deliberately speaking Welsh when an English person is present. However the Welsh are also supposed to have amazing singing abilities!

*The Irish* are both friendly and 'thick' according to traditional English stereotyping of our neighbours in the Emerald isle.

Incredibly, my fellow *Mancunians* with strong accents are referred to as 'Scallies' by other Mancunians, and are considered to be rough, uneducated and liable to mug you!

Aren't we a small minded bunch?!! And I haven't even started to talk about what the English think of their cousins in Europe and America......!

I would like to hear other peoples views. I think this could be a long night!

Regards.


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## emma42

I broadly agree with invictaspirit's overview.

Here is the view of Nottingham (East Midlands, central England):

*Liverpool *(nickname for residents - Scousers) - friendly, humorous, musical, family-orientated, loud, quick-tempered, liable to steal anything that isn't nailed down.

*Newcastle-upon-Tyne* (nickname - Geordies) - friendly, loyal, family-orientated, football mad, heavy drinking, unfriendly, insular, socialist, sexist, racist, homophobic.

*London *(nickname - Cockneys) (this generally only refers to white English Londoners) - family-orientated, criminal, gangsters, loud, arrogant, unfriendly, effeminate (the men), rich, posh, snobbish.

*Any other town, city or village in the East Midlands *- (nickname - various, none pleasant) - rubbish.

*The Welsh *(nickname - Taffys) - sheep-shaggers.


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## albondiga

Emma: the Geordies are both friendly and unfriendly?


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## tvdxer

Southerners are seen as backwards, racist (if white), and clinging to the confederacy.

Californians are a bunch of laid-back surfers.

New Yorkers are rude and constantly in a rush.

Wisconsinites drink a ton of beer and eat a lot of cheese.

Minnesotan people talk with sing-song accents and have "Minnesota nice".

New England folk are civilized, orderly people who are short on words.

Seattle (and perhaps those from other parts of the Pacific Northwest) are chain-smoking, coffee-addicted depressed grunge-music listeners.

Most San Franciscans are either gays or hippes.  To the south of San Francisco, in the "Silicon Valley", region, however, you'll find (according to the stereotype) countless overnight millionaires who cashed in on the popularity in computers and the internet, and others who went broke with dot-com crash.

Angelenos (those from Los Angeles) are hopelessly shallow and drive everywhere on extremely clogged freeways.

Chicagoans talk with nasal accents.

Hawaiians all wear "Aloha" shirts and say "Aloha".  

Alaskans are mostly bush pilots who live outside of civilization.

Those living in the "heartland" (center of the country, states like IA, KS, MO, IN, etc.) are practical, pragmatic common-sense farmers who don't care much for change.

West Virginians are impoverished hicks who live in squalor and play banjos.

Texans like everything huge: huge steaks, huge cars, huge ranches, and a huge state.  They are also very proud of their state in a way rarely seen in the rest of the country.  I've heard people call Bavaria "the Texas of Germany".

Most Floridians are above 65 and from other states.  Perhaps the same with Arizona too.  

Everybody speaks Spanish near the U.S. border.

Wyoming and Montanan people are cowboys and cowgirls.


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## emma42

Yes, albondiga.  You asked for both positive and negative stereotypes and often they are contradictory.  For example, the Irish are seen as being both stupid, and literary.


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## emma42

That's true about people from New England.  Except Massachusetts.  Pardon the spelling, if necessary!

(I have, of course, met EVERYBODY in New England, including Massachusetts).


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## ronanpoirier

Well here's the situation as I see in Brazil:

*Rio Grande do Sul* - men are gay, women are beautiful, strong people, very patriotic about their own state, not the country at all!
*Santa Catarina* - everybody is dumb.
*Rio de Janeiro* - women are... well... easy.
*Bahia *- everybody's lazy.
*Amazônia *- everybody's indian.
*Minas Gerais *- everybody loves cheese.
*Acre* - does it really exist? (That was what my friends and I said when we meet this guy and this girl from Acre).

Sorry I can't write anything else. That's just what comes to my mind. There are not really good things pointed out. Why bother with the good things if we've got bad ones? Poor human race...
I hope someone comes up with good things /o/


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## emma42

Could there be a connection between Wisconsinites and people from Minas Gerais?  What's this alleged cheese obsession all about?


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## ronanpoirier

Minas Gerais is known by its "queijo de Minas", that's why it's said people over there love cheese.


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## emma42

!Ah! Entiendo ahora.  Gracias, ronan.  Sorry, can't write Portuguese.


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## albondiga

*tvdxer*: good summary of the US stereotypes, but you left out the New Jersey "greaseballs," the Utah polygamists... and you know there are some nasty stereotypes about Arkansans eek:... but I'll try to keep this relatively PG-rated)...

*Ronan*: but I bet that in MG they don't wear big foam cheese wedges on their heads at football games like our Wisconsonites! (or do they?)


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## tvdxer

albondiga said:


> *tvdxer*: good summary of the US stereotypes, but you left out the New Jersey "greaseballs," the Utah polygamists... and you know there are some nasty stereotypes about Arkansans eek:... but I'll try to keep this relatively PG-rated)...
> 
> *Ronan*: but I bet that in MG they don't wear big foam cheese wedges on their heads at football games like our Wisconsonites! (or do they?)



Yes I did!

I forgot...yes, Utah people are all hardcore Mormon polygamists.  

And (Northern) New Jersey...they're all third-generation Sicilians whose fathers are Mafiosos and mothers mob wives.  Like the Sopranos.


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## serg79_

invictaspirit said:


> *What Northerners think of themelves and the North:*
> honest, hard-working, romantic about the past, genuine, 'real' men/women, tough, humorous, had-it-tough, stoical, friendly, kind, practical, innovative


That seems more like a Southerner's idea of what Northerners think of themselves and the North .



invictaspirit said:


> There is more history to this than you can shake a stick at. Some put it down to the 'Danelaw' line that seperated the development of the two Englands during the Danish/Viking occupation/settlement. Others point to the cultural and economic differences between the two regions which were immense. The South worked in offices and the North bashed metal and mined coal. These differences are far less noticeable now.


I don't think the North-Side divide in England has anything to do with the Danelaw line, because that went from the Thames to the Mersey (see this map) and so included part of London, Essex, East Anglia, East Midlands, etc. 
It's a popular misconception that just "the North" was ruled by Vikings, though, possibly because it suggests some kind of ethnic difference between the Northern and Southern English, which must have been a nice bit of propaganda when most of the downtrodden working class was from the North.



invictaspirit said:


> The South worked in offices and the North bashed metal and mined coal.


I know you were just generalising there, but obviously there was heavy industry in the South too, as well as office workers in the North.
What's more, the most deprived areas in the UK have usually been in London.

In my opinion, the North-South divide as we know it today probably started with the Industrial Revolution.


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## emma42

Remember we are talking about stereotypes here, not necessarily forer@s personal views.

I agree with you, serg, the North/South divide is about heavy industry.


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## übermönch

Stereotypes are quite severe here in the Rhine valley. We've got the ill-temered, rude, proud Bavarians or the ridiculous,stupid Frisians and a couple of other traits bound to Swabians, Saxons, Frankons and all other 'tribes' of Germany; but the strongest division is that between the former GDR,  and the "old states" - the latter being called "Wessies", the first "Ossies". Half-a-century in completely different soceities led to great differences in mentality. There are lots of severe stereotypes - none of them positive. 
There's joke about describing the differences without insulting anyone:

*Ossies *are the people of former GDR in the new terretories of FRG who inherited all the joyfulness, sincerness, good manners, tolerance and humanty of the life in a cozy socialist heaven.

*Wessies *are the superior people of the old states of FRG, who *do* have better cars, more brains, a lot of inresistable charme and much bigger dicks.

Nowadays it isn't as severe as it was in the nineties, but still stronger then the 'old' regional stereotypes. Question wether one is Ossi or Wessi by any chance aren't that uncommon.


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## Chaska Ñawi

Well, working from east to west, the Canadian stereotypes are:

Newfoundlanders are impoverished ex-fishermen who mostly have moved or are in the process of moving to the Alberta oil patch.  Those who stay at home have nightly kitchen parties.

Nova Scotians are fisherfolk who only get their roads maintained if they voted for the governing party.  They eat lobster every night for dinner.

All females under 30 years in Prince Edward Island have red pigtails and freckles.  All males wear suspenders and straw hats.  Everybody still travels by horse and buggy.

New Brunswick is a place people drive through on their way to Prince Edward Island or Alberta.

Quebecois don't speak English and want to separate from Canada.  They smoke and drink more than the rest of us, and have a more relaxed lifestyle.

Ontarians all live in Toronto.  They eschew public transport, preferring to drive their SUVs directly to their corporate offices.  They do not car pool.

In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, everybody is Metis or Ukrainian and they all learned to drive a combine at six.  Everybody lives in the shadow of a grain elevator.

In Alberta, everybody is a rancher, a cowboy, or a driller/roughneck.  They're all rednecks.  They don't want to share their oil revenues, either.

In British Columbia, they're pot-smoking coffee-drinking tree-hugging vegans OR capitalist loggers.

In the Yukon they're all trappers and gold-miners, and in the Territories they all live in igloos and travel by dog-team.


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## badgrammar

tvdxer said:


> Yes I did!
> 
> I forgot...yes, Utah people are all hardcore Mormon polygamists.
> 
> And (Northern) New Jersey...they're all third-generation Sicilians whose fathers are Mafiosos and mothers mob wives.  Like the Sopranos.



And did we forget Kentucky?  All a bunch of toothless hillbillies in dirty overalls who like to keep marriage in the family? 

Then there's Tennessee...  Anybody for Tennessee?  

But TV, what is "Minnesotta "nice"?  Does that refer to their gentle demeanor?

I agree with everything said about Texas!


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## ireney

I will most certainly not go into list because apart from the North-South, the from Peloponessos -anywhere above of Peloponnessos, from Aegean islands-not from Aegean islands, Ionian islands- not from Ionian Islands, Cretians - Maniates,  Cretians -everyone else , from Asia Minor -not from Asia Minor and some more "a chunk of Greeks vs everyone else or some other chunk of Greeks" we have lots and lots of stereotypes that bring to mind the good old city-state vs city-state days.

Oh I know that neighbouring cities, towns, villages, encampents always have a stereotype for each other but, as I had an opportunity to find out by discussing with non-Greek friends, 
a) it's regional not pan-put-country-of-your-choice-here. You don't have to be from Patra to think that people from Pyrgos are so and so. Everyone thinks that people from Pyrgos are so and so. And the same goes for Patra and too many cities/towns to list here.
b) it doesn't go as far as ours does.


As for history behind most of this stereotyping buisness. well, some actually can really be traced all the way back to ancient or Byzantine times (ot at least the reasons haven't changed all the while). That's the great thing about history you know; having something to argue about with the other Greeks and almost all your neighbouring countries.


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## vlazlo

Californians are weird.
People from the Northwest are tree-hugging hippies.
Floridians are retired yankees.
Texans are blowhards.
People from the North are rude, the food is bad and the men don't know how to treat a lady.
Southerners are racist hicks.
New Yorkers are all foreigners or second generation Americans.


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## cuchuflete

Provincial view from the far northeast....

Californians put mayonaise and sprouts on everything, except on Ahhnolt, who is too weird for taxonomy, but maybe not for taxidermy.

Massachusetts isn't really part of New England, except for the Pats and Sox, and Connecticut is the deep south.  It must be pretty awful, because as soon as people from CT retire, they can't wait to get out, and move to coastal Maine.

Places like Philadelphia and Kansas City probably don't really exist—they are just inventions of tax accountants used to incorporate shell companies that buy paper mills here and then shut them down.

Prince Edward Island and North Dakota are full of good people who would fit in very well around here.

New Hampshire is the place to go to buy cheap cigarettes.


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## emma42

May I just confirm, for the Brits, that Californians put _bean_ sprouts on everything?  "Sprouts" mean something else around here.


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## ElaineG

emma42 said:


> May I just confirm, for the Brits, that Californians put _bean_ sprouts on everything? "Sprouts" mean something else around here.


 

Yes, but what are sprouts by you?


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## emma42

"Brussels sprouts" - loved by many, detested by many.  Known in Nottingham as, "knobby greens"!


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## ElaineG

Ah, I see. No, even Californians are not wierd enough to put Brussel sprouts on all their sandwiches (don't give them any ideas  ).


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## elpoderoso

emma42 said:


> *London *(nickname - Cockneys) (this generally only refers to white English Londoners) - family-orientated, criminal, gangsters, loud, arrogant, unfriendly, effeminate (the men), rich, posh, snobbish.


 
I must say i've never heard of Cockneys being posh, people from Kensington or wherever yes, but not people from the East End.

i've a group to add, midlanders (birmingham, wolverhampton etc) considered to be dull and stupid ,though i think a lot of this is just down to their accents.


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

Well, time for a native Spanish speaker to say something!

You know, there are many, many stereotypes of the sort all over Venezuela. I don't personally agree with most of them, but this is what most people think and say around here. I'll list just a few, for you to get a slight idea.

*-City people, mainly Caraqueños (from Caracas) and Valencianos (from the center of Valencia):* Always in a hurry, always talking by the cellphone, always on a beauty saloon (males & females as well!), always smoking (especially youngsters), crash every possible party, "sifrinos" (that's like "sibaritas" or "nariz-parada"), go "wild-wild-wild" on friday nights, very violent when getting on/off the public transportation (especially subway trains), chauvinist guys and easy (not to say "b*tch") women. On the other hand, hardworking, cheery, neat-and-tidy on their physical appearance, keeping-up-the-smile, "echa'os pa'lante" (that is, willing and capable of facing every problem).

-*Maracuchos (from Maracaibo)*: Proud, proud, proud. People say they want to emancipate from the rest of the country, since they're so self-sufficient! Loud-speakers (shouters would fit better), drunkards, goat-eaters, fat (males), temperamental, really crazy drivers, men cheat on their wives all the time, noisy, and everything associated to 'messy'. On the other hand, they're thought of as the happiest people in the world, and believed to have a bulletproof will. Their houses are painted in all possible colors, are very devoted to the Chiquinquirá virgin, can't speak without making everybody laugh, have invented the typical christmas-time music of the nation and some of the most delicious national recipes too.

-*Orientales (all over the East Coast):* Fishermen, mainly. Fast speakers (not even Uzi's are that fast!), suntan skinned (from brows to toes), fish and coconut eaters, reserved and shy in public, have no idea about cellphones or PC's, don't talk about anything but the weather or fish (or fishing on this weather), and eat everything fried and/or with tons of salt. On the other hand, have the funniest sayings, natural born artesans (very skilled with the hands), traditional musicians, smart in a non-conventional way, nicely reserved and family keepers (not sure how to convey this idea in English)

*-Llaneros (from the Llanos, as the Pampas in Argentina):* The "true Venezuelan people", males are cowboys and women are housekeepers. Joropo lovers, rudimentary on their manners, despise all kind of foreigns and city guys, traditionalists to the MAX!, chauvinists to the MAX!, superstitious to the MAX!, meat eaters to the MAX!, tough guys to the MAX!..., well, everything they are and do is usually taken to the max. Probably, they invented the sentences "macho es macho", and "boys don't cry". On the other hand, generous, very hospitable, strong enough to deal with the _*really*_ tough lifestyle in the Llanos, bold and brave in the good way, nature lovers. They're great horse riders and love playing dominó, bolas criollas and toros coleados. Guys say that a llanera is the best wife you could have, but I don't know that for sure! 

-*Andinos (called 'Gochos' by everybody else...):* Everybody takes them for fools. They're thought of as an illiterate, sexually-restrained, shy, toothless, and ingnorant bunch of people. There are many jokes about "gochos" going 'round. On the other hand, they are very, very nice, gentle, respectful and hospitable (Mérida is called "the city of gentlemen"). Most of them are all artesans, very gifted on typical (traditional) arts of all kinds. Almost everybody can raise all kind of earth-grown edibles.

Well, I could keep on and on, but that would take the rest of the thread (diversity is the strongest suit of my people  )

Any Venezuelan around, to pick up where I stopped? Remember, it's just stereotypes, paradigms...


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## maxiogee

The author and bad-boy Brendan Behan tells of the time his grandmother was offered rehousing by Dublin City Corporation. They were trying to demolish the old inner-city slums and move the people out to new suburbs.
When she asked where they were proposing to send her, she was told "Crumlin, Mrs Behan."
To this she is reported to have said "I couldn't go to Crumlin, sure they eat their young out there!"
Crumlin would have been about three miles from the Behan home. Three longitudinal miles, but hundreds of bigotry miles.

So yous'll all understand if I don't go into the particulars of regional stereotypes in Ireland - they are too many and too varied. And anyway I'm too busy, I don't like the look of those people across the street.


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## emma42

*


elpoderoso said:



			I must say i've never heard of Cockneys being posh, people from Kensington or wherever yes, but not people from the East End.
		
Click to expand...

*


elpoderoso said:


> Sorry, my post was confusing.  "Cockney" is the only nickname I know for Londoners, and it refers usually to white, working class people.  To be a Cockney, one has to be born within the sound of the church bells of Bow.  However, "Cockney" is often used to refer to anyone from London with a local accent.
> 
> Other stereotypes about Londoners, such as their being rich, posh etc, deal with a separate section of people and would not be referred to as Cockneys.
> 
> I hope I haven't confused things more!


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## invictaspirit

emma42 said:


> *
> 
> 
> elpoderoso said:
> 
> 
> 
> I must say i've never heard of Cockneys being posh, people from Kensington or wherever yes, but not people from the East End.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> *
> 
> 
> elpoderoso said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, my post was confusing. "Cockney" is the only nickname I know for Londoners, and it refers usually to white, working class people. To be a Cockney, one has to be born within the sound of the church bells of Bow. However, "Cockney" is often used to refer to anyone from London with a local accent.
> 
> Other stereotypes about Londoners, such as their being rich, posh etc, deal with a separate section of people and would not be referred to as Cockneys.
> 
> I hope I haven't confused things more!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cockneys are 'ard an'll smash yer face in.  Londoners are wealthy, fashion-obsessed, posh and snobbish.  Get the difference?
Click to expand...


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## invictaspirit

serg79_ said:


> That seems more like a Southerner's idea of what Northerners think of themselves and the North .
> 
> 
> I don't think the North-Side divide in England has anything to do with the Danelaw line, because that went from the Thames to the Mersey (see this map) and so included part of London, Essex, East Anglia, East Midlands, etc.
> It's a popular misconception that just "the North" was ruled by Vikings, though, possibly because it suggests some kind of ethnic difference between the Northern and Southern English, which must have been a nice bit of propaganda when most of the downtrodden working class was from the North.
> 
> 
> I know you were just generalising there, but obviously there was heavy industry in the South too, as well as office workers in the North.
> What's more, the most deprived areas in the UK have usually been in London.
> 
> In my opinion, the North-South divide as we know it today probably started with the Industrial Revolution.


 
These aren't my views...just common stereotypes, and I canvassed opinion from Northerners on the characteristics you doubted above, so there!

I was only half-serious about the Danelaw Line.  There has been some seperate historical development, but you're right, the Industrial Revolution and the flourishing of London as a prime international financial market created a lot of the economic/work-related stereotypes in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Boring though it is to say, I think they are vanishing fast.  You can drive for miles in parts of the North without leaving *very* comfortable, fashionable...even slightly poncey! areas such as Cheshire, large tracts of North Yorkshire, parts of Cumbria.  The western suburbs of Sheffield are among the nicest residential areas I have seen anywhere in the world...  These days any of these areas would give uber-southern counties like Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire a very good run for their money in terms of golf, Jags and high-end delis and jewellers on the village green!


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## serg79_

invictaspirit said:


> Boring though it is to say, I think they are vanishing fast. You can drive for miles in parts of the North without leaving *very* comfortable, fashionable...even slightly poncey! areas such as Cheshire, large tracts of North Yorkshire, parts of Cumbria. The western suburbs of Sheffield are among the nicest residential areas I have seen anywhere in the world... These days any of these areas would give uber-southern counties like Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire a very good run for their money in terms of golf, Jags and high-end delis and jewellers on the village green!


Sure, but those places have always been there, same as in the South there are gems like: Slough (Berkshire), Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), Staines (Surrey), Crawley (Sussex), just to name a few famously unfashionable places in the uber-Southern counties you mentioned.

Unfortunately, I still think (based on my personal experience) that lot of people from those counties think of "the North" as something like a huge council estate set amongst grim, foreboding moors, where people eat their young, etc,.


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## KateNicole

Being from Wisconsin, I have found that a surprising amount of people are shocked that we have "fashion" here and think that a considerable percentage of us are farmers or field workers (honestly!)  I have absolutely nothing against farmers, but of the approximately thousand some people I know in Wisconsin, only one owns a farm, and it's a little pumpkin farm with Halloween attractions--no dairy cows! A lot of people from the wealthier areas of Illinois look down on us and think we are poor and have no style or taste.  

When I think of southerners, I think of bad tippers.  When working in a restaurant, I usually cringed when I heard a southern accent, because I usually ended up with a ten percent tip.  They were usually really friendly and complimented me on my great service, but left a ten percent.  Here, we leave 20 percent if we are satisfied.  On the contrary, while living in Wisconsin, I babysat for 4 different families, all from Texas, who payed almost three times more than anyone from Wisconsin, and their kids behaved liked angels and were extremely respectful.

When I compare Wisconsinites to southerners or "coasties" I think we seem much more cold and unfriendly, even if we do have "good, family values."  We're good people, but we just aren't very inviting when compared to other regions.  

I think Wisconities are very honest and hard-working.

Floridians (south Florida, particularly) seem _much _more wild and sexually "open" than anything I've ever witnessed at home in Wisconsin.


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## buddywally

maxiogee said:


> The author and bad-boy Brendan Behan tells of the time his grandmother was offered rehousing by Dublin City Corporation. They were trying to demolish the old inner-city slums and move the people out to new suburbs.
> When she asked where they were proposing to send her, she was told "Crumlin, Mrs Behan."
> To this she is reported to have said "I couldn't go to Crumlin, sure they eat their young out there!"
> Crumlin would have been about three miles from the Behan home. Three longitudinal miles, but hundreds of bigotry miles.
> 
> So yous'll all understand if I don't go into the particulars of regional stereotypes in Ireland - they are too many and too varied. And anyway I'm too busy, I don't like the look of those people across the street.


I think you're right there but you've failed to mention the big one.....
that Dublin people have...everybody that lives outside of Dublin is a "culchie"(thats a simple farmer to for everybody else)...


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## blindsay

What a great thread idea.  So far all have been pretty good.

Here's my Canada

British Columbia -- sushi eating, expresso drinking, cantonese speaking extreme skier lawyers who smoke pot daily, and spend a lot of time in Mexico, somewhere in the mountains of Oaxaca.

Alberta -- filthy rich entreprenuer gun-wielding conservatives who have military aspirations for the rest of Canada.

Saskatchewan -- old school socialist farmers, roughrider fans(Cdn football), and tough Native dudes from Prince Albert.

Manitoba -- progressive descendents of the great Luis Riel. Good municipal governance. Enigmatic but worthy of the highest confidence.

Ontario -- Think they're the centre of the universe, but all want to move to B.C.

Quebec -- loveable separatists. They hate us but we love them. French speaking coffee drinkers who constantly go to art gallery events, which is usually followed by foie gras and poutine, copious amounts of wine drinking, and exotic entertainment. Special ability outside Montreal is to play hockey while smoking.

Prince Edward Island/New Brunswick/Nova Scotia -- Mixed bag of small town fishermen, boozers, fiddlers, and CBC employees.

Newfoundland -- Everyone hammered on screech. Most hours spent debating the pros and cons of moving to Alberta to 'get yer EI hours'. Also reknown as great fiddlers and wonderful hosts.

Yukon Territory -- spruce trees, gold, and drunk prospectors.
Northwest Territories -- Diamond miners from Alberta.
Nunavut -- Great Inuit homeland.


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## Etcetera

Thank you all, it was definitely the best laugh I've had for a long time.

We in Russia, too, have a lot of funny (and not so funny) prejudices against people from other parts of the country.
We *Petersburgers* are generally considered polite, arrogant, friendly, intelligent, proud, self-confident.
*Muscovites* are proud, rude, and rather impolite (that is, a Muscovite would never let anyone board the train before him, and those who want to _leave_ the train are to wait!)
And *the rest* only dream of moving to the capitals.


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## John-Paul

In the United States there are instances of regional stereoptyping. If one use terms like "Jersey girls" or "Texas red-necks" most people will get the idea. But the stereotypes from the so called "old countries" are still alive as well. Italians are hot-headed, the Irish drink a lot, the Scots are cheap, Polish jokes etc. I'm sure all other non-European immigrants are bringing and sustaining their stereotypes and prejudices as well. So, who  would you date, an Italian Jersey girl or an Irish Jersey girl?


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## badgrammar

I don't know, you could always go for a Jewish Jersey girl...  You're right, we do combine stereotypes...

I have a Dutch friend from somewhere near Utrecht and she says her southern accent is really looked down upon, that Northerners think those from the south are a bunch of red-neck framers.  I was surprised, just because the Netherlands is such a small country!


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

Etcetera said:


> Thank you all, it was definitely the best laugh I've had for a long time.


 
It was?  Then, you'd crack out laughing if you check this one: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=260125.

It's 12 pages long, but I swear I had never laughed so much after a forum!

If you can find the time, check it out.  I'm still around page 8, and my co-workers just started walking around my PC, trying to find out why I was convulsing in here...   

Cheers!


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## albondiga

badgrammar said:


> I have a Dutch friend from somewhere near Utrecht and she says her southern accent is really looked down upon, that Northerners think those from the south are a bunch of red-neck framers.  I was surprised, just because the Netherlands is such a small country!



I also once was given a similar impression by a Dutch girl (from Amsterdam)... I got the impression that there was a huge amount of regional differences in the Netherlands despite the country's small size...  any Dutch people here to enlighten us?


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## castellano

Ups, in Spain this topic seems to have many followers; I'll try to give you all some clues about how we see each other inside Spain, according to the steriotypes and the Spanish regions:

- *Catalans* are said to be greedy, serious peoples, very good at business (this is true) and innovative.

- *Valencia people* are known because they like partying and celebrating.

- the *Aragonese* are said to be a bit stubborn and rude in manners but very honest and good-hearted.

- *Galicians* are said to be people who cannot make up a decision (hesitant), pesimistic and calm.

- *Asturians* are said to be welcoming but changeable (in opinions and mood).

- *Basques* are said to be reliable, hard-working, serious, timid, home-loving people and rude. 

- *Navarre people* are said to be stubborn but loyal and traditional people.

- *Extremadura people* are said to be welcoming, humble and adventurous.

- *Andalusians* are known because they like celebrating and not working, and are said to be witty, funny and with a great artistic sense.

- In *Castile*, we have common stereotypes such as: we are very localist, greedy, a bit wary, hard-working, loyal, narrow-minded, traditional, thrifty, serious, sarcastic and humble.
Inside Castile:
_Cantabrians_ are said to have two faces and to be very witty and hard-working.
_Madrileños_ are said to be arrogant but welcoming and open-minded.
_Manchegos_ are humble, welcoming and a bit crazy.
_Valladolid people_ are said to be very patriotic, serious and not changeable in opinions.

I know I've forgotten some regions and that others may not agree with this, but hope this explanations can help non-Spaniards to know Spain a bit better ^^

Regards.

_*Please, correct my mistakes. Thanks._


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## Lusitania

Well, in Portugal we do have some regional stereoptypes. Mainly a difference between North and South

In the North they call moors to us  (the main city is Lisbon and not Porto, sorry). I never knew the line or frontier where starts the land of the moors for them as it often depends on the person you meet. They still haven't agreed on thar. We call them "ratinhos" as little mice, probably as they are less taller. I'm not sure.  

The people in the north of Portugal are seen as being very nice, open and hard working. And in the south Alentejo as being lazy and there are some jokes about it. People from the Algarve (also in the south) are often called "alentejanos acelerados" as they can be a little less lazy than people from Alentejo.

We don't have any stereotyping about people from Azores or Madeira I think, we just find their accent funny.

Maybe some other portuguese foreros could give another view.

It would be interesting to have a thread on how countries are seen from the outside, by people who visit.


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## Vanest

Hello everyone,

In Ecuador the main stereotypes originate from the Sierra-Costa 'conflict'. 

To the 'serranos' (people from the highlands) the 'monos' (people from the coast) are considered 'monkeys' (which is what 'mono' means). The 'monos' are thought to be loud, extravagant, exhibitionist, party-loving and lazy people. 

To the 'monos', the 'serranos' are hypocritical, shy, introverted, hard-working and sometimes deceitful people. 

Additionally, there are other local stereotypes. For example, the people from Loja think that they speak better Spanish than everybody else in Ecuador... and maybe even in the world. They are also always drinking Cantaclaro, their local 'licor de caña' (sugarcane licquor).

The people from Cuenca talk in a sing-song accent and are always drinking Zhumir Pecho Amarillo, their local 'licor de caña' (sugarcane licquor).

The Cuencanos think the people from Azogues, the capital of Cañar, are very dumb, they like to give the example of a restaurant in Azogues called 'Pollería el Cuy'... a 'pollería' is a restaurant that offers *chicken* and a cuy is a *guinea pig.* Additionally, no one lives in Cañar anymore, they all emigrated to Spain.

The people from Ambato are always drinking Pájaro Azul, their local 'licor de caña' (sugarcane licquor).

The people from Guaranda like to play Carnaval by throwing flour, eggs, sand, dirt, and anything else they can think of at each other. They are proud of their way of celebrating.

The people from Quito, the capital, are not well liked in the rest of the country, due to the 'centralismo capitalino'; everybody claims that all of the money stays in Quito. Additionally, they are always drinking Trópico, their local 'licor de caña' (sugarcane licquor).

And the last one I can think of for now, the people from Vilcabamba live to be 150 years old.


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## John-Paul

albondiga said:


> I also once was given a similar impression by a Dutch girl (from Amsterdam)... I got the impression that there was a huge amount of regional differences in the Netherlands despite the country's small size...  any Dutch people here to enlighten us?



The Netherlands used to be called The United Provinces of the Netherlands. There were 7 provinces who at one time had their own, language, currency, traditions etc. I was born and raised in Groningen, which is in the north. Traveling 25 km east would take me to Friesland, which still has its own language. My grandmother was Frisian, so I'm able to understand it a little bit. Later on the southern provinces were added. These are below the rivers and Catholic, the North is protestant. The cultural divide is still enormous. It's comparible to the American North-South differences. The South is more laid-back, they enjoy life, they're good looking, corrupt, while the people in the North are stingy protestants momentarily represented by our PM Jan-Peter Balkenende (google that guy, you'll see what I mean.)

The Dutch are not unified by culture, we're unified by a language we share and by the water that seems to be gaining on us.


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## cracklintwizzler

Hello all! 

I love this topic and have arguments all the time with my friends about (American) accents and the meanings and such. 

Representing Southeastern US, and letting my Alabama show, I'll list our typical stereotypes of other regions:

*Yankees* usually northeasterners or midwesterners (ohio, illinois, wisconsin)  
They do their vowels weird (pahk = park, nuah = know, etc).  They talk, walk, and do everything too fast.  They are rude and spend money too freely (and are very very rich).  They are very pale skinned because they never go outside and enjoy sunlight.  They are ritzy and put on airs and are generally more trendy.

*Californians* the Pacific Northwest and Northern California 
They are liberal eco-nazis.

*Westerners* texas (the south doesn't consider texas to be part of it, northerners!), the southwest, the west, and Southern California
They wear cowboy hats and ride horses.  They eat beans and steak in large proportions.  They all speak Spanish.  Utah is for Mormans where every man has 20 wives. Idaho makes potatoes.  

*Mid-Westerners* pretty state specific
Oklahoma is nothing but dirt.
Iowa and Nebraska are made of corn.
Arkansas and Missouri are not southern, but almost. They are hicks.

*Other* 
Montana, wyoming, colorado, and minnesota are all unexplored territory with no civilization whatsoever.

*The South/Dixie* (as we feel viewed by other regions especially the north)
We get made fun of for our "Southern Drawls", mostly for the use of "ya'll" and "ain't".  We're viewed to be very ignorant farmer-types.  We're white supremisits and die hard Protestants.  We're rednecks and hillbillies and are quite inbred.  And we always feel left out of National affairs, but we sort of like it that way.

Now within the south, there are even more.  Alabamians differ from Floridians who differ from Mississippians who differ from people from Georgia, but this would take pages upon pages to explain.  I know it's the same way for the Northeast and I'm sure for other regions; I've just never lived there to know.  

 I could just go on and on and on...! haha.


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