edit: seems like some people interpret “full of” as a mathematical majority which, while it may or might not be true instance to instance, isn’t my intent in posting
feel free to swap in “has a lot of” if that’s more familiar language to you :)
Eh… I live in the cousin-fuckingly-deep South. In a city, and I work in a hospital, so I think it’s pretty safe to say this is one of the more left leaning bubbles within a hundred miles. …and there are still a fuckton of Nazis here.
There are absolutely decent people trapped here, but we’re legit outnumbered. It isn’t just gerrymandering or some shitty system at fault: the majority of southerners are just fucking evil.
There’s always some thinly veiled excuse - “We don’t hate women, we just want to protect the babies!” “We don’t hate immigrants, we just want to protect our jobs!” “We don’t hate trans people, we just want to protect our bathrooms!” but when you hear them talk amongst themselves about those people it’s pretty clear they really do just hate them.
Most southerners are sincerely not good people.
There are absolutely decent people trapped here, but we’re legit outnumbered. It isn’t just gerrymandering or some shitty system at fault: the majority of southerners are just fucking evil.
This. I remember moving from a conservative area in a border state, to the South for a short time, and being absolutely floored by the things that were quite openly said and laughed about. And I was no wilting violet, I was already quite used to hearing vile shit.
“Every population is secretly filled with our allies!” is delusional.
“Exceptions to the rule” were so ingrained in every one when I lived in the south that it was impossible to have a decent conversation about anything.
My gay cousin is fine, but gay people…
My best friend from high school, who is black, is fine, but black people are…
My abortion was necessary but abortion at large is wrong…
My trans child needs gender affirming care but…
My Latino workers are upstanding people but Latinos are…
My EBT/Snap benefits are deserved but people on welfare…
My drug use is fine and doesn’t harm anyone but…
I mean, I know this is a general human trait, but it felt almost institutionalized to a point where people could say incredibly horrible shit about people and then deftly sidestep the contradiction when called out. It really did feel like being in a fever dream (and not from the crippling humidity and heat).
