It has got to be the Drawl

I obviously know that the portrayal of southerners as being stupid is completely false; however, I must admit that the southern drawl plays right along with that misconception. The drawl, to me, is like music to my ears. I always love hearing a heavy country accent telling a hunting story or talking of family. The sing-song flow and slow presentation put me at ease and massage my calloused ears of their eighteen year exposure to the sharp northern tone.
However, this slow beautiful presentation can at times present the deliverer as being precisely that; slow. The same can be said about northern families that live in the country as well. Their thick accents convey a feeling of ignorance and lack of education. Blue collar comedy isn’t just making fun of southern rednecks, but northern rednecks as well! Some may think that camouflage clothing, heavy accents, and a reputation of below average schooling is a stereotype confined to the south, but I can absolutely state the opposite. Books such as, You Know You’re a Redneck If… and 1001 Ways to Use Duck Tape poke fun at northern redneck stereotypes as well. So although I believe that the drawl adds to the stereotype of southern stupidity, the northern brogue elicits similar judgements.
-Jordan Conant