Southern Vs. Yankee

Having been one of only two members of my family to have been born and raised in the South, I feel that I have developed a strange duality of character, as the two cultures, while having definate similarities also have sometimes stark differences that vary to degree.

Here is a list of scenarios/and contrasts that may illustrate:

Opening doors for strangers- Southern folk will almost invariably open or hold doors for strangers/women, Yankees, in contrast, see this as something that is reserved for friends, family or women that they are dating. If a Yankee was to hold a door for a unknown man it might be seen as challenging his manhood. If he held it for a unknown woman it would be seen as coming on to her or challenging her independance, either way, he might get kicked in the nuts.
There are -of course- exceptions.

Joking around- Southern folk often make jokes about one another and/ or their mothers. A little poking fun is often reciprocated with no hard feelings on the part of either party. Yankees, on the other hand, generally either get their feelings deeply hurt or simply want to kick the ass of anyone that would make such comments or jibes, ass kicking being seen as the more obvious choice.

Social politics- Southern people will often smile and be gentile around people that they simply cannot stand, often hanging out with them and being friendly to their faces only to announce their displeasure with the folk and what they hate about them as soon as they leave the room, this is considered being "nice".
Yankees, however, don't usually follow this practice, choosing to either leave the room, not talk to the other fellow at all, or if the other person has committed some act or said something about them, confront the person and get all up in their shit.

Discussion of troubles- Southern folk will often tell each other stories about their childhoods, relationships, infirmaties and other concerns. Yankees, on the other hand, see this as an admission of inferiority rather than a sharing of the human experiance. For example, a Southerner might share the fact that he's worried about the outcome of a medical test with an aquaintance; a Yankee wouldn't dream of you even thinking he might be in some way impared unless he had something to gain by your knowing.

Trust- Most Southerners will trust a stranger to do the right thing in most circumstances, like turn in a lost possesion or watch their stuff for a couple of minutes. Southerners even leave their cars running when they run into a convenience store for a pack of smokes or some change for the paperbox. Yankees, on the other hand see this kind of thing as foolishness, feeling no pity when things go awry for these folks.

Lending a helping hand- Most people of Southern raising will do what they can to help out a fellow human. They'll jump start cars, loan money, help pick up spilled items in the parking lot, loan tools and give advice. Southerners will also gladly accept help in situations where they need it. Yankees, in contrast, often regard offers of help from strangers as pity, and might even get offended if they feel the offer is unwarranted, challenges their pride or makes them feel incapable. As far as giving help goes, they're not heartless bastards, but they usually see one's problems as being of one's own making and giving of something with nothing in return as being taken advantage of.

Of course these examples do not apply to all Southerners or Yankees, and the metropoliztion of the South and subsequent homogenization of American culture have led to a mixing of practices and customs..Yankees eat grits and Southerners eat rubarb pie now too.