Southeast prep/WASP culture

[Anonymous]

This forum has been the best ever! I just moved to DC after living in Raleigh, NC for 8 yrs. Race is always a factor...always, but class can be a serious equalizer. Being black, I appreciated when people came right out with their truth. Some I met had never,EVER had a conversation with a educated black person. Low and behold when you actually talk with someone you find out skin color is just that, something that makes my outward appearance different than yours. Many were surprised at how much we had in common. My daughter attended a private school and eventually the request for play dates came up. I realized the true character of people when there was reciprocity. It's easy to invite the only black girl in your school to your house, much harder to go to the black girl's house. It was a eye opening experience as to how many people truly live in a all-white bubble. But honestly the segregation and bigoted attitudes in the Northeast and South don't differ much. Northeast folks like to say they are liberal, but let someone of color move into their neighborhood.....oh how quick they change.

[Anonymous]

This thread is disgusting. You could cut the irony with a knife.

[Anonymous]

Now I'm curious. Can people recommend any movies or TV shows that are basically all about Southern bro/ WASP culture?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This forum has been the best ever! I just moved to DC after living in Raleigh, NC for 8 yrs. Race is always a factor...always, but class can be a serious equalizer. Being black, I appreciated when people came right out with their truth. Some I met had never,EVER had a conversation with a educated black person. Low and behold when you actually talk with someone you find out skin color is just that, something that makes my outward appearance different than yours. Many were surprised at how much we had in common. My daughter attended a private school and eventually the request for play dates came up. I realized the true character of people when there was reciprocity. It's easy to invite the only black girl in your school to your house, much harder to go to the black girl's house. It was a eye opening experience as to how many people truly live in a all-white bubble. But honestly the segregation and bigoted attitudes in the Northeast and South don't differ much. Northeast folks like to say they are liberal, but let someone of color move into their neighborhood.....oh how quick they change.

I agree. In the North it is trendy or PC to say you're liberal and have all kinds of friends, but the reality is that isn't true -- the truth does come out when a non-white family moves into an otherwise all white neighborhood or when someone casually makes a reference to someone being "American" -- meaning Caucasian. At most I find whites willing to befriend well to do/middle class Asians -- and sometimes that's even just surface level -- i.e. coworkers or exchanging hellos at a school event but not invites to functions at home with "real" friends. But I find most are less open to black, Hispanic etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up among the southern prep culture and i find it very similar to the northeast prep culture. i went to gtown, so i feel qualified to discuss the northeast prep culture. both are just different sides of the same coin. i think a lot of it has to do with insecurity and trying to fit it, but a lot of it is stupidity and ignorance.

honestly, i wouldn't think about it too much -- most of the people aren't worth it. if they are worth knowing, they're going to want to get to know you. and i'm not saying all of these types are stupid, but generally speaking, they're insecure and unsophisticated.

your post reminded me of a stupid girl i knew (northeastern prep) who would tell everyone her family was "italian by way of mexico." yeah, whatever, you're mexican. own it and be proud.

NOPE!! If you went to Middlebury or Amherst you might be qualified. Georgetown? While it's a great school is nowhere near Northeast Prep. Take a ride up to Hamilton college.

No lie. The northeast is swarming with outstanding boarding schools. They are not just schools for social status. I find people in the south ignorant of what "preppy" really is, yet dying to be part of it. Hilarious.

What arrogance. Only Northerners think Southerners want to be like them. It's the furthest thing from the truth. It's just so amusing to read these sweeping generalizations made about a group of people by those who admit they don't really know the first thing about the culture they're speculating about, particularly when they turn around and accuse those people of being "provincial" and "unsophisticated." Who is it that is truly provincial here? Yes, there are southern douchebags. Breaking news -- there are also LOTS of northern (and western, etc) douchebags. I find that there is a much higher incidence of truly charming men in the South. I think Northerners think they are "unsophisticated" because they truly don't care about the same things that people in the Northeast do, and they don't feel the need to apologize for it. So, when a Southerner doesn't act impressed when you announce that you went to Andover or Groton or whererever, you need to realize that it's not because they've never heard of it, but that they truly just don't care. I think that drives the northeastern elites crazy, and is the source of a lot of the vitriol seen here.

It has nothing to do with the fact that southern anything does not impress anyone??!! Riiiiiiiiiiight.......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up among the southern prep culture and i find it very similar to the northeast prep culture. i went to gtown, so i feel qualified to discuss the northeast prep culture. both are just different sides of the same coin. i think a lot of it has to do with insecurity and trying to fit it, but a lot of it is stupidity and ignorance.

honestly, i wouldn't think about it too much -- most of the people aren't worth it. if they are worth knowing, they're going to want to get to know you. and i'm not saying all of these types are stupid, but generally speaking, they're insecure and unsophisticated.

your post reminded me of a stupid girl i knew (northeastern prep) who would tell everyone her family was "italian by way of mexico." yeah, whatever, you're mexican. own it and be proud.

LOL now I KNOW you went to Georgetown!!! Too funny. I knew several kids from New Jersey who began pronouncing their names with accents when they got to Georgetown. My favoriate was Laura, pronounced the Italian way, who was busted as a third gen native of some Jersey town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read all the posts, but I disagree with the person who said Southern preps and Northern preps are the same.


Southern Preps:

*Conservative politics
*Ladies want their MRS ASAP
*Live in a white person bubble
*Duke, Vanderbuilt, UVA

Northern Preps:

*Liberal politics
*Ladies want their MD, MA, MS, MBA or Ph.D
*Value diversity
*Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Amherst, etc

Only publicly.

Oh no no no

I won't disagree on the southern preps but you don't have the northern preps right at all!

[Anonymous]

Why is it ok to bash whites?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Race was the main reason. I was the only Black girl at my school, and was somewhat of an outsider. My best friend at the time was the only other "ethnic" girl, who was half Indian and Jewish.

There was only one other Black person at my school, and he was a part of the bro clique. One year for Halloween, he wore a KKK costume to school. That's when I realized that I would never do what it took to fit in with them.

Holy. Shit.

Is this for real? Seriously? Which part of the South is this, Mississippi?

I really doubt it. I am from Mississippi and while there were a few very quiet racist types, I never heard or saw anything like this. Just something to think about- We found DC to be much more racially divided and racist than anywhere in Mississippi.

Totally agree. It bugs the shit out of me -- smug D.C. "liberals" talking about how they won't allow their kids to go to college in the south because, well, you know (and they all look around knowingly). I grew up in teh Deep South and the worst racists I have ever met have been from Pennsylvania.

I'm not saying there isn't plenty of racist and bigoted behavior in the south -- but there's plenty of it around here too. And just like here, you don't see it in the cities but go 50 miles out to Western Maryland and it's a whole lot like a rural place in the south in terms of attitude and politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This forum has been the best ever! I just moved to DC after living in Raleigh, NC for 8 yrs. Race is always a factor...always, but class can be a serious equalizer. Being black, I appreciated when people came right out with their truth. Some I met had never,EVER had a conversation with a educated black person. Low and behold when you actually talk with someone you find out skin color is just that, something that makes my outward appearance different than yours. Many were surprised at how much we had in common. My daughter attended a private school and eventually the request for play dates came up. I realized the true character of people when there was reciprocity. It's easy to invite the only black girl in your school to your house, much harder to go to the black girl's house. It was a eye opening experience as to how many people truly live in a all-white bubble. [b]But honestly the segregation and bigoted attitudes in the Northeast and South don't differ much. Northeast folks like to say they are liberal, but let someone of color move into their neighborhood.....oh how quick they change.

I agree. In the North it is trendy or PC to say you're liberal and have all kinds of friends, but the reality is that isn't true -- the truth does come out when a non-white family moves into an otherwise all white neighborhood or when someone casually makes a reference to someone being "American" -- meaning Caucasian. At most I find whites willing to befriend well to do/middle class Asians -- and sometimes that's even just surface level -- i.e. coworkers or exchanging hellos at a school event but not invites to functions at home with "real" friends. But I find most are less open to black, Hispanic etc[/b].

[phone]


Nothing but the truth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Race was the main reason. I was the only Black girl at my school, and was somewhat of an outsider. My best friend at the time was the only other "ethnic" girl, who was half Indian and Jewish.

There was only one other Black person at my school, and he was a part of the bro clique. One year for Halloween, he wore a KKK costume to school. That's when I realized that I would never do what it took to fit in with them.

Holy. Shit.

Is this for real? Seriously? Which part of the South is this, Mississippi?

I really doubt it. I am from Mississippi and while there were a few very quiet racist types, I never heard or saw anything like this. Just something to think about- We found DC to be much more racially divided and racist than anywhere in Mississippi.

Totally agree. It bugs the shit out of me -- smug D.C. "liberals" talking about how they won't allow their kids to go to college in the south because, well, you know (and they all look around knowingly). I grew up in teh Deep South and the worst racists I have ever met have been from Pennsylvania.

I'm not saying there isn't plenty of racist and bigoted behavior in the south -- but there's plenty of it around here too. And just like here, you don't see it in the cities but go 50 miles out to Western Maryland and it's a whole lot like a rural place in the south in terms of attitude and politics.

+1

You don't even have to go that far. DC is a racist and segregated city. The only difference here is that people hide behind the racism veil of PC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up among the southern prep culture and i find it very similar to the northeast prep culture. i went to gtown, so i feel qualified to discuss the northeast prep culture. both are just different sides of the same coin. i think a lot of it has to do with insecurity and trying to fit it, but a lot of it is stupidity and ignorance.

honestly, i wouldn't think about it too much -- most of the people aren't worth it. if they are worth knowing, they're going to want to get to know you. and i'm not saying all of these types are stupid, but generally speaking, they're insecure and unsophisticated.

your post reminded me of a stupid girl i knew (northeastern prep) who would tell everyone her family was "italian by way of mexico." yeah, whatever, you're mexican. own it and be proud.

NOPE!! If you went to Middlebury or Amherst you might be qualified. Georgetown? While it's a great school is nowhere near Northeast Prep. Take a ride up to Hamilton college.

No lie. The northeast is swarming with outstanding boarding schools. They are not just schools for social status. I find people in the south ignorant of what "preppy" really is, yet dying to be part of it. Hilarious.

What arrogance. Only Northerners think Southerners want to be like them. It's the furthest thing from the truth. It's just so amusing to read these sweeping generalizations made about a group of people by those who admit they don't really know the first thing about the culture they're speculating about, particularly when they turn around and accuse those people of being "provincial" and "unsophisticated." Who is it that is truly provincial here? Yes, there are southern douchebags. Breaking news -- there are also LOTS of northern (and western, etc) douchebags. I find that there is a much higher incidence of truly charming men in the South. I think Northerners think they are "unsophisticated" because they truly don't care about the same things that people in the Northeast do, and they don't feel the need to apologize for it. So, when a Southerner doesn't act impressed when you announce that you went to Andover or Groton or whererever, you need to realize that it's not because they've never heard of it, but that they truly just don't care. I think that drives the northeastern elites crazy, and is the source of a lot of the vitriol seen here.

It has nothing to do with the fact that southern anything does not impress anyone??!! Riiiiiiiiiiight.......

You realize that you just made my point, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read all the posts, but I disagree with the person who said Southern preps and Northern preps are the same.


Southern Preps:

*Conservative politics
*Ladies want their MRS ASAP
*Live in a white person bubble
*Duke, Vanderbuilt, UVA

Northern Preps:

*Liberal politics
*Ladies want their MD, MA, MS, MBA or Ph.D
*Value diversity
*Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Amherst, etc

Only publicly.

Oh no no no

I won't disagree on the southern preps but you don't have the northern preps right at all!

Truth. Most of the northern preps I know still look down their noses at people of Irish descent, much less Italians. And they've never met an actual black person who didn't also go to Choate and have a house on the Vineyard.

[Anonymous]

Wow, all these stereotypes and judgements and criticisms of preps is really hypocritical and ironic.

I am a white wasp who went to boarding school, belongs to a country club, married a preppy man. However, I'm not racist and no one I know is. Im not a douchbag and neither is my husband. In fact I'm probably like many people reading this. I worry about my kids and my finances and my weight and my messy house. I work on my marriage. My job is ok. My life is kind of a rat race. I spend too much time on DCUM. We're all more similar than we realize. We all have challenges. It might be fun painting preppy people in a certain light, but in some ways it's no different than stereotyping any group-- Asians, Hispanics, blondes, engineers.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in SC for a while and couldn't believe the racist and prejudiced things I heard. Like pp said, some had never met a Jewish person and were fascinated when one moved in nearby.

I could have written this. When I lived in SC an Indian cab driver pointed out where the KKK meets. He himself was a grad student and he said he felt like an alien in SC. When I lived in NC someone told me the apartment where I rented had "too many niggers." I kid you not. I attended a diversity training and the way the good ol southern boys were raised was appalling. One admitted that he did not know it was awful to use "Jew" as a verb. Quite a few had never met a Jew, a black person or any other exotic people before. I'm Jewish and my best friend in NC was black. We used to meet for drinks to laugh and cry about the crazy place we had chosen to live. My favorite was when someone at work found out I was Jewish and asked me if I knew "Joe Goldberg" or "Jennifer Stein." Those were the Jews he met when he did an internship in NJ. I have never lived in NJ. He genuinely thought all the Jews knew eachother. I lasted less than a year there.