what's wrong with Alabama?

Question

why do people in other states look down on alabama? we are educated, we drive nice cars, we live in nice homes. we love our children, we go to church and love God. what's wrong!!!!

Answer 1

You also make more cars, believe in individuality rather then collectivism, and have much lower taxes and higher standard of life than people from the blue states.

They believe that it's not proper to vent their bigotry on minorities anymore, so they vent their racism on old stereotypical views.

It's just ignorance. Don't blame them though, they were born that way.

Answer 2

Well, I lived in Mobile for several years and I loved it. But honestly...when I moved there, I never saw so many people with missing teeth. Seriously. And Alabama historically hasn't done very well in the area of education. That may be because there are so many private schools (due to desegragation and the white community vowing their children will not attend school with blacks) and those schools not administering standardized testing.

The food is good...they will deep fry anything. I ate a deep fried snickers bar once. Of course that is why there are alot of chubbly people there too.

AL is DEFINATELY the heart of the Bible Belt. But I lived in downtown Mobile and my neighborhood was mostly gays...no kidding...there were 3 couples and a couple of single on my street and when we had neighborhood parties...well, in the neighborhood there were something like 15 couples.

And as they say in Alabama... Thank God for Missississippi (because no matter how bad Alabama looks, Missississippi always seems to be behind them).

Answer 3

One of the things you used to validate your being worthy is that you go to church and love God. Such a strong focus on God is not looked upon favorably by some people. The fact that it influences everything in Alabama, including politics and laws, is a problem for me.

On average, I believe Alabama performs very poorly on standardized tests and other studies of the education system. If I remember correctly, it is also one of the poorest states.

Answer 4

I've always wondered that too! I live in GA, but I've been to Alabama. It's not the stereotypes that you hear day-in and day-out (like the one about everyone in AL being deformed because of the incest.).
Now, I do have to admit that there are parts of AL that are nothing but trailer parks and dirt roads, but that exists in pretty much any state.
For the most part, AL is just like any other state, so I'm not sure how the rumors got started...

Answer 5

Alabama has some weird laws....

Boogers may not be flicked into the wind.

It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street if you have a lantern attached to the front of your automobile.

You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time.

Answer 6

Alabama has the reputation from the 1950s & 60s of being a hotbed of bigotry and violence. Even before that, lynchings were used there to keep black people "in their place." The desegregation movement became violent there.

Fast-forward to the 21st century, and the state continues to hold the line on human rights and intimidation of people who do not fit the WASP, fundamentalist Christian mold. The reputation of the state as an intellectual backwater is not exactly undeserved, but it is getting better, at least around Birmingham and Mobile. Personally, I could never live there, because as an openly gay atheist, I would fear being fired from my job.

Answer 7

Nothing is because I was born there
LOL
I hear the same kind of crap about all the southern states I think that Jeff Foxworthy has a point tho that the news people find the stupidest people to interview for any major news stories and a lot of that mess is shown nationally. Think about the folks you saw on TV after Hurricane Katrina....hmmm

Answer 8

I went to boarding school in Clayton, AL and visited many different surrounding cities. I am from Washington D.C. and during my time down there it was a MAJOR culture shock. I am hispanic (dominican and puerto rican). The first thing someone said to me there was, "what are ya? are ya black indian or mexican?" I explained what I was and no one there knew there were other spanish cultures besides "mexican" I literally had to pull a globe out and point and show those girls where the dominican republic and puerto rico is located. I spent 2 years there and it was like time was took back 10 yrs. The clothes they were wearing, everything. Even the black population who lived in that town still lived like segregation still existed. They still lived in shacks and they would step off the sidewalk if a white person was walking pass them. It was so sad to see people still living like that. Me and my friends went to a local church also, and this woman comes up to my friend which happens to be african american and the lady said, " you look just like a young ***** who used to work for me." I believe that some (not all) but the majority are very narrow minded and they aren't educated about things that are going on outside of the state of Alabama. I wish things could be different, but it's not.

Answer 9

Alabama is pretty and has beautiful people there! Great food, too.
I think the reason it's looked down on is its record in th past in civil rights, like Rosa Parks issue.
And a frequent confusion of

GOP and GOD.

Answer 10

Nothing at all. I have a friend from Alabama and they are some of the most nicest people I've ever met. They still think people are racist when they are not.

Answer 11

Hey im from Fort Payne Alabama lol and i sound nothing like an alabamian!! lol and we have some of the most awesome ppl here lol Actually i live less than a mile from Randy Owens lol From the band "ALABAMA" so yea. and i think ppl judge us as a redneck state. grr i hate rednecks lmao