Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Like really, its depressing that so many people label D.C. as a southern city, but have never even lived here. I've lived here all my life and no way, shape, or form will I ever call myself a southern, never.
Maryland has the highest median household income and the 4th highest per capita income in the U.S. Fits right in with the other affluent northeastern states.
The state song is an interesting tune we learned in grade school but never remembered the lyrics to. :-)
That's another contradiction in my opinion. No disrespect, but it's actually sort of funny because you dudes are learning Confederate battle hymns while we're doing Ray Charles. Like I said, your region (DMV) is like T. Jefferson...it's so much of a contradiction.
One of the biggest quadruple contradictions ever for the state is:
*MD's beginning=VA's beginning (same colony)
*Build the country's capital on Southern turf
*Northern/USA troops get attacked by BMore residents
*Lincoln's like, "No you don't, not on my watch, stay right here."
Listen, I'm an outsider speaking on your home region so do what you want to do. It's fascinating to learn about the quirky history of your state/city. Who knows, maybe when we're all dead and gone C-D will be asking if NC is "Southern" and Charlotte people will be like, "Nah, son, Chahh-lit is paht of the Cohh-i-dah, maybe back in 2010 but it's 2080 now, no Suthun heah. The triangle can't be found down south, b" I probably should have used some really crazy accent instead because the NE accents would probably be antique by 2080 but the point was that it all ready happened to your region and it'll continue on. I also read some lady born & raised in Northern VA claim that she was from the North (hope you weren't drinking anything). I had something else but it's late and I'm out.
And yes I've been to DC. A big part of my vote is that I dislike the idea that disagreement makes one an idiot. Also I think geographically you can't call something at that latitude "Northeast" and historically/culturally I think DC is not that related to the Northeast. When I was there anyway it didn't have the tall buildings or several other things that I associate to the Northeast.
I think DC can be one of those things that's just "it's own" it doesn't have to be any region and indeed I'm pretty sure it was not supposed to be too much of any one region. Although geographically it would be Mid-Atlantic, I think, or Central East or some such.
And yes I've been to DC. A big part of my vote is that I dislike the idea that disagreement makes one an idiot. Also I think geographically you can't call something at that latitude "Northeast" and historically/culturally I think DC is not that related to the Northeast. When I was there anyway it didn't have the tall buildings or several other things that I associate to the Northeast.
I think DC can be one of those things that's just "it's own" it doesn't have to be any region and indeed I'm pretty sure it was not supposed to be too much of any one region. Although geographically it would be Mid-Atlantic, I think, or Central East or some such.
on that note: I hereby proclaim that anyone who reps me is an idiot.
Okay, alright, my opinions aren't popular and I'll be dissed for this probably (whatever). In this type of argument, one has to go back in the past because it's relevant to this discussion.
For the slow, think of it like this: A lawyer uses DNA evidence to bring charges against a guy who committed several murders 25 years ago, would the murderer be given a break if he says "Officer, I didn't kill anyone today...matter of fact, I hadn't killed in years, there's nothing murderous about me, I'm a preacher now." Oh, okay, let's call it a day then. The killer's telling the truth, in that he hadn't off'd anyone in 24 hours and may be giving sermons but your history does hold some weight here. Tendencies have a way of slipping out.
I admit that my example was overkill but this is the point, MD is a contradiction of a state in my opinion because of all of this overlap (it's like a mini USA to me):
*MD and DC do indeed have terraces which is associated with the real Northeast as well as the density and transportation but there are still many question marks (BajanYankee and HenryAlan already gave good points from the view of real Northerners. They already mentioned them).
*I don't even sympathize with the "Confederate Cause" but this just isn't Northeastern to me:
(I just don't see any of the New England states holding on to that and I don't see PA, NY, and NJ having that type of song. I expect that from MS or Alabama (outside of their cities). The fact that they still have this song as the state song makes me go, hhhmmmmm.
*I also read somewhere (maybe in the 3 other threads) that MD and DC people would riot and get angry at the site of the Confed "battle flag" (you know what I'm talking about) but they use to wave it at Redskins games....hhhhhmmmmmmmm. There are more ?'s about MD&DC but Bajan pretty much addressed them.
To conclude: Nobody's saying that DC or MD is rural, dumb, backward, hick, whatever other derogatory thing that we're conditioned to believe. DC is a modern city, a great area but in 1920 it wasn't a heavy hitter like Boston,NYC, Philly, Pburgh, and BMore. DC wasn't running with those cities in the 30's, 40's, 50's but then the 60's came around and it started to become more modern, better. So who was DC running with during those times? Yes there are vestiges of your old running mate(s) still in the area. The reason why Atlantans are on this thread is because ATL (and other cities) is going through the same thing that DC already went through but we're not going to front and act as if it we were always like this. Another thing, if you send me hate messages/reps, please leave your name...thank you.
The song is interesting. Our history books really did not teach us how close Maryland was to seceding from the Union. President Lincoln considered sending Union ships to bombard Baltimore harbor, but instead decided to suspend habeas corpus and declare martial law in Maryland. This is food for thought for posters like missroxyhart, who believe that Maryland's joining the union actually has some significance when it comes to the argument we're having. Had Philadelphia remained the capital of the United States, Maryland in all likelihood would have seceded.
I enjoy this topic more than others on C-D because it probably exposes hypocrisy and bias more than any other. My family members in the DC area are very quick to ridicule other family members as being country, unsophisticated, and slow by mere virtue of their geographical and cultural identity. But when you tell them that Jim Crow reigned supreme in DC and its suburbs just as it did in Montgomery, and when you tell them that Skins fans were singing Dixie and waving Confederate flags at their games as recently as the 1960s, they get defensive. The common refrain is that "We can't be southern because we have shoes, and we're educated, and we don't talk funny, and we can read, and we don't have to sit on the back of the bus!" Isn't that just like saying, "He can't be half black...he's too smart, clean, articulate and hard-working!"
Last edited by BajanYankee; 11-07-2010 at 09:29 AM..
Also I think geographically you can't call something at that latitude "Northeast" and historically/culturally I think DC is not that related to the Northeast. When I was there anyway it didn't have the tall buildings or several other things that I associate to the Northeast.
It's true that DC is a low-rise city. And it's defined more by its federal buildings, monuments and other historic sites than it is by the skyline, unlike the other northeast cities. I think the city is deceptive in that way.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 11-07-2010 at 09:40 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
