I'm what Virginians call a "come here:" which is a polite way of saying I'm a Yankee transplant. Been here 30 years, but as soon as I ask for "a cuppa cawfee" that big red "NY" appears on my forehead again. Being a product of these two cultures, I can't but help notice how the South is portrayed in the predominantly northern-centric media as being populated by quaint eccentrics, frequently charming, occasionally disturbing, and (seemingly) wholly baffling. The material for any national story seems ready-made to appeal to a northern audience: Just listen to the difference in their accents! See what they cook for dinner! Get a load of their attitudes towards guns and religion! They'll even say 'Yes M'am!' right on TV! How quaint!"
Well... they have a point. There ain't nothing "quaint" about New York City. But so much the worse for them. But when some bozo pops up in the South (and I will include Texas in that fold) and starts shooting his mouth off about the end of times, it's "newsworthy" to the North, not so much because of what's being said, but because who's saying it. How many stories have you read about Charles Barron, a former Black Panther and Brooklyn City Councilman? The guy is shot from guns - spouts off the most ridiculous nonsense - but his is just a local story. He isn't "quaint" enough to ridicule.
Eh, what do I know. I'm sure I carry my own biases around, and I dearly love my old home town. But I grow weary of the ignorance so gleefully displayed by the folks wielding the national megaphone. All my children are Virginians. And God bless them.
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