I'm from Rockland County, New York (as opposed to New York City) and have moved over the state border into New Jersey. There's all kinds of regional jokes that can be offensive, but I kind of chuckle and shrug them off. Like the fact that people assume that most people in New Jersey speak with a "Joisey" accent or live just off of a major superhighway. Yes, we have lots of highways—helps to get from one place to another—but we're not all right next to them. For the record, I don't know anyone that speaks like that, and I live in a town nestled in the mountains with lots of parkland. (And yes, I do live within ten minutes of three major highways, but that's besides the point.)
My mom works in the Bronx, and many people there think she lives in the country—she's in the suburbs. Conversely, she's had conversations with people from other states that ask how she can stand living in a major city. New York is a *big* state and has more farmland than cities. Also, my mom grew up on a farm, and one time when she was a kid some "city folks" drove up and asked which cow gave the chocolate milk. Thinking he was joking, my grandfather pointed to a brown cow and said that was the one. The guy then brought his kids over and told them that this cow gave chocolate milk. Ignorance comes in all shapes and sizes.
And who says Alabama (or any state in the South, for that matter) has a corner on rednecks? They exist in every state in the union, folks! If we're laughing at the people in the movie, it's because we know people like that, or ARE people like that, and we're simply enjoying the humor and not poking fun at Alabama.
Also, it never occurred to me that anyone would think that they'd just discovered recliners in Alabama. Haven't your parents ever done anything that embarrassed you? My best friend's father was so happy about his new recliners a few years ago that he practically did the same thing to me the first time I sat in one (minus the feet flying in the air).
The questions about paved roads, indoor plumbing, etc. are embarrassing to most of us "Yankees." It's the handful of ignorant people who would ask such a question that make us all look bad, just like it's only a handful of people that make any area look bad. I personally don't know much about Alabama, but I would never assume it's like anything Hollywood comes up with. Since when do they know anything about anything? But it's a great story and I liked it. So it's predictable—that's somewhat comforting in this day and age anyway.
One parting note, anytime you judge an entire group of people by the behavior of a few, that's prejudice, and prejudice is always bad. You can't say all New Yorkers are arrogant just because you met one who was, anymore than you can say the state of Alabama is comprised of rednecks because you saw some in a movie. People are people, and in any group there are going to be those you like and dislike. As long as you make those decisions on an individual basis, you're doing all right.
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