[Sheila]

In general, when people hear a Southern accent, the person’s IQ drops 50 points in their estimation. For example, I worked for a small, discreet state agency that did all the long-term investments for the state. This was no small deal. One of the investment interests – the teachers retirement fund – was at $80 billion market value when I left years ago and was one of the top 10 institutional investors in the world. When the state agency was shopping around for a new master custody bank, we met with high-level people from major investment groups (i.e. people who should know better). We repeatedly ran into the stereotype that we were all a bunch of ignorant yahoos because we had accents and preferred a warmer, more congenial approach. (Yes, I have a huge accent; my IQ is also 152). To make a long story short, if you need a villain (especially if you are playing to an audience outside the South), why not pick someone who likes doing things a little slower, speaks funny and has different cultural sensitivities? It plays into the old fear that if someone is different, they are wrong and potentially evil. This usually gets laid on Southern men because Southern women already have a reputation of being ‘steel magnolias’. Southerners tend to appreciate the difference between men and women. Women are encouraged to be ‘dainty flowers,’ and men are encouraged to be ‘brave protectors’. What also feeds the stereotype is that there is an ounce of truth to it. They are few and far between, but there are small cities where some blustery crackpot rules the roost.

User Detail :  

Name : Sheila, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Southern Baptist, Age : 39, City : Jacksonville, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Manager, Treasury Operations, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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