Slavery. Slavery led to huge agrarian economy, with little of no need for innovation. Industry in north, farming in south. Northern industry innovated while south wallowed along. Farming led to a bunch of poor fk'ers sharecropping for a few rich fk'ers Farming: tobacco and cotton kept the whole thing going. For a while Farming hard work, no time or real need for "real" education Ended up with a bunch of poor dumb fucks Religion is the "religion" of poor, dumb people (around the world) It is the last hope (I am religious, educated, and used to be rich-- not knocking religion, but it is a salve to many) From here it is the self licking ice cream cone....a bunch of people with religious zeal, not wanting "modern ways" and remaining uneducated. Carries over to health, life expectancy, etc. Of course, this is very very very very broad generalization, but hard to refute, IMHO Geaux Tigers.
Southerners, for some reason, rarely follow opportunity elsewhere. My parents were alone among their many siblings in following high-paying jobs out of state. They eventually returned and retired in the South, but they had made their money by getting away from the farm. Most of my uncles, aunts, and cousins have never worked more than 50 miles from where they were born. Some have been successful in business, but most will retire on Social Security, living in a double-wide.
This is true, too. I'm "afraid" of living outside of the South, too. But I am happy that I moved away from the town where I went to high school; it broadened my horizons. Last year, we turned down an "opportunity" to move to New Jersey; I couldn't picture my family there at all. Now, the company where my husband works is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I never went to New Jersey to see the area where the former company was headquartered. However, I made sure to go to Boston last summer--just to see what it was like. I actually loved it up there (but, of course, it wasn't in the winter). The people were friendly; the city had a "smallish" feel to it, very easy to navigate, very clean. I went up there, so that if an opportunity arose again, I would at least be informed about the Northeast before just saying no. Now, my girls were horrified because they can't imagine not living in Texas (apparently, one is issued Texas pride when they are born here.) Still, I think I could live in Boston (affording it the way we can live in Texas is another matter, altogether.)
So what opportunities are republicans taking away from the poor/minorities to have such a disparity in education/etc.
As I'm sure you're well aware, perhaps moreso today than ever, money's not everything. If they're happy, that's priceless.
The topic is southern poverty, not southern happiness. I don't know an impoverished person that is happy about it.
Funny that you bring this up. It seems like northerners and Californians are the happiness, with southerners being the most unhappy.
