>>>Good article. The Southern accent grates me more than others.
>>
>>Maybe it's because there are SO many films where the main protagonist is picked on/stalked/murdered by/bullied/forced into a fight with/has to endure drunken lewdness by/ etc. some idiot red-neck(s) with a penchant for violence and hatred and jealousy for anyone "not from round these parts", so you tend to stereotype the accent in the head as belonging to a bad-guy? Then in the Westerns, all the mealy-mouthed, cowardly, ne'er-do-well, evil scum tend to have that accent to. Usally they're sweaty, unshaven, greasy, smelly and shifty too.
>
>
>Actually no. Just grates me. If I had to stereotype I'd go for what Tracy said (correctly) that it stereotypes them as dumb, not as criminals/lowlifes.

And thetre's that as well. Generally all the people I've described above are definitely below par intelligence-wise(and some of them have been "below pa" - 'stan'wh'am sayin'?) and I'm surprised I forgot to include that in the above list. Maybe it's this stereotyping from film that has led to your perception and the general impression. Why, even the cops in southern states are portrayed as corrupt, in cahoots with the local "boss man" (think of the film Porky's for instance) evil, a law unto themselves.

Just think, the only guy I can think of with a southern accent in the Simpsons is Clovis the slack-jawed yokel.