Thanks for your digging, AnnaS. I've thought about what it means to be "Southern" (and consider me no expert). I do remember reading an article published by a North Carolina or Virginia newspaper during the 1996 Summer Olympics that talked about a study on the differences between New Yorkers and Deep Southerners. (I can find no trace of the article through my Internet searches, so if anyone knows anything on this, please post)

The test had subjects walk down a hallway to "fill out some paperwork." A guy opens a filing cabinet to block their path, huffs, and closes it quickly while they walk by. The subject is then immediately tested for symptoms of stress (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.).

The study revealed that New Yorkers were actually put at ease when "offended" by the guy in the hallway. Conversely, the Southerns were so much more offended (to the point, I think, that a few punches were almost thrown). Culture sure is different between the Capital of the North and the Capital of the South.