That explains so much about North Carolina.

~ngl, sometimes I kinda wish they had exploded a little bit.~

Feels like every time I end up in North Carolina or meet someone from there my conviction that humans are not inherently good or evil is challenged. I fucking hate North Carolina, with cause. It’s as if the turd rival team full of bullies in a sports movie was a state.

At least Mississippi and Alabama have the excuse of being economically depressed. And the people I’ve meet from those places are actually pleasant.

As a near-lifelong resident of the GrEaT state of North Carolina, you are spot on in your assessment.
Asking as a non-Southerner, what the hell is up with people from the South? I keep hearing all about how great their hospitality is, but they’ve been (nearly without exception) just culturally the most conniving and backstabbing petty Mean Girls. They’ll act sweet to your face, but you don’t even have to leave earshot before they start talking shit and starting small-town rumors. What, is it some kinda local pastime to start shit without saying it to somebody’s face?
I wish I had an answer that would satisfy you. I am only realizing the depths of what you describe myself, and only because I am dating a woman from New Jersey. She is telling me all the time how culturally weird I am for how I act and talk to people (in general; I personally try my best to be authentic in my interactions).