Southern Discomfort

by digby

On behalf of all Los Angelenos, I just want to apologize for this atrocity in an LA Times story this past week-end (courtesy of Daily Howler.)

John Edwards, the second-try presidential candidate with the third-place campaign, walked on to Mariah Crenshaw’s lawn this week, surrounded by a mini-circus of reporters and cameras.

The mannequin-perfect looks of 2004 were still there. So was that North Carolina accent — the one that is to ears what sweet pickles are to tongues.

“Nice to see yew,” said the candidate, shaking Crenshaw’s hand. “I’m lookin’ forward to talkin’.”

I am always arguing that there isn’t very much real southern bashing around anymore, at least of the kind I used to hear growing up. Apparently, I was wrong. LA Times staff writers and their editors are either so obtuse that they don’t even know they are being insulting when they write such drivel or they are bunch of bigots.

I have given southern conservatives a lot of grief on this blog over the years and have gotten some unfair criticism from my readers who assumed I was prejudiced against all of Dixie in some fundamental cultural way. I can see why they are touchy when writers write crap like this.

And that doesn’t even begin to touch the ludicrous, tabloid intentions of the piece as a whole…

I’ll let Somerby do the honors.