NASHVILLE — The news emanating from the American South this year has been one long litany of assaults against human decency. A South Carolina man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to hire a white supremacist to lynch his black neighbor. White Southerners in power have been trying to keep black people from voting ever since they got the right to vote. I’m tempted to say there’s never been a worse time to be a sentient human being in the American South, but I know that’s not true. Nevertheless, I find myself bristling as stereotypes of “redneck” Southerners fly around the internet every time news of some fresh racist or misogynistic travesty hits social media.

Source: New York Times May 20, 2019 09:56 UTC