That people in the south think they are better than those in the north

[EatsShitAndLeaves]

That's it really.

I'm interested in your opinion.

TBH I find it's more the other way around. I'm from Surrey so have a typical Home Counties posh accent and when we visit DH's family up north I can almost see people physically bristle when they hear my accent sometimes. I've ordered a drink in the local pub or been out shopping and heard people usually girls muttering to each other 'stuck up bitch', 'posh cow' etc. I'm always polite so it's definitely the accent and the assumption that I think I'm better than them purely from the way I sound . It's also the really bloody annoying assumptions that we're rolling in it that buy me more. The reality is most of DH's friends & families have far more disposable income than us & lead a better quality of life (materially speaking) due to cheap housing no and low cost of living.
DH gets the odd flat cap & whippet joke but has been here so long the novelty seems to have worn off and he's quite good with a witty put-down so most people don't bother anymore.

I'm from Newcastle and consider Manchester to be pretty far south! I always remember meeting a Londoner at uni (Midlands) who upon learning I was from Newcastle said "ooh, I've never been to Scotland.."!

I have friends from all over the country, I love that my house is the same size as friends' houses in the south for a fraction of the price, but have never felt looked down upon!

I suppose that's the sort of thing I'm referring to Sauko .

To a pp - no I don't think I have a chip on my shoulder.

I have family near Bath - which I think is lovely and I enjoy visiting both there and London.

However, I like living in the North - I choose to live here, so there's no reason for me to have a chip on my shoulder.

I have access to some great cities (and even a John Lewis now ) and fabulous countryside. The local state schools are great and the standard of living is overall much better than that of my family (and many colleagues) in the south.

I don't however question why they live there and make comments about them moving north - something that seems to happen frequently in reverse.

Not flattened any fairies with the ironing board afaik Slaughter (also haven't ironed anything in ten years though)

Chips might be served with gravy, sometimes, or maybe a pie or other dry meat dish, but I don't think people put gravy on curry? I've never known that anyway.

Now I really want chips, peas and gravy.

Of course there are prejudiced people all over the land. I married in 1980 and moved from Manchester to Leicester (which I loved - but I loved Manchester too). On my first day at work one of the managers said (and I quote - I kid you not)

You're from Manchester? You do surprise me. I expect you're glad to have moved here. You get a much better class of person in Leicester

Everyone in the office (most were from Leicester) was appalled and called him out on it straightaway (I didn't have to say a thing - just as well as I was dumbstruck). He scuttled off saying he hadn't meant anything bad by it.

My point is that everyone could see he was a dick - he just happened to be from Leicester, but wherever he had been from, he would still have been a dick.

I judge people by their behaviour and how they treat others. I don't think I'm any better or worse than someone else just because of their postcode as I don't think it's relevant.

You are right Cats and my title post could have been much better phrased.

I'm suppose it's not so much I encounter people thinking they are personally "better" but that their lives, by virtue of living in the South are better iyswim.

I have found quite the opposite in fact. I have had several comments over the years from chippy Northerners (a bit like this thread) about 'soft' 'ignorant' 'southerners that were quite uncalled for.

OP, IME it's the opposite.

My northern inlaws look down on our small house, congested streets and lack of disposable income. We are in the south because of jobs. They have a much better lifestyle where they are.

We're in Hertfordshire, I spoke to my husband yesterday, exchanging niceties and making plans for DD over the holidays, he shared with me that someone called him a northern wanker.
.., he was born in Bedfordshire! Other bloke from Kent, I believe that the north/south thing does happen, but I don't understand it.

I'm from Hampshire, with an accent to match. I now live in Scotland. Never have a felt that way at all. Although I have had people think I feel that. One lady came round and was shocked I let the dogs on the sofa. I laughed and asked why. She said I didn't speak like someone who let the dogs on the sofas! (Although, for the record she called them couches, not sofas).

It is that simple. Whatever other cities may have, London will have too and, more than likely, will have more of or better versions of.

Doesn't matter, the Welsh are better than all of them...

DH has friends in Hertfordshire from the way they talk you would think they live in the Caribbean and we lived in Iceland. Literally couldn't believe it was ever warm here
The weather isn't THAT different

I live in North Yorks - some of the house prices are ridiculously high - esp as we don't get London wages.

You're from Manchester? You do surprise me. I expect you're glad to have moved here. You get a much better class of person in Leicester

Surely he was joking....? I mean Leicester

Honestly Basic he wasn't joking - he wasn't the joking sort (as I found out later) and I could tell he wasn't by the reactions of everyone else.

I loved living in Leicester - I loved being called a duck and I remember some very happy times there - but I also like where I live now (Lancashire).

I'm just back from a weekend in the South. Our hosts took us to a variety of overcrowded and overpriced places where we were expected to swoon at the diversity, sophistication and general marvellousness of it all

So your hosts took you out and about to local places they are enthusiastic about and thought you might like and you turned your nose up at them. That's unbelievably rude and shows you have a sneering attitude to the south rather than vice versa. Your poor hosts.

I loved living in Leicester

I'm sure you did but it's hardly posh is it?

haven't ironed anything in ten years though

Puppy - you are my Spirit Animal.

(Well, can't risk flattening a fairy, can I? )

YANBU OP! I totally agree. I am in London and I think there is a lot of snobbery and patronisation of people in the North, the "do as I say, not as I do" kind of attitude.

SoOver I guess that was what I was trying to find out.

It obviously does go both ways - I've just seen one side of it.

We are as South as you can get and our children's god parents are from Sheffield, you should have seen the look on everyone's faces at the christening.. oh that's right no one gives a flying fuck.

For what it's worth anything North of Ringwood is 'Northern' in my book.

Can I just point out that Watford Gap is about 70 miles north of Watford. The merging of the two concepts makes me unreasonably tetchy.

I have just checked and I am officially south of Watford Gap but over in the west. I was born in Yorkshire and then spend most of my late teens and 20s in the midlands. I have lived in the north, middle and south which clearly means I am far superior to all of you.

I have met many people from everywhere and I don't think anyone looks down on anyone else particularly- there are jokes, like I'll joke about shandy drinking southerners to my friends but it's all well meaning.