A tendency in
the South for things not to change. For a long time.
Strom Thurmond's interminable Senatorial career is a prime example. Also, the fixation on the Civil War, and the current debacle over the
Confederate Flag show that unlike physical inertia, any outside force tends to reinforce Southern Inertia.
Outsiders tend to do more harm than good when chastising Southerners, who wear yankee scorn like a badge of honor.
Case in point, in Nov. 2002, South Carolina elected a new United States Senator for the first time in 36 years. Strom Thurmond will turn 100 in Dec. 2002, about a month before he retires from the Senate. This will make The Disney Senator finally become the senior Senator from South Carolina after serving in the Senate for 36 years. Talk about patience.