Being a nice person, not because you're altruistic, but because you don't want to be disliked by those around you.
It makes sense in rurality, where there are few
people you can interact with and rely on, making it important that you stay on everyone's good side, as opposed to having more options for friends and colleagues, such as in a city. That being
said, hospitality is a part of southern culture due to its requirement in rurality. It often means that
people are usually nicer overall, because everyone is used to burying animosity. -just don't piss off a southerner, or it all comes out. Not just the one directed at you, but all the bottled up animosity that's been sealed up.
Southern hospitality can often be
seen as being fake, which is
valid to an extent, but it's similar to Japanese culture, where your problems are your own, and what you're going through is not someone else's problem- not wanting to burden others is a common thing in many cultures throughout the world, not just southerners in the
united states.
My friend is annoying and keeps calling at 3am, but I answer anyway and entertain him for a
bit before going back to sleep. It's annoying as
shit, but I can't bring myself to tell him to stop.
Call that some southern hospitality.