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.