What Social Group Would Have Eaten Apple Pie In The Southern Colonies

What would have happened if the British American colonies hadn't revolted?

Canada is the most likely outcome. Eventually, Britain would lose the power to control its colonies directly, as it had elsewhere, and the western Colonies would turn into a Federal Dominion, leading to independence as part of the Crown.Napoleonic War would be an interesting point of divergence - with some of the fighting likely to happen in North America - but assuming Napoleon still lost the war, Louisiana would still be annexed by British Empire.Another point of divergence - slavery and Civil War. Let's say slavery was abolished throughout British Empire as it had originally been, in 1833. Perhaps the South would then declare Independence from the Empire? We'd have the Civil War 30 years earlier, but I'm not sure this time the "North" (or Loyalists) would have enough strength to prevent secession. So perhaps the end result would be a "Canada" stretching south to the Mason-Dixon line, and, let's call it, United States of Dixieland. That independent USD would continue USA's historical expansion to the West, annexing bits of Mexico along the way. Not sure who would end up with the Western Seaboard - let's say, for the sake of this thought experiment, "Canada" would take Washington and Oregon, USD would take California south of 42 parallel (the Spanish bit).Also, the US national anthem would sound like this:

Is the US destined to become more and more conservative?

I doubt it. To pick just one example: what most people decry as political correctness is an increased sensitivity to a couple of overlapping goals - less labeling and stereotyping (we don’t use the “N” word anymore as a general rule, or refer to Chinese-Americans as “Chinamen,” a formerly racist laden thermoform the 19th century, etc.). At the same time, most people in the U.S. try to use the term that the group itself prefers (so, the term “black” became acceptable for a time, but now, African-American is used more commonly). This seems like respect to me and has little to do with a true social or fiscal conservative outlook.I think we are in a backlash period. We had our first-ever African-American President who had decidedly different views about U.S. engagement abroad, as well as a commitment to the healthcare needs of the less affluent. Contemplating 4–8 years of our first-ever female President who was significantly aligned with Mr. Obama’s worldview (especially on domestic issues) was just too much for a significant section of the electorate. Trump seemed like a good bet for those fed up with what they saw as politics-as-usual. Not sure they’ll agree for much longer. I think the only “doom” we face is a long series of pendulum swings on our way to a slowly evolving liberalism, punctuated by violent jerks to the right.

Is the US destined to become more and more conservative?

I doubt it. To pick just one example: what most people decry as political correctness is an increased sensitivity to a couple of overlapping goals - less labeling and stereotyping (we don’t use the “N” word anymore as a general rule, or refer to Chinese-Americans as “Chinamen,” a formerly racist laden thermoform the 19th century, etc.). At the same time, most people in the U.S. try to use the term that the group itself prefers (so, the term “black” became acceptable for a time, but now, African-American is used more commonly). This seems like respect to me and has little to do with a true social or fiscal conservative outlook.I think we are in a backlash period. We had our first-ever African-American President who had decidedly different views about U.S. engagement abroad, as well as a commitment to the healthcare needs of the less affluent. Contemplating 4–8 years of our first-ever female President who was significantly aligned with Mr. Obama’s worldview (especially on domestic issues) was just too much for a significant section of the electorate. Trump seemed like a good bet for those fed up with what they saw as politics-as-usual. Not sure they’ll agree for much longer. I think the only “doom” we face is a long series of pendulum swings on our way to a slowly evolving liberalism, punctuated by violent jerks to the right.

What baby name immediately makes you lose all respect for the parents and why?

My name is Bobby spelled with a ‘y’. I have had people tell me that my name is spelled like a boy my whole life. Or they ask me if my parents wanted a boy (I have three older brothers), or they ask me if my name is really Roberta. Sometimes they just spell it the way that ‘it is supposed to be spelled for a girl’. None of their solutions or perceived problems are acceptable to me.Typically, I tell them that I was named after my deceased grandmother that my mother never knew and that my parents were barely literate so they didn’t realize that the spelling would raise questions. Most people sympathize with this and understand. Others spell my name incorrectly to remedy their dissatisfaction to a perceived problem. My late mother walked me into the elementary school to correct the spelling error once. I remember thinking how proud she was that I bore her mother’s name. Since then I correct people too. It gets old when your friends spell it wrong but I simply correct them or spell their name wrong so they understand how it feels.I am proudly named after my maternal grandmother, whom my mother does not remember. My mother lost her mother when she was very young. The truth is that my grandmother’s name is spelled Bobbi. Two things, my parents grew up in the 1930s so they had to work and dropped out during elementary school and my mother did not know how to spell her mother’s name. Nonetheless, I proudly wear the name Bobby with a ‘y’.In this day of gender and cultural diversity I hope that the confusion with the spelling of my name disappears. Modern day society is embracing alternative lifestyles that are different then our own. People are inquiring less and less about the spelling of my name. I believe the LGBTQ movement is creating a climate of respect and much needed barriers. Sensitivity training teaches us to ask people their preferred name and gender and to honor their requests. I never plan to change the spelling of my name because it is unique and different just like me.

What baby name immediately makes you lose all respect for the parents and why?

My name is Bobby spelled with a ‘y’. I have had people tell me that my name is spelled like a boy my whole life. Or they ask me if my parents wanted a boy (I have three older brothers), or they ask me if my name is really Roberta. Sometimes they just spell it the way that ‘it is supposed to be spelled for a girl’. None of their solutions or perceived problems are acceptable to me.Typically, I tell them that I was named after my deceased grandmother that my mother never knew and that my parents were barely literate so they didn’t realize that the spelling would raise questions. Most people sympathize with this and understand. Others spell my name incorrectly to remedy their dissatisfaction to a perceived problem. My late mother walked me into the elementary school to correct the spelling error once. I remember thinking how proud she was that I bore her mother’s name. Since then I correct people too. It gets old when your friends spell it wrong but I simply correct them or spell their name wrong so they understand how it feels.I am proudly named after my maternal grandmother, whom my mother does not remember. My mother lost her mother when she was very young. The truth is that my grandmother’s name is spelled Bobbi. Two things, my parents grew up in the 1930s so they had to work and dropped out during elementary school and my mother did not know how to spell her mother’s name. Nonetheless, I proudly wear the name Bobby with a ‘y’.In this day of gender and cultural diversity I hope that the confusion with the spelling of my name disappears. Modern day society is embracing alternative lifestyles that are different then our own. People are inquiring less and less about the spelling of my name. I believe the LGBTQ movement is creating a climate of respect and much needed barriers. Sensitivity training teaches us to ask people their preferred name and gender and to honor their requests. I never plan to change the spelling of my name because it is unique and different just like me.