Are the Northmen and their culture looked down upon by the rest of the Westerosi Houses?

[Springwatch]

I don't remember any prejudice in the first series. In fact, just about everyone swears 'by the old gods and the new'.  The northerners are treated just like everyone else (i.e. not always very well).

[EggBlue]

Looking down on a group and their culture is not the same as feeling hostile to them and "othering" surely has stages. accepting Ned Stark - a proven military commander , a high lord and the king's best friend- as hand or using Northern , Dornish and Ironborn in wars doesn't contradict with the sense of contempt that there might be towards these regions. 

[Darth Sidious]

People looked down on the Freys. Unwarranted in my opinion. The Freys are smart and good business people. The north are seen as barbarians because they don’t have the fineries of more blessed southern kingdoms. 

[The Bard of Banefort]

The southern bloc (Riverlands, Vale, Reach, Stormlands, Crownlands, Westerlands) would appear to view the other three kingdoms in descending order: North > Dorne > Iron Islands. There are many respected northern lords, and mariners like Paxter Redwyne and Alyn Velaryon respect and fear the Ironborn as sailors, but all three regions are considered more primitive. 

[Darzin]

On 12/27/2021 at 4:49 PM, Free Northman Reborn said:

Of course. Frankly, I find it somewhat unrealistic that they don’t launch Crusades against the heathen tree worshippers. This cosy coexistence with people of what amounts to a pagan religion is quite unlike real European history. 

But Westros is not Medieval Europe,  plenty of other regions in real life history had the type of, somewhat guarded, tolerance we see in Westros. Like th mix of Hinduism/Buddhism in Southeast Asia. 

[Universal Sword Donor]

On 12/27/2021 at 3:49 AM, Free Northman Reborn said:

Of course. Frankly, I find it somewhat unrealistic that they don’t launch Crusades against the heathen tree worshippers. This cosy coexistence with people of what amounts to a pagan religion is quite unlike real European history. 

The southern armies have the unenviable task of trying to march on MC, which we know is generally unassailable from the south. To do a naval invasion, you'd need to expose your shores and possibly hinterlands to enemies. The Vale was able seize the wolf's den but eventually lost.

We know there's really nothing of value on the west coast, and no one had made the effort to invade the north near White Harbor after its founding and before the Conquest. The crusades were called in part to relieve the suffering of local christians in the old byzantine provinces. There's no real equivalent in Westeros since the first men weren't displacing and lording over Andals in the north. Tacking on that the High Septon is thousands of miles away, and it doesn't seem like a real productive way to engage a far off, isolationist nation.