Southern Observations

I have lived in the South most of my life. I just recently returned after being away a number of years. As a child of the South, a youth growing up mortified by the media's portrayal of southerners in general, I have made certain observations about life here.

I grew up in Mississippi. I have also lived in Texas, North Carolina, and Arizona.

People from the South are in general very proud. We hold our heads high and wave our southern banners high. We are frequently embarrased by the portrayal of southern living in the media and on film. Therefore, we wear more make-up, jewelry, stay up on latest fashions, decorate our houses using "Southern Living" magazine as a Bible, and in general run, and run and run in a futile attempt to prove to ourselves and the world that we are GOOD, NICE, DECENT, INTELLIGENT, people WITH GOOD TASTE.

I have found that the states I have lived in tended to have unique characteristics. Each a little different in accent and in attitude. (Maybe a hang over from the Confederacy when each state was it's own sovereign nation) Anyway, I thought I would share my observations. If you read this post and disagree, please feel free to share your thoughts.


I thought I would begin with Texas. Texas, as I perceived it, is it's own country. While most Texans view themselves as Southerners, others distance themselves from that whole southern thing. Texans are very proud people and if able would teach their children to pledge allegiance to the Texan flag and to the Republic......every morning before the United States Pledge. Texas is a fun place to live, colorful and full of tradition. The color red is much in evidence and they are very proud of the cowboy image. Everything is "Big" and they strive to be the biggest and best of all at everything.
Texas is a very large state, so the accent of the locals varies from area to area. West Texas and East Texas vary widely. If you live in a rural area you might have a really country sounding slow drawl. If you live in an area like Dallas, you talk in a refined, bossy, rapid pace drawl. Drawl does not always mean slow in the south. (Some Texans may disown the South, but they are guilty of having the most distinctive southern drawl noises, some of them not pretty.)

North Carolina is also a very proud state. It is beautiful country with areas of wild beaches and green lush landscapes. There are many families with generation upon generation embedded in one location. These people feel they made a good choice when they stumbled upon this state. They settled down, put down roots and never left. Congratulating themselves upon the good fortune they feel God bestowed upon them when they were "chosen" to abide in this state, they feel they are blessed with an abundance of wisdom as well. They are RIGHT. They are RIGHT about everything. Be it food, clothes, politics, religion, color of the sky, they are RIGHT. Gifted with "wisdom" they are not above expressing their views loudly and with conviction if you dare express an opinion that differs. North Carolina's accents differ as well by location. You might sound like evangelist Billy Graham with a distinctive New Englandy sound. You could have a really different pronounced accent where you pronounce the word house as "hoose". (rhymes with noose) There are also more traditional sounding accents in North Carolina usually fairly soft and refined.

Mississippians on the other hand, are fairly humble people. Our backs bowed by public opinion and regret about the past, we do not lay claim to great wisdom brought about by geographic location. Southerners in general are very cognizant of public opinion, and people of Mississippi are especially SENSITIVE about our reputation as a state. That does not mean that the people of the south are not proud to be southerners. Not at all. We have the same fierce loyalty to our geographic locale as the rest of the south. If anything, we try even harder to change the nation's mind about our state. We dress up, decorate, and work really hard at our image. Our drawl varies and the sound usually depends on whether you live in an urban or rural area. Urban area accents have a prettier softer sound.

Arizona, of course, is not part of the South. (they laugh at the South and feel we are inferior) They view the south as being largely racist. However, in their minds, racism only occurs in "places like the south" and they tend to ignore their own blatant racism against the large Hispanic population living in their midst. I lived in Phoenix and did not experience much of the outer areas of Arizona. I did however see rednecks, bigots, and white trash during my time there.
I don't mean to dis Arizona. I loved it. The first time I visited, it was in August and I thought it was the hottest and most beautiful place I had ever seen. Native Phoenicians are outnumbered two to one and most people are transplants from Northern states. People running from the ice and snow of the colder climates. The heat is incredible and when temperatures are at there worst and the wind blows, it feels like you are standing in front of a blow dryer turned on high heat. If the wind is not blowing, it feels like an oven or furnace. Older people there reminisce about sleeping on the porch and on top of cars before air condition was available. (Some of the houses were designed with "sleeper porches" on the top floor) People in Arizona don't let the heat slow them down and mountain hiking is extremely popular there.

I have been to all the Southern and Southwestern states. People appear to me to be pretty much the same all over. Just a little more interesting in some spots.