The South Done Gone and Rised Again!

Growing up, I learned to be proud of my Southern heritage.

That is not to say that my family was racist in any way - they/we weren't - I just mean that Southerners are often portrayed as uneducated, buck-toothed racists who marry their cousins and so on and so forth.

Up until a few years ago, I took great umbrage whenever I was confronted with this stereotype on TV or in movies. Then I moved to Decatur County, TN.

It's hard to come down on an entire region - be it city, county, state, whatever - but there is no denying that sociology is a real and evident factor. Individuals may maintain their individuality while operating within a group structure, but environment undeniably plays an important part in that individual's outlook, state of mind, and overall [re-]actions - especially toward the outside world and/or those from other regions. To these ends, most of the people in Decatur County, TN - like many places in the South, in general - are possessed of a certain xenophobia, fostered by regional familiarity.

In other words, they all got growed-up 'round themselves and you ain't from 'round these-here parts, boy. Or the more popular, "You shore got a purty mouth..."

At 33 years-old, I fully concede that there is, in fact, just something wrong with The South.

I hate it. I really hate that so many Southerners are, in actuality, uneducated, buck-toothed racists that Just Can't Get Right - but there it is. When someone mocks me for saying, "I'm fixing to do something" or "Sure, I'll carry you to the store to get a coke," I want to say, "Hey - that's my heritage and I'm proud to be Southern! A lot of great people were from The South - presidents, industrial magnates, writers..."

And then there's this.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008