the south

carter's post about the south and whatnot made me wanna post. southern culture and southern-ness have been an on-and-off topic for me since moving up to new york, and it's sometimes interesting, sometimes obnoxious to discussit with people up here.

my time in morocco gave me amongst other things a great perspective on my own country. i now love the states way more than i could have before that time. similarly, eight months now living and working in the north has made me love the south more than i could have before that time.

one of the more annoying things about being up here is how people associate ignorance with the south. sure bush is ignorant, but texas is a breed of its own in the first place, but more importantly, ignorance is everywhere. in a general human sense, no matter where you go if there are people there will be good and bad, nice and naughty, interesting and boring, et cetera ad nauseum. that northerners associate ignorance with something other than their own only adds more of said issue to their own mentality when speaking upon the south. a coworker mentioned a short thing mtv did a year or few back on the jersey shore, and man did they show some colorful people on that one. and needless to say i run into lots of ignorant people all the time up here, in respect to all types of things. some are open to new things, others aren't.

insofar as there are good things and bad things everywhere, i love my southern culture. i look forward to returning to it eventually. new york is a place i want to be for many reasons in my life right now, but i'm a southerner in new york.

finally, the issue where people think the south is all country people. derrr, ignorant once again. my southerness is rooted in cities, both smaller and biggerer. richmond,va beach,augusta,atlanta. there's all kinds of southerners. just like there's all kinds of everyone else. i love how david cross illuminates the issue - i forget how he phrases it exactly, but the country-ass voice is the same everywhere in the states. the 'ignorant southerner' as northerners like to imagine is in fact the stereotype of meathead countryfolk from all over the country.

as my grandpa used to say, remember who you are and what you represent.

peace