Posted by: Steve Lindsey | September 29, 2021
A lot has been made over the Confederate Battle Flag and Confederate monuments, while most “information / facts” are shall we say, inaccurate at best, I don’t intend to rehash the not so “Civil” War. What I do intend to do is try to explain why we (Southerners) are the way we are. Yes, we may be “Vaccine Hesitate” too, with good reason. Most Southerners remember history as it was told to us by our Granddaddies or Great Granddaddies. We remember the “Tuskegee Experiment” where the government used black people as test subjects in experiments in sexually transmitted diseases and other nefarious projects, we have a collective historical memory of Sherman’s March to the Sea. Many historical towns and cities were burned to the ground, civilians slaughtered our women raped many had nothing to do with the (no so civil) Civil War. Add in a mix of the government telling us how we can live and now we must get the shot or else, have many of us saying “or else what”!
We have a saying here in the South: “Don’t start no sh*t there won’t be no sh*t….
That sums us up. We believe in our individual right to be a “Redneck”, trailer trash, white trash or someone just putting on airs”. We are all Southerners, however. We drink Beer, fight over our favorite SEC team, drive trucks, get dirty and love our families. We have guns, lots of guns and believe the Government needs to stay out of our lives. Just like being a Mid-westerner, Texan et. al, the South has its morays and idiosyncrasies. We tend to put God, Family, Country and SEC Football right up there with Guns, Gold and a fierce independence streak that you can see from space. Some may put one in front of the other, but the list is pretty much complete with those 7 items.
We say Yes Sir to men older then us, and Yes Ma’am to any woman old enough. We open car doors and well any door to any woman. A Southern girl will say Thanks and not bite your head off. Southern women understand what courtesy is and doesn’t get all riled up over perceived insults to their “Womanhood”. Being a “Southerner” is more than a frame of mind... It is a way of life.
My Truck is better than your truck, my dog can kick your dog’s butt and if you mess with either one, you are liable to walk away (if you are able to) with a butt whooping. Same goes with my family and my money.
We can get into a “knock down drag out” fight with our best friend, pick ourselves up, wipe off the blood, wonder why we were fighting and go drink a beer laughing that we can’t remember what got us all riled up to begin with.
Above all else we don’t like outsiders telling us what we can and cannot do. We don’t like our traditions and history attacked. Southerners tend to keep to ourselves and until this happens, we band together in a pretty cohesive mindset and tend to fight back.
A point you need to remember.
The recent attack on what we perceive to be our Southern Heritage is a prime example of that.
Now let’s be honest here. Not one single person living today in America was a slave and I know of no one personally that benefited from one. So, the flag to us is nothing more than our “Symbol” of independence, our “Rebel” spirit if you will. Just because some dirt-bag uses it to wrap their ignorance, stupidity and yes even their racism in it doesn’t mean that the rest of us are all in agreement just because we support the flag. Until recently I rarely saw a “Rebel” Flag flying much less displayed from vehicles and yards.
Now they are everywhere.
Most Southerners are not racist. No more than most Blacks, Mexicans, Chicanos, Yankees, Orientals ect..ect…
As long as you understand Southerners don’t give preferential treatment nor do we expect it. We work and we play hard and don’t like people that sponge off the system. You can have black friends, gay friends, Hispanic friends… it’s all the same to us. You can also have only white friends if that is what you want. We tend not to judge, and it is the individuals choice to associate or not. Pretty simple way of looking at things but it works for us. Everyone is welcomed to be a Southerner. We don’t care what your color, race, creed or religion or the lack thereof as long as you bring a beer or two and know how to “shoot the sh*t.” (If you don’t know what that is then you ain’t a Southerner).
Are there exceptions, of course? As a group of people, we are no better or worse than anyone else.
We just want to be left alone.
You can call us hicks, backwards idiots, uneducated Neanderthal ‘s, we have heard it all. It’s easy to say from a keyboard. I should caution you however, doing so to our face may well result in you finding yourself lying on your back looking at the stars wondering why your face is broke. Just saying.
So if you see me or my kin (includes all Southerners) yes go ahead and make a joke of it... but should you meet us you might want to keep your comments to yourself. Don’t roll your window down and tell me my flag is racist... you see we really do carry guns and our trucks will roll right over that little Prius or Fiat. If you are a Carpetbagger just keep on moving on we will live and let live as long as you let us.
Do you hear us Joe?