Quote:
Originally Posted by princessbelle
I never really thought a lot about being born and raised in the South and being part of "Dixieland". It's just my world and the only thing i really knew.
In the last few years I have ventured out to other places and have learned some very important lessons in life....some good, some not so good. But, the main thing i've learned is that people are just people. There are good and bad everywhere. It is nice, however, to see other parts of the country and learn about cultures and especially how being gay is actually accepted and better yet...not even an issue to be thought about, elsewhere.
But, when i come home, I embrace the structure and vitality of the landscape of East Tennessee and when you get out of the city and into the Appalachia, for the most part, it's not near as scary as one might think. I travel, with my job, to some very backwoods homes. Some don't even have driveways and you have to walk up hills and down valleys to reach these very remote houses. Plenty still don't have electricity even. It would be easy to look on these people and feel sad when I see how they live. But, it is their homes, their realities and I try and embrace that with the same respect I would going to the home of someone who has been blessed with luxury.
When I think of "land of Dixie" I try hard to not see war and hatred and bigotry. I try to resolve to the people that live here and have lived here their whole lives and embrace the beauty of what makes their world.
It's wonderful to know that "the rest of the world" is open and wonderous and thought provoking. It's also wonderful to come home.
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I love the Appalachians too. Especially the Smokey Mountains! We usually visit a couple of times a year at least, just to breathe the cool mountain air and relax. The views are breathtaking.
I hope I did not sound like all small towns and rural areas in the South are scary, just some...and somehow, when I drive into town, I can just tell. There is a feeling...(and way too many rooster and pit bull cages in the yards for comfort) These are fewer and far between any more...thank goodness.
Interestingly, Smokey Mountains National Park was "built" with Federal funds by the CCC as a part of the New Deal, as was every lake in TN but one.
The Interstate System which brought and continues to bring industry to the South, built by President Eisenhower with Federal funds as a part of the National Defense.
There is so much resistance in the South to the Federal Government, but if we really look at what we have and where we are, we have more than just ourselves to thank.