Living in the land of Dixie and proud of it!

[Nat]

I associate the word Dixie with the glorification of the pre-Civil War South.

But then maybe that association comes from the song, "Dixie," which premiered at minstrel shows in the North being sung by people in blackface, and that the song was then taken up by the confederacy.

I know other people use the term "Dixie" to mean "the South," it's a term that sets me on edge.

Texas may or may not be considered part of "Dixie" but I do love my state. I cannot tell you the pleasure I derive from my wanderings out in the country or from the familiar friendliness I experience here or from hearing different versions of the Texan drawl. This is the land I was born into and it feels as much a part of me as my veins do. I have always been a Texan, and if I moved away from here and never came back, I would always consider myself a Texan. The way I feel about my state helps me understand why people do fight and are willing to lay down their lives for the land they were born on. Texas is my home and I love it.

Am I proud to be a Southerner? Am I proud to be a Texan? I know I'm not proud of the term Dixie or the glorification of the olden days of the South - but I know my own interpretation of the word "Dixie" must not be everybody's.

I take pride in many of the customs and colloquialisms I've inherited from my family. I might be a bit proud of our magnificent thunderstorms. I think of the Texan character as being independent and eccentric and tough - and whether or not that's true - I do tend to enjoy the idea of it. Those are parts of myself I am proud of.

To be from the South, of the South, is a complex thing. We have a violent history. We have a lot of love too. We have sweltering summers, but there is so much lush beauty here too. The South is full of tragedy and dysfunction and unfairness and mystery and magic and determination and romance.

When I lived in California, I got all I wanted of anti-Southern bigotry. Because my accent isn't especially obvious, people would forget I was from Texas. I got to listen to lots of conversation about how dumb we are, how inbred, how ignorant, fundamentalist, how ludicrous we are. I got to listen to California critiques of what we eat, what we wear, how we act, how we talk. I got to hear lots of imitations of Southern speech and lots of laughter over the sound of Southern accents I couldn't even discern. It hurts and it's angering to hear stuff like that.

When I was exposed to that, it really made me understand a certain pride I do have for the South and for Texas. I cannot tell you the comfort it brings me to hear a Southern accent. I want to be able to say, "Hey, the South rocks or Texas rocks because of X,Y,Z and you really don't know what you're talking about. You are talking about me when you say things like that and it hurts."

It's also painful and a bit infuriating at times when I see Southerners playing into those stereotypes. I guess at those times I feel shame and frustration with the South. I want the South to represent itself better and stop flying confederate flags and being intolerant - because that hurts and because I am part of that Southern fabric.

James Baldwin wrote, "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it."

When I think about the South, this line comes through my head. To me, the South is "more various, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it."

Some of the most beautiful acts of courage have happened in the South - but then they were born out of the need to overcome Southern oppression. Some beautiful music comes from down here too, and I think some of that also was born out of a need to overcome Southern oppression.

I have feelings of both shame and pride when it comes to the South, but I really try not to fan the flames of either. I would rather put my energy into hope - hope that the South can rise to play a greater role, that the best parts of the South will not be outstripped by the very worst parts, that bigotry will not continue to outstrip Southern hospitality, that education can outstrip fundamentalism. I have a lot of hope for Southern healing. And I have a lot of love.

I thought this was going to be a quick, neat and tidy entry, but I guess it couldn't be that. I feel like a tree whose roots are deep, deep in Southern soil. To separate myself from the South is to deny half of myself - and I have a full range of feelings on the subject. When I insult the South, I insult myself too. My grievances hurt me to speak.

[Apocalipstic]

Originally Posted by Nat

I associate the word Dixie with the glorification of the pre-Civil War South.

But then maybe that association comes from the song, "Dixie," which premiered at minstrel shows in the North being sung by people in blackface, and that the song was then taken up by the confederacy.

I know other people use the term "Dixie" to mean "the South," it's a term that sets me on edge.

Texas may or may not be considered part of "Dixie" but I do love my state. I cannot tell you the pleasure I derive from my wanderings out in the country or from the familiar friendliness I experience here or from hearing different versions of the Texan drawl. This is the land I was born into and it feels as much a part of me as my veins do. I have always been a Texan, and if I moved away from here and never came back, I would always consider myself a Texan. The way I feel about my state helps me understand why people do fight and are willing to lay down their lives for the land they were born on. Texas is my home and I love it.

Am I proud to be a Southerner? Am I proud to be a Texan? I know I'm not proud of the term Dixie or the glorification of the olden days of the South - but I know my own interpretation of the word "Dixie" must not be everybody's.

I take pride in many of the customs and colloquialisms I've inherited from my family. I might be a bit proud of our magnificent thunderstorms. I think of the Texan character as being independent and eccentric and tough - and whether or not that's true - I do tend to enjoy the idea of it. Those are parts of myself I am proud of.

To be from the South, of the South, is a complex thing. We have a violent history. We have a lot of love too. We have sweltering summers, but there is so much lush beauty here too. The South is full of tragedy and dysfunction and unfairness and mystery and magic and determination and romance.

When I lived in California, I got all I wanted of anti-Southern bigotry. Because my accent isn't especially obvious, people would forget I was from Texas. I got to listen to lots of conversation about how dumb we are, how inbred, how ignorant, fundamentalist, how ludicrous we are. I got to listen to California critiques of what we eat, what we wear, how we act, how we talk. I got to hear lots of imitations of Southern speech and lots of laughter over the sound of Southern accents I couldn't even discern. It hurts and it's angering to hear stuff like that.

When I was exposed to that, it really made me understand a certain pride I do have for the South and for Texas. I cannot tell you the comfort it brings me to hear a Southern accent. I want to be able to say, "Hey, the South rocks or Texas rocks because of X,Y,Z and you really don't know what you're talking about. You are talking about me when you say things like that and it hurts."

It's also painful and a bit infuriating at times when I see Southerners playing into those stereotypes. I guess at those times I feel shame and frustration with the South. I want the South to represent itself better and stop flying confederate flags and being intolerant - because that hurts and because I am part of that Southern fabric.

James Baldwin wrote, "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it."

When I think about the South, this line comes through my head. To me, the South is "more various, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it."

Some of the most beautiful acts of courage have happened in the South - but then they were born out of the need to overcome Southern oppression. Some beautiful music comes from down here too, and I think some of that also was born out of a need to overcome Southern oppression.

I have feelings of both shame and pride when it comes to the South, but I really try not to fan the flames of either. I would rather put my energy into hope - hope that the South can rise to play a greater role, that the best parts of the South will not be outstripped by the very worst parts, that bigotry will not continue to outstrip Southern hospitality, that education can outstrip fundamentalism. I have a lot of hope for Southern healing. And I have a lot of love.

I thought this was going to be a quick, neat and tidy entry, but I guess it couldn't be that. I feel like a tree whose roots are deep, deep in Southern soil. To separate myself from the South is to deny half of myself - and I have a full range of feelings on the subject. When I insult the South, I insult myself too. My grievances hurt me to speak.

You are such a wonderful writer!

I agree, I have always associated "Dixie" with the song, which became the unofficial fighting song of the Confederacy. I tense up when I rear it. Even the Elvis version.

Nashville has never been "the land of cotton", so I never really related to that part and as y'all know, I am so not a "Southern Belle" and hate the term soundly! I was never a Débutante.

This part of the US was a wild frontier populated with tough mountain people, mostly Scots Irish. The Native people would not come to the Nashville area in the Summer because of Malaria and bad air (allergies), yet it was settled on the Cumberland River and has turned into a beautiful city I can be proud of.

I have heard people make fun of the South too. In upstate New York, the first thing a girlfriend of Cynthia's Uncle said to me was "when I hear a Southern Accent I stop listening, because I know the person will be uneducated and ignorant". I did not waste any time trying to correct her. Yet people keep moving here because there are jobs and the cost of living is good. I can't tell you how many people move here from California.

The South is not all the same. Just like everywhere else, each area is distinctly different. Cities tend to be progressive and rural areas change much more slowly.

I love Tennessee and am proud to be a Nashvillian, though I admit there are towns and rural areas I avoid at all cost.

[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.

[Apocalipstic]

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.

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.

[princessbelle]

Originally Posted by apocalipstic

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.

((((apocalipstic))))) You certainly did not sound in any way that you were afraid of small towns. To the contrary, I completely agree with you. There are some places in the mountains here that you would not venture into if they didn't know you were visiting for reasons of help or just being neighborly. The culture and ideals of some people here are shoot first and ask questions later. I know that....because it is the truth. I have been fortunate to be known in a few of these areas as "Doc" which is sorta funny to me just being a nurse, however, it is amazing and a blessing that sometime I or another nurse are the only medical professionals these people ever see. Again, it is NOT to say I would be a martyr or want to take any chances and it would be foolish to not recognize that some properties are protected at all costs....shotguns are abound in some places, I've seen it first hand and I completely understand it.

Of interesting fact.....In East Tennessee, Fort Sanders Hospital (which is where I was born, my kids were born and where I worked previously) is built on the land where a Fort was constructed by the Union Army, not Confederate. There are a some Union areas in West Tennesee also and throughout the South that supported the Union and where confederate flags did not fly. Just goes to show you, people in Dixie can be as diverse and nonconforming as parts of the rest of the world.

[Jet]

Damn Yankee here in Atlanta 3 years. South does have its sensibilties

[Apocalipstic]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

((((apocalipstic))))) You certainly did not sound in any way that you were afraid of small towns. To the contrary, I completely agree with you. There are some places in the mountains here that you would not venture into if they didn't know you were visiting for reasons of help or just being neighborly. The culture and ideals of some people here are shoot first and ask questions later. I know that....because it is the truth. I have been fortunate to be known in a few of these areas as "Doc" which is sorta funny to me just being a nurse, however, it is amazing and a blessing that sometime I or another nurse are the only medical professionals these people ever see. Again, it is NOT to say I would be a martyr or want to take any chances and it would be foolish to not recognize that some properties are protected at all costs....shotguns are abound in some places, I've seen it first hand and I completely understand it.

Of interesting fact.....In East Tennessee, Fort Sanders Hospital (which is where I was born, my kids were born and where I worked previously) is built on the land where a Fort was constructed by the Union Army, not Confederate. There are a some Union areas in West Tennesee also and throughout the South that supported the Union and where confederate flags did not fly. Just goes to show you, people in Dixie can be as diverse and nonconforming as parts of the rest of the world.

How cool! I knew a good part of East TN did support the Union, but not about Fort Sanders!

It is amazing how much Sevier and surrounding counties have changed since Dolly put in that park. I remember when Pigeon Forge was 10 buildings! laugh.

Also the availability of cable, satellite tv, and the desire to cater to tourists seems to have leveled the accents/language a good bit. 30 years ago it was much more difficult to communicate with people in the area.

I think it is wonderful you work up there, how beautiful. Anddd how sweet they call you "Doc".

[princessbelle]

Originally Posted by apocalipstic

How cool! I knew a good part of East TN did support the Union, but not about Fort Sanders!

It is amazing how much Sevier and surrounding counties have changed since Dolly put in that park. I remember when Pigeon Forge was 10 buildings! laugh.

Also the availability of cable, satellite tv, and the desire to cater to tourists seems to have leveled the accents/language a good bit. 30 years ago it was much more difficult to communicate with people in the area.

I think it is wonderful you work up there, how beautiful. Anddd how sweet they call you "Doc".

OMG you remember that too? Pigeon forge had like one gas station and I think a little shop that sold those little black bears that we alllll had to have with the chain around it's neck..oh and water based taffy.

It is so amazing to me now, when i drive through, it is wall to wall shops and tourist stuff. But, I agree with you, it has helped that area so much, financially and bringing a diverse group of visitors. It is for sure a good thing. My grandpa helped build the clock tower on the court house in Sevierville and it's still standing!!! I love that area and travel there as much as i can.

Maybe sometime the Tennessee peeps could meet up there and do some dollywood stuff or have an old timey photo done.....just a thought (didn't mean to derail).

hugs to all the Dixie folks.

[Jet]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

((((apocalipstic))))) You certainly did not sound in any way that you were afraid of small towns. To the contrary, I completely agree with you. There are some places in the mountains here that you would not venture into if they didn't know you were visiting for reasons of help or just being neighborly. The culture and ideals of some people here are shoot first and ask questions later. I know that....because it is the truth. I have been fortunate to be known in a few of these areas as "Doc" which is sorta funny to me just being a nurse, however, it is amazing and a blessing that sometime I or another nurse are the only medical professionals these people ever see. Again, it is NOT to say I would be a martyr or want to take any chances and it would be foolish to not recognize that some properties are protected at all costs....shotguns are abound in some places, I've seen it first hand and I completely understand it.

Of interesting fact.....In East Tennessee, Fort Sanders Hospital (which is where I was born, my kids were born and where I worked previously) is built on the land where a Fort was constructed by the Union Army, not Confederate. There are a some Union areas in West Tennesee also and throughout the South that supported the Union and where confederate flags did not fly. Just goes to show you, people in Dixie can be as diverse and nonconforming as parts of the rest of the world.

Interesting post.