How to Speak Southern

[Mita512]

For all of you who are interested in the Southern culture (specifically Texas) or if you just want a good laugh, I suggest reading Molly Ivins Can't Say that Can She? She talks about Texas politics and culture...which is VERY amusing.

Living in Austin (the capital of Texas), it's ironic how the city isn't a good home for traditional Southerners.

Austin's slogan is "Keep Austin Weird." Austin is the little, liberal city surrounded by hardcore conservatives. Traditionally, a homeless man with a full beard and a skirt named Leslie runs for mayor. He actually got second place in 2000.

As a student at UT, I must break the myth that there is a huge UT-A&M rivalry. If there is, I've never seen it. Yes, A&M is our traditional rival and we do traditional things before the game, but the rivalry is a lot more observable with the "Aggies." I believe OU is more of our rival since we haven't beaten them in football, which is really the only sport that matters here, in the past six years. I think it's a lot safer for outsiders to call themselves Aggie fans since most people at UT wouldn't care. Actually, I take that back. I think it's safer just because there is "the corp" at A&M. The rest of the Aggs are prob normal. BTW, did anyone catch that Rose Bowl game?

Anyway, I'll leave with some quotes from the book I recommended.

"Texans invent their own metaphors and similes, often of a scatalogical nature, which is kind of fun. As a group, they tell stories well. The reason why they are good stories is because this is what anthropologists call an oral culture. That means people here don't read and write much."

"One of the more brain-spraining aspects of Texan culture is Baptist sex. As we all know, Baptists (who fundamentally stand for the entire Southern fundamentalist world view) are agin sin, which they define as drinkin', dancin', and carryin' on. Carryin' on is the worst. That Baptists see nothing wrong with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleades, who are indisputably open-air coochie girls, is one of those anomolies we all live with here."