Dear South,
Shut-up.
I was born and raised in Kentucky, and while that is not the deep say-owth, it's close enough that I got a taste of rural suthrn' livin'. And, I think I do have some appreciation for southern life.
I can romanticise small-town southern living where everyone is friendly and honest and happy; where there's always a freckled little boy holding a baseball glove and walking with his dog along side a white picket fence, and there's a little girl with pigtails pulling a red wagon filled with her dollies; where all the women wear long white dresses and bake pies, and all the men have weathered faces and freshly-cut hair.
And I can understand the comfort and attraction of a way of life where everyone is like you, and where change happens slowly, or not at all; where work is hard, but life is easy, because life is simple, and the people are simple; where a man can build his whole life out of a few manual skills and a pocket full of Bible verses.
There is something very "Zen" about mastering the simple life. And I appreciate the wisdom in that. But with the isolation of rural life comes a lack of exposure to a diversity of thoughts and experiences...and that leads to ignorance and an over-simplified understanding of life and of the world around you. In this environment, you become ignorant. It doesn't matter if you have a genius I.Q.; if you live in Mississippi, you live in a comic-book reality, and it will warp your mind. You become resistent to complex answers to any questions.
I know that sounds narrow-minded and harsh for me to speak this way. And I know it sounds like I'm being judgmental. I'm bordering on hypocricy since one of the things I dislike about the Southerners is their tendency towards narrow-minded prejudices.
But here is my point:
The tendency towards ignorance happens in all poor and rural areas all around the world. But it is especially strong in the Southern USA. There is a strain of anti-intellectualism that runs deeper in the south than in any other rural areas in the rest of the country. And I think it can be traced all the way back to the Civil War and their distrust of outsiders. Southerners have really cultivated a pride in their history and their identity, even to the point of being proud of their ignorance. The term "redneck" is flattering praise in the south.
That's what upsets me about certain elements in South: Arrogance combined with Ignorance. And that's dangerous and disruptive. It enables individuals to act strongly and confidently, with great passion and conviction, but without having a clue what they are talking about. And yes, I can't help but think of George W. Bush with his strong moral character and loyalty and leadership, and all these human traits I would ordinarily admire if only he had an intellectual rudder to steer himself. But he seems to be a student in the school of thought that says what we all need is less curiosity and more conviction! Honestly I think we need BOTH.
Every time I hear someone speaking with a southern accent on T.V., I just want to change the channel, because I just assume that something dumb is being said with great conviction. But that's an unfair stereotype and prejudice on my part. I'm old enough now to have been wrong more times that I can count. I do consider myself a bit of a thoughtful and clever person, but I offer all my opinions cautiously and without false pride. I'm willing to waffle in my opinions because that just shows that I'm still thinking and learning.
"A man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."
-- Muhammad Ali
Southerners see "waffling" as a weakness, and so it necessarily follows that they see learning and personal growth as a weakness. It is pure hubris to assume that you are born knowing everything.
So, to the South, I say you DO have much reason to be proud. You have shown great character and resiliency to rebuild your land from some of the darkest periods of our nation's history. But, the pride you have in your accomplishments does not gift you with more "common sense" than the rest of the country. Don't forget the reason you've had to rebuild in the first place: Because you have been fundamentally wrong before, on multiple occasions, and in the not-so-distant past.
You have a wonderful culture to be very proud of, but there is also much you can learn from other cultures. And to those few individuals who I especially target with this Open Letter: put down the microphones and megaphones once in a while, and just relax for a little while and listen. I know that when you grow up in such a close-knit society of people similar to you, it can be so stressful and exasperating to hear opinions contrary to what is obviously true to you. And that just makes you angry enough to shout. But what is plainly true to you is just not plainly true for others. And you need to take the time to understand why that is, because the answer is not so simple as "those people are dumb or brainwashed or lazy". In fact, that's what outsiders think about YOU!
The truth is that the truth is more complex and multi-faceted than anyone realizes. You in the south are so strong, and yet you have seen so little of the world. Take some time to stop and understand the other 98% of the planet that is not like you.
It will do us all some good.
Shut-up.
I was born and raised in Kentucky, and while that is not the deep say-owth, it's close enough that I got a taste of rural suthrn' livin'. And, I think I do have some appreciation for southern life.
I can romanticise small-town southern living where everyone is friendly and honest and happy; where there's always a freckled little boy holding a baseball glove and walking with his dog along side a white picket fence, and there's a little girl with pigtails pulling a red wagon filled with her dollies; where all the women wear long white dresses and bake pies, and all the men have weathered faces and freshly-cut hair.
And I can understand the comfort and attraction of a way of life where everyone is like you, and where change happens slowly, or not at all; where work is hard, but life is easy, because life is simple, and the people are simple; where a man can build his whole life out of a few manual skills and a pocket full of Bible verses.
There is something very "Zen" about mastering the simple life. And I appreciate the wisdom in that. But with the isolation of rural life comes a lack of exposure to a diversity of thoughts and experiences...and that leads to ignorance and an over-simplified understanding of life and of the world around you. In this environment, you become ignorant. It doesn't matter if you have a genius I.Q.; if you live in Mississippi, you live in a comic-book reality, and it will warp your mind. You become resistent to complex answers to any questions.
I know that sounds narrow-minded and harsh for me to speak this way. And I know it sounds like I'm being judgmental. I'm bordering on hypocricy since one of the things I dislike about the Southerners is their tendency towards narrow-minded prejudices.
But here is my point:
The tendency towards ignorance happens in all poor and rural areas all around the world. But it is especially strong in the Southern USA. There is a strain of anti-intellectualism that runs deeper in the south than in any other rural areas in the rest of the country. And I think it can be traced all the way back to the Civil War and their distrust of outsiders. Southerners have really cultivated a pride in their history and their identity, even to the point of being proud of their ignorance. The term "redneck" is flattering praise in the south.
That's what upsets me about certain elements in South: Arrogance combined with Ignorance. And that's dangerous and disruptive. It enables individuals to act strongly and confidently, with great passion and conviction, but without having a clue what they are talking about. And yes, I can't help but think of George W. Bush with his strong moral character and loyalty and leadership, and all these human traits I would ordinarily admire if only he had an intellectual rudder to steer himself. But he seems to be a student in the school of thought that says what we all need is less curiosity and more conviction! Honestly I think we need BOTH.
Every time I hear someone speaking with a southern accent on T.V., I just want to change the channel, because I just assume that something dumb is being said with great conviction. But that's an unfair stereotype and prejudice on my part. I'm old enough now to have been wrong more times that I can count. I do consider myself a bit of a thoughtful and clever person, but I offer all my opinions cautiously and without false pride. I'm willing to waffle in my opinions because that just shows that I'm still thinking and learning.
"A man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."
-- Muhammad Ali
Southerners see "waffling" as a weakness, and so it necessarily follows that they see learning and personal growth as a weakness. It is pure hubris to assume that you are born knowing everything.
So, to the South, I say you DO have much reason to be proud. You have shown great character and resiliency to rebuild your land from some of the darkest periods of our nation's history. But, the pride you have in your accomplishments does not gift you with more "common sense" than the rest of the country. Don't forget the reason you've had to rebuild in the first place: Because you have been fundamentally wrong before, on multiple occasions, and in the not-so-distant past.
You have a wonderful culture to be very proud of, but there is also much you can learn from other cultures. And to those few individuals who I especially target with this Open Letter: put down the microphones and megaphones once in a while, and just relax for a little while and listen. I know that when you grow up in such a close-knit society of people similar to you, it can be so stressful and exasperating to hear opinions contrary to what is obviously true to you. And that just makes you angry enough to shout. But what is plainly true to you is just not plainly true for others. And you need to take the time to understand why that is, because the answer is not so simple as "those people are dumb or brainwashed or lazy". In fact, that's what outsiders think about YOU!
The truth is that the truth is more complex and multi-faceted than anyone realizes. You in the south are so strong, and yet you have seen so little of the world. Take some time to stop and understand the other 98% of the planet that is not like you.
It will do us all some good.
--VL
