Posted on 09/22/2011 6:21:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
The cultural and media snobs are trying to explain Texas to those who don't know the difference between a steer and a bull. If you fall into this category, a steer has been castrated -- a bull has not. I'll leave any analogy to East and West Coast elites for you to sort out.
People who are from Texas, or have lived there, are devoted to it and I never truly understood why until I lived there ... twice. Texans speak of their state with an affection one doesn't often hear from Oregonians or Michiganians. No matter what city they are from, Texans almost always add "Texas" when they introduce themselves, apparently to avoid confusion, as though there were another Nacodoches or Cut and Shoot anywhere else in the world.
The media elites are revisiting Texas in an attempt to define Rick Perry, the three-term governor and Republican presidential candidate. There were similar Texas stories about George W. Bush and even Lyndon B. Johnson, but liberal media types treated Johnson's Texas roots as quaint, not "dangerous," because his policies (with the exception of the Vietnam War) fit those in the chattering classes. For Perry (and Bush), every stereotype is applied. "Dumb" is one of the nicer ones.
Texans do talk funny. They are always "fixin'" to go someplace. Someone once published a book for non-Texans that translated their accented English. "All," for example, is a black petroleum substance that comes out of the ground.
Southern Baptist is the unofficial state religion, though atheists, agnostics and critics of America are well represented at many Texas universities. Texas Baptists go to church on Sunday mornings (and Sunday and Wednesday nights). They can recite the menu at a church supper, right down to the Jell-O squares with imbedded carrot shavings. Sweet tea is the preferred drink at such functions. Texans love their college football and the Dallas Cowboys.
Texans share a connection not found in any other state. Last week, I took my daughter's car to have her tires checked. She recently moved back to Washington from San Antonio and her car still has Texas plates. A man wearing a University of Texas cap yelled to me, "Go Texas!" That doesn't happen with Vermonters.
The Republic of Texas was once an independent country (from 1836 to 1845) before it became part of the United States on Dec. 29, 1845. It even had its own coinage, which you can buy through numismatic channels. Perhaps this explains Texas' independent streak.
Texas is a place where you can put down roots. The friends one makes there are often friends for life. Again, it's difficult to explain this to people who have not been baptized into Texas. A brief visit won't do it.
When I first moved to Texas to work at a Houston TV station, one of my colleagues had fun asking me to pronounce the names of various streets and towns. I got most of them wrong, because Texans don't pronounce a lot of names and words the way they are "supposed" to be pronounced.
Oh, and anyone who thinks chicken-fried steak has anything to do with chicken (except for chicken broth in the gravy) is clearly a "foreigner."
Texans enjoy laughing at themselves, but they don't take kindly to other people laughing at them. Aggie jokes have been popular for a long time and students or alumni from other Texas schools mostly tell them. The jokes are supposed to highlight the alleged intellectual deficiencies at Texas A and M University. Of course, students and graduates of A and M are not stupid, but the jokes are funny. For example: Did you hear about the Aggie who won a gold medal at the Olympics? He liked it so much that he decided to get it bronzed.
If the elites want to understand Texas, they have to do more than engage in drive-by writing assignments. They should live there, as I did. I still miss much of what Texas offered my family. Rick Perry revives the warm feelings I have for the state. Maybe that's because I finally understand the language.
Saying ‘God Bless Texas’ is just redundant.
This is a great commentary on Texas! Thanks for sharing!
From, Fort Wurth, TEXAS
“I’m not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could”
I’ve lived in South Dakota, Washington State, Utah and Texas. Of all the places I have lived, the ONLY state that I would lay my life down for, with pride and joy - is Texas. No other state seems to have a clue as to what it means to be an American; Texas lives and breathes freedom and the American dream.
God Bless Texas.
Thanks, nice article...hope Texas stays “Texas,” if you know what I mean.
...love the Dallas Cowboys? And you lived in Houston, Cal? Really?
..born in Texas— and if God give me the opportunity, I’ll be moving back...
A+
God Bless Texas
From, Fort Wurth, TEXAS
“I’m not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could”
Me too! I escaped from Oregon a little over a year ago. I have lived in four different states, yet I will forevermore consider myself a Texan! I agree with a fellow poster, “God bless Texas” is redundant. :)
>>> No other state seems to have a clue as to what it means to be an American; Texas lives and breathes freedom and the American dream.>>>
I think you’ve hit on something here - that we all used to talk about being an American the way Texans talk about being Texans. I think this is why Perry, for all his warts, has so much appeal. He is quintessentially Texan but he seems to be quintessentially American too.
I’m not comparing Perry to Reagan - and not necessarily endorsing him - just noticing that both seem very American, as in what being American used to mean. It seems to be very close to what being Texan still means. I think there is a yearning for that.
I was sworn in as an honorary Texan by Hayden Fry.
And Texans like to take “Texas” with them. Before liquids were banned in carryon, I was struggling (on a flight from SAT) to get my suitcase into an overhead bin. A Boeing guy helped me, and remarked how heavy it was.
I told him it was full of Dublin Dr Pepper. He laughed, and said that he had to go to Florida for two weeks on business, and his carry on was full of Big Red.
If you’re not from Texas, Big Red was the “semi official” drink of San Antonio. I once had a six pack of it blow up in my car...what a mess. Dublin Dr Pepper is made with cane sugar, not HFCS, and is bottled using the original Dr. Pepper recipe.
I’m a transplant, too. I love it down here and wouldn’t live any place else if I could help it. America still lives in Texas.
Another tip of the hat to Texans is they seem to convert transplanted northern democrats into conservative republican voters once they’ve assimilated into Texas culture.
You made my day ... you are 100% correct. Big Red is as popular in Texas as you say it is. However, Big Red like every other soft drink is still called a ‘Coke’.
“Ya wanna Coke?”; “Sure, I’ll have a Big Red” - is a typical exchange outside of any 7-11.
And the Dublin Dr. Pepper is a story all it’s own. Thanks for the smile!
So true! When I first moved to Texas, I used to think Texans were so arrogant to have their ONE star on their flag. I kept thinking, how arrogant you people are to think you are so tough you have your ONE star on your flag (the LONE Star State).
It wasn't until I went to a rodeo (and after I heard a PRAYER at the rodeo no less) and when I heard the rodeo announcer talking about Texas that I realized that LONE star (planted on a red, white, and blue flag) meant that The State of Texas is proud beyond measure to BE one star out of the 50 stars we have on our American flag. Texas is proud of America!
The State of Texas declares on its flag, every single day, that it is PROUD to be ONE part, one piece, one state of The United States of America. We show that one lone star every day to prove it too.
From that point on, I smile every time I see that ONE star on the flag of our LONE Star State.
Been here all my life...wouldn’t have it any other way.
Texas is a whole ‘nother world.
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