You Don't Know Dixie

[Mike Cruz]

Ya'll watchin' this? Show about the South. Funny thing is that they seem to be contradicting themselves on what the "South" is. First they include southern Virginia, then all the way up through PA. They include Texas, but say it isn't really the South. Huh? Some celebrity, acutally, it was Trace Atkins...a country singer...says that Kentucky isn't the South. What? I mean, I'm in Maryland. The Mason Dixon line is the northern border of Maryland. Technically, we are the South. Realistically, we are a border state. PA is definitely North. VA is definitely South. Kentucky? How could that be considered the North? Many of ya'll in the South have geographically screwed up virtual cranial maps. Funny, though, when the question was brought up about Texas on the show, my wife uttered, " You know, Texas is just Texas." Funny thing is, I kinda consider Texas to be a border state, too. It is the South, but it is also a border state between the South and the West.

Hey, have fun with this. It isn't meant to rile anyone up. I don't mean disrespect to anyone. Of course, I mention Southerners having a skewed view of what the South is, but many of those in New York and north think of Maryland as a Southern State. While technically, they are right, based on the M/D line, that puts DC in the South. We are a border state...simple.

[Walter Plummer]

I have not seen the show. Are they talking the Confederacy? Kentucky was Yankee. West Virginia became West Virginia because they were part of the industrialized "North". Southern Maryland probably would have been Confederate if they had not been heavily occupied by the North to prevent attacks on D.C. by water. Geographically though I agree with you. The south is everything from Texas to PA. and south of Ohio.:D

[Bill Huber]

The way I see the program is has really nothing to do with the Civil War, it is just the southern states. Like Florida its way south but its not like one of the southern states that they are talking about.

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, North and South Carolina are the real southern states I think they are talking about.

[Mike Cruz]

Bill, sorry if I gave the impression that this is a Civil War show...far from it. It is all about what makes the South the South. Moonshine, the people, moonshine, history, moonshine, traditions, moonshine, misconceptions, and did I mention moonshine?

But are Tennessee and Kentucky really not considered the South by Southernerns (those from southern states other than TN and KY, of course). I have a friend that grew up in my area that married a TN lass. Her family calls him nothing buy Yankee.

[Norman Hitt]

"To MY knowledge", Texas was never really considered to be in anything but the Southwest, whereas what was considered the Dominant "South" States were primarily the Plantation States, ie; La, Ms, Al, N. Car, & S. Car.
Ft. Worth, Tx has always touted "Ft. Worth, Where the West begins". Of course, way back, you would sometimes hear and/or read references to the South, and then additionally to The Deep South, meaning the Plantation States.

[John Fabre]

Trace Atkins should watch "How The States Got Their Shapes"

[Mike Cruz]

Great show, too, John.

[Dan Hintz]

"South" is a state of mind and type of personality, not a location... therefore the boundaries can vastly change based upon who's doin' the talkin'.

[Ed Griner]

How about South Jersey?

[Keith Outten]

Basically there is a geographic South and then there is Dixie which is defined as the states that formed the Confederate States of America.
When natural born Southerners say "The South" they mean Dixie.

I watched the show last night and I thought it was entertaining. The contradictions reinforced my personal opinion that a large percentage of Americans don't know anything about the history of their state or their country which is very sad.
.

[Perry Holbrook]

When I worked for a company in Baltimore area, they would insist they were southern, because they were below the M/D line. I tried my best to get them to understand that being Southern was not about geography, but about a way of life/attitude/character,etc. When they finally spent some time with me traveling thru the southeast they finally understood.

FWIW, I would say (with a few exceptions) all of NC, SC, AL, MS, GA (not Atlanta), Western VA, rural FL, and parts of KY and WV are what I have found to be The South.

Perry

[Belinda Barfield]

The South encompasses NC, SC, AL, MS, LA, GA (not Atlanta). Florida is just Florida. Texas is Texas. While Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky are technically the south, around here we consider them the mountain states. There is a lot of cultural crossover between the deep south and the mountain states, but there are a lot of cultural differences as well. Truly, being Southern is a state of mind.

[ray hampton]

to answer Belinda , KY & Tennessee are mountainous in the East and swamps in the western part of the two states , if you can talk to the cypress trees I think that they would call western KY part of the south

[Don Buck]

+1 on its really the state of mind more than the geographical location. I've often used the grit factor to determine if I was in the South or not. If grits aren't part of the breakfast (or at least offer or listed on the menu) in a "Southern" non-fast food restaurant then I may not be in Dixie...

To further complicate the issue but to keep it wood related, the National Hardwood Lumber Association classifies "Southern" hardwood production to the eastern regions of VA & NC, most of SC, GA & AL, all of FL, MS, LA, AR, eastern OK & TX and western TN.

One of my favorite local restraurants here in Lexington (The Southern Inn) serves grits with their Sunday brunch and often spiced up as a side dish with the evening meal. As a woodworker whose home shop is less than 75 yards from the grave site of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and about 10 blocks from the final resting spot for General Robert E. Lee, I will classify my shop as having Southern exposure.

[Bryan Morgan]

"South" is a state of mind and type of personality, not a location... therefore the boundaries can vastly change based upon who's doin' the talkin'.

I think thats part of what the show is about... I only watched some of it but I have it TIvod and will watch the rest later.

Heck, I'm in SOUTHERN California and people always call me a redneck southerner type because of my love of NASCAR, guns, and freedom. :)

[Jim Rimmer]

I watched it and found it entertaining but not too factual. They looked for as many stereotypes as they could find. Interesting that the one restaurant they zeroed in on was run by a Mexican family, called the Big Apple, served tamales as a specialty and also served pig ear sandwiches which i have never seen in a restaurant in all my roaming around the South. As to other comments:

Texas - Texas is what it is. It was a Confederate state and is a state of mind Southern state but not part of the deep South.
Grits - as they said on the show, if you put enough stuff in them, they are really good. Basically you just use them as glue to hold other foods together. They also work well for spackling drywall and scrubbing stains off porcelain.
West Virginia - WV is what it is because when Virginia seceded, WV seceded from Va.

[Gary Hodgin]

I know the answer. VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, LA, TN, KY, AR, MS are definitely "southern." TX is southern for some purposes by not others. I'd consider it southern. Missouri and Maryland are close, but excluded. Forgot about WV. I'd put it in the same category as Texas: mostly southern, but I've always been a little suspicious about them.

[Sean Troy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL-1T9g5-vU

Charlie will tell ya

[Eddie Watkins]

Oklahoma has somewhat of a southern attitude due to the fact that most of the native Americans brought here in the early 1800's were from southern states(Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, FLorida, etc.) Texans are just crazy. They keep thinking the Longhorns are going to beat the Sooners!:D I consider the "South" anything south of and including Ark, Tenn, Va. and east of and including Ark and La.

Interesting fact: my first and middle name is Eddie Ray. If I go anywhere south or east of here where people know my middle name, they call me Eddie Ray(making it sound like a single word). NObody has ever called me that except southerners.

[Mike Cruz]

So, I can call you Eddie, or I can call you Ray, or I can call you EddieRay, but I doesn't gotta call you Watkins? :)

[Belinda Barfield]

Interesting fact: my first and middle name is Eddie Ray. If I go anywhere south or east of here where people know my middle name, they call me Eddie Ray(making it sound like a single word). NObody has ever called me that except southerners.

That's because it is one word! LOL Around here that's called a "double first name" - I have absolutely no idea why. I have an Aunt BillieJean. I went to high school with a girl named DebbieSue. A man who lived down the road a piece from my grandfather was named BobbyEarl. See - all one word. :D On the other hand, my grandfather had another friend named Raaaymond.

[Gary Hodgin]

I went to school with Lona Carol, Lyla Lynn, Peggy Lou, Betty Jean, Billy Ray, Jimmy Ray (brother of Billy Ray), Sammy Lynn, Vickie Lynn (Sammy Lynn's brother, that's right Vickie was a he), Micky Lynn (unrelated the other Lynn's) many among others. Double names were very common.

[Mike Cruz]

Well, BelindaJo, I will take your word for it. :)

[John Lohmann]

I think Don Buck said it right, You know if you're Southern, if you have to think about it, you're not.

[Gary Hodgin]

I think a lot of it has to do with how good the state universities are in football. Hard to lay claim to being southern if you can't beat at least 3 fourths of the teams in the Big 10.

[Mike Cruz]

So you just need to beat 6 teams and your a Southerner? What about the other 5 teams? :)

[Gary Hodgin]

I think I meant you have to be able to beat at least 9 of them. My mind is a little messed up today. BillyRay and BobbyRay came over earlier this afternoon and we fixed a big batch of SEC grape kool-aid to go with our afternoon biscuits. Stuff is good, but strong.

[Belinda Barfield]

I think a lot of it has to do with how good the state universities are in football.

Interestingly enough (at least to me), my beloved Georgia Bulldogs kick off the season on 09/03 going up against Boise State. Should be interesting.

[Gary Hodgin]

UGA and Boise should be good. The talk around here is that UGA could be very good or very bad, but nothing in between. I don't understand that reasoning, but I'm not a football talking head. Things aren't very promising on The Hill in Knoxville.

[Belinda Barfield]

I'm not a football talking head either, but that seems to be how things always are with the Dawgs . . . we're either top notch, or can't play our way out of a paper bag. I hope things aren't promising on The Hill for the Vols on 10/08/11. :D

[Jim Rimmer]

So, I can call you Eddie, or I can call you Ray, or I can call you EddieRay, but I doesn't gotta call you Watkins? :)

You really reached back for that one :D I hadn't thought about the Ace Trucking Co. in a long time.