What We Love About The South

Subtitle: Was Lincoln wrong?

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/how-the-south-skews-america-119725.html#.VZls7rkg9y0

When I saw the thread title I was hoping this was going to be an attempt at positive counter-narrative to the CSA battle flag "heritage" view of the south -- a listing of all the things the South can be proud of. Not so much :-(

I personally have very little connection to the South. But I can't get on board the whole "bash the South" train -- I really do believe in the whole e pluribus unum thing, and that includes the South as part of America.

So on the points of the article, I'll just note that history casts a long shadow, and I think the fact that European settlement in the South was on an agrarian, plantation pseudo-feudalistic basis still has a lot of influence on the region. At the South urbanizes, we're seeing that changing (c.f. the article's examples of Houston, now our 5th largest city), but it's worth keeping in mind that urbanization brings its own challenges.

Anyway, here's some things I love about the South:

- Food (Cajun, chili, bbq...)

- Music

- Visionary leaders (George Washington, MLK)

- Literature

- Innovation (eg: Chatanooga TN experimenting with municipal wifi)

I really don't want to live in the South (where my family is and would love to have me), but the article annoyed me. What I love about the South, which doesn't always hold true, especially for all, There is a love for history and tradition. Jazz and country and traditional folk music, which sometimes gets all mixed up into something creative. Really good Southern fried chicken. Slower pace. What I was trying to say in that convoluted statement, is that as soon as I say I love something, I can think of how the opposite raises its head: love of tradition can cause or be a result of people fearing change. I do hate the summer weather there!