I was born in the American South. . . But not really? I was born in Florida, and though it is geographically located in the South, I don't consider myself a Southerner, because it's... Florida. C'mon. However, I was raised by a mother who is, in fact, quite Southern, and with that raising comes a lifestyle affluent in the understanding that there are some lessons instilled into us from a young age.There seems to be a vastly different way of life for those in the South, and that can be summed up by two words: Southern Hospitality.
There are rules of life we're raised with that seem to penetrate Southern Culture in almost any state below the Dixie. I've compiled a few, just to give you a taste of what us Southerner's consider "kindness"
1. We're nice as hell.
We're good to our neighbors, we'll strike up a conversation with almost anyone while we're in Publix, and literally apologise for almost everything. Behind Southern Hospitality comes Southern Kindness. . . and it's what fuels the Southern social-skill. This is a lesson we're taught from the first word we speak, until the last breath we breathe: Kill 'em with kindness, it makes you the better person.
2. We're shady as hell, too.
Yeah, I said it. We're nice, sometimes too nice... but that doesn't mean we're not like everyone else. We love some gossip, and we rather enjoy a little drama here and there. Down here in the South, we're always taught to never be rude, but if you have to put someone in their place, it's always best to follow it up with: "Bless your/their heart." It works, seriously. Bonus lesson: It's not gossip if it starts with "Now I'm only telling you this so you can pray for them, but..." In a land where the people can be as sweet as the tea or as deadly as the heat, there needs to be some shade, amiright?
3. We dress well.
Since that's a blanket statement, let me preface that by saying: We're taught to dress well! My Grandmother, we called her 'Nanny', used to tell us that we needed to be comfortable going to church in whatever we were wearing. Even now, I hate going into public in anything less that what I feel is presentable. In my vocabulary, I possess 3 phrases for placing clothing on your body: "Put some clothes on," which means literally anything. I don't care what, just don't look like a bum."Get Dressed," which means try to match some things together and look presentable. Anything below Business Casual will result in a judging look and a trip back to the drawing board. "Look Nice," which means please be ready to impress Michelle Obama.
Southern lesson here: Dress to impress. You are how you appear, y'all!
4. Family before ANYTHING else.
In a country where diversity is accepted, and it is widely common for people to uproot and move to wherever, (Which I am absolutely not opposed too.), the family unit is ever-changing in American Culture. In Southern culture, however, family is everything. We do not forsake our family, we always consider the family, and we always, always, always look out for our family. In many Southern households, the entire family raised you, not just your mother and/or father, so growing up around several aunts, uncles and cousins isn't far-fetched.
This means we take care of our own family, along with others. We babysit, house-sit, clean gutters and mow the lawn for ours. If we have a family member in the hospital, we run their household just as it was ours, and if somebody passes away, we tend to their family. It's uniquely Southern, but after a funeral, the family of the deceased receives an array of food- it's just one less burden to deal with. The lesson here: family, not just yours, is everything. Remember that, and care for them.
5. We try to help anyone in need.
You could probably piggy-back this one from the first point- but we're taught from a young age that if there's someone in need, and you have the means... Help them. Whether it's a burger, a place to crash for the night, help moving or they need groceries. . . if you know of someone in need, and you don't try to help best you can. . . are you even Southern?!
6. We tailgate better than anyone.
Okay, everybody tailgates... I get that. But have you seen tailgates at schools up north or out west? It's (please don't boycott me) boring if you're not in the South. THERE! I said it. It's out into the universe and it's now a known fact. Y'alls tailgates are boring! This isn't necessarily a lesson taught from birth, more of an acquired lifestyle encompassing all of the lessons here, that hits when you're in college. Tailgates for us are kind of like church. The ladies break out the sundresses, and the gentlemen lace-up the bowties. Tailgate season is our time to come together as one community, a community of southern brothers and sisters, and sunshine.
There's so many more in depth rituals and ways of life for the South, but I hope this let's a little bit of our culture shine.
Love your neighbors, y'all- and remember, dinner is just dinner, but supper is special. Biscuits go with every meal, and sweet-tea is our beverage of choice. Unless you have some Jack... Always choose Jack. Football counts as Church, but only if you're tailgating, and don't forget to call your mom... she worries about you.
