Texas.

[Mammon]

What's up with Texas? It seems to have a different culture and alot of people from their display tribalistic notions of superiority. It might just be the Dallas area though. If you drive through Dallas you'll see what i'm talking about. The people in the city seem to drive with blindfolds on and weights on their pettles and everyone carries "DONT MESS WITH TEXAS" bumper stickers or "GOD IS LAW I LOVE GOD JESUS JESUS JESUS MY KID IS ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM JESUS JESUS EVOLUTION IS A LIE!"

It's basically the example of stereotypical Christian conserative "traditional" culture. The crime rate their is high too.

Just a rant. Sorry if you live in Texas, the rural areas and small towns don't seem to be filled with crazy-ass people as much.

Saw this quote on top of the site...

..to most Americans, the cowboy is not a villain but a hero. What we honor about the cowboy of the Old West is his willingness to stand up to evil and to do it alone, if necessary. The cowboy is a symbol of the crucial virtues of courage and independence.--Andrew Bernstein

I think most Americans think Cowboys are heros because they wear Cowboy hates and boots and look like something that is heroic.

So everyone in Texas acts like their a cowboy, even if their lives have nothing to do with wrangling cattle or farms/ranchs. But because they are from Texas, they must be this heroic cowboy.

It's kind of weird.

[Dorian]

...the rural areas and small towns don't seem to be filled with crazy-ass people as much.

I think the exact opposite.

I think a lot of Texans have a pride thing. I've lived here 3 years now and I'm starting to get it. There's a lot of things I don't like about Texas but I live here.

I make fun of my family members all the time but if anyone else makes fun of them I get angry. This is kind of happening right now with you talking about Texas, haha!

I do value how Texans tend to put emphasis on being independent, "weird", and/or individuals. I like how in some ways the Cowboy represents that value. Even if a bunch of people dress like Cowboys, which in turn means it is not very individualistic, it still makes a statement. By the way the average Texan does not dress like a cowboy, or act like one, even real ones.

[K-Mac]

Yes, generally, Texans are very independent (perhaps that stems from the fact that Texas was a country before it was a state??) but not all of us are crazy kicker cowboys with lead feet. (In fact, I can't stand country music and have never owned a cowboy hat, and I know many natives that are the same.)

Texas is a huge state with several large cities that draw people from all over the world. It is truly a melting pot. As a caucasian, I was certainly a minority in the greater Houston area, and I think the same would be true for Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio, and soon to be, Austin. I think anytime you have that blend of so many different cultures, you're going to experience a wide variety of drivers. Combine that with the low cost of living, abundant jobs and subsequent urban sprawl, and you've got a traffic mess. And of course, the government is so far behind with road consruction, that all the roads are jammed all the time. And some of the freeways seem like they've been under construction since I was a child. It is enough to drive any sane person crazy and generate quite a bit of stress and road rage.

I am not sure about the rest of the state, but I know in the Houston area (where I was born and lived for 33 years), the crime rate rose dramatically after Hurricane Katrina. The poorest areas of town were hardest hit. For example, there are a lot of low-cost apartment complexes on the southwest side of the city. After Katrina, many of the lower-income evacuees took up residence there among the large illegal immigrant population, that was already living in third world conditions. Illegal immigrants are very reluctant to report crimes to police; therefore, they are an easy target for gangs and other criminals (including other illegals.) Shortly after the hurricane, the news was reporting a sharp increase in gang-related violence in that area. Houston gang on Houston gang, New Orleans gang on New Orleans gang and Houston on New Orleans and so on. It was ridiculous. Generally, I would say the suburban and rural areas of the state are just as safe as anywhere else in America.

There is a lot of sterotypical, Christian, conservatism; however, I learned that it was preferential to the far left-wing ideals that some "Left Coast" states seem to be adopting. Although I don't consider myself a Christian, at least I agreed with their less government and lower taxes ideas.

"Don't Mess With Texas" was an ad campaign to discourage people from littering and it's been so successful and well-liked, that it's just always stuck. It's been adopted as the state motto, although the real motto is "Friendship." (And if you have a Texan as a true friend, I do believe they will always have your back. I guess that's leftover from the "Remember the Alamo" days.)

There are some crazy cowboys in the small towns, but they can be good for a laugh and a cold beer. [Deliverance music playing in the background.]

Well, I'm sleepy and I've rambled enough. Bottom line, Texas is unlike any other state...I will give you that. And if the Feds pass this immigration bill they're trying to ram down our throats, you just may see Texas try to go back to being its own country again. People down there are starting to talk of taking up arms, and I think some of them are serious. And being "crazy-ass Texans", you know they already posess the firepower.

[Mammon]

My anatagonism towards Texas stems from alot of different places as well.

First off, I live in Louisiana and a Parish away from the Texas border. Texas sort of feels like the annoying neighbor. Second is the Christian conservatives. K-Mac, I don't want to agree with them because they make a false impression of capitalism. Their calls for lowering taxes and spending aren't because of capitalistic ideals but because it's view as "pro-business/pro-rich people" most conseratives i've talked too from Texas don't seem to mind corporate welfare and think welfare for the poor is okay as long as it's "faith-based"

*sigh* It's one of those "GTFO my capitalism" moments.

[Old Toad]

First off, I live in Louisiana and a Parish away from the Texas border. Texas sort of feels like the annoying neighbor. Second is the Christian conservatives. ...

*sigh* It's one of those "GTFO my capitalism" moments.

This sounds like what they say in Mexico:

"Poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States!" -- Porfirio Díaz

We could change it:

"Poor Lousiana, so far from Capitalism and so close to Texas!" -- Old Toad

[K-Mac]

My antagonism toward Texas stems from a lot of different places as well.

First off, I live in Louisiana and a Parish away from the Texas border. Texas sort of feels like the annoying neighbor. Second is the Christian conservatives. K-Mac, I don't want to agree with them because they make a false impression of capitalism. Their calls for lowering taxes and spending aren't because of capitalistic ideals but because it's view as "pro-business/pro-rich people" most Conservatives I've talked too from Texas don't seem to mind corporate welfare and think welfare for the poor is okay as long as it's "faith-based"

*sigh* It's one of those "GTFO my capitalism" moments.

I agree with you. I have many issues w/ Christian conservatives and their ideals, I just figure they're the lesser of the evils when it comes to comparing California-style liberals and Texas-style conservatives, for example. (I prefer to defeat the liberals, then I can work on defeating the Christian conservatives.)

The "annoying neighbor" comment I found interesting. I thought Hurricane Katrina was an awesome example of how socialism doesn't work (New Orleans and the corruption of LA government, in general) and capitalism does (the immense amount of resources thrown at evacuees in a mere matter of hours of their arrival in Texas.) I would think that folks from Louisiana would be a little more thankful for their "annoying neighbor." (Not to mention the millions, if not billions, of dollars Louisiana earns from Texans visiting their state.)

My husband and I volunteered at the Astrodome for 3 days over the Labor Day weekend in 2005 in an attempt to assist the seemingly helpless, and I was amazed at the corporate response to the disaster. It made me realize how much this country would be capable of if the government would get out of the way. One of the largest contributions we saw was from the local Budweiser plant. They had started canning drinking water. It didn't taste too great due to a slight metal taste, but it was fresh water and was certainly better than the water the evacuees had been pulled from. It just looked funny to see "WATER" printed across a beer can.

Anyway, my point is, how could any state in the situation that Louisiana was in have asked for a better neighbor? We were there, racing into action for LA while the Feds were trying to figure out what to do and when to do it. Maybe there are more petty issues that prompted your "annoying neighbor" description, but during times of life and death, what better neighbor could LA have had?

"Poor Lousiana, so far from Capitalism and so close to Texas!" -- Old Toad

Their new state motto!

Edited June 18, 2007 by K-Mac

[Scott_Connery]

I think Texas has a lot going for it. With the exception of Austin, it isn't full of left-wing crazies, and even though there are a ton of churches in the big cities, most people really aren't that religous. There are some crazy leftover religous laws (our alcohol laws for example), there are also a few annoying remnants of Jim Crow laws (chiefly our gun-control laws), but on the whole, Texas is one of the most free states in the country. There is no state income tax, and sales and property taxes are at least middle of the pack, if not good.

It has a great local cuisine. Most everything that is called Mexican food is really Texas food. It is incredibly hard to find good Mexican food outside of Texas and a handful of other states. Texas also has a distinct style of barbeque that is the rival of any other imo.

The people here are also a lot more friendly and pleasant than people most anywhere else I have been. Sure, it has some downsides, (especially the summer heat) but I would rank Texas in the top 10 or so states I would want to live in.

[K-Mac]

Yahoo! (Couldn't resist.) I've taken a lot of Texas bashing since moving to Colorado, so it's nice to hear someone else defend her.

[Mammon]

Oh hell yeah, Katrina was horriable. It showed how utterly morally bankrupt and retarded my state is. Man we had so many problems with crime. I got got mugged three times by evacuees!

About the neighbor thing it's like have a small crappy house and your neighbor has a huge nice house and everytime you talk to him he says stuff like "Look at how huge my house is! It's way bigger and better then yours! Look at it, your's is so small and crappy! Mines so bigger and better then yours!"

I guess you would call it gloating? It seems like alot of Texans have a gloating attitude.

Then again, when the crappy house floods the neighbor comes to the rescue. It still doesn't change the fact that they have a habit of gloating you know?

I wasn't too affected by Katrina, I live up in Bossier/Shreveport and Ruston, during the school year. Alot of my college friends had problems with Katrina, but most people managed to take care of themselves, the inner city people of New Orleans were the ones causing all the problems... sad really, .

[Scott_Connery]

Oh hell yeah, Katrina was horriable. It showed how utterly morally bankrupt and retarded my state is. Man we had so many problems with crime. I got got mugged three times by evacuees!

May I suggest you look into a Concealed Handgun Permit?

[Moebius]

I think Texas has a lot going for it.

Yeah. They've got 3 of the top 5 NBA teams in the country!

[Alessa36]

I traveled throughout the U.S. after graduating from High school and must say Texas was my least favorite state. Most of the people were prejudice against blacks and latinos....and northerners. They WERE friendly and curious and asked about New Yorkers...like saying "are they really all nigger lovers?", showed their spirituality by saying, "we don't drink before 10 on Sundays" and were proud of things like, " my car looks a bit like the General Lee, don't it?" Granted, I stayed among "the people" but most of the "normal" goups I met were transient form other states. I returned to New York on a plane as fast as I could from Dallas Airport . Sorry Lone Star lovers...I hated it there.

[aequalsa]

I traveled throughout the U.S. after graduating from High school and must say Texas was my least favorite state. Most of the people were prejudice against blacks and latinos....and northerners. They WERE friendly and curious and asked about New Yorkers...like saying "are they really all nigger lovers?", showed their spirituality by saying, "we don't drink before 10 on Sundays" and were proud of things like, " my car looks a bit like the General Lee, don't it?" Granted, I stayed among "the people" but most of the "normal" goups I met were transient form other states. I returned to New York on a plane as fast as I could from Dallas Airport . Sorry Lone Star lovers...I hated it there.

That's really strange. I have lived all over the country in 10 different states including Texas, and found racism to be far more predominant in northern places like Boston and Chicago then in Texas or even Alabama. I've only visited New York briefly and cannot comment on that comparison in particular, but generally my experience has been just the opposite.

That said, I didn't care much for Texas, generally, but the caving was awesome if you're into spelunking at all. Something like 10,000 caves in that state.

[K-Mac]

I traveled throughout the U.S. after graduating from High school and must say Texas was my least favorite state. Most of the people were prejudice against blacks and latinos....and northerners.

What parts of the state did you visit?!? I lived in the Houston area all of my life and can tell you what you experienced is NOT the norm. Many of us Texans do tease about "Yankees" but it's usually done in fun. In fact, I used to joke that anyone living north of I-10 was a Yankee. (Just to get at the Dallas/Ft. Worth folks.) There is some growing resentment against illegal immigration, but as you can clearly see from the restaurant choices alone, I think Texas is a very diverse state where it's quite a bit of fun exploring all the different cultural mixes.

That's really strange. I have lived all over the country in 10 different states including Texas, and found racism to be far more predominant in northern places like Boston and Chicago then in Texas or even Alabama.

I agree and so does my husband. (He's traveled far more than I have.) When he was stationed in Germany during his Army years, the racists he encountered were from Pennsylvania and the surrounding states. Granted, there are racists everywhere, but I think the South has done a pretty good job of accepting people of all cultures into the fold. My opinion is that conditions were so bad in the South, that people have actually worked harder to get along and understand each other, while Northern states weren't forced to do so. Just look at where the racial riots are...L.A., Milwaukee, Cleveland...not in the South. We're pretty much done with all of that except for the occasional moronic, blatant racist who is usually ostracized by their neighbors, coworkers, etc.

Anyway, I know Texas has its fair share of problems, as does any other place in this world, but I just don't think you can find a friendlier bunch of folks all in one place. (Except when they're in their cars...what's up with that?)