Being from the South does not make me ignorant

I’m a lot more woke than some of you Yankees


When I meet people from up North, they’re often struck by my rather flat-sounding voice. They’ll say things like, “You don’t sound Southern at all.

Admittedly, the accent that comes out of northeast Florida is not strong at all. I pronounce some words a little differently, and when I’m angry or excited, I slip into a slight twang I’ve picked up from my parents. Other than that, my voice is pretty vanilla for a Southerner.

I don’t really look that Southern, either.

What catches me slightly off guard, though, is how they always say this as a sort of compliment. “Oh, well you don’t SOUND Southern,” they say, in the same way one might say, “Well, you don’t LOOK tired!” They say it as if sounding Southern is not desirable, and that rubs me the wrong way.

Yes, it’s true. Our reputation precedes us and often gives the world a pretty bad idea of the American South. One image in particular tends to stir up some animosity – the Confederate flag.

What I wish people would understand, though, is that our fellow Southerners don’t speak for all of us. There are plenty of people my age with a very “South will rise again” attitude, but a lot of my peers are also incredibly educated people who understand that the South is a problematic place and who transcend the negative reputation the South presents.

Take, for example, my longtime friend Mimi. A native of Florida, I’ve known her since we were in elementary school, and even then she had the highest vocabulary of anyone I had ever met. She recently graduated from Mary Baldwin College and will be starting graduate school in the fall. She is 18 years old.

My high school graduating class had two valedictorians, both with a GPA of 4.8. One is now studying abroad in China, and the other is currently an intern at a local marine sanctuary. Both are complete Southern belles who attend tailgating parties in cowboy boots and pigtails.

Have you SEEN a cuter valedictorian?

“But what of the older Southern folks?” one might ask. “Aren’t they kind of ignorant and intolerant?” Yes and no.

My grandfather is easily one of the smartest people I know. He is also one of the most Southern men I know, but reminds me more of a retired cowboy than a modern Southern man. He speaks with a reverent West Virginia accent, one that makes every sentence sound elegant and wise.

I can’t recall the last time I saw him wearing shoes that were not cowboy boots, ones that click slowly on tile floors to announce his arrival. At his age, most men have become bitter and probably racist, but not Trent Busch. After teaching English at Valdosta State University for 29 years, he retired to become a talented carpenter and frequently published poet. He is a self-labeled feminist and is just as witty and kind as he was when I was young.

The South has yielded hundreds of intellectuals in all fields, from authors like Truman Capote, Zelda Fitzgerald and Flannery O’Connor, to inspiring celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and the incomparable Beyonce. (I know, right? Who knew?)

Southern culture is incredibly rich, particularly the vibrant Creole culture of Louisiana and the Caribbean influence seen in south Florida. Country and bluegrass music got its start here and continues to be a thriving industry. Southern food, especially barbecue and Cajun food, is heralded as the ultimate comfort food, with spice and flavor to spare.

The moral of this story is that yes, there are people who live in the South who are ignorant. There are people who would deprive others of their basic human rights because they are uncomfortable with their identity. But there are people like that everywhere, and letting those people define the South is just plain inaccurate.

We are a region filled with rich culture, prestigious universities and brilliant people, and that is what we want to be known for.