To quote William Shakespeare, I am probably making “much ado about nothing” but every now and then something gets stuck in my craw and I just have to say something about it.
I recently took one of those ‘mind-numbing’ quizzes that appear on “Facebook.” It was entitled “How Texan are you?” Being somewhat of a history buff as well as having lived in Texas on a couple of occasions, I felt I might do OK on the quiz.
As it turned out, I did. I received the recognition of being a “True Texan.”
The results said:
“You are not only native, but you know your history too, and what’s more, you live it, abiding in Texan virtue. At the end of the day, you’ll probably just do, whatever you damn well wanna do, because you don’t need social affirmation or big government to tell you who you ought to be. To be sure, you’re probably on some government’s watchlist, right next to Willie Nelson. But, you’re just as nice as summer rain, even to a stranger.”
The result also included a photo of country music star Willie Nelson, apparently giving the photographer, ‘the finger.’
Now, for those people who truly know me, you know that I am ‘anything’ but a prude. Certainly ‘not’ a stick in the mud.
But, being from Kentucky, and regularly being subjected to negative stereotyping, I was offended and disappointed by the low brow class representation of the “True Texan.”
Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and other so-called ‘outlaw’ singers and musicians, who peaked in the late 70s and early 80s, do not typify the ‘True Texans’ that I know and respect.
Their ‘Hill Country’ band scene did have a tremendous influence on the musical culture of the dance halls between San Antonio and Austin and even the whole of country music, but was never typical of most ‘True Texans.’
It is true, Texas does have some of the biggest country music dance halls in the world with ‘Billy Bob’s’ in Fort Worth and ‘The Bluebonnet’ in San Antonio. But, Texas is home to a number of nationally and internationally recognized symphonies and operas.
History and art museums are scattered throughout the state. Law schools, medical school, and theological seminaries are on par with the best this nation offers. Hospitals and medical centers are among the best in the country.
The Houston Space Center is unmatched. Texas is home to a number of Army, Air Force, and Navy instillations where the service members work tirelessly to aid in the defense of this country.
The fine people of Texas are fortunate to have so many different types of geography available to them and these different locales do influence lifestyles to a certain degree. There is the desert of the western Big Bend region, the fertile fields of South Texas, the amazing Gulf coast, the swamps of the southeast, the forests of the Great Piney Woods in the northeast, the rolling hills of central Texas, and the plains of the panhandle.
The people of Texas are as diverse as the geography. Nearly every ethnicity of America is represented in the state with large populations of Spanish/Mexican, Asian, German, Cajun, Creole, African and Native Americans. The cuisine of the ethnic influences is noteworthy.
But, what makes me most proud of Texas is the fact that there is a big emphasis on maintaining the historical roots of people while assimilating them into the greater Texan culture.
All people who live in Texas, from the tiniest crossroad communities of the farm to market roads, to the huge metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio are Texans.
They are rich and poor, educated and uneducated, English speaking and non-English speaking, native born and immigrants. They are all ‘True Texans,’ and not some over-the-hill singer, from years gone by, making an obscene gesture.
If we are talking about these ‘True Texans,” count me as one of them.
I recently took one of those ‘mind-numbing’ quizzes that appear on “Facebook.” It was entitled “How Texan are you?” Being somewhat of a history buff as well as having lived in Texas on a couple of occasions, I felt I might do OK on the quiz.
As it turned out, I did. I received the recognition of being a “True Texan.”
The results said:
“You are not only native, but you know your history too, and what’s more, you live it, abiding in Texan virtue. At the end of the day, you’ll probably just do, whatever you damn well wanna do, because you don’t need social affirmation or big government to tell you who you ought to be. To be sure, you’re probably on some government’s watchlist, right next to Willie Nelson. But, you’re just as nice as summer rain, even to a stranger.”
The result also included a photo of country music star Willie Nelson, apparently giving the photographer, ‘the finger.’
Now, for those people who truly know me, you know that I am ‘anything’ but a prude. Certainly ‘not’ a stick in the mud.
But, being from Kentucky, and regularly being subjected to negative stereotyping, I was offended and disappointed by the low brow class representation of the “True Texan.”
Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and other so-called ‘outlaw’ singers and musicians, who peaked in the late 70s and early 80s, do not typify the ‘True Texans’ that I know and respect.
Their ‘Hill Country’ band scene did have a tremendous influence on the musical culture of the dance halls between San Antonio and Austin and even the whole of country music, but was never typical of most ‘True Texans.’
It is true, Texas does have some of the biggest country music dance halls in the world with ‘Billy Bob’s’ in Fort Worth and ‘The Bluebonnet’ in San Antonio. But, Texas is home to a number of nationally and internationally recognized symphonies and operas.
History and art museums are scattered throughout the state. Law schools, medical school, and theological seminaries are on par with the best this nation offers. Hospitals and medical centers are among the best in the country.
The Houston Space Center is unmatched. Texas is home to a number of Army, Air Force, and Navy instillations where the service members work tirelessly to aid in the defense of this country.
The fine people of Texas are fortunate to have so many different types of geography available to them and these different locales do influence lifestyles to a certain degree. There is the desert of the western Big Bend region, the fertile fields of South Texas, the amazing Gulf coast, the swamps of the southeast, the forests of the Great Piney Woods in the northeast, the rolling hills of central Texas, and the plains of the panhandle.
The people of Texas are as diverse as the geography. Nearly every ethnicity of America is represented in the state with large populations of Spanish/Mexican, Asian, German, Cajun, Creole, African and Native Americans. The cuisine of the ethnic influences is noteworthy.
But, what makes me most proud of Texas is the fact that there is a big emphasis on maintaining the historical roots of people while assimilating them into the greater Texan culture.
All people who live in Texas, from the tiniest crossroad communities of the farm to market roads, to the huge metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio are Texans.
They are rich and poor, educated and uneducated, English speaking and non-English speaking, native born and immigrants. They are all ‘True Texans,’ and not some over-the-hill singer, from years gone by, making an obscene gesture.
If we are talking about these ‘True Texans,” count me as one of them.
