You can sit here, if you want...

Welcome all to segment numero dos of "This is the South". Today's commentary is brought to you by my roomie, Christa and the letter, M.

sir (sûr)
n.

1. Sir Used as an honorific before the given name or the full name of baronets and knights.

2. Used as a form of polite address for a man: Don't forget your hat, sir.

Used as a salutation in a letter: Dear Sir or Madam.

ma'am (mām)
n. Used as a form of polite address for a woman: Will that be cash or charge, ma'am?

Growing up in the South, there is no question that you are required to say “yes ma'am” and “no, ma'am” and “yes, sir” and “no, sir”. It is something we do out of respect, taught to us since birth. Frankly, it is just good manners!

The following people are eligible for this courtesy:

1. Anyone your age or older or in a position of authority or anyone, really.

It is an easy concept... A "grown-up" asks you a question and instead of responding with a simple “yes” or in really bad cases...”yeah”, you respond yes ma'am or sir!(B- Even in situations where you want to be rude to someone, because of how they are speaking to you, you are still RESPECTFUL and respond accordingly.)

Now I know that most of you have no problem with this concept, because you grew up in the South!

Then there are Yankees… (Flashback) I had a friend in high school that grew up above the Mason-Dixon Line until she was in the 10th grade. We became friends shortly after she moved down here and let me tell you, some of our customs were very strange to her and her family, but none more than the above mentioned civilities. Not only did her parents find it strange, they found it offensive.

(B- I had a similar experience in New York at the hotel, where I was staying, when I used "Yes, ma'am". The attendant asked me a question and when I responded with "Yes, ma'am," she grabbed my arm and told me very forcefully that she was not a "ma'am" yet. And since I'm from the South, I politely apologized.)

Yes, that's right, people, Yankees find our Southern civilities offensive! They believe that you are somehow being sarcastic and disrespectful, when in reality we are trying to do just the opposite. Yankees are not shy voicing their opposition to our customs, ironically enough, becoming rude themselves. Now I should make a disclaimer here, not all Yankees view these responses as rude. Those people however are usually fortunate enough to have an immediate family member who was/is a Southerner.

I propose a simple solution to this problem. Yankees should adopt our fabulous custom. Wouldn't it make the world a better place?!? After they pick up this one, I'm sure I can suggest a few more! To those that already have...Congratulations! To those who refuse...I didn't want to know you anyway! Have a fabulous day!

Anyone Else But You

I feel like I can't write anything right now, because the stuff I want to write about I can't reveal...until a later date. Don't worry...I'll let you in on it when it becomes public knowledge.

However, I will tell you that my buddy, Christa (pictured in the middle beside me) will be gracing the blog with her presence tomorrow in segment dos of "This is the South". Hopefully, she doesn't forget and wait until the last minute to write something...but frankly that's totally something I would do...so, excusable.

And even though I'm totally over it today, I will throw a little Southern generalization your way. Yesterday as I was leaving a new coffee place downtown that I have begun frequenting, I was backing out of the space (slowly, might I add) and this crazy lady comes barreling down the road and beeps her horn at me repeatedly. Now stay with me on this, my car is already halfway into the road and can easily back the rest of the way without injuring my car or hers, HOWEVER, she continues to beep her horn and move her car closer to mine until I have to pull back into my space and brake. I become seriously confused and look behind my car again to see the car that was behind Ms. Crazy Pants, waiting patiently for me to back up (again) and go on my way. I waved politely at the courteous driver and pulled up beside Crazy McCrazerson. I refrained from looking in her direction lest I display uncouth road rage tendencies and for that I say to that lady, "You are welcome."

Ok, now that I've told the story of my morning, here is my generalization. That lady is from the North. Haha. No manners whatsoever. In a ridiculous hurry to get past me, even though she took her time at each light afterwards... I would make more generalizations, but because of my angry state of mind at the time I refused to acknowledge that lady's CRV any more than I had to.

If I put you in an ornery mood, my bad. Look at the happier pictures at the top for some cheer.

Good day.

Soap Box.

This is the first official segment of This is the South.

Today I will address the critical examination of Southern Hospitality.

I really don't understand why many people are flabbergasted by what we in the South consider good manners (just ask this lady). They pass the Mason-Dixon line and suddenly they feel like they're in another universe. You know why, Yankees? It's because y'all aren't very nice. Southerners wave to everyone, say "hello" and start up conversations with strangers, and open doors for others just because that's how we were raised. It's the polite thing to do. It's the unselfish thing to do. And if you don't like it, you can get out, Chip. (haha)

Wikipedia has an article about Southern Hospitality, where critics accuse Southerners of being nice because of guilt.

"Southern hospitality has been examined by sociologists and other social scientists, some of whom have characterized the practices as a masquerade designed to cover deficiencies in southern culture, such as slavery, discrimination, and widespread poverty." (Wikipedia)

Really? I'm not nice because I have misplaced guilt about what some of my ancestors participated in along with the rest of the country. If that was the case, Yankees should really be a lot nicer as well, as they hold the most members of the KKK at moment. What's that I hear, North? A broom trying to sweep your scandalous history under the rug? Read a history book. The South is the not the only area that held slaves during that time period. I'm pretty sure the whole country participated in that whole "Trail of Tears" fiasco as well. So get a life Northerners and examine your own history and discriminations. It's probably time for a vacation and our beaches are really nice.