The South

    ``I don't understand why those red necks still call us yankees!''
    -- Almost veryone north of the Mason Dixon Line

The South. It's not just a Place, it's a State of Mind. One of the problems people have in (and with) the USA is thinking it's one country. This is understandable. We do have one federal government. But the intent was not originally to be a single country, but rather to be a federation of states. And this federation of states is huge, geographically, and incredibly diverse, based both on geography and culture of groups who settled in the various parts.

The South roughly comprises the states south of the Mason-Dixon line, from the east (Atlantic Coast) through most of Texas. Some would argue that it extends all the way through Arizona. Others draw the line at the Mississippi River. The South does not include southern Florida, which is clearly part of New York, and may or may not include Louisiana, depending on the topic being discussed.

You cannot understand the South without knowing its history, and preferably spending some time among its people. This is true of most cultures, but most of us are so used to thinking that everyone fits into some mindset we agree with that when we encounter something different, we immediately judge it, even though we probably are not qualified to.

We'll attempt, over time, to explain the South by little vignettes of southern life, past and present.

• The Civil war
• The Cola Wars

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Last updated: 29 May 2001

Copyright 2001 Miles O'Neal, Round Rock, TX. All rights reserved.

Miles O'Neal <roadkills.r.us@XYZZY.gmail.com> [remove the "XYZZY." to make things work!] c/o RNN / 1705 Oak Forest Dr / Round Rock, TX / 78681-1514