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The rationalist, in seeking clarity, employs the services of an oculist.

The ideologue seeks clarity also, but prefers the services of an occultist.

Recently, a friend asked me, “where does all this Southern Pride come from? I have grown up here and lived here all my life, and I just don’t get it! What do Southerners think they have to be proud of?” Well I think some of it comes from being poor, still making do and still dancing a jig occasionally, as we champion ourselves for surviving.

Now I hear ya saying, “that ain’t only the South you’re describing,” whichiz true, nevertheless we’ve adopted it.

While I despise ignorance, being a Southerner, I have “family values,” therefore I tend to love idiots and tyrants. The former deriving from self-acceptance, the latter from having strict parents. The authoritarian personality is pervasive in the” Land of Cotton.”

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” contains so much practical wisdom, especially for mechanical klutzes like myself, it seems a truism. However, in defaulting to this reasoning, we sometimes deny and whitewash. Our positive perspective and the “make do” attitude reinforces our Southern oversight. One of our greatest common virtues is to be thankful for what we have and when under funded. “Us Southerners” have tended toward ingenuity. (I suggest a visit to Cullowhee N.C. to the Museum of the Mountaineer, as proof).

However, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” sometimes slides downhill. Our “can do” outruns our prudence and erodes into “if it ain’t broke yet, don’t fix it”

Why iszat?

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4 Responses to “If it ain’t broke, yet”

1. Frank Povah says:

   February 10, 2010 at 6:01 am

   Austin: you have described the people I grew up among in Australia. I love and admire them for their stoicism and ingenuity, their ability to make do and put up with, while at the same time wanting to bang their heads together and shout “But it don’t need ter be like this yer bloody idiots!”

   Reply
   • austin says:

     February 10, 2010 at 12:37 pm

     Frankly, the most ingenious human being i ever met was named John Murphy. A coast watcher during WWII, he was issued a ham radio, a fish hook and a knife and lived on his wits while monitoring the movement of the Japanese. Bet you’ve got some stories about others like Murph. Whaddaya say, howbout just one little coast watcher story. Purdy please sir?

     Reply
2. Frank Povah says:

   February 10, 2010 at 3:18 pm

   Austin: Who was he with do you know?

   Reply
3. erudite_recondite_eremite says:

   February 11, 2010 at 7:16 am

   “Where does all this Southern Pride come from?”
   Why do you think that no one ever talks about (except in the pejorative sense)
   Northern hospitality
   Northern cuisine (including Northern fried chicken)
   the Sunny North
   a Northern belle
   Northern graciousness. I rest my case!
   Of course, in light of those few things for which we can’t be proud, a little humility doesn’t hurt. ;-)

   I rest my case

   Reply

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