Everyone can learn something from Southerners.
Southerners exude specific traits with ease and rigorously adhere to certain unspoken “rules.” Their engrained Southern roots flavor the way they speak and act and could spice up others’ lives as well.
As a born and bred Northerner, I particularly notice intrinsic Southern characteristics. These unique components of a Southerner’s way of life unite Southerners as much as whiskey bonds a Manhattan and a Jack and Coke.
Nobody has to cross the Mason-Dixon Line to learn these fundamental elements of Southern lifestyles:
* Exhibit good etiquette. Southerners are super polite, and everyone else should mimic their gracious manners. Always say “please” and “thank you.” Hold the door open for other people, and they will do it for you next time. A simple “yes” or “no” answer is not good enough. “Yes, m’am” or “No, sir” are much more polite and appropriate.
* Always be friendly. Remember that a wink and a smile will get you far in life. Follow Southerners’ leads and smile and say “hello” to everyone, even strangers. Establish rapport with everyone, from your mail carrier to your manicurist. Learn people’s names and use them. People will remember your friendliness as a small act of kindness.
* Make family the most important priority in your life. Southerners do not let work interfere with family time. They value their families, and not just their immediate ones. Most people in the South know their sixth cousins and know all about their ancestors who fought in the Civil War. Make Mom and Dad, or Mother and Daddy, happy and spend as much time as you can with them and the rest of your relatives.
* Enjoy food. Add sugar to your iced tea. Smother your food with gravy. Eat barbecue and do not worry about getting it all over your face. Eat fried green tomatoes, fried chicken and everything in between. Try grits for breakfast. Learn to appreciate good country cooking. Just make sure that you enjoy every bite of your food.
* Pay attention to tradition. Chivalry still exists in the South, and it can thrive elsewhere, too. Ladies and gentlemen still have a place in society. Southerners respect their history and heritage. Many ferociously protect the Confederate flag and some even re-enact Civil War battles. Traditional values, such as strong community spirit, have merit. Learn from the past and do some things differently, but do not completely abandon tradition.
* Use colloquialisms. Southerners always say “y’all,” whether they are in Mississippi or Michigan. Northerners, feel free to say “you guys.” Say things however you feel comfortable saying them. Just take note of the Southern way of speaking so you will understand Southerners.
If people say they are “fixin’ to” do something, they are getting ready to do it. A toboggan is a hat in the South, not a sled. People push a “buggy” filled with groceries, not babies. When Southerners ask for a “Coke,” they might actually want a Sprite or a Pepsi. “Coke” encompasses all varieties of soda, or pop.
* Appreciate small town life. Southerners know that small towns possess an enormous sense of community and constitute one big family. Everyone knows each other and looks out for one another. Southerners take a lot of pride in their hometowns, even if they are nothing more than a stop sign on a dirt road. Learn to slow your pace of life and keep things simple, whether you live in Pearl, Miss., or New York City.
Even Southerners, who sometimes take these elements of their culture for granted, should remember these maxims of Southern living. And remember that nobody has to master a thick, syrupy Southern accent to possess some Southern charm.
Jenn Rousey is a senior English, French and communication major. She can be reached at [email protected].