Or, do we identify with the southern states that we like to make fun of (Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, etc.). Please no flames. I do love this state. It's just, sometimes when I join in on the shots taken at some of our neighbors, I have to ask, are our average citizen's ideology similar to others in the south?
I think we do have a lot of similarities with many of the Southern states, by and large. I do think Texas, though, has a more indepedent and individualistic spirit than much of the South. That would trend more toward a Western bent. There are pockets of more progressive attitudes, and there's pockets of about the most conservative (as in "unchanging" and "staid", not as in "political party support", though the more conservative parts of the state do tend to skew much more Republican at present). Texas really is a distinct culture for many reasons. We're Southern, but we're not really Southern (we do indentify with some Southern traits, but not with a lot of others). We're Western, but we're not exactly like the Western states. We have some Midwestern values, too, but we're not really Midwestern, either. We have a large Hispanic influence, especially in the Valley, but all over the state really. But when it comes down to whether Texas is an urban, progressive state, as a whole, I'd have to say no, at least not in the way I think you mean it. But I also think we're moreso than much of the Deep South.
Not in Houston. Houston is a big city. It's hard -- not that hard -- to find a Houstonian with a real honest to god Southern accent. A lot have the "Houston accent". It's more cowboy than Southern. I mean I live in Alabama (lived in Houston for 13 years) and I can tell you I make fun of most people here. Most of the friends I hang with aren't from here; most are actually foreign. Anyway, Texas is HUGE. We all know that. Practically no one in the SOuth would consider Texas a "Southern state." It's the Southwest, it's Texas. Of course there will be the ones that are similar to the inbred-hick-like-beings stereotyped by the rest of the country. First hand, I can tell you it's really not THAT bad. Sure, EVERYONE has an accent, and they DO seem dumb, but that's not necessarily true. Unfortunately, major media outlets, CNN, FOX News, et cetera always portray southerners as hicks. They literally go to the trailor parks to get an interview. They know what they're doing too. The only time Alabama is ever on the news is about 1.) Tornadoes and 2.) Racism. Sadly, most tornado damage occurs in mobile home parks, so that's where news happens. You won't see a good interview from Alabama for a looong time. The second case about racism is slowing down a bit. It's not AS bad as people may portray it to be, but it is still bad. Schools are mostly legally segregated, council boards are pretty much all white filled. It's not like blacks are being prevented from being leaders, there just isn't big influence. Most cities in Alabama are becomming more modern, being brought into the 21st century. A lot more corporations are coming in. For instance, Starbucks wasn't here until 3 years ago. Useless fact: Birmingham was once the same size as Atlanta. Many blacks have moved out of Birmingham. Another useless fact: The "black belt" is not referring to race; it refers to the black soil that differs from the red clay-like soil. Anyway, going back to YOUR main point, Texas is so big, it is everything. They're those hunting types and those corporate types. It's all over.
When I was in the army, I went to the mall with a few black friends in Georgia. This white kid, probably 15, had a shirt that displayed MLK on a target with the "we had a dream too" saying under his shirt. He walked by us with his head down. I was kind of pissed but one of my black friends said something like "in Philly, he would get his ass kicked," but then the others were like "that's so common in the south that we don't even flinch at that." Thankfully, I haven't seen that shirt in a major city in Texas (this was in Augusta).
When you drive through Oklahoma, you notice that they have lowered the speed limit on I-35. Instead of replacing the signs, they have covered the old signs with duct tape/trash bags. They placed the new speed limit signs ground level on the old post. Also, you can tell it's really poor because there's no reflectors between lanes or the shoulder. To make things worse, the street lights on I-35 going through Oklahoma City do not work. Pathetic. So I advise against driving at night in Oklahoma. Very hazardous.
IMHO, most areas of the state share much in common with the rest of South. Austin and some other pockets I know about in Houston are different. I lived there for 25 years. Based on voting trends it's exactly like the South. One thing I look for was the popularity of confederate flags on pickup trucks. It's rare to see that outside of the South. Look at the representatives for Texas in the House and the senators. A bunch of far right wingers. Not quite in the league with Jesse Helms but pretty close. Also, James Byrd.
Oh, and no, Texas isn't exactly a southern hick state. Sure there are slack-jawed yokels in parts of East Texas. But for the most part, Texas has established its own identity. Someone mentioned the Southwestern theme, and I agree. The thing is, Texas is so damn big that you can't really pigeonhole it. The panhandle has the oil and cattle subculture. East Texas has agriculture. The Gulf Coast (Houston) is known for the oil, energy, ship channel, marine life, shrimping and fishing. The Valley is all about farming and the beach. Central Texas (Austin, SA) is known for the tech industry. North Texas (DFW) is known for commerce. Also, since it borders Mexico, Texas has lots of multicultural influence. The only thing I can imagine that gives Texas a bad image are those damn "Ford Country" commercials with Alan Jackson. Can't stand that stupid "Llano Estacado" Dodge truck commercials either.
When we drove through Oklahoma last summer for the College World Series, it was nothing like that. Not saying it's not now, but it hasn't always been like that. Also, seeing how interstates are federal roads, I wouldn't think this is Oklahoma's fault. Also, have you tried driving on I-10 between Houston and Louisiana? There were parts on that road where I had no idea where I was due to the lack of lane markers and reflectors. I-20 east of Dallas is no picnic either.
my friends from new orleans always say negative things about Texas, but would finish the sentence with, "but not in Houston."
Cities are always different from the states. Houston is one of the biggest exceptions. I have a black friend from up north and he moved to Houston because he could not believe how diverse and friendly Houston was. He said that in other places where he might get dirty looks or no looks at all, people here were always friendly and smiled. Also, despite the surrounding counties, Houston is still a moderate southern city socially and politically. We are the only city other than NYC to supply as much money as we do to the arts locally. In most cities, the theaters for the ballet or symphony are publically owned and paid for. Most of our theaters like the Wortham, the Alley and the Hobby Center for the Arts are paid for predominantly by private foundations. We also donate 11 percent of the volunteer hours for charitable organizations in the United States despite representing less than 2 percent of the total population of the country. Maybe most importantly, we are still a widely diverse city politically. In the state where Bush was governor, Gore carried Houston 51 to 49. We vote across the board in elections not really favoring any one single party or ideology. It's not hard to see that when you realize that the local political party groups are not particularly strong within the community. Rather than being driven by the parties, Houston is largely driven by community organizations and local activists on both sides of the aisle making for a much more diverse and hard-to-predict constituency. Obviously, when you get outside of the city limits, all bets are off. It is much more caucasion, conservative and traditionally southern but the people are still extremely friendly and the temperment is much more mild than other cities. I think the fact that Texas has such a long tradition of independence both in practice and in ideology really tends to make us unique as a part of the south but more independantly minded than the rest of the deep south.
Some friends of mine are a bi-racial couple, black woman, Jewish man. They said that they had lived in Bufalo NY and Louisville KY before coming to Houston. When they came to Houston roughly 20 years ago they immediately felt much more accpeted.
Yep, you've got it right. At least that sounds a lot like what I learned in Political Science. I think you can also think of Texas as libertarian- there's no income tax, there's less regulation on businesses, but it doesn't seem to be as socially conservative as a state like Mississippi or Alabama.
A question worthy of several books... Texas is literally where the South meets the West. We're neither Southern the way Mississippi is or Western like Wyoming is, but somewhere in the middle. We are extremely urban, but don't like to think so. There are many books out there, but I learned a great deal from the following two:: An Empire for Slavery: The Peculiar Institution in Texas, 1821-1865 by Randolph B. Campbell Comanches: The Destruction of a People by T. R. Fehrenbach
There was a survey taken 3 or 4 years ago asking people to what did they identify more to: their state or the US (their country). Not surprisingly Texas had the highest ratio of people who felt that they were more Texan (their state) than American.
mrpage and rimrocker, excellent posts. I think we would all agree that East Texas is the most "Old South" part of the state (and one of the most beautiful). Certain parts of the state are or lean towards being progressive... but the state as a whole?? Nah. Urban, despite our self-image as Texans bestride the colossus, and in some ways more conservative than we were. Immigration from other states has been a b!tch!
Texas urban areas are progressive for the most part. Austin is extremely friendly and progressive and I enjoyed the 18 years I spent in the burbs north of houston. Texas definitely has its own attitude that goes above and beyond that of any other state.
