misperceptions of Cajuns (home, school, camp)

[victimofGM]

Back in 1964 my dad joined the Navy and went to boot camp in Great Lakes, Il. When they found out he was a Cajun from south Louisiana, they made him take off his shoes and socks to look at his feet. They wanted to see if it was true that Cajuns had webbed feet from walking through the swamps. When I joined the Navy in 1990, because I was Cajun, they thought that this was my first time on dry land and wearing shoes. I later became engaged to a girl from the back woods of Arkansas who also had joined the Navy. She got out early due to a hardship discharge. When she went home and told her folks she was engaged to a Cajun, they were literally on the verge of kicking her out the family because they thought Cajun meant half white/half black. Anyone ever hear of other weird beliefs of Cajuns, Creoles, or people from Louisiana in the past?

[annie_himself]

I've never heard of the webbed feet.

[BeenThereDunThat]

When I was going through boot, all the guys from the east thought most of La. was swampland. I sometimes played along and told them that I had to ride a Pirogue back and forth to school. Not much else was ever brought up.

[hdwell]

One thing is that people from other regions of the country think everybody in Louisiana is Cajun. Well I certainly wouldn't mind being one but I may can only find a little French blood in my background. And its from another part of the country. So I'm not going to lie to people if I were asked what I am. Some people actually do that. Maybe they just don't know or are ashamed of who they are. But Louisiana has many different people just like the other states have.

[qwertyasdf]

My first introduction to Cajuns was thru an Emmylou Harris song in the 1970"s, "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight"

It's is down in the Swampland, anything goes,
It's alligator bait and the bars don't close.
It's the real thing, down in Louisiana.

Did you ever see a Cajun when he really got mad
When he got trouble like a daughter gone bad?
It gets real hot, down in Lousiana.

Stranger better move it or he's gonna get killed
Gonna have to get it or a shot gun will
It ain't no time for lengthy speaches.

Still one of my all time favorite songs. It made me wanna see South Louisiana.

[CookieSkoon]

There's an old rumor that Cajuns all speak French and that they will shoot you as soon as look at you.

None of this is true. My room mate is born and bred Cajun. He's the biggest anime/brony/gamer nerd you'll ever meet and doesn't know a word of French.