The most common way an out-of-towner offends a native Texan

[Margo Foley]

What gets me is the people who don't think Texans have any intelligence because of the twang in our accents! I suggest they take a look at Ross Perot's resume' after listening to him speak! = )

[haiku30]

Originally Posted by Margo Foley

What gets me is the people who don't think Texans have any intelligence because of the twang in our accents! I suggest they take a look at Ross Perot's resume' after listening to him speak! = )

lol!!

[doctorjef]

I'm still rather offended by people who think Texas is some sort of desert wasteland without trees or grass (that's Arizona, right? ). You run across this quite a lot, but not actually amongst people who are visiting Texas; rather, from people who've never been to Texas. So, I know it's just a lack of knowledge and a buying into what's portrayed in some old Westerns. I'm also offended up here in Delaware by people who refuse to believe that my partner, who is hispanic, is originally from somewhere other than Texas. They simply don't understand the ubiquity of the hispanic population in Texas and that there are plenty of middle class persons of hispanic ethnicity in Texas and the Southwest (here the much more recently established hispanic population are mostly agricultural workers and guys who do lawn maintenance -- they're recent arrivals from Mexico and Central America, while in Texas many hispanics have Texan origins going back generations).

[Konekodesu]

Originally Posted by Ceij

Every region has its own perception of the world and its own perception of other regions. What is the most common way people from New York, or Florida, or Japan step on the toe of a Texan? What stereotypes of Texans do Texans find most offensive?

Hmm... Texans love out-of-towners, honestly. If someone is visiting, then we want to show them around, or tell them what to check out, and most people get weirdly exuberant about it... XD (I've been embarrassed by my friends and foreign exchange students...) we probably scare a lot of foreigners... we have a lack of delicacy when it comes to the sharing of ourselves. ("YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS? OMG, WE HAVE TO TRY IT. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT. YOU'LL LOVE IT. LET'S GO~")

People out of state are always surprised how nice we are, and one stereotype I hate is when that niceness is mistaken for stupidity, lack of realism, or fake generosity. I assure you, 9/10 times it's entirely genuine. My excuse is that it's too damn hot to be anything but nice, we suffer enough as is~ ;D You don't have to be cynical to be brilliant, observant, etc.

We're extremely proud of our ability to take care of ourselves and do things the "moral' way (and that's an individual-by-individual basis, lol). My political science professor is from Albany and has been living in Texas for 3 or 4 years. Her observation of us is that we're as a group, politically conservative, but extremely libertarian individuals. (In her words, "A weird amalgamation...") She says she considers herself a Texan now, and several rows behind me I heard a girl say "Yay~" because we love our state and are really happy when others love it too. Openly hating Texas will shut out a lot of people.

My most hated stereotype... I'd have to say... dumb-redneck, bible-thumping, illiterate southerner. But I guess anyone would hate that. We're much more diverse than people give us credit for, I'm white and I didn't have a white best friend until junior high, if that says anything. lol

I also hate when people try to do a Texas accent and it sounds like it's straight out of Georgia. (The Big Bang Theory on CBS? Sheldon's mother... omg. Horrible. She's gotten better at it I think...) Nails on a chalkboard. Just... don't mock the accent. It's clearly too complex/subtle for outsiders... just... don't. And the accent is much thicker outside of cities, and for me, when I get tired it really comes out.

10-gallon hats... I've never seen one, I don't ever want to see one... I think an outsider made them up. I had a "real" pair of cowboy boots when I was 6. That was the only time.

I don't square-dance or two-step, nor have I ever, nor could I even try.

New Yorkers would have a harder time with Texas than a Japanese or a Floridian would. Language aside, the Japanese are very similar in a lot of ways (and I know a lot about Japan.) And Florida has the same problem of "Yeah, we're in the South... but... come on." Upstate New Yorkers would probably adjust much more easily.

That's all I can think of atm...

[SafetyGuy]

I was on a flight from Boston to DFW the other night and the woman looking out as we were preparing to land started saying yee haw. It made me this of this thread. I was waiting on her to ask where my horse was hitched. Her kid asked what I kind of house I had and I said it's made of brick and straw. Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer...
I work with a lot of Canadians and I admit that I mock their accent a lot, so too a fault, I think we all do it to different regions of the country/world...

[dmorris]

Most accents I quite enjoy including the Texan accent. It is a reflection of the local feel and culture - would never want accents to go away. However, I do have issues with phrases such as "she don't know nobody." I think this is perhaps a rural thing and not necessarily a Texan thing. It just happens to be Texas has a lot of rural and country. It is really hard on the ears for people who have never been around it. When I have asked people about it (some are even college educated), they tell me its "country talk" and that is how they grew up.