Can you be a "true" Texan if you weren't born here? (neighborhood, buy)

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by llmrkc07

I am a 4th generation Texan (all my family comes from Houston - Beaumont/PA area), and I agree with a few other posters, you have to be born and raised here to be a "true" Texan. Alot of folks want to claim it, but you "ant" a Texan if you were not born and "raised" here. LOL. For the folks who claim and it and "ant" from here..thanks for showing us love, but NO, your not a Texan.

So on the assumption that "ant" means "ain't": Sam Houston, SF Austin, David Crockett, Roger Staubach--all are not Texans by your criterion.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

This x10.

I'm as liberal as they come but also feel very Texan at heart no matter where I live. That sense of certainty and relative calmness about life that others mistake as having a "swagger". The insistence on being social and friendly when it may be seen as weird and impolite in other countries. And the sense that you were raised in a more stable environment while the rest of the world is just winging it, and living off of the latest tends. Yeah the world sees that as being stubborn or iconoclast for the hell of it.

The state of mind is literally built on doing your own thing and not giving one flying flip what the rest of the world thinks. It's in our politics (both left and right), out country music, our rap music, our movies and art. It's truly a unique place.

What you may not realize is that many people outside of the state of Texas feel "that sense of certainty and relative calmness about life," that "insistence on being social and friendly when it may be seen as weird and impolite in other countries," and "the sense that you were raised in a more stable environment while the rest of the world is just winging it."

"The state of mind is literally built on doing your own thing and not giving one flying flip what the rest of the world thinks" - yep, that's a Texas mindset, but it exists outside of the state of Texas too, and many people move to Texas to stay BECAUSE this mindset resonates deeply inside of them, and they realize that they've found their way home.

I wasn't born in Texas, or raised in Texas. I was born in Louisiana and was a military brat who lived all over the world, and then married a man in the military and continued to move a lot (including a stint in Texas by the way). But I moved permanently to Texas over twenty years ago, when my kids were very young, and I raised my family here. My parents moved here, my brother moved here, and my other brother is trying to move here (has to sell his house and business first). My daughters grew up and married men from outside of Texas - who promptly moved here as well.

And I have an ancestor who fought at the Battle of Goliad. So there.

So yeah - I'm a Texan and I'm proud of it. Furthermore, I don't question whether others are "Texan" or where they were born - I can tell a Texan by their attitude and demeanor and it doesn't matter to me what's written on their birth certificate.

[mrfoe]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

So on the assumption that "ant" means "ain't": Sam Houston, SF Austin, David Crockett, Roger Staubach--all are not Texans by your criterion.

No but they are important figures in Texas history.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by mrfoe

No but they are important figures in Texas history.

Wow! OK then. Whatever.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Wow! OK then. Whatever.

LOL, basically...

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I was born in Louisiana and was a military brat who lived all over the world, and then married a man in the military...

Henry VIII?



But seriously: Great post. One can certainly be an adoptive Texan if they spend a few years living in the state. If it's good enough for in-state tuition, it's good enough for me. (And I'm a third-gen native-born Texan--weaned on Dr. Pepper, with a Whataburger tattoo in a sensitive place.) Culturally, I think it comes down to:

• Affinity for Fritos, especially in pie form
• Knowledge of at least three Willie Nelson songs
• Ability to put the apostrophe in the correct place in "Y'all"
• Regular readership of Texas Monthly OR (if over 70) Texas Highways
• Proper pronunciation of "pecan" and "Brazos"
• Time served--at least five non-college years spent in the state by choice, without intent to leave

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

• Affinity for Fritos, especially in pie form
• Knowledge of at least three Willie Nelson songs
• Ability to put the apostrophe in the correct place in "Y'all"
• Regular readership of Texas Monthly OR (if over 70) Texas Highways
• Proper pronunciation of "pecan" and "Brazos"
• Time served--at least five non-college years spent in the state by choice, without intent to leave

That's the biggest one right there. Basically, according to some native Texans in this thread, a 5 year old kid who was born and raised in Texas is more of a "true" Texan than an adult who has lived in Texas by choice for, say, 20 straight years, and who has adopted all of the cultures and traditions of Texas and sincerely loves Texas? That's stupid as all get out.

What about native Texans who are born and raised in Texas but hate Texas and hate living in Texas? There are plenty of those, and plenty of Texas transplants who love and embrace and celebrate Texas way more than many born and raised Texans do.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

That's the biggest one right there. Basically, according to some native Texans in this thread, a 5 year old kid who was born and raised in Texas is more of a "true" Texan than an adult who has lived in Texas by choice for, say, 20 straight years, and who has adopted all of the cultures and traditions of Texas and sincerely loves Texas? That's stupid as all get out.

What native Texans who are born and raised in Texas but hate Texas and hate living in Texas? There are plenty of those, and plenty of Texas transplants who love and embrace Texas more than many born and raised Texans.

No, it's an opinion that you've chosen to disagree with. This thread is perfectly pleasant right now. Let's not mess that up with the "stupid" remarks.

As this thread clearly proves, not even native Texans have reached a concensus on what it means to be a true Texan, so we have no choice but to agree to disagree.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by mega man

No, it's an opinion that you've chosen to disagree with. This thread is perfectly pleasant right now. Let's not mess that up with the "stupid" remarks.

You seem mad that I have "chosen to disagree with" it, though...? And maybe "stupid" wasn't the best word to use. I should have used "closed-minded" instead...

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

[*]Knowledge of at least three Willie Nelson songs

Can't even name one...Boot Scootin Boogie?