I have mentioned it before, but for those that don't know, I am from the American South. I grew up about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, as the crow flies. Around this time last year,...
I have mentioned it before, but for those that don't know, I am from the American South. I grew up about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, as the crow flies. Around this time last year, pre-pandemic, I was asked at a party to explain why I would ever want to move back to the South. This essay capture some of the sentiments and reasons I had. There's a lot of work to be done in the South. It's prompted social media posts that resound with "The South is not a lost cause!" or "Don't give up on the South!" By leaving, and never returning, I am merely exacerbating the issues I've left behind. Perhaps I can convince a few Northerners while I'm in the North that, despite the image, there are some good things about the South. But what does that do for the people that still live down there? That suffer from inequality, lack of opportunity, and daily injustice? It's a lot easier to throw up my hands and go somewhere that the work has already been done. I don't want that. I want to affect change from within and be there to realize a better vision and future for the South.
Edit: PS - I love the Bitter Southerner. I think the essays, art, and message they broadcast are a vital channel for constructive appreciation of the Southern US.
I have mentioned it before, but for those that don't know, I am from the American South. I grew up about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, as the crow flies. Around this time last year, pre-pandemic, I was asked at a party to explain why I would ever want to move back to the South. This essay capture some of the sentiments and reasons I had. There's a lot of work to be done in the South. It's prompted social media posts that resound with "The South is not a lost cause!" or "Don't give up on the South!" By leaving, and never returning, I am merely exacerbating the issues I've left behind. Perhaps I can convince a few Northerners while I'm in the North that, despite the image, there are some good things about the South. But what does that do for the people that still live down there? That suffer from inequality, lack of opportunity, and daily injustice? It's a lot easier to throw up my hands and go somewhere that the work has already been done. I don't want that. I want to affect change from within and be there to realize a better vision and future for the South.
Edit: PS - I love the Bitter Southerner. I think the essays, art, and message they broadcast are a vital channel for constructive appreciation of the Southern US.