# What Does the Rest of the USA and the World Really Think of TEXAS? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2000, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009 "2000-11-13T15:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/21 "2000-11-13T19:39:10Z")
Knew a girl from Texas who was constantly crowing about how Texas has been under six flags (or whatever) of rulership and how it was written into their state constitution that they could secede if they wanted. Our response? Please, please do it! Another Texan (our neighbour in CO for a while and a wonderful person otherwise) was driving us around Houston and pointed to a billboard with two Cowboy helmets on it and one Miller can. He said, “All fine Texan traditions.” Living in Milwaukee at the time, all I could think was “…errr?” –From the great state of Wisconsin, where the winter is jus’ fine. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/22 "2000-11-13T19:39:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I for one would like to know a lot more about black and Mexican Texans I’ve got a good buddy from San Benito, Texas, right on the Mexican border. He is of Mexican descent, he grew up speaking Spanish, and has a Spanish/Mexican accent. (In fact, people always assume he’s from Mexico, much to his annoyance.) He is just as much a loud-mouthed braggart as the rest of 'em. (And I say that in an affectionate way. Heck, they wouldn’t be Texans if they weren’t loudmouths!) Don’t even get him started on the Dallas Cowboys. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/23 "2000-11-13T19:43:29Z")
By the way, **McKenna** , if you want a better understanding of race relations in Texas, you might want to watch the movie **Lone Star** for a pretty good summary. (The script got an Oscar nomination, I believe.) ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/24 "2000-11-13T20:04:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by McKenna \* > **I for one would like to know a lot more about black and Mexican Texans and how they react to the rest of the country.** I’m a hispanic Texan. I grew up in Austin (central Texas) and have neither a Texas or Spanish accent. We’re pretty much like the rest of the Texans you meet. I hate to see shows where Texans are portrayed as these tobacco chewing, stetson hat wearing people with thick Texas drawls. Of course there are some people like that, but not as many as people seem to think. I can tell you to take what you see about us on tv and throw it out the window. Californians aren’t all surfers. New Yorkers aren’t rude and unfriendly. And, Texans aren’t the hicks that everyone seems to think we are. BUT, we do love our state. We think it’s great and we’re proud of our people and our history. Oh and **Spoke-** , I’ve been to San Benito many times. Talk about a boring town. Part of the weekend entertainment is to drive down Main Street, circle the Sonic parking lot, and drive back down Main Street. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/25 "2000-11-13T20:20:23Z")
**Grace** wrote: > [@](#): > > Oh and Spoke-, I’ve been to San Benito many times. Talk about a boring town. Part of the weekend entertainment is to drive down Main Street, circle the Sonic parking lot, and drive back down Main Street. Yeah, I visited the place once myself. It did seem a bit, well, boring. On the other hand, South Padre Island and Matamoros aren’t far away. Plenty of fun to be had there! ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/26 "2000-11-13T20:22:45Z")
I’ve only been to Texas once, and that was to Dallas. The thing that struck me was that every advertisement found a way to use at least one of these phrases: “Texas-sized”, “big enough for Texas” or “big as Texas”. Size, apparently, matters very much in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/27 "2000-11-13T20:46:45Z")
Thing about Texas is that it’s so big you could break it up into several smaller regions, each with it’s own culture. You can’t really say Texas is this or Texas is that, different regions are very different so what is true about one place is false about another. East Texas is probably closer to being like the other ‘Southern States’ than any part of Texas. Locals tend to speak in really strong accents, there’s a lot of racial prejudice, biggest minority group is blacks who are descendents of cotton-picking slaves. It’s kinda like the less French-influenced parts of Louisiana, or hick states like Arkansas. The Panhandle is like most midwestern states - mostly empty land inhabited with boring white people and cattle. Along the Gulf of Mexico it’s just like the rest of the Gulf-facing states - mostly poor with the occasional tourist trap (i.e. Galveston). Southwest Texas is a lot like Mexico - the closer you get to the border the more corrupt the local officials are and the poorer it gets. I saw an article about a sociologist who treated the region as a separate state and if it was, it would be among the poorest and worst-educated states in America. It’s what brings Texas down from the top ten in those national rankings. Most of the big cities remind me of Southern California - big, sprawling, can’t walk anywhere, self-segregated communities for various minority groups, lots of nouveau riche and affluent white trash in the suburbs. I’m talking about Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, and Houston here. San Antonio has a much more Latin feel. ---
**Author:** ![Fletch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@Fletch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fletch)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/28 "2000-11-13T20:47:58Z")
I grew up in Texas and left at age 18 and I have never looked back. I found life in New York, Boston, San Francisco and finally Seattle to be more enriching. I think that a few Texans make a lot of other Texans look foolish. A rude, brassy, loud mouthed person dressed in an electric blue suede jacket with a sequin Texas on the back, faux python skin slacks, three color cowboy boots, flamingo pink silk shirt, big silver belt buckle and ten gallon hat tends to confirm peoples opinion of Texas and Texans. (We just recently encountered a person dressed and acting just like this in the terminal at O’Hare.) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/29 "2000-11-13T21:31:24Z")
Mrs D used towork w/ quite a few Texans in the nat’l gas pipeline biz in Midland and Houston. The ones I met seemed just like normal folks. They tended totalk funny and were real weenies about a little cool weather, tho. IIRC, Ann Richards gave the keynote speech when Clinton was 1st nominated. I think her most memorable line was something about paterfamilias Bush being born with a silver foot in his mouth. And of course the worst thing she did was lose to Dubya. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/30 "2000-11-13T21:40:37Z")
Someone, I’m not sure who, once said that if you meet someone who has ever, at any point in their life, been associated with the State of Texas or with Harvard University, they will work that fact into the first five sentences of the first conversation you have with them. I think that’s my main impression: people who think that where they’re from matters a lot more than I think it does. I’ve lived a couple of places in my life, but was mostly raised and now live in western Washington state. ---
**Author:** ![RonA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@RonA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RonA)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/31 "2000-11-13T22:37:05Z")
Being Sooner born and Sooner bred, all I can say is… OU 63, Texas 14 😃 😃 😃 Although A&M almost kicked our crimson ‘n’ cream butts!!! :eek: (sorry, just couldn’t resist! :)) ---
**Author:** ![QUINCY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ea666f/32.png) [@QUINCY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QUINCY)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/32 "2000-11-13T22:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*I grew up in Texas and left at age 18 and I have never looked back. > Knew a girl from Texas who was constantly crowing about how Texas has been under six flags (or whatever) of rulership and how it was written into their state constitution that they could secede if they wanted. Our response? Please, please do it! > Personally, its one of 50 states in the country. Its not Southern enough to be in the South, their trucks are too big to be in California, and they’re too arrogant to be in Mexico. > I found most Texans to be arrogant and loud-mouthed and for some reason need to justify the greatness of their state to anyone from another state. Plus there’s the whole fixation on how BIG Texas is. So what? Alaska’s bigger. Face it, you’re number 2 in size now. > I went to high school (in Plano), college and worked for a time in Abilene. I now live in Minnesota, and if I have anything to say about it, I will not live in Texas again. Being a non-Christian, I found so many people to be arrogant, rude, judgmental, intolerant, and quite frankly, more than a little scary. I found such a focus on religion that I didn’t feel comfortable living there anymore. > We basically don’t like loud people, and Texans are the loudest of all. > I’ve heard of Texas. It’s what you have to drive through to get to New Mexico. > There’s reason Texas is so big. It’s to hold all that ego. > My first meeting with a Texan was in electronics school in the Air Force. The guy seemed a bit intimidated by the presence of west- and east-coasters, and constantly boasted about Texans this, Texans that. It became unbearable, at least until he brought up the subject of the Alamo: “We Texans beat off the whole Mexican empire!” Someone in the group replied, “Didn’t your hands get sore?” After that we heard no more about Mighty Mighty Texans, though there was always this low grumbling in the air. > Johnny Winter said it best, “There’s so much shit in Texas, you’re bound to step in some.” \*\* Well it’s not my words:) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/33 "2000-11-13T23:39:57Z")
Um, Quincy? Couldn’t think of a better way to not say anything by taking up the most possible space? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/34 "2000-11-14T02:43:31Z")
Robert E. Howard, author of the _Conan The Barbarian_ fantasy series was a native of Cross Plains , Texas. I believe that’s in west Texas. He drew on Texas oilfield workers, cowboys, gamblers, local politicians, & bullies as templates for the characters. He , himself, was the model for much of Conan. Otherwise, Texas is a total waste of space. ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/35 "2000-11-14T02:55:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Grace \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by msrobyn \* > > \*\*I went to high school (in Plano)… > > \*\* > > [hijack]Hey!!! I work for Plano ISD. [/hijack] > > I have nothing to add to the topic since I’m from Austin and now live in Frisco. > > God Bless Texas! 😉 😃 \*\* Howdy, neighbor, I’m from Euless, currently living practically next door to you in The Colony. Nice to meet you! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/36 "2000-11-14T03:02:19Z")
I don’t know much about Texas personally (passed through Dallas/Fort Worth airport a lot. Stayed in San Antonio for a few days once), but I’ve picked up a lot rom reading Molly Ivins. Her piece about Texas in “Nothin’ but Good Times Ahead” is hilarious, and I expect its dead-on ccurate (and not particularly partisan). Ivins is a liberal sort, but you can pick up a lot about Ann Richards, etc. from her stuff. I’m surprised none of you have mentioned her in this thread. Surely you’re not all Repubicans. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/37 "2000-11-14T03:04:31Z")
I love Texas and Texans. They’re home to TI and Dell. Their Death Row actually functions as its name implies (Yes people, executing people on DEATH ROW is not morally wrong in any way, as the constitution does allow for the death penalty). And their state government isn’t trying to take their guns! God bless those gun totin’ Texans! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/38 "2000-11-14T03:22:13Z")
Upstate New York here. Predominant opinion of Texas as expressed in my high school: “What, those big belt-buckle wearin’ cowboys in the funny hats and the stupid governor who ride wild horses and kill people? Go home.” My opinion: “Texas? Hell yes. Not nearly enough of them wear cowboy hats. So what if they kill people? Death rocks. They’ve got the Texas Rangers, Sons of the Desert, and Gunslinger. They’re HUGE. They used to be a COUNTRY. They could kick New York’s ASS if they decided to try and it was one-on-one. And backwards, it’s Saxet.” ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/39 "2000-11-14T03:24:30Z")
Well, I went to London a few years ago. I took a tour of the Tower of London. Our tour guide was this wonderfully charming Beefeater. Before we kicked off the tour, he asked our group where everyone was from. “Is anyone from Europe? What country? Asia? Whereabouts? North America? What states?” and so on. After which he said, “I presume that those of you who have not spoken are from Texas.” ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2000, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009/40 "2000-11-14T03:47:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Meephead \* > \*\*Howdy, neighbor, I’m from Euless, currently living practically next door to you in The Colony. Nice to meet you! \*\* Hey there. Nice to meet you too. Why haven’t you come to any of the Dallas gatherings? Keep your eyes posted, they happen pretty frequently (we just met again on Saturday). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-rest-of-the-usa-and-the-world-really-think-of-texas/41009.md?page=3)