Sweet Home Alabama
Today I am in Alabama. The weather is lovely, but cooler than normal due to Hurricane Helene. My cousin Brian and I are turning 65 so we celebrated with pedicures and steak dinner.
I wish everyone could see the Alabama I see. It is much nicer than the reputation Alabama carries. When I said I was going there on vacation most people asked why as though no one would willingly choose it as a vacation destination. I know that it has its own set of flaws and that it ranks as one of the worst states in the south for multiple reasons. I am not denying any of those statistics but it is so much more. For me it means fireflies and fireworks. It means good food and my heritage and family. It means beautiful rural country, the Coosa River and the sounds and expressions of my dad.
It is ironic that the civil rights movement has its roots in Alabama. One of the leaders, Martin Luther King, once said that he wants to be judged by the content of his character and yet many judge people in the south by their accent rather than something deeper. It is awful that we treat anyone poorly. It is kind of insulting to me that when people impersonate a racist, an ignoramous or a person with low intelligence they use a southern accent. My dad grew up with a drawl in segregated schools in Alabama and he was neither racist nor was he dumb. After living in California for most of his adult life his accent faded a bit and sometimes people would comment with surprise that my dad was from Alabama. “You don’t have a southern accent!” and we would all giggle because we could still hear it. Once I heard him tell someone he only brought out his southern accent when he wanted to be underestimated.
I suppose people paint with broad brushes and see the world stereotypically and they get what they expect. I guess people will always find what they are looking for. Even though I don’t crave sweet tea or football and would probably never own a truck or a gun, I find it a pretty good place with people who are generous and smart and who love God and football and BBQ