Deep South

In Kentucky, especially Louisville, we like to argue about whether we live in the South or the Midwest. Of course that's something that can't be totally agreed upon but when I travel both north and south, it becomes pretty clear that Louisville is perfectly aligned with the rest of the Midwest. Yesterday, I spent 12 hours driving south to Louisiana, spending a great deal of time in both Alabama and Mississippi. I can say with authority that my hometown has absolutely nothing in common with what I say in those two states.

Now I certainly don't want to start bashing particular states, Kentucky gets made fun of enough, but dammit, if I had to live in either Alabama and Mississippi, I'd just do myself in and get it over with. For those who haven't been to the Deep South, well, it's just different. I define the Deep South as South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Now that's not to say that all are equal, they aren't, as a couple of those places have some major things going for them.

Georgia of course has Atlanta and if you've ever been there, you know how much fun it is. Louisiana has New Orleans and while it's not my favorite place in the world, it does have character and lets face it, Louisiana just takes debauchery to a whole new level. South Carolina has Hilton Head and the charm of Charleston. Mississippi and Alabama have, well, they just exist.

It's fascinating this drastic differences between one part of the country and others. I've long been intrigued by regional differences and the cultural implications of place. America is an interesting place and unearthing it's uniqueness is something all of us should do.