I'd like to offer a minor but important fact check on this article: regardless of what Teg Nugent says, or who uses the phrase as a campaign slogan, the "Last Best Place" is Montana. Its origins are in some dispute, but it certainly wasn't coined in Texas. http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/origins-of-the-last-best-p...
5
As a 7th generation Texan living "abroad" in Chicago -- a Texatriate, if you will -- this is an interesting perspective. For the reverse view, check out A Texpatriate in The Windy City: http://windycity-texpatriate.blogspot.com/2010/05/texpatriate-in-windy-c...
1
After living here for about 15 years, I have to say that Texas is overrated, mainly by Texans. The worst part may be the mule-like obstinance (with apologies to mules), mainly by native Texans, it appears, especially the Republican politicians. I've lived in the midwest, north, south and mid-Atlantic, with only one southern state less desirable than Texas, and I only wish that it would have remained its own country.
Not to be a total hater, the diverse land and topography can be beautiful. I will also add that frito pie at Bubba's in Houston, as well as the common lizard that my pets found inside this morning, are both beloved, certainly more than either the current governor or the current U.S. senators.
Not to be a total hater, the diverse land and topography can be beautiful. I will also add that frito pie at Bubba's in Houston, as well as the common lizard that my pets found inside this morning, are both beloved, certainly more than either the current governor or the current U.S. senators.
18
I'm a sixth generation Houstonian (big whoop) - but I've lived elsewhere and traveled widely. Texas has its own kind of sweeping beauty and a rich-ish history but it's kind of a chore to be a liberal democrat here.
One of the things I've learned to appreciate about Houston is the wide-open society. When I lived in Virginia, (another state with a HUGE identity) what seemed important to everyone there was your history - your family credentials defined you. In Houston, no one cares! You can be whoever you want to be here. We have an amazingly open and friendly arts community. What is valued is creativity and energy - not who your "people" were/are. It's kind of cool.
I can only hope the current crazy right-wing political dominance here is a temporary occupation. They say Texas is actually a purple state but we have our work cut out for us to get all the blue voters to the polls. Fingers crossed!
One of the things I've learned to appreciate about Houston is the wide-open society. When I lived in Virginia, (another state with a HUGE identity) what seemed important to everyone there was your history - your family credentials defined you. In Houston, no one cares! You can be whoever you want to be here. We have an amazingly open and friendly arts community. What is valued is creativity and energy - not who your "people" were/are. It's kind of cool.
I can only hope the current crazy right-wing political dominance here is a temporary occupation. They say Texas is actually a purple state but we have our work cut out for us to get all the blue voters to the polls. Fingers crossed!
12
Fort Worth is where the West begins; dallas is where the East peters out. That's what Amon G. Carter said, and he was right. For all these posters who brag about living in dallas, they ain't Texans, unless they were born there, and left. But, if you're thinking of moving here from noo yawk, go ahead and go to dallas or Houston. You'll like it because you won't know any better. Stay away from Fort Worth, San Antonio or Lubock until you learn to say, "Fixin' to...."
4
Name another state where residents proudly fly the state flag so proudly and so much. New Jersey? LOL. How many state flags are so recognized or identified so easily as the Lone Star flag. Texas proud? As a NJ resident who spends a lot time in Texas, I have doubt that Texans are the most proud of any "state" citizens. No place like it in the world!
7
I am Italian and I've been living in TX for 2 years (San Antonio). Never find any people more welcoming than Texans. I was taken to any barbecue church park house shooting range funeral wedding rodeo ...anywhere...even if I was a perfect stranger. Never felt any issue with my initial pain with language, people always said "don't worry about your English, it's much better than my Italian". You do not know what racism, bigotry, women disrespect are...I felt more at home in Texas than now back in Italy. I miss you'll
23
I lived in Texas for a few years as graduate student. Austin to be precise. I could not wait get out. There is an open minded group of people but they are a minority once you leave the university area. I have not witnessed more blatant racism than that which I saw in Texas. When a black family moved into an upper middle class neighborhood (all white) they were quickly made aware that they were not welcome. Gay coulees were also not welcome. Comments about "brown people" are said out loud with the expectation that everyone agrees. I was unable to speak in a different language in the the street with out people staring and outright telling me to speak in English because I am in America. Finally, the love of guns. incredibly I witnessed my vigilante neighbor tie up a robbery suspect to his tree and threaten him for hours while carrying a gun.
11
IN Austin!? Gimme a break! that is the most laughable thing I've heard. I have black friends and their relatives in Austin for YEARS in good neighborhoods. What neighborhood? And YOU are from the L.A., the land of Watts Riots, Rodney King beatings, Crips, Bloods, East L.A. Latin gangs have the nerve to speak of race issues in Texas!?
14
If any reader of this article want better reads on Texas, check out three cover stories by Texas Monthly Magazine:
1. February 2013- "Welcome to Big City, Texas!". It discusses how Texas has evolved from a state with a big state with a rural, small town focus to big state of big cities.
2. April 2015 - "Welcome to Texas!" - a guide for any newcomer.
3. April 2016 - "The new Austin" and how it became the center of everything. A place whose history was bohemian and collegiate but has become bigger in importance and appeal than many larger cities.
1. February 2013- "Welcome to Big City, Texas!". It discusses how Texas has evolved from a state with a big state with a rural, small town focus to big state of big cities.
2. April 2015 - "Welcome to Texas!" - a guide for any newcomer.
3. April 2016 - "The new Austin" and how it became the center of everything. A place whose history was bohemian and collegiate but has become bigger in importance and appeal than many larger cities.
1
I like Texas Monthly, but last time I was in Texas and went to pick up the magazine at the airport the cover story was about guns. A no doubt phony letter-the-editor from a transplant from Ohio summed up the pro-gun message: the writer, a former gun-hater, wrote that he was now considering buying a firearm. Ha ha, what shills for the gun industry!
4
Having experienced San Antonio in the Summer of 1968, that Texas experience was perfect preparation for a tour of lovely Vietnam. But, other than the fact that the state has only 2 seasons, there is a lot to be said for it (as my son the Dallas-dweller will remind us at every opportunity). I haven't been able to figure out why 180 out-of-towners thought they should defend an antiquated mission against 5000 locals, and I am not sure why one would want open carry on a university campus. But I appreciate Austin for its open-minds, San Antonio for its cultural richness, Dallas and Fort Worth for their museums and gustatory delights...and..... that baseball team. Ya gotta love American Airlines Arena in Dallas as a venue for all sorts of events, not just the Stars and Mavs. And a state with 1.5 Pro football teams - Houston and the 11 kids up in Arlington- has to be respected for its patience and long suffering. And, who wouldn't love the idea that you only need to send one Texas Ranger to one riot. And, let's not forget the last two Texan Presidents for whom the term Remember the Quagmire! continues to ring true.
7
Oh, and about the pickup trucks. Have you ever tried to bring home a hay roll, 300 lbs of garden soil or a load of paving stones in a Toyota Corolla? There are a few young bucks who use their pickup for bed their blowup mattress, but most of us have work to do.
11
Talk about marrying the natives! Mr. Hernandez claims he has almost never met anyone who identifies with his state the way Texans do with Texas. Well, let me introduce myself. I was born there, grew up there, and graduated from The University of Texas. I still follow Longhorn football. But I left. In 1965. And I have no intention of moving back. I'm perfectly happy where I am, in California.
5
You'll be back, you need the water. LOL
10
A culture typical of resource extraction economies. Watch what happens if the oil bust lasts another ten years.
6
Yes, we Texans are an odd bunch. It’s something in the soil or the water or the air. That said, you should be reminded that Texas is a VERY BIG PLACE, so you would expect contrasts. Texas is 268,581 square miles. Inside of Texas, you could fit Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maryland, West Virginia, South Carolina, Maine, Indiana, and still have room for a good chunk of Kentucky. Or if you just place the outline of Texas over the east coast area, the top would stretch far above Ottawa and down to Delaware. I bet there is plenty of variety among folks along that stretch.
Stupid leaders? Yeah, we’ve had our share. I’m sure you have, too. BTW, neither Bush was a Texan, GHW was born in Massachusetts and GW was born in Connecticut. Cruz and Perry, I have no excuses for, but I counter that my state has also produced so many brilliant minds that they dwarf the nuts.
I find it rather strange that so many decry our love for our state. Why shouldn’t we love it? I hope you love yours; that’s what makes one care about make necessary changes. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be out there volunteering, attending a rally or even voting.
Like trex (see below), I am a liberal-leaning Democrat. I know my state’s faults and I know the tough people fighting to right those wrongs.
Hell, yes, I’m proud to be from a state known worldwide for our perseverance against obstacles large and small.
Stupid leaders? Yeah, we’ve had our share. I’m sure you have, too. BTW, neither Bush was a Texan, GHW was born in Massachusetts and GW was born in Connecticut. Cruz and Perry, I have no excuses for, but I counter that my state has also produced so many brilliant minds that they dwarf the nuts.
I find it rather strange that so many decry our love for our state. Why shouldn’t we love it? I hope you love yours; that’s what makes one care about make necessary changes. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be out there volunteering, attending a rally or even voting.
Like trex (see below), I am a liberal-leaning Democrat. I know my state’s faults and I know the tough people fighting to right those wrongs.
Hell, yes, I’m proud to be from a state known worldwide for our perseverance against obstacles large and small.
17
Molly Ivins left us far too soon.
16
I am 5th generation Texas, member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (which means I can document my family line back to when Texas was a Republic). Right after I married in 1992, we thought my husband would be accepting a job that would take us to NYC. Since I love theatre, I thought I could stand to live there for a while. But I told my Florida-born husband that I was taking a shoebox of dirt from my daddy's farm, to be placed under the hospital bed in the delivery room so that any children born while in NYC would be born over Texas soil. The job and move didn't materialize , so problem solved! Not that I take being a Texan too seriously :>}.
4
Fifth generation is only 125 years and Texas as a state is over 170 years old. Independence from Mexico is over 180 years. What am I missing?
1
Well,Dallas, I ain't no spring chicken. I'm 60. (1) Me (2) my father born 1926 (3) my grandfather born 1898 (4) my Great grandfather born 1870 (5) his mother my GG grandmother born in Republic of Texas 1838. Her father wasn't born in Texas but lived in Texas so you could count him as (6). Texas was a Republic 1836-1845. Does that work for you?
3
The state, and the politics are changing primarily because so many Texans have left to find work, and so many (TOO MANY) Californians have come to Texas seeking cheap real estate and land and have brought their far-left leaning ideas with them. They believe only their opinions matter, they should never have to be offended, and anyone who believes in the Judeo-Christian heritage of our country is backwards at best and bigotted at worst. Truth is, those values are what still live on in the hearts of most Texans. Loving God and loving your neighbor. The two greatest commandments. The part they don't understand is that loving, doesn't mean endorsing or supporting unequivocally. Freedom of speech AND religion still live on in the Lone Star State.
3
The Midwest in me is turned off by the braggadocio I associate with Texas. Where I grew up, if you have to tell people how great you are, you probably aren't.
14
true probably are not but given that Texas has been so prominent in the psyche of Americans and really the world, it doesn't apply here. Remember the first word ever said by man on another heavenly body was "Houston". THAT is the kind of PR, money can't ever buy.
5
"The Last Best Place" is the title of an anthology of Montana writers published in 1990. The title, and the phrase itself, were created by the editors Bill Kittredge and Annick Smith. We Montanans take exception to anyone who usurps this phrase, which we've adopted for our own beloved state. That includes a resort developer who was denied a trademark to use the phrase, and it should include the likes of Ted Nugent as well as other Texans. With such a pride of place, surely Texans can come up with their own crisp motto.
9
Umm...did you happen to glance at the photograph?
Funny...what many see as the antithesis of America, Texas embraces.
3
I too was born elsewhere and moved to Texas in 1945. I asked my mother "When will I be able to talk Texan." She relied, "Too soon." From there we moved to the East End of Houston. The big city was actually a set of rival neighborhoods. Milby versus Reagan was not just a football game. It was the East End versus the North side. But there was one point of agreement: We were Texans first and citizens of the USA second. That will remain the same into the next century.
3
That's why I moved out of Texas 15 years go. Never regretted it, never looked back.
3
Moved to Texas 30 years ago from Washington State. Never regretted it, never looked back.
9
The "temporary occupation" by the hard right is indeed coming to an end, which is fueling legislative extremism. The largest cities of Texas are growing Democratic strongholds constrained by rickety fences of gerrymandering. The State Legislature passes pre-emption laws to over rule city actions on health, safety and environment, in the name of remaining a "business friendly" state.
If it appears that Texas is at war with Washington, a much more explosive Civil War is brewing inside the gun crazy State. The Texas Right is not to go quietly from the stage they have used to dominate both State and US governments.
The "business friendly" thing might take a hit in the not-distant future.
If it appears that Texas is at war with Washington, a much more explosive Civil War is brewing inside the gun crazy State. The Texas Right is not to go quietly from the stage they have used to dominate both State and US governments.
The "business friendly" thing might take a hit in the not-distant future.
7
Hell yeah I'm a Texan!
Hell yeah I'm an American, too!
Or we can't have American pride now, either?
The writer has no idea what he is talking about- It's not the boots, the cowboy hat, or the truck that makes a Texan. It's the work that we do in them that does; If somethin's broke', we fix it; We drive tucks because, where else do you put your chainsaw, logs, fishing poles, and shovels? How do you haul your work equipment and seat a crew? And that second amendment comes in handy when approached by a mountain lion or wild boar.
We oppress females? I dare you to come down here and try to oppress a woman on horseback carrying a .38 special- it wont happen. But don't take my word for it, ask one, they speak for themselves down here.
My neighbor and friend is 72 years old but looks 50- he drives a semi-truck hauling rig and industrial equipment across Texas and America. When asked why he's still working if he doesn't need to, he says, "God gave me the ability to and if I stop, I don't have a purpose".
He raised the bar on what defines a Texan in my eyes and whether you believe in God or not, you respect that.
Because regardless whether you hate or appreciate, a Texan just gets more Texan. So, it's best not to be disrespectful, tell us what's great about your state- otherwise, get off the computer and go get some pride of your own.
-Samuel
Hell yeah I'm an American, too!
Or we can't have American pride now, either?
The writer has no idea what he is talking about- It's not the boots, the cowboy hat, or the truck that makes a Texan. It's the work that we do in them that does; If somethin's broke', we fix it; We drive tucks because, where else do you put your chainsaw, logs, fishing poles, and shovels? How do you haul your work equipment and seat a crew? And that second amendment comes in handy when approached by a mountain lion or wild boar.
We oppress females? I dare you to come down here and try to oppress a woman on horseback carrying a .38 special- it wont happen. But don't take my word for it, ask one, they speak for themselves down here.
My neighbor and friend is 72 years old but looks 50- he drives a semi-truck hauling rig and industrial equipment across Texas and America. When asked why he's still working if he doesn't need to, he says, "God gave me the ability to and if I stop, I don't have a purpose".
He raised the bar on what defines a Texan in my eyes and whether you believe in God or not, you respect that.
Because regardless whether you hate or appreciate, a Texan just gets more Texan. So, it's best not to be disrespectful, tell us what's great about your state- otherwise, get off the computer and go get some pride of your own.
-Samuel
13
I moved from NY to Tx back in the 70's rust-belt times.
A recent trip to LI only reminded me of just what i gave up when seeking a better opportunity. The vibrancy, livability, solid economic status on NY/LI make me wonder what might have been- for me & my family to whom i subjected the poor education system & sense of society that is Houston.
If not for the black goo that resides beneath the Great State of Texas, it wouldn't be so smart, rich, or proud. The education system only exists because of the same goo. A Governor, almost mockingly, donated thousands of acres of what was thought of as barren waste land to the Education System back in the 19th Century. That once waste land was on the Permian Basin & so wealth was soon acquired by the University of Texas System. Pure luck.
As Ann Richards once famously said about a certain Texan, that he was, "born on 3rd base & thought he hit a triple" !
It goes far beyond politicians, it is a mentality that permeates all of business and social society.
IN the real world, to be a successful business owner, one must have many skills to develop that business. Many of the "smart/successful" business people in Tx have the backing of those in the oil business who have spare capitol due to immense LUCK in the oil fields. Stick a hole in the ground & be a genius !
This all not to mention traffic of weather- horrid on both counts ! I believe there have been '6 Flags over Texas' because the first 5 came in the summer!
A recent trip to LI only reminded me of just what i gave up when seeking a better opportunity. The vibrancy, livability, solid economic status on NY/LI make me wonder what might have been- for me & my family to whom i subjected the poor education system & sense of society that is Houston.
If not for the black goo that resides beneath the Great State of Texas, it wouldn't be so smart, rich, or proud. The education system only exists because of the same goo. A Governor, almost mockingly, donated thousands of acres of what was thought of as barren waste land to the Education System back in the 19th Century. That once waste land was on the Permian Basin & so wealth was soon acquired by the University of Texas System. Pure luck.
As Ann Richards once famously said about a certain Texan, that he was, "born on 3rd base & thought he hit a triple" !
It goes far beyond politicians, it is a mentality that permeates all of business and social society.
IN the real world, to be a successful business owner, one must have many skills to develop that business. Many of the "smart/successful" business people in Tx have the backing of those in the oil business who have spare capitol due to immense LUCK in the oil fields. Stick a hole in the ground & be a genius !
This all not to mention traffic of weather- horrid on both counts ! I believe there have been '6 Flags over Texas' because the first 5 came in the summer!
7
Maybe you could lecture Texan Michael Dell about how to be a successful business owner. Sounds like he could use your sage advice on how business works in the "real world".
6
I've lived here for nearly 10 years and I see nothing special about this state, but do see much to be embarrassed Texas (ex: homophobic-racist and misogynistic politics, millions of poor and uninsured people, attack on women's reproductive rights, pandering to the oil and gas industry, local laws being countermanded by the GOP state legislature, gerrymandering, and the pro-gun politics, just to name of few things.)
If I could find a good paying job somewhere else, I'd leave. The mythology about Texas is complete lie.
If I could find a good paying job somewhere else, I'd leave. The mythology about Texas is complete lie.
12
Maybe you cant find a good paying job elsewhere because elsewhere is worse. Also, I lived in the Northeast for 35 years, racism in the liberal big cities is way worse than Texas.
6
So you came right before the Great Recession and still stayed? Why? Since then unemployment nationwide has declined noticeably. Something seems very askew that a hater can leave the place he/she hates!
4
For all those saying Houston is the most diverse in the country. Get a grip. Another tall tale. Jackson Heights, Queens NY has 166 identified and verified spoken languages and dialects. Now that is diverse. And the only place I never felt safe while traveling as a single female on business was Texas. Women are objects there.
9
Dear @cj,
I see you travel with your prejudices in tow.
Women are unsafe in Texas and are treated as objects? That's ridiculous.
Be careful...your ignorance and cultural bigotry are showing...big time.
I see you travel with your prejudices in tow.
Women are unsafe in Texas and are treated as objects? That's ridiculous.
Be careful...your ignorance and cultural bigotry are showing...big time.
8
At Melinda. Learn to read. Not all women. I did not feel safe. Prejudices in tow?Ignorance and bigotry? What does that ridiculous statement mean I just clarified census data and that Texas is not the center of the universe. Seriously,how did you get cultural bigotry and racism from census data?
3
I'm a native New Yorker who goes to Austin and San Antonio, and loves it there. It is very strange to read about the rest of Texas when all you see, in the seat of the state government, are Bernie Sanders signs around, no Cruz at all, and when about 700 people in a theater collectively groan at the mention of the name Trump (that happened, in February). I've also met a lot of residents who say "I'm not from Texas, I'm from Austin." I wondered how people there made their piece with the rest of the state, how they felt about voting in national elections- are they waiting it out, confident that it will change? Or are they just happy to live in their enclave?
13
“Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.”
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
10
As their numbers fade in the face of demographic changes, rural white Texans (with their hard-core, right-wing political beliefs) fight to preserve their superiority. When the tide of Hispanics and urban liberals finally overwhelms them, all of the protections they've stripped away from minorities and the effects of gerrymandering will come back to haunt them. I seriously doubt that when their day of reckoning comes, the new "majority" will look kindly on their bleatings to reinstitute those protections. And when they're gerrymandered into irrelevancy, justice will have been done.
5
Ignorance and vitriol being delivered from Geneva. No doubt you have studied Texas history and are not one of those Europeans who thinks America has no history. Oh wait, your commentary shows you are willing to through rhetorical bombs without having actual facts at your fingertips, or more importantly, in your brain. Is that because you are so biased that you do not wish to be confused by facts that don't fit your prejudiced world view?
3
There will be change but not in the upheaval manner you make think. Many here have been in Texas for generations, Latinos, blacks, Asian and have done well. . Many are already in politics as mayors, council members though less at the state level. Several of the largest cities in Texas have female mayors and minority mayors of cities that are not highly reflective of his/her ethnicity. Texas won't be California or NY or Boston
3
Author: Pick up your family and move. Because you *still* don't get it.
2
Hailing from Dallas, born here, reared on a hog farm south of Dallas, and lived here all my life. Within the last year I had a chance to visit my son and his family temporarily residing in New Jersey. While the sightseeing, tourism, and restaurants were all great in NYC, after the second subway ride, ferryboat crossing, and bus ride, I could not endure the overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia. I couldn't imagine hauling groceries up to some of the apartments there. Here it's rooted in the rural mentality, go to the grocery store once each month, maybe twice during winter for fresh veggies. If you're lucky as many of us are, you have your own veggie garden and it does well until the summer heat bakes it. Take all the extra and share with neighbors. Go to the livestock auction, buy a calf, hog or two, haul them to them butcher, smoke the meat and into the freezer. Need to unwind? Nothing like sipping a Shinerbock with friends and taking turns shooting a metal target from 300 yards or a drive to west Texas....just set the cruise on 85 or risk getting run over. O yes, I do wear the cowboy hat 24/7 which looks silly with my black Clogs. One day Texans will be thanked for being so adamant about our guns, but every liberal I've ever taught the safe use of firearms will never go back to their customary ridicule, most come to enjoy them immensely...they then understand Texas.
10
These comments are, for the most part, typical of those morally and mentally deficient ones that worship at the alter of progressivism. Change, belittle and bully that which is not like you, and kill that which you don't understand. Typical thinking in the cult of progressivism.
12
well said
4
Well said. Texans could care less.
3
I grew up in Seattle, liberal, etc etc... and find myself calling Texas home and loving it. When friends and family visit, they are shocked at how much they enjoy it- the food, city, outdoor spaces, and general vibe. It has ugly sides, yes. If you value living somewhere liberally homogenous don't bother, if you live and die by progressive dogma, stay at home and Monday morning quarterback. If you're up for an adventure, one that includes all sorts of beautiful and ugly parts of the American experience, it's a rich place to be.
14
Having graduated from university and lived in Dallas for over 4 years, all I could say is this....I got out of there as soon as I could and left for NYC.
I found it to be ginormously myopic place in it's world view with people who never 'graduate' high school even if they are married with kids.
It is a great place to be if you really do not have an opinion and are just focused on money, barbecues, pick up trucks and football. If on the other hand, you are a free-thinking, sushi-loving, government-questioning, gun-lobby hating, logical, status-quo bustin 'individual', you will have to be confined to the liberal ghettos of Austin or uptown Dallas or the likes.
The rest is just as boring or delicious as gravy. If you like that kinda stuff.
I found it to be ginormously myopic place in it's world view with people who never 'graduate' high school even if they are married with kids.
It is a great place to be if you really do not have an opinion and are just focused on money, barbecues, pick up trucks and football. If on the other hand, you are a free-thinking, sushi-loving, government-questioning, gun-lobby hating, logical, status-quo bustin 'individual', you will have to be confined to the liberal ghettos of Austin or uptown Dallas or the likes.
The rest is just as boring or delicious as gravy. If you like that kinda stuff.
12
Born and raised in Ohio, lots to be proud of, lived a couple years in Rhode Island, fierce local pride there with good reason, a great place, lived a couple years in Texas, really liked it, loved the elan of being part of that, met many nice people, saw beautiful country, won't forget. Texas is a wonderful state-one if fifty, but no better than anywhere else and it is the overweening entitlement and aggressive boosterism that leaves Texas open to scorn and derision from so many quarters.
9
Native Texan. Not proud of Texas today.
Yes, thirty years ago Texas was special. Lots of small town charm without the baggage of hundred+ years of East coast cities for social, economic & industrial development. Friendly neighbors, cheap housing, quality schools.
You could feel the energy of growing Texas cities & emerging pro-business culture. We were going to be better than those "idiots" living in NYC & Boston. In the 1980's, I remember seeing lots of bumper stickers telling folks who love NY to take Interstate I-30 East. Love it or leave it. Texas was a blank canvas for making things happen. Going forward, we were going to do the opposite of whatever East coast or West coast folks believed. We were Texans! Our future was bright. We were going to be better.
Flash forward 20 years. Today, I see a very different Texas.
My state of independent thinkers failed to learn from industrial/economic booms of previous high-growth areas. My Texas city now feels a lot like New York or Los Angeles.
City streets are painfully crowded with traffic.
Roads are constant need of repair/maintenance.
Housing prices & property taxes are skyrocketing.
Public schools are underfunded and overcrowded.
Homeless folks roam the streets in neighborhoods far from urban centers.
Growing divide of racial/economic neighborhoods.
Only reminder of being a proud Texan is found in local TV commercials from friendly car dealerships, grocery stores & tradesman.
Yes, thirty years ago Texas was special. Lots of small town charm without the baggage of hundred+ years of East coast cities for social, economic & industrial development. Friendly neighbors, cheap housing, quality schools.
You could feel the energy of growing Texas cities & emerging pro-business culture. We were going to be better than those "idiots" living in NYC & Boston. In the 1980's, I remember seeing lots of bumper stickers telling folks who love NY to take Interstate I-30 East. Love it or leave it. Texas was a blank canvas for making things happen. Going forward, we were going to do the opposite of whatever East coast or West coast folks believed. We were Texans! Our future was bright. We were going to be better.
Flash forward 20 years. Today, I see a very different Texas.
My state of independent thinkers failed to learn from industrial/economic booms of previous high-growth areas. My Texas city now feels a lot like New York or Los Angeles.
City streets are painfully crowded with traffic.
Roads are constant need of repair/maintenance.
Housing prices & property taxes are skyrocketing.
Public schools are underfunded and overcrowded.
Homeless folks roam the streets in neighborhoods far from urban centers.
Growing divide of racial/economic neighborhoods.
Only reminder of being a proud Texan is found in local TV commercials from friendly car dealerships, grocery stores & tradesman.
4
I have lived all over the world (including Texas) - and this article just strikes me as being one of the laziest articles I have ever read in the Times about a regional culture. You would never publish this about Catalonia much less Spain. Just trying to be objective and not one of these apparently overly proud Texans but we have something like 7 times the population of Ireland and 35% more than the state of New York (yes, including the City) - perhaps your correspondent should be sophisticated enough (by which I mean traveled and experienced outside of the east coast as well as well educated) to see something a bit more complicated than guns and hats and tattoos. Yes, Texans have a unique culture and, yes, it is a culture very much informed by our history, geography, economy and people but frankly I expect the NY times to have a more nuanced view of these things rather than phone it in with an article that skips the substance and goes right to an unexamined and shallow regurgitation of unhelpful stereotypes. There are important cultural and historic reasons for Texans attitudes and beliefs - rather than spending one night in austin at a tourist trap (even if it is a great place) taking pictures that further stereotype us, maybe you should dig in to WHY Texan wear hats, get tats and tote guns?
12
Texas, like all of America is under assault by mass immigration that threatens to change the very nature of the state and indeed the nation if not stopped.
Can trump do that? He would seem to be the last best hope without violence.
Can trump do that? He would seem to be the last best hope without violence.
3
We have a state just like this in Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul (Great River of the South). It is in the frontier of Argentina and Uruguay. They love horses, country life and think their state is more important than the whole Country. And they speak someting almost similar to our Portuguese language.
2
I'm a fifth generation Texan on one side, seventh on the other. We're all as liberal as the day is long. While I agree with some of this article, I think he misses much of what long time Texans, especially those of us from South Texas, think makes the state unique. I grew up in San Antonio, a city that has been bi-cultural since its founding. There is a lot of terrible racist stuff in our history and present that cannot be ignored. But I think why some of us hold out that the 'real' Texas will win is because our families and lives reflect a vastly different reality than the wall building English -only present. Many of us grew up sliding fluidly between two cultures, two languages, where Barbacoa and Big Red were points of pride. I see the crazy in a lot in relatively recent transplants who have sought out Texas for that reputation. I'll never forget my cousin's wife, who was from Philadelphia, telling me that if I didn't like open carry, I could just leave. What? I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay here and fight the crazy. Those of us who live near the border have always seen it as flexible and fluid because you can't really see it any other way of you know anything about it. The crazy anti-immigrants groups are so ignorant of the reality of life in this region that it is stunning. I hope it passes because damn y'all, I still love Texas but this is starting to feel like an abusive relationship.
17
I, too am an 8th generation Texan on one side and a Fourth on the other. I love Texas with all my heart. My mother brought Texas soil to Atlanta for the birth of my first child, who later attended UT, Austin, just like me.
I am a fiscal conservative, very progressive socially. I also remember folks moving fluidly back and forth across the border.
When my parents, pillars of their community, died my husband told everyone how kind the people were and that they would do anything for you, while just assuming for believed "Obama was coming for your guns" as well.
I write my friends from school and ask, "What is wrong with some Texans? Did they really believe Obama sent the US Army down there to take guns away from West Texas?" My friend in Austin said she just paid attention to Austin and threw up her hands at the rest.
I am looking forward to a more purple Texas. Still, there is not much better than floating in a wide creek on my cousin's farm on a hot day enjoying the Lone Star State with friends!
I am a fiscal conservative, very progressive socially. I also remember folks moving fluidly back and forth across the border.
When my parents, pillars of their community, died my husband told everyone how kind the people were and that they would do anything for you, while just assuming for believed "Obama was coming for your guns" as well.
I write my friends from school and ask, "What is wrong with some Texans? Did they really believe Obama sent the US Army down there to take guns away from West Texas?" My friend in Austin said she just paid attention to Austin and threw up her hands at the rest.
I am looking forward to a more purple Texas. Still, there is not much better than floating in a wide creek on my cousin's farm on a hot day enjoying the Lone Star State with friends!
5
I wish Texas would secede. Then the rest of us don't have to pay for that part of the wall! Oh - right - Mexico is paying for it!
Seriously though, if Texas wants to secede, let it.
Seriously though, if Texas wants to secede, let it.
5
If the judiciary has sole power of constitutional interpretation, then the Constitution “is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” Thomas Jefferson.
The Supreme Court of the United States spends much, if not most, of its time on a task which is not delegated to the Supreme Court by the Constitution. This process is known as Judicial Review.
But the states, in drafting the Constitution, did not delegate such a power to the Supreme Court, or to any branch of the government.
In Marbury v. Madison a bunch of unelected lawyers decided that SCOTUS rules. If their mandate is not in the constitution then it exists merely because they say so. Really? It's no wonder Jefferson was appalled at this decision. Consequently its ruling on "gay marriage" is NOT the law of the land. It is merely the belief of 5 lawyers in black robes in Washington D.C. and has no foundation in the constitution any more than the "emanations and penumbras" led to the usurpation of the state's homicide laws and imposed the Roe v. Wade decision on the entire country by fiat. The court took it upon itself to become the final arbiter of what is and is not constitutional and it's time for this practice to cease.
The Supreme Court of the United States spends much, if not most, of its time on a task which is not delegated to the Supreme Court by the Constitution. This process is known as Judicial Review.
But the states, in drafting the Constitution, did not delegate such a power to the Supreme Court, or to any branch of the government.
In Marbury v. Madison a bunch of unelected lawyers decided that SCOTUS rules. If their mandate is not in the constitution then it exists merely because they say so. Really? It's no wonder Jefferson was appalled at this decision. Consequently its ruling on "gay marriage" is NOT the law of the land. It is merely the belief of 5 lawyers in black robes in Washington D.C. and has no foundation in the constitution any more than the "emanations and penumbras" led to the usurpation of the state's homicide laws and imposed the Roe v. Wade decision on the entire country by fiat. The court took it upon itself to become the final arbiter of what is and is not constitutional and it's time for this practice to cease.
1
After living in Texas for 16 years, I pretty much agree with your assessment of Texas. However, I believe the state of Montana (my home state) may take issue with Texas using the phrase "last best place." Montana has been using that phrase and has been referred to as "the last best place" since 1988.
3
As a fifth generation refugee from California thank God for Texas. California was a paradise in the 70's and early 80's. Texans know exactly what New York values are and how California was destroyed by leftists. The last best hope for America before a remorseless totalitarian Federal govt. fueled by leftist hate and intolerance crushes the last outpost of freedom and liberty.
4
Ugh.
6
The article has left the heart of Texas out of both the article and the list. It makes the Mexican-American people invisible. Even when an Hispanic writes about a place, he does not see himself or others like him. ¿Qué pues, Manny? The movie Giant depicted us as we were back in the 50's and in so many ways we still are. I think that is also part of what makes Texas Texas.
4
Texas is a great state, albeit the second largest state in these United States. I lived there for a few years and enjoyed living among Texans. I would add that my state of Alaska is even more extreme when it comes to "the last best place" only on a larger scale.
4
I am native born and raised Texan. I will forever be a Texan though I am now an expat living in France.
My French/Texan roots were born in El Paso where my French Canadian grandmother met my Anglo grandfather. I left Texas because of the oppressive regime of Republicans who overturned Texas democratic principles. (They are under indictment now.) That will change when the sleeping majority of black and brown voters find leadership to awaken the destiny for this great state. It will not be Wendy Davis. Maybe it will be one of the Castro brothers.
My French/Texan roots were born in El Paso where my French Canadian grandmother met my Anglo grandfather. I left Texas because of the oppressive regime of Republicans who overturned Texas democratic principles. (They are under indictment now.) That will change when the sleeping majority of black and brown voters find leadership to awaken the destiny for this great state. It will not be Wendy Davis. Maybe it will be one of the Castro brothers.
5
This reads like so many other stories of the city mouse coming to the South and becoming enchanted by its grace and learning to appreciate what previously appeared to be silly ecccentricities and traditions that are out of place in the rest of the world. People seem to forget a lot of people and their families have been in this country for quite a while now. The US population has doubled since just I was born. As someone from Charleston, SC, I'm always amazed at how "new" places in the western US seem and feel, relatively. And the families that have been there "a long time" only go back a few generations. This creates a division in culture and tradition that's hard to understand if you're on the new side of the fence, where an increasing number of people are standing, and complaining. And that tradition and culture is important to a lot of people, which that growing number of Americans don't appreciate, or even try to understand. They're seen as having flippant, selfish reasons to maintain certain things, when to them, they're upholding a long-cherished and hard-fought-for birthright, whatever that may be. So that's creating tension, along with all the rest: racial of every sort, police/citizen, chrsitian/muslim, low income/everyone else, dems/gop, and all the other divisions politicians and the media have separated us into so we can bicker about these sorts of things. Meanwhile, Rome burns.
5
My one regret when living in the Southeast was not enjoying a long weekend in Charleston!
1
in the first month after I moved to Texas five different people took it upon themselves to proudly tell me that Texas had the
right to leave the US shouls
d it want to. modtly, I didnt have the heart to tell them that much of the rest of the nation would hold the door for them as they left !
right to leave the US shouls
d it want to. modtly, I didnt have the heart to tell them that much of the rest of the nation would hold the door for them as they left !
5
Medicaid expansion, help for the disadvantaged, gun rights, abortion rights, LGBT rights, capital punishment, gerrymandering, racism.............. I can only see Texas as a shameful place.
5
How many minority mayors of big cites and female governors has NY had? Racism - stop and frisk?
How many lawsuits has NY City lost - MILLIONS of dollars due to bias police actions.
A history of organized crime NYers like to brag about where in Texas such has not been romanticized since Bonnie and Clyde died here.
How many lawsuits has NY City lost - MILLIONS of dollars due to bias police actions.
A history of organized crime NYers like to brag about where in Texas such has not been romanticized since Bonnie and Clyde died here.
2
It seems to me that the exaggerated pride and bravado, and the right wing political agenda that goes along with that, flows from a basic insecurity. After all, if you've got it, you don't have to flaunt it.
4
The great state is Texas, where every unborn fetus is sacred but once you are born, kid you are on your own!
15
your last line summed up my 5 years in Texas. But my son was 8 when we left and upon graduating, made his first career move to Houston.
7
3
Two words: Molly Ivins. That's all you need to know about what makes Texas Texas.
13
You like Molly Ivins because she genuflects at the alter of liberal elites who like to insult Texas. it makes them feel really good to hear a Texan do it, and they pay her a lot to do it.
1
TJ: those people are moving here because their leftist political systems are failing. So they want to come to Texas, which is working, and change it to their failed politicak systems. That is the logic of the leftist.
5
@ArvyCarney:
You write about Texas and its residents: 'It is a place where being able to discriminate against someone is a family value'.
That is not only a brazen lie, but also an inflammatory statement which I have flagged to the moderators. You should be ashamed of yourself.
You write about Texas and its residents: 'It is a place where being able to discriminate against someone is a family value'.
That is not only a brazen lie, but also an inflammatory statement which I have flagged to the moderators. You should be ashamed of yourself.
7
Well said
3
Texas on the Brink:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/documents/Texas On The Brink 2013.pdf
http://www.austinchronicle.com/documents/Texas On The Brink 2013.pdf
1
My family came to Texas in the 1850s. What Abbott, Cruz, Cornyn, Perry, Bush and that fool Miller have made Texas into is a pox on what was once a fine place to live.
16
Flotillas of people are moving here from other places for work, and they're not much liking the political and social climate they find. Texas will capsize politically and will be a better place for it. Those who don't like it can eat some of humble pie they regularly dish out.
6
Actually moving here because it has the best tax rate besides FL & that other state. Stay home, leave us alone. For Decades!!! You leftists dogged TX... Destroyed your states with bleeding liberal votes..... Now nobody can afford to live in those states and they are moving here.
1
It gave us Willie Nelson, tex-mex, and conjunto.
Thank you Texas.
Thank you Texas.
11
Oops, my apologies..,there's an error in my next-to-last sentence. It should read: 'This is a ridiculous article which spurred some nasty, snarky comments'.
I was writing my comment while simultaneously trying to clean my shotgun & back my pick-up truck out of my barn. That will teach me...
I was writing my comment while simultaneously trying to clean my shotgun & back my pick-up truck out of my barn. That will teach me...
6
hilarious. so well said. concisely and humorously shows the authors bias and the left commenters ignorance.
2
When I saw the picture of the breakfast tacos on "The Lone Star List" my heart and my stomach ached as I recognized those as tacos and salsa from the Tamale House on Airport Blvd in Austin that closed two years ago after the death of its owner. Austinites can argue for days about their favorite tacos and many of us still sing the praises of those tacos, migas, and chalupas. To see what you missed or remember what we had watch Anthony Bourdain's video: http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/anthony-bourdain/video/austin-s-tamal...
4
Many caustic comments have been written about Texans by New York Times readers; the most caustic come from Metro New York and Northern California.
I went to college in New York. I've lived and worked in three foreign countries and eleven states. I thought it worth sharing why, at the end of my career, my wife and I returned to Texas.
Median Household Income:
California $67,458
New York $55,246
Texas $49,392
Maximum State Marginal Income Tax Rate:
California 13.30%
New York 8.82%
Texas 0.0%
Kiplinger Median Home Sale Price:
San Francisco, CA $700,000
New York, NY $375,000
Dallas, TX $129,700
Monthly Rent 3-Bedroom Apartment City Center:
San Francisco, CA $6,381
New York, NY $5,885
Dallas, TX $2,124
Cost of Living Index:
San Francisco, CA 164
New York, NY (Manhattan) 217
Dallas, TX 92
Several acidic wits, in their comments, cast all Texans as radical conservatives because Ted Cruz hails from Texas. That's as ridiculous as asserting that all New Yorkers support Trump because Trump's from New York; or that all Californians supported Reagan because Reagan came from California. Personally, I don't support Trump, Cruz, Clinton, or Sanders. I'm looking for a yard sign that says "None of the Above."
The truth is that most people in Texas choose to live here because they like the cost of living, quality of life, moderate winters, and friendly people. If your personal values lean a different way, good on you!
I went to college in New York. I've lived and worked in three foreign countries and eleven states. I thought it worth sharing why, at the end of my career, my wife and I returned to Texas.
Median Household Income:
California $67,458
New York $55,246
Texas $49,392
Maximum State Marginal Income Tax Rate:
California 13.30%
New York 8.82%
Texas 0.0%
Kiplinger Median Home Sale Price:
San Francisco, CA $700,000
New York, NY $375,000
Dallas, TX $129,700
Monthly Rent 3-Bedroom Apartment City Center:
San Francisco, CA $6,381
New York, NY $5,885
Dallas, TX $2,124
Cost of Living Index:
San Francisco, CA 164
New York, NY (Manhattan) 217
Dallas, TX 92
Several acidic wits, in their comments, cast all Texans as radical conservatives because Ted Cruz hails from Texas. That's as ridiculous as asserting that all New Yorkers support Trump because Trump's from New York; or that all Californians supported Reagan because Reagan came from California. Personally, I don't support Trump, Cruz, Clinton, or Sanders. I'm looking for a yard sign that says "None of the Above."
The truth is that most people in Texas choose to live here because they like the cost of living, quality of life, moderate winters, and friendly people. If your personal values lean a different way, good on you!
33
Well said. Thoughtful and reasoned. Thank you.
4
Friendliness has dropped significantly. Just as fast as property values and city annexation attempts increase.
3
If people wanted to live in Dallas as much as they want to live in SF and NYC, housing prices would be just as high.
But they don't.
But they don't.
4
A sixth generation Texan, I moved to New York City in 1976, into Rosedale, Queens. I was 33 and had only been out of Texas once or twice. My soon to be significant other was Jewish and had friends who were a mix of Jewish, Italian and African American. One of the first questions I was asked by any New Yorker I met was, "What are you?" Meaning was I Jewish or Italian, Irish, etc. I had never been asked that in my life and responded the only way that mattered to me. "I'm a Texan."
28
A very true observation! For all the racist allegations directed at Texas it seems to be the more "progressive" regions constantly hung up on differences and identities. Separate but equal is so '60s, and you can hang your hat on that.
7
After living in Texas my entire life to move away to the Northeast. There is one thing that sums up living in Texas. People looking out for people. There is a genuine mutual feeling of happiness that you receive from everyone when you are here. Only people who have lived or been to Texas knows this.
20
Looking out for people as long as you are white. Texas have been trying to "purify" the state since the days before the Alsmo debacle
They still are trying.
They still are trying.
1
Wow, the race card? You are right, no way that Americans would ever look after another. If you do ever visit someday, abd leave the California bubble. Please, don't be shocked when people are nice to you no matter the color of your skin. Texas is the taco capital of the US. No diversity at all.
5
It appears you haven't spent much time in Texas. Because your comment couldn't be further from the truth.
6
I just want to be left alone......I could care less about what California does or does not. Just let us be Texans without all that federal interference.
3
I have lived here since July 4, 2006 and I'd leave tomorrow if I could. Not all the hot air in Texas is due to climate change.
8
I'll buy your bus ticket.
4
No one asked you to come here -good luck & good riddance !
2
Then get the $%#& out of my state. How much money do you need in order to leave? I will gladly pay.
3
The 2012 Presidential election stats tell an interesting story. Have a look at Dallas County - the place where W currently resides as well as the location of his Presidential Library. Surprising, huh?
http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/president/texas/
http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/president/texas/
5
With the oil bust, the Texas bubble has popped, at least for those tied to the oil and gas industry. A large number of people have been laid off from high-paying oil company jobs the past few years, forcing many to put their over-priced homes up for sale and forcing many into foreclosure due to lack of buyers. Houston and other parts of Texas will bounce back eventually, but it will take a few years. My family and I are heading to greener pastures out of Texas where the jobs are in the rest of the country. Having lived here for over 10 years, we'll miss the boom years and easy oil company money that allowed us to raise and our educate our kids in a good suburban school district in a huge 4000 square house. However, wide open spaces and a big house aren't everything so my wife and I are looking forward to moving back to the Easy Coast, preferably to NYC!
4
Sadly , I have to agree with you as a person who would be considered native. Texas has become gentrified and has lost all its authenticity. Now it's all about overdevelopment and housing ex-cons and harboring those who have the means to bend the lawman. The pretty wild things are slowly withering away to big corporations and that western feel has been manicured and deformed. The place is not what is was 30 years ago. It's full of transplants escaping dismal states like Indiana claiming to be Texans like you said. Texas is trying to hard to be a cross between San Fran NYC LA and republicanism. It's not even Texas it's like a freak show gone wild...
5
NYC ? Easy Coast ? If you say "Good Morning " to someone in Manhattan they look at you like you want something !! You can keep it !!
8
While there has been has less growth in Houston's economy and a fall in value for very high end homes the city is still experiencing a large population increase. The economy is not nearly as dependent on oil as it was just a couple of decades ago.
The author of this piece seems to have missed the fact that Houston(not San Francisco, NYC or L A.) was the first major American city to elect an openly gay mayor. The old school ideas about Texas still remain, but those images are moving further and further away from it's big cities and slowly into history.
The author of this piece seems to have missed the fact that Houston(not San Francisco, NYC or L A.) was the first major American city to elect an openly gay mayor. The old school ideas about Texas still remain, but those images are moving further and further away from it's big cities and slowly into history.
3
At ten minutes to nine, EST, there were over 1550 comments on this NYTimes article "What makes Texas, Texas." My comment is: The biggest territorial grab mistake the U.S. made was grabbing Texas. NASA should move its Houston operations to some over city, maybe Cincinnati.
7
Wow -makes complete sense ! (Not really)
6
Looking at the red states, mostly with republican governors at their helms, one can easily understand why those citizens would vote republican. Their leadership have fed the constituency so much propaganda that they actually believe the federal government is to blame when it's their state government allowing them to wallow in the mire.
8
For the majority of us it's because we more closely identify with conservative principles. You'll have to define "wallow" though, Texas is an economic powerhouse even in a temporary oil downturn.
2
Lived in Houston for 15 years (1995-2010). The emphasis on "Texan" always struck me as having a strong element of defensiveness about it, like deep-down they're not really sure this a good thing. They are also always startled when, out of the state, Americans laugh at and joke about them -- I experienced it while I was "from" Texas. But look at who they keep sending to Washington to represent them! And to pick up on a point made by Yonkers-native Robert: re: unwillingness to "take good ideas from other places" -- that's not a Texan flaw, that's a US American flaw. When you live in Texas, you have to put up with Texan exceptionalism on top of American exceptionalism.
9
It's more like we're flabbergasted people would willingly come live in our great state and then bad mouth it, and then not leave asap. Like immigrants who come to the US for a better life and then protest us. Dumb.
15
It is under attack and many will fight to keep Texas great, while watching the US go under by giving up all their morals and rights.
5
Where the hell did they dig up this 'writer'?!? (I'm being generous here).
My family of five (four of us Texas natives) were rolling on the floor with the over-the-top clichéd stereotypes in this article. Rednecks, guns, pick-up trucks, cowboy hats and boots, etc...seriously?
This would be akin to saying everyone from 'New Yahwk' lives on bagels, Reuben sandwiches and dresses like someone from the disco era.
Houston is the 4th largest city in the nation and quite international/cosmopolitan.
Six of the top twenty cities in the U.S. are in Texas. I am left leaning and quite liberal in my ideas and although many of my friends are more conservative than I am, I've yet to come across the type of Texan Manny Fernandez describes. Oh wait, yes I have...in the movies! lol
O.k., I'm deeply ashamed of many of the idiot politicians from our state but hey, I didn't vote for a single one of them.
But the notion put forth in this article - that everyone is 'Texan proud' and identifies as a Texan before an American - is simply the stuff of stereotypes and urban legends. I've lived in Texas for forty plus years and have yet to meet more than a dozen people that match that mentality.
This is a ridiculous article that spurned some nasty, snarky comments. The New York Times should be ashamed of themselves for publishing this type of stereotypical rubbish.
My family of five (four of us Texas natives) were rolling on the floor with the over-the-top clichéd stereotypes in this article. Rednecks, guns, pick-up trucks, cowboy hats and boots, etc...seriously?
This would be akin to saying everyone from 'New Yahwk' lives on bagels, Reuben sandwiches and dresses like someone from the disco era.
Houston is the 4th largest city in the nation and quite international/cosmopolitan.
Six of the top twenty cities in the U.S. are in Texas. I am left leaning and quite liberal in my ideas and although many of my friends are more conservative than I am, I've yet to come across the type of Texan Manny Fernandez describes. Oh wait, yes I have...in the movies! lol
O.k., I'm deeply ashamed of many of the idiot politicians from our state but hey, I didn't vote for a single one of them.
But the notion put forth in this article - that everyone is 'Texan proud' and identifies as a Texan before an American - is simply the stuff of stereotypes and urban legends. I've lived in Texas for forty plus years and have yet to meet more than a dozen people that match that mentality.
This is a ridiculous article that spurned some nasty, snarky comments. The New York Times should be ashamed of themselves for publishing this type of stereotypical rubbish.
30
Well written, thoughtful, fact filled...well done
3
That's exactly how I felt while reading this piece. Well stated!
2
Been there for business probably 20 times over 20 years. Too hot and humid for my taste.
3
As a native gay Texan, I left Texas after high school in 1993. Even though it's been over 20 years since I've lived there, I'm still a Texan.
After leaving, I longed to find a place that had the same sense of self that Texas does -- and I found it in New York City. So I'm raising my son in Brooklyn, where he has a strong sense of pride to be from a place that matters. Despite the differences in politics, Texans and NYers are very similar in grit, self-confidence and the unshakeable belief that no place is better than their place.
After leaving, I longed to find a place that had the same sense of self that Texas does -- and I found it in New York City. So I'm raising my son in Brooklyn, where he has a strong sense of pride to be from a place that matters. Despite the differences in politics, Texans and NYers are very similar in grit, self-confidence and the unshakeable belief that no place is better than their place.
23
When I lived in Grand Prairie Texas and worked construction there, you being a gay person and acknowledging it might of got you killed. It is ok to be gay in New York city, in many parts of Texas...not so much. Stay in New York my friend:)
4
John, it's Houston who most recently had the gay mayor.
7
Oh there are gays in Texas...At least the ones that aren't scared to come out..You guys love to show us Austin and Houston. Ive been to both places..they rule! However my cowboy brother, I have been deep into real Texas also. I have worked amongst the roughnecks and oil rig boys. Not the most liberal crowd. I believe that in some of the bars I used to frequent in Texas, a gay person would have gotten us both killed by walking in there. Ok. Disclaimer...I haven't lived in Texas for many years..perhaps they have changed? "Clears throat" Jade Helm.
It really takes someone having been born in Texas to write a story like this, which the author is not and that is why the article is flawed.
The truth is (and I know what the truth is since I was born and raised in Texas and lived there for 45 years) that what is going on in Texas now is not what Texas was 20 years ago. Twenty maybe 30 years years ago, Texas was starting to become a cutting edge state with a progressive agenda that arguably began with the Nasa Space programs setting up shop in Houston and continuing with great public education and state of the art medical facilities in most of the major cites. Texas had the oil revenue and, at that time, the progressive people to pull of becoming a truly great state.
So what happened? Today Texas has become a joke to the rest of the country. The only people proud of what is has become are the people who moved there from other states and tried to fake everyone out with their fake drawls and fake bravado. In fact, fake is what I now think of my home state.
As one example, walking around in supermarkets with guns is not what made Texas great, but it is one of the many things that is now making Texas a joke.
What used to be great about Texas was the most pragmatic citizens of any state in the union. Texans had the ability to work out reasonable solutions to any problem or issue that came along. Sadly, that's all gone now, the result mostly of too many fake Texans from other states.
The truth is (and I know what the truth is since I was born and raised in Texas and lived there for 45 years) that what is going on in Texas now is not what Texas was 20 years ago. Twenty maybe 30 years years ago, Texas was starting to become a cutting edge state with a progressive agenda that arguably began with the Nasa Space programs setting up shop in Houston and continuing with great public education and state of the art medical facilities in most of the major cites. Texas had the oil revenue and, at that time, the progressive people to pull of becoming a truly great state.
So what happened? Today Texas has become a joke to the rest of the country. The only people proud of what is has become are the people who moved there from other states and tried to fake everyone out with their fake drawls and fake bravado. In fact, fake is what I now think of my home state.
As one example, walking around in supermarkets with guns is not what made Texas great, but it is one of the many things that is now making Texas a joke.
What used to be great about Texas was the most pragmatic citizens of any state in the union. Texans had the ability to work out reasonable solutions to any problem or issue that came along. Sadly, that's all gone now, the result mostly of too many fake Texans from other states.
34
Hopefully, liberals will keep aborting potential liberal offspring in record numbers! Texas will be better for it,
No surprise that the NYT makes this their number 1 pick. Biased, uninformed lefties who are more impressed with their own conclusions rather than the lack of data they used to create their own conclusions.
"People believe their way of life is under attack"
That would be correct. In any other reality those under attack would be considered the rock, civilization is built upon. In our case, the lunatics have long run the asylum and are trying their best to destroy the American way of life.
That would be correct. In any other reality those under attack would be considered the rock, civilization is built upon. In our case, the lunatics have long run the asylum and are trying their best to destroy the American way of life.
4
Let's try to go a little deeper - this article is simplistic.
Every large city in TX voted for Obama in 2012. We are not a bunch of idiot rednecks.
The Republican Party has played us for fools for 25 years, since George Bush 2 beat Ann Richards.
My family has been here 150 years. Bush, Perry, Abbott are just the latest ones looking out for their donors.
Could we flip back to blue? Very long hard battle. Probably not in my lifetime.
Every large city in TX voted for Obama in 2012. We are not a bunch of idiot rednecks.
The Republican Party has played us for fools for 25 years, since George Bush 2 beat Ann Richards.
My family has been here 150 years. Bush, Perry, Abbott are just the latest ones looking out for their donors.
Could we flip back to blue? Very long hard battle. Probably not in my lifetime.
16
My family has been here longer than yours....but that does not make my discussion more meaningful. Bottom line: if the place is so bad and the leadership so bad, why are people still moving here despite an oil crash? It is because leftism, progressivism etc.. And all the other political ideologies that believe we have to be told how to live... are a failure. Leftist central control is increased poverty, reduces safety, and reduces education to the lowest level.
1
Northerner liberals will never admit it because they can't understand it-doesn't that sound a little bit like jealousy ? Keep your rotten big apple. & your high crime Chi town and the rust belt & your OUTRAGOUS cost of living on the West Coast -(& most other Northern and Canadian cities) -and we will keep ourselves LoneStar Proud !
6
It's amazing to me that the writer did not connect Spanish/Mexican culture, food and traditions to 'what makes Texas.' My dad always said we were Tejanos and helped settle the areas from Monterrey to San Antonio; there are tons of people here who have ranches, small ranchitos, and who live in the country and have cattle. Many have moved nationwide too. Historically, south central texas (not Austin) had the most Europeans (Germans, Czechs, Polish folks living within Mexican towns/cities);;Dallas and Houston had an onslaught of white southerners and their slaves (especially east texas) move in. Today, Houston has so any new immigrants from Mexico and Latin America which is why the writer seems off target. I have lived in the manhattan and dallas......the inner cities in Texas are just as contemporary but many families still have ranches and dance the two step. Older Tejano families, who faced so many injustices, know what makes Texas and that's to continue to fight for equality and fairness and to have some good fajitas and beer. Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties all voted Obama. Adelante.
21
It is so much easier to paint us as ignorant racist rednecks than to understand the Texan / Mexican bond of cultures. Our coworkers, friends and family members are of Mexican descent. Our food is a wonderful mix of Mexican and American cuisines. The author has been here a scant 5 years as an outside observer. It would be impossible for him to truly understand even if he wanted to.
We are firmly independent and self reliant. We beleive in making our own way in the, world and helping each othet without an overbearing and bloated government. We are not helpless victims willing to abdicate our safety, responsibilities or rights to a non responsive and inept central government. We are not the ignorant hicks so easy to portray; We are doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers. We are mechanics , machinists welders and builders. We ate Soldiers Sailors airman and Marines, we are what America used to be..self reliant and independent and not afraid. We see a bright future paved by our hard work, determination and enginuity. We only ask one thing: come join us or leave us alone.
We are firmly independent and self reliant. We beleive in making our own way in the, world and helping each othet without an overbearing and bloated government. We are not helpless victims willing to abdicate our safety, responsibilities or rights to a non responsive and inept central government. We are not the ignorant hicks so easy to portray; We are doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers. We are mechanics , machinists welders and builders. We ate Soldiers Sailors airman and Marines, we are what America used to be..self reliant and independent and not afraid. We see a bright future paved by our hard work, determination and enginuity. We only ask one thing: come join us or leave us alone.
8
Presidio county voted democrat too!
5
I'm from DC and moved to Texas six years ago because of my husband's job. We are moving back East in three weeks and are thrilled to be heading back to the Mid Atlantic. It's been an interesting six years in San Antonio. The city has definitely developed more of a food and cultural scene over the past 5 years and there are lots of folks who've moved here from other parts of the country. But there are still aspects of life down here that feel really foreign like the ultra-conservatism and militant gun enthusiasm. There is a lot of Texas pride and an almost complete indifference about other parts of the world or country. Life in Texas isn't terrible (there are a lot of nice people here) but I would never choose to live here over other parts of the country.
9
Adios!
14
Bye. Hope you find a place to live where you are happy.
2
After all this, in the end, what has anybody gained? Has anyone changed his or her mind about life, love, humanity, politics? Has anyone improved for all this in any way? Is the meanness of spitty-spat sniffs and the ephemeral kick of a little nasty sense of superiority all that's been achieved? If we are ever to find our way out of the madnesses of our times, it will be by finding our common good, and the path of flinging useless, gratuitous insults will never lead there.
10
I was born and raised in Texas and feel like kissing the soil of Texas when I return from other places. I went to UT but I never met an Aggie that I didn't like.Texas is without doubt the greatest state for me. If I go down to the Capital I call on as many democrats as republicans and get as much cooperation. Politics is different in Texas. Texas was once a democratic state but the democrats imported ways that were foreign to Texas. Since things are set up for two parties many Texas democrats merged with the GOP and rule by following the will of the Texas voters. Bob Bullock and George W. Bush set a political tone that lasts. Our Speaker of the House gives both parties an opportunity to represent their districts well. Texas is a red state and will continue for the to be for quite some time. God blessed Texas as he did most states and across the the Rio Grande Mexico. Texans utilized those blessings better than most and has become The Great State of Texas. Texas respects their neighbors and demands respect in turn. Those who want to change Texas should be aware that most Texans intend to minimize the change. Texas will adapt to change and resist changes that would diminish our great state.
23
Oh, please!
9
"Tom Bybee was a bank robber, but his word in this country was as good as George Washington's. Cow folks don't care how hard a man is, so long as his word is good." – J. Frank Dobie.
If you can understand that quote, you can understand Texas.
If you can understand that quote, you can understand Texas.
7
Lol. It never fails to make me laugh. We DO understand the quote and it DOES personify everything about Texas...thats wrong.
1
Stay in Arizona Jon.
4
Oh Keth:) My Texan friends welcome me with open arms when I visit there. See, it's ok to disagree with someone without getting angry. Much love my Texas friend. You guys just keep asking for it..:) The one I love the most of course is: "If you ain't from Texas...you ain't S$%t..." I laugh and laugh every time I see it. Because of course by definition, according to that sticker, if you are from Texas you are...well you get it. Anyway, go big Texas, we can alway count on you.
6
Our politico-media has stoked broad-brush painting into a national pastime. Only visited TX, but lived in CA 20 years. One can feel very "comfortable going to church"in Ventura/Orange/San Diego Counties, but there are just as many laid-back Godless who'd rather surf and chill than preach and argue about Him. And say what you want about anchor babies, but the Mexicans picking strawberries and building homes for the rich work just as hard as those Euro-stock semi-self-reliant Texas farmers.
State pride's healthy to a point. It's lacking in CA because so many who came from elsewhere have been driven out, thanks to the banks, real estate industry, and a state government that serves itself. My home state cites Yankee ingenuity -- and thrift, as if you could take it with you -- but I shun the Gen-Y/XXX "Mass-hole" culture. My family has those who love to travel, and hometown homebodies who shun life elsewhere as a moral excess.
What I truly despise, though, to paraphrase a song: "I'm a country boy ... real American ... don't need no government to hold my hand." Texans can thank God for blessing them with oil fields instead of state income tax. Californians can thank President Polk. New England can thank disease and those helpful, fractious Indians. And at Arlington lay real Americans from across this country to thank.
State pride's healthy to a point. It's lacking in CA because so many who came from elsewhere have been driven out, thanks to the banks, real estate industry, and a state government that serves itself. My home state cites Yankee ingenuity -- and thrift, as if you could take it with you -- but I shun the Gen-Y/XXX "Mass-hole" culture. My family has those who love to travel, and hometown homebodies who shun life elsewhere as a moral excess.
What I truly despise, though, to paraphrase a song: "I'm a country boy ... real American ... don't need no government to hold my hand." Texans can thank God for blessing them with oil fields instead of state income tax. Californians can thank President Polk. New England can thank disease and those helpful, fractious Indians. And at Arlington lay real Americans from across this country to thank.
2
I'm from Illinois but went to grad school in Austin and fell for Texas, despite its political craziness. A concern of mine now is the tremendous pressure the know-nothings are putting on the University of Texas at Austin, trying to dumb it down. Former Gov. Perry let them diminish Texas A&M, despite his being an alum. UT Austin alums continue the fight but it's a grinding process.
11
Is Texas the best place on Earth? I don't know, but it sure beats the hell out of Oklahoma
9
What do you get out of that, michal?
3
It's just like my dad has always said: "You can always tell (who is) a Texan, but you can't tell 'em much."
11
That's right.
2
It's just like my dad always said: "Never listen to anyone from Kansas City".
2
And the liberal New Yorkers gave us Tamany Halll
1
Tammany Hall precedes what you'd describe as "liberalism" by a good many decades. You've misunderstood what "liberal" actually means.
4
Leftism... And it always devolves into tribal thuggery.
1
Stop threatening and secede already.
10
In the 80s I was involved with a contemporary art tour that included the Rothko Chapel and a visit with Dominique deMenil in her home. The bit of her art collection we saw left us slack-jawed.
Her vision for the museum (now built) and her desire to share her world-class art with all, free, was inspiring and very moving. She was older with a young spirit (though the muggy weather made me wonder why Houston....). We were in awe, she's a cultural treasure and I must remember her when Cruz or Abbot et al makes me think all Texas is guns/hats/boots/boasts.
Her vision for the museum (now built) and her desire to share her world-class art with all, free, was inspiring and very moving. She was older with a young spirit (though the muggy weather made me wonder why Houston....). We were in awe, she's a cultural treasure and I must remember her when Cruz or Abbot et al makes me think all Texas is guns/hats/boots/boasts.
11
What makes Texas, Texas?
What makes Texans, Texans?
Friday night High School football.
Real BBQ.
Driving up and down the town's main drag, having a good time.
Knowing who Lamar was and being able to acknowledge that he was a goober, and yet still taking pride.
Black Cowboys. The one's that handle livestock, not the football team.
Being able to seriously go on the quest for the perfect Chicken Fried Steak.
To still have our own Navy.
To own guns, to carry guns, and know how to do right with them.
To not be afraid of mere sight of guns.
Putting folks into Huntsville that don't do right with their guns.
To be able to bitch about the Mexicans, but deep inside know that you would miss them.
TexMex food.
Bluebonnets along side the highway. Stopping to stare...take photos.
A guy named Ngyuen that says y'all and ain't.
Our legends and history...some times they are one and the same, and sometimes even true.
Big Hair.
Being able to reconcile having Hank Williams AND AC/DC in your playlist.
Seeing the state flag and associating it with "Home".
A love of Cowboy boots.
A love for gals in Cowboy boots.
Knowing a goat roper at first sight.
Suffering pain at the loss of so many Drive-Ins...movies...burger joints...
Wishing the Border Patrol would enforce along the Red River as well.
Not minding too much the smell of being stuck behind a cattle truck.
God dang there's too much to list!!!
What makes Texans, Texans?
Friday night High School football.
Real BBQ.
Driving up and down the town's main drag, having a good time.
Knowing who Lamar was and being able to acknowledge that he was a goober, and yet still taking pride.
Black Cowboys. The one's that handle livestock, not the football team.
Being able to seriously go on the quest for the perfect Chicken Fried Steak.
To still have our own Navy.
To own guns, to carry guns, and know how to do right with them.
To not be afraid of mere sight of guns.
Putting folks into Huntsville that don't do right with their guns.
To be able to bitch about the Mexicans, but deep inside know that you would miss them.
TexMex food.
Bluebonnets along side the highway. Stopping to stare...take photos.
A guy named Ngyuen that says y'all and ain't.
Our legends and history...some times they are one and the same, and sometimes even true.
Big Hair.
Being able to reconcile having Hank Williams AND AC/DC in your playlist.
Seeing the state flag and associating it with "Home".
A love of Cowboy boots.
A love for gals in Cowboy boots.
Knowing a goat roper at first sight.
Suffering pain at the loss of so many Drive-Ins...movies...burger joints...
Wishing the Border Patrol would enforce along the Red River as well.
Not minding too much the smell of being stuck behind a cattle truck.
God dang there's too much to list!!!
34
Knowing how to pronounce Seguín.
8
Make that French-speaking black cowboys!
3
Texans have always been Texan first; any other identifier is 2nd. Texas is Mexicans and Mexicans are Texas, and Texas is German's and Czechs and more. I cannot communicate how much I miss the mix of Mexican culture, food and music that runs through my home state of Texas now that I've been out of TX for several years. Years ago I had a patient in Austin that was from California. He was a La Raza leader and this was the 1980's. He said that in California one was Chicano/Mexican first. He & La Raza felt that a problem in Texas was that in TX a [Hispanic] was Texan first. Well yeah, Texas was mostly Mexicans originally although the history has been whitewashed more as the years go by. Texas is friendly and much more tolerant than anyone thinks. I am hoping that it is only temporarily stuck with some uncooperative extra conservative whackos, but Texans are all Texans first, and respectful of hard work and family no matter what other proclivities. I left a small super Red suburb that sometimes got a little too righteous with the Christian thing but on a day to day basis the town was friendly and tolerant. No, not perfect but most Texans accept each other for the sum of what they individually do & are, not just a single classification. I miss the mix up of peoples that that kind of aacceptance allows. Here in the Bay Area no one says anything out loud but the class and race structures and intolerance are much more pervasive.
4
Well shame on the Texans for being proud! Maybe we should follow Obama's example of apologizing for being Americans. Naw... Let's be proud Texans!
8
Obama never, ever "apologized" for being an American. Where this particular piece of right-wing nonsense came from is a mystery.
14
Probably Texas...
5
So may liberal transplants come to Texas and love it, and that makes us all feel great. They correctly refer to the how nice and friendly the people are, the optimism, the almost nationalist pride we Texans exude for the Lone Star State that we call home. They then go onto laminate the so called "hard right politics". What so many of you don't realize is that our politics when you change the political landscape, the social landscape changes with it. Be careful when you vote, or you will turn Texas into the place that you left. Chances are that is a place that punishes business and success, has a high cost of living, miles of bureaucratic red tap and an ever growing army of government employees that insert themselves into every facet of life and do so on the public's dime.
9
Laminate? They wrap them in plastic?
5
Oh please,your education system is tanked,health care for women disappearing,government corrupt and one sided. I could go on. Get over yourselves,you're not in a special bubble.
16
Northern California. What a joke.
6
Our education system is overwhelmed with illegal immigrants who can't even read the geometry books they're assigned, and everyone everywhere else tells us how we should handle our open border causing the issue. Thanks for your concern but stay out of our politics and we'll manage ourselves just fine :). So fine even more of the country will want to move here and experience it.
5
Except for the part about being the worlds ninth largest economy...Hahah! You are right, it is funny;)
As a native Texan, I don't think outsiders understand us at all. Part of this is due to sheer size. I remember my Dad talking on the phone to his boos in Buffalo NY and telling him how it was impossible to "hop over to El Paso" for an afternoon meeting. Short of flying on Southwest, it is half a day of driving from Dallas to El Paso. Texans are proud of their heritage in much the same way Australians honor their prisoner past. Texans were largely leaving The East to escape. O. Henry spent time in Texas to forget his various offenses. So Texas as a land of new beginnings was both a legend and a reality. The epithet GTT-Gone To Texas-was left on many a home in areas where land was expensive. My own relatives came to Texas from Ireland. During "The Troubles" my Irish Catholic ancestors lived in fear of British pressgangs and famine. They went to Canada first, as the quota on Irish was filled. They waited two years and came to Texas in a covered wagon, where the Irish could buy land rather than working in New York or Boston or Chicago at the then low status jobs in Fire or Police Depts. Their legacy lives on in small towns named Ennis and Dublin after those they left behind. They worked hard, didn't get handouts and used their skills to harvest from a grudging, harsh land. So give Texans their due, the reasons for the myths are real. Take any five states and you'd have just as much variety. Seashore to mountains to canyons and plains-Texas really is a whole other country.
9
It's obvious the author still doesn't quite get Texas. Bless his heart.
10
I've spent time visiting Texas and it was enjoyable enough - it has a lot going for it. But the effect politicians from Texas have had on our nation led me to join the TNM, the Texas Nationalist Movement. I receive regular emails updating me on important rallies and events. And, while it seems there is some progress, they've still got a long way to go. To that end, I encourage all my fellow Americans to join TNM in their cause, and set us both free.
1
For those who hear that Texas twang and scurry to a safe place of hiding, fearing some insufferable bore mouthing mindless bombast, remember people: Texas gave us Molly Ivans and great hoots of sanity during some very dark hours.
6
Molly Ivans was certainly witty and entertaining. I loved her columns even though she was wrong most of the time.
2
No
Molly was dead on.
And your Texas never was.
Molly was dead on.
And your Texas never was.
5
Molly Ivins, and many others - Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, Lou Dobbs, Scott Pelley, Bob Schieiffer, Rex Reed, Roland Martin, Kinky Freidman, Liz Smith, Larry McMurtry. Dan Jenkins, Cactus Pryor, Verne Lundquist, Stone Philips, Tamron Hall, Linda Ellerbee, Dan Moyers, Heloise, Milo Hamilton, Sam Donaldson, Norah O'Donnell,
Funny how many of the comments from Texas apologists--and critics--begin begin with "I".
5
I moved to Texas after graduating high school in 1982. When I came here I would not even eat the Texas made ice cream Blue Bell. I was a blessed Yankee and that was all there is to it. Now my freezer is full of several half gallons of the Texas Ice cream and I am a now a social and economic conservative. Love this state and now consider myself a blessed Yankee who is even more blessed to live in Texas. I would not trade the independent Texas culture for anything especially a nanny state.
11
Sounds like you have been successfully converted. Congratulations.
3
With the exception of Houston & San Antonio, the state is unadulterated racist, segregated, pays slave wages, gerrymandered to exclude minority voters, highest in the nation in health uninsured and food starved children and executes more than all the States together,
11
Austin? Dallas? It's not a good look to stereotype an entire state that way.
5
Racist is the new code word for someone that doesn't agree with the leftist agenda
5
The lede to this story is seriously wrong, when it says, "People in this rapidly changing state believe their way of life is under attack, and they are
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan."
Some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush, the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, it is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A journalist should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texans had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Keep that in mind, if you want to make book on the coming election.
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan."
Some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush, the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, it is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A journalist should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texans had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Keep that in mind, if you want to make book on the coming election.
11
I am utterly surprised that you are bragging about those in our State, like you, who voted for Obama. George Bush made his share of mistakes but I doubt that anyone would put him below Obama on the Patriot scale. The simple fact that you hold Obama in higher regard than Bush paints you into the corner of irrelevance. BTW gerrymandering was started by the Dems and it goes both ways.
Lol. And I won $200 from a couple of guys from San Francisco betting that Houston would elect an openly gay mayor before they did.
2
And I won $200 from a couple of guys from San Francisco betting that Houston would elect a gay mayor first.
Texas? Really, other than those who reside there, who cares?
5
Compare our economy to AZ and the US ovall. People looking for jobs care.
5
It must be more than just a state. The NYT has a Texas based reporter living there...
3
Born and reared in Texas, lived in NYC and France. I love living here (Houston) but our state government often disgusts me. The Republican government here is elected by minority of eligible voters and represents an even smaller minority of our citizens -- specifically those who are most fervent in their political organization and activity. (Credit where credit is due -- they are extraordinarily effective.)
Our state ranks in the bottom third of the country in quality of education and in the bottom 10 in healthcare for its citizenry -- this with one of the preeminent medical centers in the country here in Houston. Our state government's proposed solutions to these serious failures generally involve reducing taxes. Our State Board of Education supports intentionally inaccurate textbooks and espouses a version of history regarding our country's founders and our state's explicit support of slavery that is patently and demonstrably false.
Yet Houston is the most ethnically diverse large city in the country, is quite cosmopolitan, with a friendly populace and is a wonderful place to raise a family. So I retain hope for or state's future.
Our state ranks in the bottom third of the country in quality of education and in the bottom 10 in healthcare for its citizenry -- this with one of the preeminent medical centers in the country here in Houston. Our state government's proposed solutions to these serious failures generally involve reducing taxes. Our State Board of Education supports intentionally inaccurate textbooks and espouses a version of history regarding our country's founders and our state's explicit support of slavery that is patently and demonstrably false.
Yet Houston is the most ethnically diverse large city in the country, is quite cosmopolitan, with a friendly populace and is a wonderful place to raise a family. So I retain hope for or state's future.
9
This article and the comments from those out-of-state is very condescending. As usual, northeaster has come here with a preset notion. He has tried to write something that was condescending but had enough complements or misdirection to hide his condescension. But it was written in a way to make Northeasterners and other lefties dislike Texas, confirmed their worst impressions.
Cleanly this former Northeasterner, still still too smart to be in Texas. His anthropological study of an ancient dying inferior culture is what he really wants to write.
Cleanly this former Northeasterner, still still too smart to be in Texas. His anthropological study of an ancient dying inferior culture is what he really wants to write.
3
Most commentators seem unaware that part of Texas belonged to the United States before it belonged to Mexico. In 1819, the United States traded Northeast Texas to Spain in exchange for Florida as part of the Adams Onis Treaty. My Anglo American ancestors in Pecan Point and Jonesboro suddenly became Spanish citizens. Texas became part of Mexico in 1821, when Mexico won its independence from Spain, and my ancestors suddenly became Mexicans. Texas was part of Mexico for 15 years, but Texas won its independence in 1836, and my ancestors became citizens of the Republic of Texas. When Texas joined the United States in 1845, my ancestors became U.S. citizens once again. As Anglo Texans like to say, “We didn’t cross the border; the border kept crossing us. Many commentators mistakenly think the United States got Texas from Mexico as the result of the Mexican War. But Texas had already joined the United States before the war began. The war as fought over whether the southern boundary was the Nueces River or the Rio Grande was the southern border. Texas wasn’t part of the Mexican Cession that gave New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Californian and parts of Utah and Colorado to the United States. Texas isn’t even mentioned in the treaty that ended the war.
8
Texas is the economic powerhouse of the United States. While the rest of the country has been mired in sub 2% growth for the past decade, Texas has been growing at 4%. Apple has almost as many employees in Austin as in Cupertino and Texas is HQ to as many fortune 500 companies as New York or California. It's population is growing faster than any other major state. Why?--because Texas is pro business and pro growth. The result is a state where discrimination seems dramatically less than in the Northeast, where minorities are thriving and where immigrants want to settle. Texas works.
7
How is the oil business doing?
Jon the oil industry is temporarily, artificially deflated, and our international competition is hemorrhaging their limited resource at an unprecedented rate while we're holding ours. Check back after OPEC gets tired of issuing bonds. Thanks for the concern. Meanwhile our medical, logistical, technical, manufacturing, chemical, industrial, agricultural etcetera sectors are all doing quite well.
2
Not great but your mistaken if you think the Texas economy is based solely (or even for the most part) on oil these days.
1
I was born in Chicago and have lived in Texas for 40 years. My kids are all born in Texas and even though I have lived here longer than they have, they can all make the enviable claim as many Texans do - "Native Texan"
5
I lived in Texas for 5 years, and found much of the culture to be fairly equivalent to high school in many ways. I noticed there was a surprising importance placed on "fitting in", and everyone seemed involved in everyone else's business. Many women spent what seemed like an inordinate amount of time on their makeup and big hair, and many men spent their time trying to advertise their masculinity in various ways - I think the gun culture arises from this. I saw a strong "clique" mentality, based on 19th-century standards as the acceptable behavior of the in-crowd, and a strong "us vs them" approach to people who didn't agree. Many introductions started with "What church do you go to?", and heaven forbid if it wasn't the popular local Baptist church.
If you've ever tried to discuss politics with a teenager, then you know what it's like to discuss politics with a Texan. I saw lots of very simplistic, jingoistic, firmly held beliefs that didn't necessarily have a basis in fact, or a practical application in the actual world.
The people are self-reliant, much as they are in my state (Vermont). As a "Yankee", I initially found the place and the people charming - everyone seems very friendly. By the end of my time there, I couldn't wait to get back to the Northeast. I made some great friends there, and hold no bad feelings, but I do see a large contingent of the nation's destructive politics coming from Texas, and I don't see that the rest of us would lose much if they seceded.
If you've ever tried to discuss politics with a teenager, then you know what it's like to discuss politics with a Texan. I saw lots of very simplistic, jingoistic, firmly held beliefs that didn't necessarily have a basis in fact, or a practical application in the actual world.
The people are self-reliant, much as they are in my state (Vermont). As a "Yankee", I initially found the place and the people charming - everyone seems very friendly. By the end of my time there, I couldn't wait to get back to the Northeast. I made some great friends there, and hold no bad feelings, but I do see a large contingent of the nation's destructive politics coming from Texas, and I don't see that the rest of us would lose much if they seceded.
8
Sorry you didn't fit. I'm sure Vermont is happy to have you back.
5
Texas is shaped by both its frontier and republic heritage. It also represents the broader projections of Americans for independence and freedom, much the same as Virginia did for the English about 400 years ago. Virginia at that time was as much a concept as it was a place.
3
Leave Virginia out of this, unless of course you mean "freedom" in the Manifest Destiny sense. The Pilgrims came for meaningful freedom -- from persecution for their religious beliefs -- as did the Puritans. Of course, Mass. Bay Colony was a Crown moneymaker in due time, but Jamestown was settled to make money from the outset.
1
Unfortunately these articles about the Texas pride and the associated comments always seem to center on the parts of Texas that many Texans would prefer to forget about. Most of my friends and neighbors cannot stand Austin or Dallas, have little good to say about the Texas political machine, and our views on the "Bar B Que" scene will never matter to Texas Monthly, which, somehow, appears to be written for the people in Dallas, Austin, and foreigners who wish they lived in Dallas or Austin. It is never mentioned about the small Texas towns that gather around in times of trouble. The wide open skies and beautiful sunsets, listening to the old timers who have 1st hand stories of settling the plains. It's the fresh air after a thunderstorm. It's knowing the ranch down the road struggled and survived the drought to make it what it is today. It's having a swamp, mountains, canyons, grasslands, lakes, beaches, all in one state. It's having the pride of self reliance of surviving a Texas thunderstorm that sprang up on the prairie before you could get back to the truck. It's not having a 7-11 4 minutes away. It's not having streetlights everywhere. It's not expecting a tow truck to appear if you have a flat tire, but knowing how to change it yourself. Many f what makes a Texan proud of their state is still going strong, just right outside the big cities, but it's the Texas that most visitors never see
5
I lived in Houston for 2 years, from 2002-2004, and I visited my now-husband there frequently before that. The author's description of Texas now sounds exactly like the Texas I knew back then. I'll never forget standing in San Antonio and seeing more Texas flags flying atop buildings than American ones. I'll also never forget the poll that came out while I was living in Houston in which an overwhelming majority of its residents said they'd rather sit in highway gridlock traffic than ever take any form of public transportation. The over-sized, "Texas exceptionalism" culture made a mark on me and I hope I never live in it again.
6
Well then by all means, actively choose to stay out.
10
Ditto
Texas fought for its "freedom" from Mexico because of Mexico's ban on slavery. The Texas republic was bankrupt 10 years later when it asked to become a state IF the US paid their outstanding debts AND accepted Texas as a slave state. The myths and lies about their great and wonderful history has gone on way too long. The Alamo myth is the biggest lie of Texas--no heroics here. The last "battle" began in the dark, three escapes were made by about 85% of the defenders who were caught making their escape attempt outside the mission and were killed by the Mexican Lancers and burned in three different pyres. Crocket was against slavery and not in good company--Houston didn't need any competition for leadership and left him and others to die "defending" the republic.
Most of Texas is inhospitable in the summer, wet and miserable in the winter. Give it back to Mecico, but they'd never have it back.
Most of Texas is inhospitable in the summer, wet and miserable in the winter. Give it back to Mecico, but they'd never have it back.
6
The Texas Revolution had nothing to do with slavery. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829. Texas revolted along with the Mexican states of Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Durango, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Yucatán, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas in 1836 when Santa Anna repealed the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and made himself a dictator. Texas independence became the goal only after the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad and Texas was the only state that won its independence. Although Mexico officially abolished slavery in 1821, the law rarely enforced. Slaves were still being sold at auctions in Chihuahua City during the American Civil War. If Texas had remained part of Mexico, Texas slaveholders, like slaveholders in other Mexican states, would have converted their slaves first to indentured servants and then to the debt peonage system that lasted into the 1900s. Mexican records have revealed that a small contingent of Alamo defenders did stage a breakout attempt during the climatic attack, but nowhere near 85 percent. The group that fought their way out of the Alamo also went down fighting. The battle that counts the most is San Jacinto, not the Alamo.
7
50 degree winters and rain vs. blizzards are both pretty great and Mexico can't have us!
3
Slavery had nothing to do with the US civil war either did it? Denial is more than a river in Egypt.
1
Interesting, but how many Texans acknowledge that without what happened in Massachusetts, Texas would still be part of Mexico.
6
Your point?
New Englanders believe we're very special too.
1
I call foul and declare plagiarism on Ted Nugent and Gov. Abbott's campaign treasurer!!! "THE LAST, BEST PLACE" has been Montana at least since the publication in 1988 of the literary anthology by that title published by the Montana Historical Society Press. Texas can be as Texas as it wants to be but come up with your own slogan of identification.
3
Thank heavens someone called them on this...this theft of identity. Let's be generous and assume it was born of ignorance and not willful chicanery. Texas and Montana have a long history of close ties—recall "Lonesome Dove" by Texas native Larry McMurtry—and Montanans give up little or nothing to Texans in pride of place. I can say this without fear of contradiction, since my wife is a fifth-generation San Antonian and I am a fourth-generation Montanan. Despite the close relationships, Texas is not and never will be the Last Best Place. Montana is.
But Texas is a close second.
But Texas is a close second.
2
I heard a liberal acquaintance recently say do not move to Texas as they are all Republicans. I had to bite my tongue but I really wanted to say that that was the place for me. I have visited this wonderful state with lovely people and found them warm and welcoming. Texans are ridiculed unfairly by the left leaning liberal folks which is just plain silly. They are fine people and I really enjoyed my stay in Fort Worth visiting my relatives. I could adjust to their pleasant way of living.
7
For Those of Texans who wish to secede, I offer the following suggestion. Join me in the Santa Ana Society. Our group not only wishes to secede from the U.S. It advocates being taken back by Mexico.
2
Texas recently became one of 45 states that permit the open carry of firearms, but its reputation as gun crazy is undeserved. Texas ranks 30th among states in gun ownership. About 35.9 percent of Texas households own guns. The rate is 44.4 percent in gun-crazy Wisconsin, 38.4 percent in gun-crazy Michigan, 42 percent in gun-crazy Vermont and 40.5 percent in gun-crazy Maine.
http://demographicdata.org/facts-and-figures/gun-ownership-statistics/
http://demographicdata.org/facts-and-figures/gun-ownership-statistics/
6
It is so strange the way so many people said TX should be boycotted because of open carry. Most of them have no clue that their own states had open carry before it was legalized in TX. BTW, I do support gun control myself but just with the misinformation were curtailed just a bit.
2
I was an Easterner who lived in Alaska for 4 years, surrounded by Texans some of whom worked in the oil fields off Cook Inlet and Prudhoe Bay (I bought my house there from a Texan). Their influence was noticeable, especially in some of the saloons where the Cotton Eye Joe was danced on Friday and Saturday nights and where pressed blue jeans. shined leather boots and cowboy hats were considered the Texas Tuxedo.
Texans were fun to be around even if they were too much in love with their guns and bragging "on" their State, but what may have seemed to be either narcissism or self love, it seemed to me, really was an insecurity about being able to live anywhere other than Texas which, of course, was not true. Sometimes, they would go on and on about the "way it is in Texas", "how they do it in Texas", or "going back to West Texas to dove hunt", or, worst of all how everything was better in Texas, at which point someone without Texas roots would tell them to shut up. they were in Alaska now whether they liked it or not, and how they do it in Texas ain't how they do it here. Everyone would laugh and start telling stories like the famous Spenard Divorce where 60 years ago a woman from a section of Anchorage called Spenard shot her husband dead when she found in bed with another woman, and a jury acquitted her with the approval of the judge.
In many ways, Alaska was even larger than life than Texas, but sooner or later it became a battle of whose story was funnier.
Texans were fun to be around even if they were too much in love with their guns and bragging "on" their State, but what may have seemed to be either narcissism or self love, it seemed to me, really was an insecurity about being able to live anywhere other than Texas which, of course, was not true. Sometimes, they would go on and on about the "way it is in Texas", "how they do it in Texas", or "going back to West Texas to dove hunt", or, worst of all how everything was better in Texas, at which point someone without Texas roots would tell them to shut up. they were in Alaska now whether they liked it or not, and how they do it in Texas ain't how they do it here. Everyone would laugh and start telling stories like the famous Spenard Divorce where 60 years ago a woman from a section of Anchorage called Spenard shot her husband dead when she found in bed with another woman, and a jury acquitted her with the approval of the judge.
In many ways, Alaska was even larger than life than Texas, but sooner or later it became a battle of whose story was funnier.
6
I remember a lot of Michigan transplants in the 70s and 80s saying similar things after they fled the rust belt for work in Texas.
The fact remains there us no better place than home. Especially if that home is Texas
The fact remains there us no better place than home. Especially if that home is Texas
2
The movie (and book) "Giant" encapsulated the multifarious nature of Texans. A rancher brings in an outsider, who must prove herself to the locals, while an ornery loner strikes it rich as a wildcatter and forces the Establishment to recognize him.
Meanwhile, the rancher's son marries a Mexican-American. The movie, of course, ends on a hopeful note as the rancher, goaded by racists in a restaurant because he and and his wife are with their dark-skinned grandson, takes a stand for tolerance and diversity.
Meanwhile, the rancher's son marries a Mexican-American. The movie, of course, ends on a hopeful note as the rancher, goaded by racists in a restaurant because he and and his wife are with their dark-skinned grandson, takes a stand for tolerance and diversity.
8
And Marfa was the location!
5
As a native Texan, with much pride in my State, I moved to NY in the 80s, and was there for 7 years. I refused to get a NY drivers license because, to me, it would be akin to giving up my Texas citizenship. In addition to learning to love the US, we are also taught loyalty to our State. We are taught to be Texas Proud and Texas Friendly, in that order. I now am living temporarily in Louisiana, 20 miles from from the Texas State line. I drive the extra miles to spend my money in Texas for food and anything else we need. My money is better spent in my home State. Ya'll may think I'm crazy. Nope, just Texas Proud. Long Live the Great State of Texas!
6
I'm a Texan and a Houstonian who came to be in Texas by way of the first wave of tech migration that followed NASA in the early 1960s. I grew up in an enclave of super smart transplants some of whom assimilated to all thing 'Texan' and some families questioned the relentless exceptionalism. I feel very much Texan yet very much an observer. I'm also a liberal Democrat. I think a lot of the diversity and complexity of Texas is lost on those outside of the state. It's easy to make the whole state a cartoon. I'd like to remind this audience that the big Rodeo also includes rich traditions of black and Hispanic cowboys, we have a thriving and visible LGBT culture, when I go to jury duty the instructions are in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, oh, and we gave you Ann Richards and Molly Ivins. I voted for Obama and Wendy Davis and Bernie. Texans are not all the same.
20
Stan is here to provide us with the aforementioned "wince" part.
2
Don't forget Keith, who's plastered himself all over these comments. Great example of the type that makes sane people in Texas roll their eyes.
1
I roll my eyes at people who think their ideas and views are the sane ones and everyone should follow suit. How boring would that be?
1
I moved the the Texas Gulf Coast in 1980, but spent most of my 20 years in Texas in Dallas. The diverse cultures across the state are unusual and interesting. I miss a few things such as the music in Austin, the Mexican culture of San Antonio, and all my friends in Dallas.
Overall I'm glad to be away from Texas. Overall people seem to assume you are conservative christian, which I am neither. I had to be very careful exposing my beliefs outside of my circle of friends. I am glad to be in a more tolerant place where people aren't convinced that we live in the best place in the country (although we do).
Overall I'm glad to be away from Texas. Overall people seem to assume you are conservative christian, which I am neither. I had to be very careful exposing my beliefs outside of my circle of friends. I am glad to be in a more tolerant place where people aren't convinced that we live in the best place in the country (although we do).
8
While my California roots here in the Sierra go back to the 1850's I must admit that if I did not live here I would probably choose Texas or Montana simply because I appreciate places where the men says yes ma'am and children still have manners and respect for the elders amongst them.
As well as a love for the work ethic and yes, God and country. And neither Texas or Montana have citizens who have an entitlement mindset.
As well as a love for the work ethic and yes, God and country. And neither Texas or Montana have citizens who have an entitlement mindset.
5
If you feel like you need guns everywhere, what does that say about your neighbors? Everything.
8
It says your neighbors could be coyotes, rattlesnakes, and wild hogs and you've got livestock and crops to protect.
3
Maybe it's Obama's open border policy that invites drug traffickers and human smugglers and not the neighbors.
3
Texas ranks 30th among states in gun ownership. About 35.9 percent of Texans households own guns. Many state, including some in the Northeast, have higher gun ownership rates. The rate in is Michigan is 38.4 percent.
http://demographicdata.org/facts-and-figures/gun-ownership-statistics/
http://demographicdata.org/facts-and-figures/gun-ownership-statistics/
3
I have lived in Texas for 33 years and I am still fascinated by this place. The most important fact relating to the identity Texas has is the way Texas joined the Union as an equal sovereign nation. This means there is less of a federal presence in the state. Texas did not give up any land to the Feds to join the Union like all the other western states. 95% plus of the land is in private hands.There is very little US Forest Service or BLM lands. The way Texas joined the union as a sovereign nation is a tradition informs all the many of the different aspects in the way Texas has developed. Texas has it own electrical grid that only operates within the state. Texas is also energy independent in a way no other state is, it produces the raw materials and also refines them into fuel and other petroleum based products. If it needed Texas could also be food independent with a large agricultural sector.
Geography is also an important factor in shaping the attitudes within the state. Here in central Texas we are closer to Mexico City than we are to Denver. 50% of San Antonio residents speak Spanish and in the border cities that number goes up to 90%. The most common name for newborn boys is Juan.
The fact of the size of the state means Texans are insulated from our neighbors and Texas started as an independent nation creates the identity that is so different the rest of the country.
Geography is also an important factor in shaping the attitudes within the state. Here in central Texas we are closer to Mexico City than we are to Denver. 50% of San Antonio residents speak Spanish and in the border cities that number goes up to 90%. The most common name for newborn boys is Juan.
The fact of the size of the state means Texans are insulated from our neighbors and Texas started as an independent nation creates the identity that is so different the rest of the country.
28
And now Texas generates 50 percent of its electricity by wind and solar. Texas! Who'd have thunk it?
11
wrong.... from the EIA.GOV web site on Texas power
Renewable energy sources contributed just under one-tenth of the state's net electricity generation in 2014...It is almost all wind solar is much less than 1%
Renewable energy sources contributed just under one-tenth of the state's net electricity generation in 2014...It is almost all wind solar is much less than 1%
3
My one, enduring memory of Texas...when I was a child, my family relocated to Dallas from Southern California, due to a transfer by my father's employer. At my CA school, we were writing in cursive. On the first day at my new Texas school, I was placed at a desk, given a wide-lined primer workbook, and instructed to complete the writing exercises within, which were entirely in block printed letters. I finished the assignment quickly and, without any further work to do, began to quietly daydream. Realizing that someone was watching me, I came out of my reverie to catch the mean, narrow-eyed glare of the teacher, staring holes into me. In a moment, she stormed over, probably thinking she would catch me out on laziness. Finding my work completed only seemed to make her more angry which she proceded to take out on me in class from that day onward. Fortunately, we moved back to CA within the same school year. I haven't been back to Texas since then.
If Texans are the products of their school system, 1) it explains a lot about Texas, and 2) they can have their backward, horrible state. They deserve it.
If Texans are the products of their school system, 1) it explains a lot about Texas, and 2) they can have their backward, horrible state. They deserve it.
10
You had a bad teacher. It happens everywhere but I can understand why you would remember that.
5
Interestingly we are known for oil and all its engineers, physicists, chemists et cetera, the top medical center in the world full of doctors, nurses, surgeon specialists et cetera, literal rocket scientists and more tech companies than we get credit for, with some of the top business, engineering and architectural schools in the country housed here. I'm sorry our excellence was too much for you to handle.
1
Rude!
1
For those of us who actually know the history of Texas it's always interesting to hear from Texans about how they were attacked by the Mexicans and fought them to a standstill (and a victory) at the Alamo.
Of course, the history (the one forgotten and ignored in Texas) is that 'Texas' was actually Mexico and occupied and then taken over by the 'Texans'. When they first arrived the Mexicans kind of let them settle and hoped they'd be good neighbors, learn Spanish and become Mexicans. Instead the new folks decided they'd like to run the place and staged a revolt. The Mexicans gave up and had to put down the revolt at the Alamo. Eventually the power of the US was too much and it became Texas. Stolen from Mexico. But don't expect to read this kind of history in Texas.
Of course, the history (the one forgotten and ignored in Texas) is that 'Texas' was actually Mexico and occupied and then taken over by the 'Texans'. When they first arrived the Mexicans kind of let them settle and hoped they'd be good neighbors, learn Spanish and become Mexicans. Instead the new folks decided they'd like to run the place and staged a revolt. The Mexicans gave up and had to put down the revolt at the Alamo. Eventually the power of the US was too much and it became Texas. Stolen from Mexico. But don't expect to read this kind of history in Texas.
10
You should read at little history. The defenders of the Alamo were Mexicans. Texas was one of five Mexican states that revolted when Santa Anna repealed the Mexican constitution and made himself a dictator. Texas succeeded because Texans routed the main army at San Jacinto. Other federal armies retreated from Texas. The United State wasn’t involved.
2
You forgot to mention that Mexico decided to slaughter anybody who wasn't Catholic. The white "Anglo" settlers were Protestant and intended to stay that way. You also seem to not be aware of how countries were LEGALLY formed back then. If you could occupy and defend a patch of land it was yours.
What you omit is that Mexico invited those settlers in from all over the US and Europe to help tame a land they couldn't or didn't want to. When they did, Mexico decided to tax them when it provided no services or protection to them and tried to control them and punish them for demanding better. Sound familiar? Yea, we're proud of our independence and think we are special, just like a bunch of Americans are proud of their independence and think they are special. I have no argument with either of them. Outside the Alamo is a statue commemorating all those who died fighting for Texas' independence. The first thing that stands out are nearly half of the names are "Texicans" (Mexicans living in Texas at the time), so it wasn't just American interlopers who wanted independence from Mexico. Another is that a good number of those Texican names were given to the various counties of the State to honor their contribution to Texas independence. Finally, inside the Alamo is a pictorial shrine honoring the home States and countries of those who died there. Virtually every State in the Union at that time and virtually every country in Europe is represented. So when you say Texans stole Texas from Mexico, you need to be very careful. The USA was founded in much the same way.
5
Everyone is proud of their home state...because it is home! Texans just buy into a myth that is force-fed to them from and very young age.
And if you must say something is "world class" it probably isn't.
And if you must say something is "world class" it probably isn't.
9
I moved to Houston in 1971 after growing up in Kansas under Democratic administrations (the Docking family as governors.) Initially it was a shock to me (and many others) to see so many "foreigners" --mostly in the Galleria shopping malls. But over the years Houston has become proudly multicultural, to the point that many of us scarcely notice it. When I worked and taught at the University of Houston, I realized that it was virtually useless to categorize students by race or ethnicity--there were simply too many variations for it to matter. (UH has one of the most diverse student populations west of the Mississippi, and UH-Downtown, even more so.)
Of course the politics are unquestionably primitive. Back when I was a Republican, I was manning a phone bank for Nixon in 1972, only to be told confidently by a fellow caller that Nelson Rockefeller was a Socialist. I rather liked the man, myself. So the current idiocy isn't new to Texas, but it's become much more successful at the ballot box. I hope for a Democratic resurgence, but in the meantime Texas is better than what has happened in Kansas, a previously sensible state (pace Thomas Frank) with a history of relatively sane Republicanism.
Texas deserves a great deal the negative publicity it gets, but not all. If and when the current right-wing frenzy abates, it will be a pretty good place.
Of course the politics are unquestionably primitive. Back when I was a Republican, I was manning a phone bank for Nixon in 1972, only to be told confidently by a fellow caller that Nelson Rockefeller was a Socialist. I rather liked the man, myself. So the current idiocy isn't new to Texas, but it's become much more successful at the ballot box. I hope for a Democratic resurgence, but in the meantime Texas is better than what has happened in Kansas, a previously sensible state (pace Thomas Frank) with a history of relatively sane Republicanism.
Texas deserves a great deal the negative publicity it gets, but not all. If and when the current right-wing frenzy abates, it will be a pretty good place.
8
Texas is far from "far right." Texas is ran by neo-cons who talk a lot of smack about government but fully embrace the power to tax and oppress like nobody's business.
4
The irony of New York and guns and Texas is that Sam Colt who invented the game changing revolver was born and raised in NYC. He also befriended a Texan fighting the natives who helped him perfect the Six shooter! That partnership literally did more than anything to advance European westward settlements.
8
Irony. Dictionary. Saddle up.
2
I visited Texas once on a cross-country road trip. I loved the wide-open spaces, subtle natural beauty, and excellent barbecue. I hope our country can find a way to celebrate and retain regional traditions that are positive and unique, while not being afraid to address, overcome, or abandon regional weaknesses. For Texas, New York, New Jersey... all states.
8
This is nonsense, Texas has become a backwater of much of what is wrong in this country, from education to crime, the environment to the fealty to oil and big business, Texans from 100 years ago would not recognize the ugliness that is the modern Texas.
8
Haven't you ever heard of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality? California gets all the press for protecting the environment but Texas puts its money where its mouth is. The State of Texas routinely puts people out of business with their fines for environmental damages. Texas also produces more wind power than anybody else. Those wind turbines are EVERYWHERE and the state subsidizes them at a million dollars a pop. You should get out more or at least do your research.
2
Just because Texas has a commission does not prove they protect the environment, just as their having an education commission does not mean they provide a good education. Texas is dead last in the percentage of the population to graduate high school but is number one in the nation in the release of carbon dioxide and hazardous waste. It also has the highest proportion of people without health insurance. Before requesting someone else to do their research , maybe you should do yours. I used google to find the above information.
3
Reports from other magazines...
“Helt Texas” has entered the Norwegian lexicon and means “completely crazy.”
Texas Monthly reports
“In Norwegian, ‘texas’ means mayhem and chaos, as in cowboys punching each other and breaking chairs over each other’s heads,” .
A London cabbie told me Texans were notoriously ignorant, he mentioned that more than once they wanted to see The Sleeping Beauty Castle.
“Helt Texas” has entered the Norwegian lexicon and means “completely crazy.”
Texas Monthly reports
“In Norwegian, ‘texas’ means mayhem and chaos, as in cowboys punching each other and breaking chairs over each other’s heads,” .
A London cabbie told me Texans were notoriously ignorant, he mentioned that more than once they wanted to see The Sleeping Beauty Castle.
12
Ignorance is making blanket assumptions about a group of people based on anecdotal evidence. You and the cabbie seem to fit that definition more than anyone I know here.
9
I have lived in Texas for most of my life and as a 4th generation Texan, I love it, I have seen the world and almost all of the states, there is no other place I would rather be.
I grew up in Houston and thanks to oil my father worked for an oil company that transferred us to Saudi Arabia, after 4 years in the kingdom I returned to Texas for college and have been here ever since.
10 years ago I moved my Family to Dallas and we love it and are thriving, my kids go to top rated schools, I live in a very nice 3400 sq foot home, that I paid 210k for in 2005. The economy is literally on fire in Texas and if you want to work there is plenty of jobs available, in the past few years the following corporations have moved their headquarters to Dallas or are in the process of doing so... Kubota tractor, Toyota, and Java juice... These are just the ones that are the ones that are on the north side of Dallas less that 15 miles from my home. So to those that say Texas is struggling because of the price of oil you unfortunately have no idea what you are talking about. Oh, and we do not have a state income tax...
I grew up in Houston and thanks to oil my father worked for an oil company that transferred us to Saudi Arabia, after 4 years in the kingdom I returned to Texas for college and have been here ever since.
10 years ago I moved my Family to Dallas and we love it and are thriving, my kids go to top rated schools, I live in a very nice 3400 sq foot home, that I paid 210k for in 2005. The economy is literally on fire in Texas and if you want to work there is plenty of jobs available, in the past few years the following corporations have moved their headquarters to Dallas or are in the process of doing so... Kubota tractor, Toyota, and Java juice... These are just the ones that are the ones that are on the north side of Dallas less that 15 miles from my home. So to those that say Texas is struggling because of the price of oil you unfortunately have no idea what you are talking about. Oh, and we do not have a state income tax...
3
Perhaps when Hillary Clinton defeats Trump, he might run as president of Texas.
5
Texas voted for Cruz in the primary. Your state voted for Trump and created him.
9
Great point Brendan.
It has always surprised me that Texans are content to live in a one star state.
8
The "Lone Star" stands for independence, and when you are as unique as Texas is more stars just confuse the issue. :-)
2
@Tony - California's state flag has one star so I guess you received the same rating.
2
It is like a one star rating on yelp. "Texas? eh...weird people,dusty,bad food, I'll give it one star." Don't recommend it.
2
Unfortunately, a lot of people in Texas believe there is something special about Texas and its history but they've seen too many western movies, don't know much about the rest of the world, and don't want to.
Our state is governed by rural interests and a shameful ignorance of the modern world. Where else but Texas would officials in responsible positions advocate for college students to pack heat to their classrooms? Or allow politicians to pass laws that circumscribe the practice of modern medicine?
Our state is governed by rural interests and a shameful ignorance of the modern world. Where else but Texas would officials in responsible positions advocate for college students to pack heat to their classrooms? Or allow politicians to pass laws that circumscribe the practice of modern medicine?
12
.... and a lot of people think there's something special about the United States of America. Funny how those that don't you wouldn't find them near the US Constitution or know what it was if they read it.
If it bothers you that much you should get out while you can.
3
God save us from those "rural interests" who have the audacity to supply us with all those nasty foodstuffs.
3
I'm always interested in the comment of Texans and others that "their way of life is under attack". When asked for the specifics of the form of the attack, the identity of the attackers and the specifics of what parts of "their way of life" have been destroyed by the attackers, no coherent answers are forthcoming. There are no answers because there are no attackers, there are no attacks, and no parts of "their way of life" have been destroyed. Instead, only the inevitable changes every society, since the beginning of time, undergoes, much good, some bad, some great and of course some horrible. Texans, like so many others are merely nostalgic for a time that never existed, you know that time when the living was easy, the fish were jumping and the cotton was high, but that's a song, life is something altogether different.
15
The problem is "their way of life is under attack" is a phrase used by the writer and you are just parroting. Way to go, beautiful logic.
Now if someone would tell me that a way of life is under attack in this country and ask what is my opinion I would say the way of life where a kid has two parents committed to each other with marriage vows. Like what I had.
Now if someone would tell me that a way of life is under attack in this country and ask what is my opinion I would say the way of life where a kid has two parents committed to each other with marriage vows. Like what I had.
Wendy Davis and her entire platform along with all of her supporters would be a concrete example.
For the most part though, you're right. There aren't too many pointed, deliberate attacks at "Texas" but subtle changes that have come with all the relocations as people leave their failed socio-economic areas for our expanding success.
They bring regional ideals, flavors, likes, dislikes et cetera and it does change the heart of out existence. It would be like a massive migration to Hawaii, and a push to end surfing (hunting), alter menus by removing spam to appease Midwest diets and wallets and so on. No particular attack per se, but certainly an erosion of the day to day things you hold near and dear.
But yeah, for a precise attack from a specific attacker it would be Wendy and her witch crew.
For the most part though, you're right. There aren't too many pointed, deliberate attacks at "Texas" but subtle changes that have come with all the relocations as people leave their failed socio-economic areas for our expanding success.
They bring regional ideals, flavors, likes, dislikes et cetera and it does change the heart of out existence. It would be like a massive migration to Hawaii, and a push to end surfing (hunting), alter menus by removing spam to appease Midwest diets and wallets and so on. No particular attack per se, but certainly an erosion of the day to day things you hold near and dear.
But yeah, for a precise attack from a specific attacker it would be Wendy and her witch crew.
1
Specifics, please?
1
Love your article. I think you nailed the experience. As a native Texan too far from home, your words brought me back and I thank you for the heartfelt visit.
4
Every time I see an article about Texas it reminds me again, of that time, for some God Forsaken reason, I moved to Dallas, and how quickly I realized what a terrible mistake I made. Every time I find it necessary to go back to Texas, I cringe. As the saying goes, " You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
Xenophobia, religious righteousness, mysoginy, greed, disdain for the environment, in short, hate. I didn't realize you could fit so much hate in one state. The best thing I ever saw in Texas was the state line in my rear view mirror.
Xenophobia, religious righteousness, mysoginy, greed, disdain for the environment, in short, hate. I didn't realize you could fit so much hate in one state. The best thing I ever saw in Texas was the state line in my rear view mirror.
17
Have to admit I'm deeply suspicious of people who are afraid "others" are trying to take away their "way of life". Usually that's code for selfish and unwilling to accommodate others. Just because you've lived somewhere a long time doesn't give you the right to claim ownership over it's future.
5
I am a native Texan. I will always be a Texan. This article has a little bit to do with me but up quite a bit not to do with me. It is absolutely true that if you ask me what I am, Texan is probably the core idea. What else is there? But its meaning is honesty, loyalty,and, believe it or not, open mindedness. When my father visited me in Boston, he shook hands on the street with people that Bostonians would understand were bums. He said, "Glad to know you." He asked them how the economy was for jobs. They told him "not good." He shook his head in fellow feeling. He is a Texan, and so am I.
11
Texas
1980 population - 14,000,000;
2000 population - 21,000,000
2015 estimate - 26,500,000,
Folks that isn't all illegal aliens and natural births. That's people from all over north American moving here.
1980 population - 14,000,000;
2000 population - 21,000,000
2015 estimate - 26,500,000,
Folks that isn't all illegal aliens and natural births. That's people from all over north American moving here.
11
So? The desire to have lower living costs sometimes makes people do stupid things.
1
Unfortunately…
2
If you've come here to be a Texan, welcome....if not go back home and thanks for visiting.....no matter where you come from. It's no coincidence that 1 out of 3 jobs created in the last 7 years was in Texas.... Wisconsin went 'left' and has been fighting hard to get back to the middle. Gov. Scott Walker would make a great honorary Texan....and remember it 'ain't bragging if you can do it!'
2
Too predictable! Could have added more nuance and discussed how it's a small percentage of the state (conservative Republican primary voters) who control politics and cause the stereotypes you discuss.
Being a New Yorker, you must know too that there a lot of people who live in the "City" who are just proud and cocky about their home as any Texan.
In fact, maybe Texas pride is a reaction to long term disdain from the Northeast and other parts of the country. Twenty years ago, pre-internet, I would tell a New Yorker where I was from and they might ask me if I knew someone in Kansas.
Being a New Yorker, you must know too that there a lot of people who live in the "City" who are just proud and cocky about their home as any Texan.
In fact, maybe Texas pride is a reaction to long term disdain from the Northeast and other parts of the country. Twenty years ago, pre-internet, I would tell a New Yorker where I was from and they might ask me if I knew someone in Kansas.
5
Texas is the Australia of the North Americas. If you can't make it here; you're just lazy.
9
I live in a very diverse San Diego, lots of every kind of cat here, including the owner of a big black Texas-plated F 150 with a small decal on the glass alongside the driver of an automatic weapon and the legend, "Come and Take It" written just below. It could be called aggressive. It's the only pro-gun message I've noticed as I drive here and there through local streets. Lots of Bernie 2016 decals, but the Texas F 150 is the only gunner. He must have moved three times because the truck has been parked in three different areas of the neighbourhoods north of The Zoo. He's persistently aggressive, I guess. And I think much of this super macho and loyalty to a symbolic paradise is is a sign of insecurity among the practitioners.
12
....and you'll already wonder....
1
I lived in Indian Wells in the CA desert for a few years and there's plenty of rednecks in white F 150s with Dixie stickers and probably handguns under the driver's seat. So you California commenters should check yourselves with some reality.
4
San Diego is much like Texas with illegals.amd lots of miltary - Camp Pendleton, Navy Seals and a US Carrier fleet.
1
Many Americans think the United States got Texas from Mexico as the result of the Mexican War, but this is untrue. Mexico acknowledged Texas independence during negotiations with the United States after Texas joined the United States. The Mexican War was fought over the Nueces Strip. Mexico claimed the Texas border was the Nueces River, which runs south of San Antonio, while Texas and the United States claimed the Rio Grande as the border. The disputed narrow strip of land between the two rivers became a lawless “No Man’s Land.” The Mexican War started when U.S. troops marched into the Nueces Strip. Texas was not part of the Mexican Cession that at the end the war gave New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California and parts of Utah and Colorado to the United States. Texas isn’t even mentioned in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
3
I live in Connecticut now but will be a Jersey boy forever. We have great pride of place in the Garden State. Despite the jokes and "what exit" comments, we are a very proud and resilient lot. What we don't have that Texas does is a high level of arrogance. It's one thing to be proud of where you live. It's another to think others maybe be less American if you don't hunt, own a gun, drive a pickup truck or think the Federal government is the devil.
9
Well, being a Texan had nothing to do with hunting, owning a gun, a pick up etc.....I know, I'm in a multi racial marriage (I'm 'whitey' by the way) and don't fit your stereo type....being a Texan is a state of mind that emphasizes and honors a very American 'can do spirit', that refuses to let others skittish political correctness make us lose track of the fundamentals, basic right and wrong. In seeking consensus many Americans ignore our political DNA...our Constitution. If we are throwbacks then it is to a time when enormous truths were laid bare and good men and women (by no means an easy majority!) risked and paid with their lives most principles many 'Americans' have forgotten or never cared to learn. It's not arrogance as much as a dose of condescension/disappointment....what you'd feel watching a young person burn through his inheritance. Just look at the finances of every liberal bastion, California, Illinois, Puerto Rico, Detroit......own the fact the US is ranked 17th in the world in education and tell me your proud.
3
You should come on down here and meet the people you seem to be quoting. You obviously do not know what your are talking about.
6
It's true, the finances of the blue states would be better if they stopped contributing to all the red states' coffers as is being done presently. And then there's Kansas...
3
Texans are welcome to run their state the way the want to. My issue is this: Let the rest of the country go where it wants to go. You don't own all of it.
9
Texans would agree! Leave us alone and we'll leave you alone! That's why we vote for politicians who push so hard for states rights vs a large federal government. Thanks for agreeing!
1
No. Texas needs to get in line with the federal government and quit insisting on making special laws about women's health and education. It has to quit gerrymandering districts so that Republicans have unfair advantages. It has to quit trying to disenfranchise huge numbers of voters. Texas politicians are corrupt, greedy, stupidly religious, and self-righteous as all get-out. We need a brand new state government, starting with getting rid of Abbot and his puppet masters.
1
My family moved to El Paso from the green woods of Virginia to the high desert of west Texas. I immediately fell in love with the desert. I learned some Spanish. I went to elementary school, high school, and college in Texas and received my Ph.D. at UTHSCD (now U.T. Southwestern Medical Center), a world class, internationally respected medical and research institute. I have greatly suffered Texas shortcomings, including the gerrymandered, awful Abbott, Cruz, George W. Bush, the bizarre textbooks, guns everywhere, etc. I have lived on the East Coast (including NYC - and loved it, its many foibles and warts, and its museums, theater, music and the A train inclusive, and the West Coast next to the Pacific). I miss all those places and always will, but I like Texas and am proud and glad to be living there again. Texas is a vibrant state, filled with wide open spaces, music and friendly, bright people. I have come to expect the usual clatter of vituperative comments in the NYT about Texas and its denizens. But all that reminds me of something I once heard in Texas:
A boy asked a stranger where he was from.
His father gently corrected him for his bad manners, saying,
" Son, if someone is from Texas, they'll tell you. If they aren't, don't embarrass them by asking".
A boy asked a stranger where he was from.
His father gently corrected him for his bad manners, saying,
" Son, if someone is from Texas, they'll tell you. If they aren't, don't embarrass them by asking".
13
l am tempted, in response to Texas secessionists, to say "let 'em go." But rather, I think we should give Texas back to Mexico. Then, build that wall around the new border.
19
I'm sure Texans would love for you to try…
3
Some of my best friends and favorite family members were born and bred in Texas. While some of the worst folks to infect Texas like the New England WASP blue blood W and the half-Cuban natural born citizen of Canada Rafael Cruz were not.
But Texas also gave us the gifts of Quanah Parker, LBJ, Barbara Jordan, Bill Moyers, Johnnie Copeland, Willie Nelson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Gary Clarke, Jr., Ornette Coleman, Roy Hargrove, Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, T-Bone Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert Collins, Jack Johnson, Janis Joplin and Molly Ivins.
But Texas also gave us the gifts of Quanah Parker, LBJ, Barbara Jordan, Bill Moyers, Johnnie Copeland, Willie Nelson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Gary Clarke, Jr., Ornette Coleman, Roy Hargrove, Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, T-Bone Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert Collins, Jack Johnson, Janis Joplin and Molly Ivins.
26
Billy Gibbons and ZZ..
1
Let Texas secede, see how well their Texas ways would work without the huge influx of U.S. government dollars, especially now that oil is slowly ebbing.
15
Oil may be ebbing, however Texas learned a valuable lesson in the 80s the economy is literally on fire here, I live in Dallas and there aren't enough people to fill the jobs we have, several corporations have/are moving their HQ to Dallas, we have no state income tax, has is cheaper here than most places, homes are affordable, and my kids go to top rated schools. Your assessment is incorrect.
2
Oil always comes back around, and Californians shouldn't be giving advice to anyone.
7
I wish Mr. Fernandez would have done his homework and noted that "The Last Best Place" actually refers to Montana. He could have even found that fact in an old New York Times article.
8
I wonder how many Texans, or others, remember or even aware that one of the, if not the, main reason that the Texans revolted and the Republic of Texas came into being was that Mexico had outlawed slavery in 1829. The "Texans" didn't want to give slavery up. Texans wanted the freedom to continue to enslave fellow human beings. Heck of a thing to be proud. So the next time someone suggests that you "remember the Alamo" give a thought for those who remained enslaved because of it.
18
Not sure where you get your information. Oh, that's right - Connecticut! We Texans are so appreciative when you Northeasterners set us straight.
1
I note that a number of comments here concerning Texas come from those in the large metropolitan areas, which distorts the overall picture. For example, politically one gets a better picture of Texas by recalling that Obama's vote totals in both 2008 and 2012 were in the low 40%. Simply exploring the reasons underlying that bit of data serves up a broader and more accurate overall picture.
1
This is an interesting, yet strange, article to read, even for a native Mexican-American Texan such as myself who lives in Houston and has for the last decade. A lot of the cultural stereotypes I just can't relate to--rodeos, cowboys, guns, etc. There's a distinct Mexican-American culture of central texas (the food, the traditions, etc) that isn't captured at all by the seemingly white values and stereotypes that seem to get a lot of attention in general and by this article. The Texas legislature itself seems completely alien to me and seems completely out of touch with the bulk of what non-white Texan such as myself value (reproductive rights, gun control, participation in Medicaid expansion like other states, etc). It seems a vestige of old white power structures which, I hope, has its days numbered.
Also, it's interesting that the author didn't point out what a diverse and world-class city Houston is. Houston has such a diverse population (Chinatown, Hillcroft area with lots of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and stores), great food from all parts of the world, sports, opera/ballet/symphony, and a thriving arts scene for writers and artists of all kind, including great museums such as the MFAH and Menil collection. These facts, coupled with low(er) cost of living than other major cities, are why Houston is experiencing such rapid and large growth.
Lots of people from outside of Texas are moving here and staying here.
Article's not surprising, but a little disappointing.
Also, it's interesting that the author didn't point out what a diverse and world-class city Houston is. Houston has such a diverse population (Chinatown, Hillcroft area with lots of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and stores), great food from all parts of the world, sports, opera/ballet/symphony, and a thriving arts scene for writers and artists of all kind, including great museums such as the MFAH and Menil collection. These facts, coupled with low(er) cost of living than other major cities, are why Houston is experiencing such rapid and large growth.
Lots of people from outside of Texas are moving here and staying here.
Article's not surprising, but a little disappointing.
14
The best way for Mr Fernandez to better understand Texas would be to go find and interview Larry McMurtry. Afterwards, please write about that encounter as a sequel to this article. I would love to read it.
8
I'm a native Texan. I've lived here almost all my life, i.e. 65 years. The secret to Texas lies in its history. It's seceded from not one but two nations and been an independent country. The core of Texas is independence and going one's own way, for better or worse.
3
Way to many liberals moved to TX because of our "way" now they want to change it to the way of where they came that they fled from, just nutz. Leave Texas, leave us alone and stop trying to change it to your failed ways! If other places have better ways then move back, we don't want your values forced on us, I for one am a 5th Generation Texan and Veteran that is sick and tired of others telling us how to be!
5
I think the US would be a better country if Texas did secede from the Union.
9
I was born in Fort Worth, and grew up in Texas. As an adult, I have lived in a variety of other places, but Texas has always been home. Today, I live in Spokane, Washington. Washington may be the anti-Texas state.
But I don't recognize the Texas that Fernandez describes, and I don't recognize Texas of today. LBJ, Ralph Yarborough, even John Connally would be aghast at the behavior of Abbot and Ted Cruz. They would have found GW Bush to be an odd duck.
The Texas I grew up in guaranteed university access, at $50 per semester (that is semester, not semester hour) to all its high school graduates, and its constitution provided for public support of a "University of World Class."
The foremost Texas politician of my time growing up in Texas pushed through the Public Accommodations Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Civil Rights Act. Much of what is described by the media as being characteristically"Texan" today is contrary to best interests of its people, yet Texans keep voting for it.
If a person wants to wear high heeled boots, or a big hat, that's fine. If a person wants to stop other citizens from voting, wants to deny religious freedom in the name of religious freedom (yes, I wrote that), or to deny other freedoms to people just because he or she would rather not have to associate with them, then that's not the Texas I used to be proud of.
I am still proud of the mountains and the plains, the forests and the prairies, the rivers and the creeks.
But I don't recognize the Texas that Fernandez describes, and I don't recognize Texas of today. LBJ, Ralph Yarborough, even John Connally would be aghast at the behavior of Abbot and Ted Cruz. They would have found GW Bush to be an odd duck.
The Texas I grew up in guaranteed university access, at $50 per semester (that is semester, not semester hour) to all its high school graduates, and its constitution provided for public support of a "University of World Class."
The foremost Texas politician of my time growing up in Texas pushed through the Public Accommodations Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Civil Rights Act. Much of what is described by the media as being characteristically"Texan" today is contrary to best interests of its people, yet Texans keep voting for it.
If a person wants to wear high heeled boots, or a big hat, that's fine. If a person wants to stop other citizens from voting, wants to deny religious freedom in the name of religious freedom (yes, I wrote that), or to deny other freedoms to people just because he or she would rather not have to associate with them, then that's not the Texas I used to be proud of.
I am still proud of the mountains and the plains, the forests and the prairies, the rivers and the creeks.
18
A sixth generation Texan, I am aghast at the behavior of Abbott, Cruz and George W. But, then, Cruz was born in Canada and George W. was born in Connecticut. Unfortunately, there's no excuse for Abbott.
3
I liked this article and what Texan wouldn't want to comment? I'm 5th generation Texan and 10th generation American...my direct lineage ancestor arrived in Virginia in 1645! In Texas in 1875. I'm a Texan first, Christian second and American third...all three loyalties are like a trinity of roots wrapped like a strong rope that binds our true American culture. I was born in San Antonio, raised in Houston and after 30 years in the Navy which allowed me to travel to all but two continents on this wonderful planet Earth...I realize from a global perspective we are all planet Americans who share a beautiful planet together. Now I'm in west Texas and yes it is butt ugly yet over the years you see its beauty come out. Again..thanks for writing this. We do talk slower but living here is a smart thing! Wherever there is love...you'll find a Texan. God Bless America.
5
I've been reading all of the negative comments about my state, and it makes me sad. There is a lot more to Texas than the stereotypes outlined in this piece and echoed in the comments. There are millions of us who have never owned a pair of cowboy boots (not that there is anything wrong with them) or voted Republican or pledged our allegiance to the Texas flag. Millions of us who embrace the diversity of cultures here. I'm willing to put up with the crazies because I actually find the two cities I've lived in, Dallas and Austin, to be filled with quite progressive people, large LGBT communities, excellent arts districts, good universities, a spirit of charitable giving. The state is also beautiful in its enormity, with wide open spaces that will take your breath away. I met some terribly closed minded people when I lived in New Jersey some years ago, but I try not to judge the state because of them.
9
I often drive hundreds of miles on Texas roads while visiting the state for work. I see the pickups emblazoned with "Secede!" bumper stickers and think of how Texans regularly hold much of the US in contempt and I think "Please! Please!"
12
Yes, please! Then we can charge you work visa fees!
In 1965 I went to Air Force basic training in Texas, Technical training in Texas and was stationed in Texas [Abilene], For a total of 2 and a half years. I was only able to get out of Texas by going to Vietnam. It was worth it!
9
Steve,
Thank you for serving out country. I have the greatest respect for our service men and women.
Thank you for not coming back to Texas.
God bless you sir
Thank you for serving out country. I have the greatest respect for our service men and women.
Thank you for not coming back to Texas.
God bless you sir
6
Yes, Texas is changing. I know it's hard to believe now but instead of being a red state, someday Texas will become the largest swing state in presidential elections. And Texans will love being the biggest in that category too.
5
I was forced to spend lots of time in Houston when I was young teenager to spend time with family that had relocated from NY. While I found it amusing for it's token "Big" Texas stuff, I also found it stifling on so many levels. I spent lots of time with my NY transplant cousins and their friends. I was appalled by the love of guns, the ridiculous dislike of all things "Yankee" and the sad lack of interest in higher education by so many women. The love of football was over the top. I couldn't believe Friday's were half days for games and pep rally's. 30 years later, tragically two of my cousins are dead, one is a kind, unhealthy, sadly narrow God loving Christian, who's children's lives are like a reality show. One joined the military. I know their lives would have turned out much, much differently if they continued living here in the burbs of NY. And I have no desire to return to the backwards, misogynistic state of Texas anytime soon.
9
Lack of interest in higher education! ? That's bogus! Go to any college amd look at all the young women attending
.
.
4
Nowadays. She's talking about thirty years ago.
There's a typo early in the article. In respect to political values it says 'there's no going back.' Obviously it meant to say 'there's no going black.'
1
I've lived in Texas for 15 years - from NYC. I am amazed at how beautiful and accepting people are of me, a "Northerner". I was welcomed as part of the culture and have made life-long friends I truly admire.
I was also able to build an incredible business with the help of multinational TX-based businesses. Doing business with TX companies is a thing of pride.
However, whenever politics, environment, minority rights, LGBT, guns, politics, and religion come up - well, I am simply astounded at what otherwise brilliant, loving, people hold true. Most are very right-wing and seems so contradictory to how is see my friends.
Friends tell me how Obama was going to do away with term limits, how Obama supports terrorism, (now the talk is of Hillary), how being gay is a bad choice that should be corrected, how fracking is good for us and climate change is a hoax, we should all own guns to keep the feds out of our backyard.
I have never figured out how this attitude came to be part of TX pride. Right-wing Christian means you LOVE TX. I can imagine it is due to the republican platform that aligns religion and politics and the RW press which perpetuates this myth. No amount of logic, facts, scientific proof will change anything. Parents state beliefs in front of their kids and kids repeat them as facts.
I love my TX friends and their BBQs, however I can't drink the kool aid.
I was also able to build an incredible business with the help of multinational TX-based businesses. Doing business with TX companies is a thing of pride.
However, whenever politics, environment, minority rights, LGBT, guns, politics, and religion come up - well, I am simply astounded at what otherwise brilliant, loving, people hold true. Most are very right-wing and seems so contradictory to how is see my friends.
Friends tell me how Obama was going to do away with term limits, how Obama supports terrorism, (now the talk is of Hillary), how being gay is a bad choice that should be corrected, how fracking is good for us and climate change is a hoax, we should all own guns to keep the feds out of our backyard.
I have never figured out how this attitude came to be part of TX pride. Right-wing Christian means you LOVE TX. I can imagine it is due to the republican platform that aligns religion and politics and the RW press which perpetuates this myth. No amount of logic, facts, scientific proof will change anything. Parents state beliefs in front of their kids and kids repeat them as facts.
I love my TX friends and their BBQs, however I can't drink the kool aid.
14
People from Montana take issue with Texas´ use of the phrase ¨the last best place.¨ Montana has been using it for years.
5
I feel sorry for Texans who feel they are under attack. So here is a proposal: Allow Texas to secede and provide federal grants for the moving expenses of those who wish to live in another state. These expenses would probably be offset over time by the fact that Texas consumes more in federal benefits than it pays in taxes. That's not to mention that Texas is always suing our federal government. Everyone wins. (Just kidding!)
8
I lived in Texas for a couple of years to conduct research at UT-Austin while I was on leave from graduate school at Cornell University. Prior to to that time, my only reference for Texas was John Wayne movies, trips to the Taco Bell drive-up window as a kid watching re-runs of Zorro (who I came to understand later in life was really set in California).
So imagine my shock when I got off the airplane in San Antonio and saw myself surrounded by people in cowboy hats, crotch-bursting blue jeans and red reptile-skin boots.
I asked the cab-driver where the rodeo was and he said no there was no rodeo in town. I then asked, "well then why are all these people dressed-up like Disney characters?" To which he responded..."son, they're not dressed up, this is Texas". I knew THEN that I would was in for a truly different experience.
The next 2 years were at the very least the most unpleasant of my life...everything from being asked if I was "a Mezkin" because of my Spanish last name and being told that I couldn't an apartment if I was a "Mezkin".
But it didn't stop there...one day I asked "what is an Anglo", to which I never received an intelligent or coherent response. And to this day, friends that I STILL have in Austin with surnames like "Martinelli", "Chichizynski", "Romanoff" or "Tionescu" or "O'Neill" are STILL referred to as "Anglos".
Texas IS a departure from intelligence...and that's on a good day.
So imagine my shock when I got off the airplane in San Antonio and saw myself surrounded by people in cowboy hats, crotch-bursting blue jeans and red reptile-skin boots.
I asked the cab-driver where the rodeo was and he said no there was no rodeo in town. I then asked, "well then why are all these people dressed-up like Disney characters?" To which he responded..."son, they're not dressed up, this is Texas". I knew THEN that I would was in for a truly different experience.
The next 2 years were at the very least the most unpleasant of my life...everything from being asked if I was "a Mezkin" because of my Spanish last name and being told that I couldn't an apartment if I was a "Mezkin".
But it didn't stop there...one day I asked "what is an Anglo", to which I never received an intelligent or coherent response. And to this day, friends that I STILL have in Austin with surnames like "Martinelli", "Chichizynski", "Romanoff" or "Tionescu" or "O'Neill" are STILL referred to as "Anglos".
Texas IS a departure from intelligence...and that's on a good day.
9
Oh, puhleeze! I live in San Antonio and almost never see anyone in boots or cowboy hats. If you went to the San Antonio airport you wouldn't be able to distinguish it from any other American airport by looking at the people. And if apartments in Austin, or especially San Antonio, wouldn't rent to "Mezkins", they'd be more than half empty (we're "majority-minority", you know) And they say Texans are the ones who tell tall tales!
4
how 'bout them "Anglos" named "Goldberg"...get back to Taco Cabana.
No kidding! I grew up in San Antonio and that post is totally fabricated.
1
So Texas was it's own country for 10 whole years more than a century and a half ago, and apparently they'll never forget it. And we wonder why the Middle East and Israel haven't come to terms yet, to mention only one long-standing problem in the world map that was carved up by Western powers long ago. There's a mistake not to make again. We're still paying for it all now, with no end in sight. If enough Texans want to go, shouldn't we let them? Frankly, I'm disgusted with the idea of schoolchildren pledging allegiance to their state.
11
I've always liked Texans, if not necessary DFW. But while their endless landscape can cause someone to cringe even more than Montana, I've always wanted to do a solo trip by Jeep, or better yet by Ford F-150 with that inevitable Texas cracked windshield, from the east of the state to the west, with a jaunt up into the Panhandle. Abilene, Amarillo, Midland & Odessa, El Paso; then up into New Mexico to see whatever they'll let me see at White Sands, across into Arizona to catch Monument Valley again, up into Nevada to Vegas, then across the desert to L.A. and up what remains of the Coast Highway to San Francisco, with my radio blaring early Beach Boys tunes all the way up.
It always needed to be a solo dream through TX, NM, AZ and the NV and CA deserts, because my wife could never handle snakes. Or the dearth of luxury hotels.
I've traveled a lot on business in my life, all over the world. There's nothing like ambling into a Texas bar after such a trip to remind you of who you really are. Some of us, anyway ... still.
It always needed to be a solo dream through TX, NM, AZ and the NV and CA deserts, because my wife could never handle snakes. Or the dearth of luxury hotels.
I've traveled a lot on business in my life, all over the world. There's nothing like ambling into a Texas bar after such a trip to remind you of who you really are. Some of us, anyway ... still.
7
Richard,
I'd be more than happy to drive you across my home state. It'd take awhile, as there are numerous side trips that would need to be made, for BBQ, scenic views, music venues, football, etc. I'd even be willing to let you drive my truck the rest of the trip across NM, AZ, NV and CA.
I'd be more than happy to drive you across my home state. It'd take awhile, as there are numerous side trips that would need to be made, for BBQ, scenic views, music venues, football, etc. I'd even be willing to let you drive my truck the rest of the trip across NM, AZ, NV and CA.
I've done that drive several times and it's the worst one in the entire country, with the possible exception of the drive across the central midwest. Boring, endless, hot, dusty. West Texas is one of the ugliest places in the world. New Mexico, parts of Arizona, and some of California on that drive are worth seeing. Start in New Mexico and skip Texas. Not worth it at all.
I disagree. I think West Texas is beautiful. Big Bend is incredible. The artist Donald Judd left NY for Marfa, TX back in the 1970's for a good reason.
I’ve lived in Texas all of my life and while I am routinely infuriated by the state’s politics—the TRAP laws, failure to prioritize education, the revision of history and disregard for science in K-12 text books—I love its people. If Texans have big hair and big attitudes, we also have big hearts. We’re quick to help out a neighbor in need (and, yes, we know our neighbors) and also a stranger (though no one is ever really a stranger, at least not for long).
The state is also a fantastic mix of high and low culture. Yes, we have rodeos and cinderblock barbecue joints, but we also have two world class museums, one of the best public radio stations in the nation, and thriving arts communities. We also value diversity. You’ll find a Red Lobster in the strip shopping center as a family-owned and operated Thai restaurant and a sari store. And, we like it like that.
The state is also a fantastic mix of high and low culture. Yes, we have rodeos and cinderblock barbecue joints, but we also have two world class museums, one of the best public radio stations in the nation, and thriving arts communities. We also value diversity. You’ll find a Red Lobster in the strip shopping center as a family-owned and operated Thai restaurant and a sari store. And, we like it like that.
13
Can you cite an example of how Texas textbooks that disregard science? The Texas state curriculum requires schools to teach evolution as an established fact. You have been reading articles about proposed changes to the curriculum that were never adopted.
3
You aren't even going to attempt to defend the Texas Schoolbook controversy are you? Please just stop and read..you won't but here is one example I chose from the 150 samples that popped up on google..http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-brauchli/texas-and-textbooks_b...
Hmm? One of many friend.
Hmm? One of many friend.
The article you picked is a perfect example. It's about someone who wants to be on the Texas Board of Education. Not someone who is actually on the board. Try finding a change to the curriculum that was actually made.
I think regional and national exceptionalism is overstated. The biggest cultural and political gap seems to be between metropolitan and rural populations, and this is apparent all over the world. Witness the battle between the City of Raleigh and the State of North Carolina. New York City has more in common with Austin than with Oneida. Rural life is more dependent on self-reliance, urban life on constant cooperation.
Or maybe that's just my New York attitude :-)
Or maybe that's just my New York attitude :-)
15
The comment from Robert - the Native NYer now living in Houston - about Texans' pride getting in the way of them taking good ideas from other places is fascinating, being simultaneously poignant lacking in self-awareness; Robert points out that Texans are "uniquely" unwilling to look to other cities and states for solutions to their problems, but doesn't seem to link this to the complete unwillingness of Americans - as a whole - to look to the rest of the world for solutions to their problems.
10
Good grief, Holy Xenophobia, this paean to a state full of pons, patronage, and
religious anti-woman legislation, home of the Wall-fervor, and the last race murder-by-pickup-dragging just ruined my morning. The wealthy are as rightwing as Cruz and the poor as needy as third-worlders. Its governors have almost no power and recent ones such as Bushie, Perry of "Oops" and Abbott of the Anti-Federal federal amendments make Trump look as though he has normal I.Q. and decent in social feelings. Cro-Magons in clown masks,
shills for Big Oil, and Deniers of climate change, populatioon shifts, mirority rights, critical thiking, evolution, and the Age of Reaon.
And "patriotsm: of the jingoistic Texan sort? Oh, we know hat from one zinger "Patriotism is he last refuge of a scoundrel". Texas, I enjoyed myisits. Nowakeup, you would die after secession. No de-powering of the gov will help you. You are in a nation, in a world. Wake up.
religious anti-woman legislation, home of the Wall-fervor, and the last race murder-by-pickup-dragging just ruined my morning. The wealthy are as rightwing as Cruz and the poor as needy as third-worlders. Its governors have almost no power and recent ones such as Bushie, Perry of "Oops" and Abbott of the Anti-Federal federal amendments make Trump look as though he has normal I.Q. and decent in social feelings. Cro-Magons in clown masks,
shills for Big Oil, and Deniers of climate change, populatioon shifts, mirority rights, critical thiking, evolution, and the Age of Reaon.
And "patriotsm: of the jingoistic Texan sort? Oh, we know hat from one zinger "Patriotism is he last refuge of a scoundrel". Texas, I enjoyed myisits. Nowakeup, you would die after secession. No de-powering of the gov will help you. You are in a nation, in a world. Wake up.
11
As you write this from Canada (rolling my eyes). Just one man's opinion, I suppose.
5
More Americans move from their home states to Texas than to any other state.
4
Texas is more than the stereotypical description you have presented. Being a Texan is about diversity. It's a celebration of over 90 languages being spoken in Houston. Texas is a state where every major city voted for President Obama in the last two national elections. Texas has a vibrant job market that attracts college students from all over the United States. Texas is one of the most philanthropic states in our country, where individuals businesses and corporations join together in many humanitarian causes. When crossing the border into Texas from any other state, one becomes immediately aware of a spirit of generosity and kindness toward others and an attitude of helpfulness that is impressive. Like all other states, Texas has its share of bigotry, selfishness and political divisions. But our state should not be singled out as a standard bearer of these unsavory qualities.
David Rubenstein
David Rubenstein
14
Yes, today, it should. You speak as if bigotry and selfishness are just normal attributes that we have to get used to. I grew up in Texas. I love Texas and am proud of its excellent qualities, including its world class universities, and its beautiful and varied natural landscapes (such as the Texans have let survive).
The leading Texas politician of my time growing up in Texas gave us the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Public Accommodations Act. Today, Texas is trying its best to deny all those. LBJ would be aghast at the behavior of Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz, both of whom modern Texans seem to love.
The leading Texas politician of my time growing up in Texas gave us the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Public Accommodations Act. Today, Texas is trying its best to deny all those. LBJ would be aghast at the behavior of Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz, both of whom modern Texans seem to love.
5
Texas is the Trump of the the fifty states. Texas is almost the North Korea of the U.S. Too many Texans constantly complain of the threat to their "way of life" as if the rest of us stay up at night plotting how to force assimilation to the rest of the country. Kim Jung young 'uns. Having lived in Houston for six years I can say many Texans are all hat and no cattle. Put up or shut up and secede.
12
Wrong. "their way of life is under attack" is a phrase used by the writer of this article. Not by a single person I know nor any you know I would guess. And please tell how many Floridians are all hat and plenty of cattle. Everybody? We actually in Houston are all hat and plenty industrial powerhouse. Same for Florida?
And BTW if you and others on here would pride yourself on multlculturalism, how do you reconcile obvious disdain of Texas culture?
And BTW if you and others on here would pride yourself on multlculturalism, how do you reconcile obvious disdain of Texas culture?
1
It's quite the paradox to read the comments made by so many "Yankees" about Texas and Texans; especially since the Yankees profess to be so open minded and progressive in thought. I'm glad that we have New York and 49 other states because this is what makes the United States a great country. Imagine if we had 50 New Yorks or heaven forbid, 50 Texas's. Texas is a state of mind more than anything else. It is a state that has tremendous pride in its heritage and much hope for its future. It is an extremely diverse state, with Houston being the most ethnically diverse city in the U.S. It has its share of the small minded, but also his more than its share of big minds. It prides itself on self reliance and the power of the individual. We have much to overcome in Texas, but given our history, I know that we are up to the task. I love New York and New Yorkers and genuinely enjoy my visits there. What I do know as an unchallengeable fact; more people move to Texas than any other state. These folks move for a variety of reasons, and what they get from the vast majority of us is a great big "Welcome to Texas". We don't care what color you are, we don't care what church you attend and we don't care where you came from; what do care about is that you roll up your sleeves and do your fair share. If you do, you will be successful and will quickly become a real Texan. And kudos to Manny for a well written article.
7
It's not the Texas pride thing so much that bugs me. There are a lot of nice people and interesting things to do here. It's the legislature trying to force women back into second-class citizenry that irritates me far more. And the legislature that is screwing our kids out of better public schools, in its misguided attempts to force people into private schools and shut down the public school system by financially hamstringing it. And the legislature that refuses to expand Medicaid, effectively shutting many people out of the healthcare system. And the legislature that has gerrymandered the state's voting districts to ensure that its members keep getting reelected. Texas is fine. The state government has to go.
My friends who moved to Texas found success, spouses and a place they said was great for raising their children. They were black, white, Asian, hispanic, Catholic, Jewish and hailed from Queens, Chicago, Connecticut, Kansas, Montana, NJ and California. They love it and call it home despite all the seeming contradictions. Texas is doing something right, perhaps other states need to pay more attention.
17
Perhaps my reticence to finally add visiting Texas on my bucket list has something to do with a few passages in Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, read over fifty years ago.
Passing through the state( maybe his first trip there?) he stopped to visit with some of his wife's family. I can't recall his exact description of his impressions but he was rather taken aback by them, and not, as I recall necessarily, in a good way. These folks were different, and he appeared to struggle to get a handle on them..
As a long admirer of Steinbeck's insights into the great variety of human characteristics and, as I remembered his non-endorsement of the place, I've remained wary of the state.
Passing through the state( maybe his first trip there?) he stopped to visit with some of his wife's family. I can't recall his exact description of his impressions but he was rather taken aback by them, and not, as I recall necessarily, in a good way. These folks were different, and he appeared to struggle to get a handle on them..
As a long admirer of Steinbeck's insights into the great variety of human characteristics and, as I remembered his non-endorsement of the place, I've remained wary of the state.
2
You perhaps need to read something more up to date, and come visit. Steinbeck was talking about a very particular portion of high plains, Dust Bowl, hardscrabble Texas. Very like just across the border in Oklahoma. That part of the state IS different. Just like the other parts of it.
I think you need to re-read it. He was surprised to find that these supposedly wealthy Texas ranchers sported worn jeans and had bandages on their fingers from actually working their own cattle.
This article and many comments keep trying to shuffle the race card in their inexperienced remarks. The author cloaks his derision of Texas in his sweet talking examples. Everyone fails to mention the Baptist/religious backbone of Texas politics, and it would be fair to juxtapose Texas with other similar states dominated by religious voters.
The writer needed to mention certain liberal New Yorkers who won't even visit Texas in some warped political stand. My Manhattan lawyer cousin is one of them. People love to talk about things about which they have no true knowledge. The article did nothing but reinforce redneck stereotypes.
We Texans don't begrudge other states their failing budgets, massive welfare populations and gridlocked cities. In fact, we express it this way:
"Oh, well bless your heart, Darlin', but we don't really care how y'all do it up North (or in California, Colorado, Arizona....)"
I am a Texas conundrum: I drive a Beemer with a gun rack and pro-choice sticker. That is the "new" Texas. Don't fence me in!!!!
The writer needed to mention certain liberal New Yorkers who won't even visit Texas in some warped political stand. My Manhattan lawyer cousin is one of them. People love to talk about things about which they have no true knowledge. The article did nothing but reinforce redneck stereotypes.
We Texans don't begrudge other states their failing budgets, massive welfare populations and gridlocked cities. In fact, we express it this way:
"Oh, well bless your heart, Darlin', but we don't really care how y'all do it up North (or in California, Colorado, Arizona....)"
I am a Texas conundrum: I drive a Beemer with a gun rack and pro-choice sticker. That is the "new" Texas. Don't fence me in!!!!
6
You know folks, those like on this message board should find some other place to be. Don't need you, don't want you.
Many thousands of you came to Texas for jobs. Well, got the jobs, now seems you have a need to run off at the mouth.
LT
Many thousands of you came to Texas for jobs. Well, got the jobs, now seems you have a need to run off at the mouth.
LT
6
how are you doing making slurpees at the convenience store, LT?
3
For each of the complaints from the more 'left of center' commenters, I'm sure that someone in Texas is feeling a tear running down their cheek.
Honest.
A tear of laughter at their sadness and annoyance, however.
Honest.
A tear of laughter at their sadness and annoyance, however.
5
"12 Things..." , Wud about havin' a good time? Nobody, no race knows how to have a good time like Texans. Jack up the music, pop a cold one & git it on.
3
I loved Texas. Is not perfect and it is different. They have great museums and cool people. Georgia is totally boring, and laws are enforced arbitrarily. Not in Texas. Mexicans exploit Texas a lot. They could not survive on their own without the money they scam from Texans. I've lived in many states, and NYC is the best though, not just in the US but the world. I'll keep playing the lottery... in the meantime there's the great Atlanta airport. And the Forth Worth airport was great, too. I also loved all the great mid-century architecture in Dallas.
2
I’m an advanced-degree-holding, modern-dance-loving, skinny, lefty lesbian. I grew up in Virginia, and attended college in Iowa. Since then I have lived in Maine, Texas, Massachusetts, and now, New York.
Texas will forever have my heart.
Most New Yorkers I meet love to hate Texas. After 5 years of observing Texas bombast, and 6 years of Northeast bombast (3 in New York), here’s my take: the Texas brand is rooted in insecurity—of being an underdog and a cultural punching bag. The New York brand is rooted in a deeply held belief in their true superiority over every other place in the world.
I’ll take the Texas kind any day (with a side of breakfast tacos and a warm winter day please).
For liberals, there is plenty of carnage to feast on in Texas: the gerrymandering, the open carry laws, the Board of Education, Hobby Lobby, the shuddering of women’s health clinics. As a Texan, I joined thousands of likeminded statesmen opposing those ideas. As a New Yorker, I watch my neighbors (in their deeply segregated, gerrymandered districts) point and laugh at the South. Talk about un-American.
Thank you Manny Fernandez for your fairly nuanced portrayal of the state. To the rest of the media—including social media: stop portraying Texas as monolithic!
We are—all of us—worse off for these stereotypes. Yes, places shape us, but I yearn to live in an America where our home states don’t limit our perceptions of each other as much as they do today.
Texas will forever have my heart.
Most New Yorkers I meet love to hate Texas. After 5 years of observing Texas bombast, and 6 years of Northeast bombast (3 in New York), here’s my take: the Texas brand is rooted in insecurity—of being an underdog and a cultural punching bag. The New York brand is rooted in a deeply held belief in their true superiority over every other place in the world.
I’ll take the Texas kind any day (with a side of breakfast tacos and a warm winter day please).
For liberals, there is plenty of carnage to feast on in Texas: the gerrymandering, the open carry laws, the Board of Education, Hobby Lobby, the shuddering of women’s health clinics. As a Texan, I joined thousands of likeminded statesmen opposing those ideas. As a New Yorker, I watch my neighbors (in their deeply segregated, gerrymandered districts) point and laugh at the South. Talk about un-American.
Thank you Manny Fernandez for your fairly nuanced portrayal of the state. To the rest of the media—including social media: stop portraying Texas as monolithic!
We are—all of us—worse off for these stereotypes. Yes, places shape us, but I yearn to live in an America where our home states don’t limit our perceptions of each other as much as they do today.
70
Shame on you. There is nothing good about the ignorance in this state. The violence visited upon people whom Texans dislike for their differences is indefensible and not something to be looked upon with nostalgia.
6
Hobby Lobby is headquartered in Oklahoma. You have probably read articles about proposed changes to the Texas school curriculum that got widespread media coverage but ended up being rejected by the Texas Board of Education. Can you name on thing you think is wrong with the curriculum?
1
Hi William! Sure here are the first five examples out of hundreds of things wrong with the Texas way of writing schoolbooks.....you DO have a computer do you not?
1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-brauchli/texas-and-textbooks_b...
2http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/texas-social-studies-standards_...
3http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/15/texas-textbooks-climate-change_...
4http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/13/texas-lieutenant-governor-creat...
5http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/texas-textbook-hearings_n_39496...
Ok cowboy. The reading may take you a mute or two, but:) You won't read anything that disagrees with your point of view, am I right?
Just more liberal biased news huh?
1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-brauchli/texas-and-textbooks_b...
2http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/texas-social-studies-standards_...
3http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/15/texas-textbooks-climate-change_...
4http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/13/texas-lieutenant-governor-creat...
5http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/texas-textbook-hearings_n_39496...
Ok cowboy. The reading may take you a mute or two, but:) You won't read anything that disagrees with your point of view, am I right?
Just more liberal biased news huh?
1
Personally, I would like to see what were the original Confederate States of AmeriKa secede from the union.
5
It seems the negative comments stem from political stereotypes (seems like democrats ). I'm wondering if half of those commenters have ever been to TX (more than a layover or a 2 day trip to ONE city) . NYC thinks it's the center of everything and so does California so why is it a big deal if Texans have more pride ?
5
Michael,
I love Texas and the Texans. I visited my relatives in Fort Worth years ago and was welcomed with opened arms. I am a Bostonian living in liberal NYC and believe me I felt very comfortable in your lovely state. Please forgive the progressives as they do not know Texas. I do and would recommend it to everyone. I had a great time and the people were superb.
I love Texas and the Texans. I visited my relatives in Fort Worth years ago and was welcomed with opened arms. I am a Bostonian living in liberal NYC and believe me I felt very comfortable in your lovely state. Please forgive the progressives as they do not know Texas. I do and would recommend it to everyone. I had a great time and the people were superb.
3
Texas puts in high relief the two dominant metaphors of American history : the individualistic High Noon' model, and the 'wagon train community'
Both are important in our national life, but not in their extreme forms.
Both are important in our national life, but not in their extreme forms.
As a Texan, I applaud the author! No where else, is it more meaningful than to say, "Texan born and bred." Although we are Americans, we are Texans first. Some find that hard to understand. It comes from pride of hard work, knowing one's accomplishments created by their own hands, putting family first,families working together, owning up to one's mistakes, helping our neighbors, knowing and loving the land, respect for another when it is earned.
Those are Texas values, and as the author noted, it is not taken lightly when those values come under attack. We are self-sufficient, believe in doing things on our own, and if we need help, we may ask a neighbor, but we NEVER ask the government. No true Texan would ever do that. Pride. Pride in one's self, family and state.
A Texan is the first one to protect our state and our country, and will be the first ones charging the hill. We take our oaths to Texas and the U.S. VERY seriously.
Those are Texas values, and as the author noted, it is not taken lightly when those values come under attack. We are self-sufficient, believe in doing things on our own, and if we need help, we may ask a neighbor, but we NEVER ask the government. No true Texan would ever do that. Pride. Pride in one's self, family and state.
A Texan is the first one to protect our state and our country, and will be the first ones charging the hill. We take our oaths to Texas and the U.S. VERY seriously.
3
"but we NEVER ask the government. No true Texan would ever do that."
except of course when there's a hurricane, flood, a drought, refinery fire, or some other all too frequent natural disaster.
except of course when there's a hurricane, flood, a drought, refinery fire, or some other all too frequent natural disaster.
10
7Cedars,
I respect the Texans and as a northerner felt very much at home in your lovely state. They were genuine people and made this Bostonian feel at ease. The liberal media loves to portray Texans as background and uneducated. That is so false. They were wonderful and highly intelligent.
I respect the Texans and as a northerner felt very much at home in your lovely state. They were genuine people and made this Bostonian feel at ease. The liberal media loves to portray Texans as background and uneducated. That is so false. They were wonderful and highly intelligent.
I say this as a native Texan: Nothing beats seeing the words "Welcome to Texas" in your rear view mirror.
10
I don't get the association people make with one particular state. Maybe because I've moved around a lot and lived in different states, and none has seemed better than any other. Every place has good and bad people and places. Just because I was born in Pennsylvania doesn't mean I have more affinity for that state than California or Minnesota or other places I've lived. It's ridiculous to insist that one state is actually better than another. That idea mostly comes from people whose worldview is limited because they've never traveled and their perspective is skewed, like a few people I grew up with that have never traveled more than 30 miles from our hometown. Sad--it's a great, big, beautiful world out there with so much to offer-good and bad. Just because you have one place you like, doesn't mean you won't like someplace else, too.
8
If Texan wants to be Texan and not American, then they can secede from the Union. We Americans will not stop them.
5
Yes, you did.
1
I grew up in Houston, and left when I went off to the East Coast to college. I have since lived in Boston, Fairbanks, Seattle, Santa Barbara. Compared to these places, socially and geographically, Houston and Texas in general are awful. The ego of place Texans show is not the typical good humored camaraderie of those sharing their lives in proximity, but rather the egotistical effort to dominate based on some lack inside. Money is big. In fact, in Texas "doing good" means making lots of money. And the conversational coin is all common opinion, not unlike the British when they add that rhetorical question at the end of each declaration: "isn't it?" You had better nod Yes. Their happiness some have commented on here is the superficial happiness of the Evangelical praise tradition. "We are all happy and great, aren't we, since we are God's chosen?" No, no. I would not recommend anyone's living there who has a choice. And of course, it has a minority of more normal people.
9
The most diverse city, per U.S . census is not NYC, S.F..or Los Angeles. It is Houston. I saw someone from Colorado bragging about how great things are there. Well your real estate is way overpriced. You are more arid than Texas. You have tons of new potheads. As fat as tolerance, how many times have you had female governors, minority mayors, diversity in your congressional membership? NOT nearly as much as Texas! Houston has recently had an openly lesson mayor. San Antonio ' s is a black woman for Brooklyn!
By the way, your beautiful Garden of the Gods owes a lot to a Native Texan, who contributes osme of her wealth to its creation.
By the way, your beautiful Garden of the Gods owes a lot to a Native Texan, who contributes osme of her wealth to its creation.
2
Born in Virginia, raised in Michigan, family from Tennessee. Moved to Texas eight years ago. Texas Rules!
1
I encourage Texas, Louisiana Kentucky North Carolina Louisiana etc.. to stop complaining and seriously consider making good on their threats to secede and form their own perfect union. Then they can pay for their own recovery from national disasters, provide health care for those for whom they refused to accept federal funding through Obama care, legally disnfranchise huge numbers of voters (according to their own voting laws)
10
A good friend of mine spent a fair amount of time in Texas and upon leaving, the following is her opinion of the state."Happiness is Texas in the rear view mirror"
9
Happiness is having your stupid friend never come back here again!
3
Texas - a state made up predominantly by men with small "members" who are constantly striving to overcompensate by touting around big shotguns and wearing oversized hats and boots although nothing comes close to matching the outsized egos. Seriously, do they really think we should be jealous of beef and oil and The Alamo?
7
The problem with Texans is they think it is more important to a Texan than an American. This is odd considering the Federal Government is responsible for the growth and prosperity of Texas. All this boasting of self reliance is not quite authentic. Think space program. Think military facilities. Think government paid roads. Texas state government hoard their "rainy day fund" while requesting federal aid every time a disaster occurs. They are basically spending everyone else's money (yes, you, American tax payer!) And their politicians are proud to boast about it.
Mr. Hernandez, should get his kids out of there before their brains fry.
Mr. Hernandez, should get his kids out of there before their brains fry.
13
I almost didn't want to comment! The U.S. government is responsible for Texas growth!? Can we say WALL STREET bailout MR . NYC?
2
You and Elizabeth Warren and Obama...."you didn't build it, the government built it with the roads etc." ad naseum. Well where do you think the money to build those roads etc. came from? Fairy dust?
Please stop parroting liberal hogwash and THINK.
Please stop parroting liberal hogwash and THINK.
3
I spent 4 miserable months in Texas in the sixties and was elated to leave. Currently, Texas' attitude and official performances lead me to believe that the Texas-Mexico fence is misplaced: we would be well advised to move it northward between Texas and the rest of the contiguous states...
6
I moved here four years ago for graduate school and I have yet to make a friend, except for some on campus.
I find it interesting that for many the conversation starter is, "Well, I do a lot of work for My church" which is an invitation to tell them where You go to church. Everything goes downhill from there.
My first experience with a Texan was standing in line at a local store buying coffee for my new apartment. I was wearing a tie-dyed T and worn jeans-- unpacking-- and a gentleman in front of me took one look at me, sideways, and began telling the cashier in a very loud voice how he had never been outside of Texas, except to fight in the Korean war, and how much he loved Texas and he why he would never leave again. He kept looking back at me with a sideways grin, and just kept talking. And talking. And not paying. I got the distinct impression I was not welcomed here.
That sense of not belonging has never left. Another year and I should have my degree, and I won't be looking to stay. Leaving Texas has actually become some part of my motivation to finish as quickly as I can. I don't think I'll never understand Texans, but then again, I'm not sure I care to try anymore.
I find it interesting that for many the conversation starter is, "Well, I do a lot of work for My church" which is an invitation to tell them where You go to church. Everything goes downhill from there.
My first experience with a Texan was standing in line at a local store buying coffee for my new apartment. I was wearing a tie-dyed T and worn jeans-- unpacking-- and a gentleman in front of me took one look at me, sideways, and began telling the cashier in a very loud voice how he had never been outside of Texas, except to fight in the Korean war, and how much he loved Texas and he why he would never leave again. He kept looking back at me with a sideways grin, and just kept talking. And talking. And not paying. I got the distinct impression I was not welcomed here.
That sense of not belonging has never left. Another year and I should have my degree, and I won't be looking to stay. Leaving Texas has actually become some part of my motivation to finish as quickly as I can. I don't think I'll never understand Texans, but then again, I'm not sure I care to try anymore.
15
Sounds like maybe the gentleman in front of you in line was lonely and trying to start a conversation. You probably could have left with a buddy.
4
Lol, perhaps. But a simple 'Hi' would have worked much better.
2
"You wanna have friends, you gotta be one first." I'm sorry that particular Texas stereotype got you. There are others. Like, "What do you need, hon?" "Y'all find everything all right?" And you've never had a church conversation starter until you've been to Salt Lake City...
A lot of negative comments from people are people who who really act like Texas is some small state with one major metro area like Massachusetts.
First about guns - Massachusetts and Colorado approved OPEN carry way before Texas.
Second, well that oil technology has helped OTHER Americans put more money in their pockets! It's helped create thousands of jobs in Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, the Dakotas, and California!
The economy is much more diverse. Toyota and Jamba Juice are moving from California. Companies based in Texas : Men's Warehouse, Dell, Texas Instruments, Fossil Watches, J.C.Penny, Frito Lay, Dr. Pepper/Snapple, Indeed.com, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, AT&T, Verizon, WholeFoods, Peir1, & Burlington Northern Railroad,
Apple's 2nd largest campus is in Texas. EA Sports, Ebay,HP have large offices here. Samsung has it's ONLY plants outside of Korea in Texas, $16 billion investment. AMD has a large presence here. Between TI, Samsung and AMD, maybe 75%of your home electronics have core tech from Texas. The largest Medical complex in the world is in here.
Third, several here paint Texas as arid. Well LOOK at a map of Texas. Rivers run all over with dozens of lakes. The most visited lake in the south is Lake Texoma. Two of the 4 biggest lakes in the southern tier are here. Texas has mountains and the green eastern half is bigger than 3/4s of all other states. Come during the spring to see the Bluebonnet fields.
First about guns - Massachusetts and Colorado approved OPEN carry way before Texas.
Second, well that oil technology has helped OTHER Americans put more money in their pockets! It's helped create thousands of jobs in Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, the Dakotas, and California!
The economy is much more diverse. Toyota and Jamba Juice are moving from California. Companies based in Texas : Men's Warehouse, Dell, Texas Instruments, Fossil Watches, J.C.Penny, Frito Lay, Dr. Pepper/Snapple, Indeed.com, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, AT&T, Verizon, WholeFoods, Peir1, & Burlington Northern Railroad,
Apple's 2nd largest campus is in Texas. EA Sports, Ebay,HP have large offices here. Samsung has it's ONLY plants outside of Korea in Texas, $16 billion investment. AMD has a large presence here. Between TI, Samsung and AMD, maybe 75%of your home electronics have core tech from Texas. The largest Medical complex in the world is in here.
Third, several here paint Texas as arid. Well LOOK at a map of Texas. Rivers run all over with dozens of lakes. The most visited lake in the south is Lake Texoma. Two of the 4 biggest lakes in the southern tier are here. Texas has mountains and the green eastern half is bigger than 3/4s of all other states. Come during the spring to see the Bluebonnet fields.
8
These comment echo what I hear in New England all the time about the rest of the country, especially about Texas and about the South. Long on opinions, short on knowledge. People on the Eastern Seaboard think of Texas the same way Europeans think of the United States: backwards, stupid and conservative. But when you really know the place, you realize that there is more to the story and that that place is too big and too diverse to be simply stereotyped.
13
It's really depressing when you realize it but the Eastern Seaboard and the Europeans are right. This place is turning into Idiocracy. I've lived all over the country and visited all over the world and while much is improving here and abroad, dark, ignorant, ridiculous forces have too much power. Anyway...Texas is fun - great BBQ - but we got pulled over and warned for driving 88 MPH on a newly opened freeway with an 85 MPH speed limit. I don't know what that says about the state as a whole but we ain't coming back, I'll tell y'all that.
1
My son and his family moved to Texas from here in Louisiana where I am a proud Cajun, but not as proud as he is now of Texas. I don't get it, what is it that they are so proud of? They're still fighting creationism for God's sake. They do have good schools in most places but they get fighting mad if you say something bad about Texas. I just don't get it. And on my last trip to visit my son and his family, I noticed my grandson, now a sophomore at A&M, was wearing cowboy boots. I give up.
7
As a recent transplant from the NorthEast, the notion of Texas as an panopoly of contradictions rings most true. For all of its anti-regulatory rhetoric, Texas has more restrictive laws and red tape in terms of licensing, voter registration, car inspections (and fees), property assessments, professional licensing and the like than I experienced even in semi-socialist Canada. The rhetoric around freedom is inauthentic - it is not free-enterprise, less regulation, or even patriotism that is being espoused - it is freedom from change, and language to help maintain a regressive status quo. The oft-referred to friendliness of Texas applies differently (or not so much) if you are a person of color, and despite its diversity, restrictive voter registration laws work to ensure that demographic changes do not shift the balance of power here. All the while, in offering enough in the way of distraction, space (!), and convenience, it readily engenders a cultural illusion of self sufficiency (and self -absorption) that perpetuates enough social inertia and passivity to keep change at bay. If Texas shapes "those who lived upon it more than they change it", it is ultimately by well-crafted design.
12
More regulation can't be true because of all the companies from coastal stated who have moved here!
As far as I am concerned I am hoping the Texas secession movement works. This is one state that inhibits our ability as a nation to move forward.
11
The nation moving forward on liquid natural gas exports to Germany, thanks to Texas engineering firms.
In spite of Texas being the largest uneconomical wind power producer, the rest of the nation is moving backwards thanks to this raptor and bat killing technology. It's called crony capitalism, needing government subsidies to kill those creatures who glide on the winds. We do lag California in the raptor-killing uneconomical solar collector plants. Insects drawn to the bright light at the boiler attract birds who then get roasted and flash-killed. This is another crony capitalism enterprise - generating crispy creatures.
All of the above are technologies suitable for dictatorships, not free societies. An industrial plant that slaughters wildlife in view of workers and visitors is unsustainable in our free society.
In spite of Texas being the largest uneconomical wind power producer, the rest of the nation is moving backwards thanks to this raptor and bat killing technology. It's called crony capitalism, needing government subsidies to kill those creatures who glide on the winds. We do lag California in the raptor-killing uneconomical solar collector plants. Insects drawn to the bright light at the boiler attract birds who then get roasted and flash-killed. This is another crony capitalism enterprise - generating crispy creatures.
All of the above are technologies suitable for dictatorships, not free societies. An industrial plant that slaughters wildlife in view of workers and visitors is unsustainable in our free society.
It wasn't too many days ago that the NYT printed an article about the most ethnically diverse city int the US, Houston. As a native Texan, I take great pride in our state and all of the people who live here. That many both native and others who have moved here appreciate that our state has much to offer and on the whole like it more than we want to change it seems to bother many people.
That Mr. Blanton would want some Texas soil under his granddaughter is so upsetting to this "reporter" says more about the reporter's lack of a sense of humor than it does about Mr. Blanton. This is typical of the liberal, intellect.
I am sorry for all of you who have to live in a state where you take so little pride in your own state.
If the way Texans feel about our state bothers you so much, there is an easy fix that might everyone happy.
That Mr. Blanton would want some Texas soil under his granddaughter is so upsetting to this "reporter" says more about the reporter's lack of a sense of humor than it does about Mr. Blanton. This is typical of the liberal, intellect.
I am sorry for all of you who have to live in a state where you take so little pride in your own state.
If the way Texans feel about our state bothers you so much, there is an easy fix that might everyone happy.
6
Appreciation for Texas is something we don't do here in our beach bungalow in California. We know we are bigger, badder. Home to Apple, IBM, Google, Ebay, the Giants, Yosemite, Sequoia, the Beach Boys, Hollywood. The list goes on and on. That's why our house is worth twice or three times as much as an equivalent house in Texas. Our weather is better, we feed the nation from our San Joaquin and Salinas Valleys. We are the best.
Texas isn't in the same league. If they voted to leave the union, we'd all say, "goodriddens". Nothing personal.
Texas isn't in the same league. If they voted to leave the union, we'd all say, "goodriddens". Nothing personal.
11
The U.S. Census Bureau now publishes an annual poverty report titled the Supplemental Poverty Measure that takes regional cost of living into account. The report is changing perceptions regarding which states are rich and which are poor. It ranks California as by far the poorest state, with 23.8 percent of its residents below poverty level. About 16.4 percent of Texans live below poverty level, due mostly to its illegal immigrant population—a problems it shares with California. The national poverty level is 16.0.
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-247.pdf
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-247.pdf
2
Yes your state does lead the nation. In XXX movie production, fastest falling performance of any giant school district (LAUSD), unmarried teenage motherhood, as a result of your own media promulgated cultural values. Speaking of values, those of your state seem to be driving people out, (at least the people you would want to keep that is) just look at the migration CA>>TX compared to TX>>CA, the first number is quite bigger. Yes you have spectacular natural scenery because of the extensive network of geographical faults which may erupt at any time. We have warm water for nude swimming under moonlight and beaches where you can drive your car. Plus alpine highlands in the middle of desert for back packing.
And so far as good riddance, if you want us to leave then you will be importing parts and machinery to maintain your oil refineries over there which you guys hate anyway apparently. Not to mention importing the semiconductors and automobiles built over here.
And so far as good riddance, if you want us to leave then you will be importing parts and machinery to maintain your oil refineries over there which you guys hate anyway apparently. Not to mention importing the semiconductors and automobiles built over here.
1
IBM is based I Armonk NY. And those in Texas thank you for all the companies who have moved or who are moving here. Jamba Juice just announced Friday they are leaving California for Texas.
2
I'm a proud native Texan. And while that is a redundant statement, it's still a place that I'm proud to call my home state. When people ask me where I'm from, I say Texas. Then we they get confused because they know I live in the northeast (New Jersey) in fact, I say...that's where I'm from. However I live in NJ. The definition of where you are "from" is very strong in Texans and that doesn't change. My only real problem with the article is the acceptance that George W. Bush's is a Texan. Yes he has lived there a long time but he was born elsewhere and cannot claim to be a Texan and frankly I'm pretty okay with that (not being a fan of his).
I would love to go back but frankly the Texas that I grew up with in the 70s in Dallas isn't the same anymore. Not sure if going back would help or only accentuate the differences. We'll just see where life takes me.
I would love to go back but frankly the Texas that I grew up with in the 70s in Dallas isn't the same anymore. Not sure if going back would help or only accentuate the differences. We'll just see where life takes me.
2
Texas is a phenomenon. I am a native Texan. I have lived exactly half of my life in Texas and half of my life away from it. I have and have always been, a left-leaning, progressive person who left Texas when those positions were not anomalies to being a true Texan. There is something so very compelling about Texas. I love it to my core. When I am on Texas soil I feel like I am home. In my experiences away from Texas I have known the Dog pound of rabid Cleveland Brown fans, the lifelong passion of Redsox Nation, even the sense of superiority of New Yorkers, but nothing to compare with what being a Texan means to a native Texan. Texas is a study in contradiction: what is known as Texas culture are peoples and traditions steeped in the white South. But, historically, its roots are Mexican and Spanish. The dynamics of immigration have always been complex and fluid in Texas, and frankly I cannot think of Texas culture without thinking of Mexican culture simultaneously. Whatever your inclination may be to whitewash Texas as angry, white, racist, redneck, ultraconservatives, please know that Texas is so much more than that. So much more. Texas Forever.
14
Thirty years ago, my wife was offered a promotion, a raise, and a transfer to either Austin or Philadelphia. Thank God, she chose Philadelphia. ... Philly loud, Philly proud! :-) !!!
5
Yeah, good choice. Moving to Austin 30 years ago would have been like moving to California in the 1950's. You could have purchased land and housing at ridiculously cheap prices and then have seen that skyrocket as Austin became one of the fastest growing cities in the country and now the favorite destination for those escaping the People's Republic of California. Add up all the state and city income taxes you paid in Philly over 30 years, and then compare that to $0 you would have paid in Texas. Good choice! (As a Texas resident for 12 years, but not a Cowboys fans, I won't make you count how many more Super Bowl wins they've had in the past 30 years than your Eagles).
3
Really? You missed an incredible 30 years in Austin bro
2
Philly 30 years ago was DYING! In 1980 the city had 2 million residents. In 2010, it has 1.5 million residents, so PLEASE don't tell me about Philly is better. For the record, I grew up in that city.
My heritage is highly diversified French Louisiana and I grew up and was educated in the Midwest and Northeast-- I have now lived here for 24 years. Although native Texans are out of step with the rest of the developed world, it's hard not to like them. They are extremely friendly and, in the southern tradition, value good manners above all else. And that's my point. It can be very fake here. Lots of $30 thousand dollar millionaires, who present themselves as overly right-wing..... and prideful. And I still ask myself, prideful about what?!
Economic and political growth here is kicking in to another level. There are now $7.2 million people living in DFW, making it the 4th largest metro area in the country. In 10-20 years, it will surpass Chicago. Houston is not far behind. Austin and San Antonio are another 4-5 million people combined. Thus, it's a story that's very compelling for the entire world to watch.
What will Texas become? The good news is that it's becoming very diversified. Although it doesn't have a global mindset, we can all hope that it eventually will. The big question is, will the vast majority of non-native Texans (transplants) be able to change it for the better? As the article suggests, the native minority is resisting, but let's hope they will be overwhelmed eventually. :)
Economic and political growth here is kicking in to another level. There are now $7.2 million people living in DFW, making it the 4th largest metro area in the country. In 10-20 years, it will surpass Chicago. Houston is not far behind. Austin and San Antonio are another 4-5 million people combined. Thus, it's a story that's very compelling for the entire world to watch.
What will Texas become? The good news is that it's becoming very diversified. Although it doesn't have a global mindset, we can all hope that it eventually will. The big question is, will the vast majority of non-native Texans (transplants) be able to change it for the better? As the article suggests, the native minority is resisting, but let's hope they will be overwhelmed eventually. :)
1
The price of oil will do more to change Texas than the intentions of new Texans
1
And btw, Texas is light years ahead of the rest of the South. You literally may not find an "admitted" single white male progressive or even moderate Democrat in Arkansas, Louisiana, OK, MS and AL. Yes, it's that bad.
4
Having pretty well grown up in Texas, I can say that Texas is unique compared to most of the other states....and I have been to all but Hawaii and Alaska....
In a number of ways I think Texas is a reflection of what America was supposed to be...ie self reliant, free thinking, small limited govt, etc... Pioneer spirits perhaps?
Is it perfect? No...but overall they have done well....Interestingly, the areas that have the most trouble are apparently the areas with the most liberals...
Unfortunately, as more people infected with liberal/socialist attitudes move there, I fear what makes Texas special will be taken from us...and we will be lost without that...
In a number of ways I think Texas is a reflection of what America was supposed to be...ie self reliant, free thinking, small limited govt, etc... Pioneer spirits perhaps?
Is it perfect? No...but overall they have done well....Interestingly, the areas that have the most trouble are apparently the areas with the most liberals...
Unfortunately, as more people infected with liberal/socialist attitudes move there, I fear what makes Texas special will be taken from us...and we will be lost without that...
10
Aside from the very historically specific local cultural chauvinism and it's kitschy fetishes that this author highlights and that is unique to Texas, the state is undergoing the same transformation as Arizona, and much of the Old South: a demographic shift away from "white" dominance and towards the dominance of immigrants and people of color, and a connected shift towards urbanization and the consequent diminishment of the suburbs, the small town and the rural. The more this process advances the fiercer the right-wing cultural and political resistance to it becomes, often breaking down to a conflict between metropolitan areas and the state legislature and governor. In a sense it's a replay of the Civil War but as an internal conflict within the South. This accounts for the dramatic and paradoxical contrasts and juxtapositions that appear in the cultural landscape of Texas and that the author underscores, overlaid by the common kitsch and mythology of the state that has now devolved merely into commercial commodification.
2
Been to Texas much bro?
1
Yes and you would maybe take the country down the road to required "whiteness" training for university students? You really thinking "dominance" by people of color? What is this "dominance" which requires drastic lowering of the bar for admission to domination? You get to 'dominate' not based on merit but on some color code? Here deal with this: the modern industrial economy, historically merit based, was invented by Europeans and successfully adopted by far east Asians. Period end of story.
I grew up in Texas and left it in 1980. At that time, Texas was really Texas with a strong identity, a live and let live approach to everyone's lives, a kindness, and a fierce bastion of common sense. It has become something entirely different over the years with its deep and ridiculous hate rhetoric, ludicrous politics and politicians and firearm fanaticism. Now "Texas" is a pervasively common insult connoting a kind of violent stupidity in the UK and throughout much of the EU. This perception of "Texas" fits perfectly with what it has become. As another fellow Texas Ex-Pat about my age says, "Texas is a great place to be from."
6
I am very interested by this story. Because of work I am spending part of this year in Fort Worth. I've experienced the contrasts mentioned in the article and the comments. I agree with the comment about getting to know farmers and their way of life. I want to add that "Texans get things done." The Magnolia area of Forth Worth was very derelict 20 years ago. Through willpower and planning, it's now a thriving hip urban community and medical center, helping to revive Fairmount, apparently the largest historical district in the US. There's a terrible problem with human trafficking here, and groups like traffic911 sprung up and are working to rescue and prevent women being forced into prostitution.
3
The no-longer extant semiconductor maker Dallas Semiconductor produced many chips with a micron-scale logo resembling the shape of the state of Texas and the words "Made in Texas".
I'm a native Arizonan who lived in Texas with my Texan in laws for around two years. Without dwelling on the obvious problems in the state already well detailed, but missing from this pathetic article, I'd like to point out why I couldn't wait to leave, the lack of public land.
Due to its history as an independent nation, there are fewer public lands near the population centers than anywhere I've lived. When a wealthy man donated land for a new state park around the Guadalupe mountains, the legislature overturned his will and sold it. They don't believe in public land.
We went to a state park to camp outside of San Antonio and it was the size of a parking lot at one of our parks. We went tubing outside of Austin, and you could not get out on one side due to barbed wire running along the creek edge. I will take Arizona and our equally messed up politics.
Due to its history as an independent nation, there are fewer public lands near the population centers than anywhere I've lived. When a wealthy man donated land for a new state park around the Guadalupe mountains, the legislature overturned his will and sold it. They don't believe in public land.
We went to a state park to camp outside of San Antonio and it was the size of a parking lot at one of our parks. We went tubing outside of Austin, and you could not get out on one side due to barbed wire running along the creek edge. I will take Arizona and our equally messed up politics.
5
I don't think Texas believes in public anything. Certainly not public services.
They reduce those to a minimum, or less, in the hope that "those" people will self-deport to more progressive states. At the same time, like other red states, Texas gets back more that it's proportional share of Federal taxes.
That said, as a white person I was always impressed by the friendliness of individuals both black and white, I met while living there. I did not spend much time in urban black areas.
They reduce those to a minimum, or less, in the hope that "those" people will self-deport to more progressive states. At the same time, like other red states, Texas gets back more that it's proportional share of Federal taxes.
That said, as a white person I was always impressed by the friendliness of individuals both black and white, I met while living there. I did not spend much time in urban black areas.
5
That's ridiculous. Texas has DOZENS of state parks and lakes.
2
I purchased a Texas State Parks pass a few months ago, and my teenage sons and I have made a resolution to visit as many as we can this year. We've already been to four within a short drive of home, and we look at the guide often to choose from among the dozens we would like to visit.
1
I am a native Texan, descendant of European immigrants, native Americans and migrant sharecroppers. People who fought hard to tame this barren, hot land and scratch out a living. The stories handed down of our great- great grandparents, sacrifice make it hard to leave this place. Besides, if we leave, who will pick up the fight against the ultra conservative Republican extremists? Hers is my best advice on visiting Texas - fly in and out of Austin. Travis County (Austin) is the only blue county in a very red state. Democrats win here by 30% margins in all races. Drive 20 miles outside of Austin in any direction, and you could be regarded as a social deviant.
5
Keep Austin weird Bee!
1
That's not true. Houston, San Antonio, Dallas city, the Rio Grande valley are more blue than red.
1
Texas has messed with itself. It's right wing government has caused deep divisions and wealth disparity. Texas is a bit of an exaggerated version of redneck America as a whole - generally well meaning and loyal. but childishly boastful, not too bright, and blissfully unaware of how it s perceived by others.
If you have to constantly refer to your state as "great," is that masking a deeper insecurity? In California, we don't refer to our state as great. We just know it is.
If you have to constantly refer to your state as "great," is that masking a deeper insecurity? In California, we don't refer to our state as great. We just know it is.
14
California is becoming a 3rd world country in many areas. "Great" is what people who have moved from California to Texas think about that decision after they've been here awhile. Texas dominates all the lists of fastest growing cities in the country, and produced more new jobs in the immediate aftermath of the Fannie Mae subprime loan crisis than all other states combined. I am personally not a fan of Toyota, but Toyota sure is a fan of Texas. Their U.S. Headquarters just left California too, and where did it move ? Texas!!
Don't be too confident in your demographic swing from Red to Blue. Funny thing about many blue state people who move here, they tend to see the enormous growth, the low taxes, the great schools and new homes, and they wake up from the nanny state stupor they came in with. Even Hispanics are not immune to this, some of the most conservative voices I know of on immigration are Hispanic families that have been here for generations, some right on the border, and have been threatened or even attacked by the cartels. They want a border wall more than anyone else!
Don't be too confident in your demographic swing from Red to Blue. Funny thing about many blue state people who move here, they tend to see the enormous growth, the low taxes, the great schools and new homes, and they wake up from the nanny state stupor they came in with. Even Hispanics are not immune to this, some of the most conservative voices I know of on immigration are Hispanic families that have been here for generations, some right on the border, and have been threatened or even attacked by the cartels. They want a border wall more than anyone else!
1
Having lived in Houston a little more 32 years and Dallas almost four since moving to Texas as a nine year old in Oct., '79, and traveled the state extensively as an adult, there's nothing you can't find.
For the outdoorsy-type the state has oceans, mountains, "tumbleweed brushed nothingness", wooded hiking trails, canyons, etc.
Houston is as, if not more, culturally diverse as NYC. About three miles south of where I live is the Mahatma Gandhi District, several miles to the immediate west of the MG District begins, what I call, the burbs of Chinatown where the street signs are in both English and an Asian dialect. In this city of 600 sq. miles, not including the burbs, if you ask or look hard enough, you'll find Waldo.
The city maintains an unrivaled ethnic of any Texas city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_in_Houston
Being a Texan in Houston, with such a vast cultural mix, means something wholly different than any residents living elsewhere in the state yet, the sense of Texas Pride remains true.
For the outdoorsy-type the state has oceans, mountains, "tumbleweed brushed nothingness", wooded hiking trails, canyons, etc.
Houston is as, if not more, culturally diverse as NYC. About three miles south of where I live is the Mahatma Gandhi District, several miles to the immediate west of the MG District begins, what I call, the burbs of Chinatown where the street signs are in both English and an Asian dialect. In this city of 600 sq. miles, not including the burbs, if you ask or look hard enough, you'll find Waldo.
The city maintains an unrivaled ethnic of any Texas city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_in_Houston
Being a Texan in Houston, with such a vast cultural mix, means something wholly different than any residents living elsewhere in the state yet, the sense of Texas Pride remains true.
3
I am guilty of being one of those Loyal, Proud Texans! I also placed a baggie of Texas soil under a hospital bed in Krefeld, Germany when my first born arrived so she would be born over Texas soil! I am a Native Texan and proud of it, living here all but 3 of my 64 years (couldn't wait to get back from Germany either). My Great Grandparents were German and Czech settlers becoming Texas Farmers in the late 1800's. I grew up exploring their 265 acre piece of Texas and have recently acquired my own little 95 acre piece of Texas so my Grandchildren and future generations can experience that same education that only living with nature can bring. They will eventually learn to love getting away from the "rat race & electronic devices" to slow down & walk in the "woods" observing nature as I do. Yes, we live near the big cities to "put food on the plate" but our hearts are out in the country called Texas!
3
Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. And there’s an opening convey of generalities. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner. John Steinbeck (1902–68), U.S. author. Travels With Charley: in Search of America, pt. 4 (1962).
Many people have believed that they were Chosen, but none more baldly than the Texans. - Edward Hoagland (b. 1932), U.S. novelist, essayist. “Lament the Red Wolf,” in Sports Illustrated (New York, 14 Jan. 1974; repr. in Heart’s Desire, 1988).
Many people have believed that they were Chosen, but none more baldly than the Texans. - Edward Hoagland (b. 1932), U.S. novelist, essayist. “Lament the Red Wolf,” in Sports Illustrated (New York, 14 Jan. 1974; repr. in Heart’s Desire, 1988).
1
Whether it will hold up or not, Texas cut a deal when it came into the USA. They reserve the right to succeed from the Union. Texas does not need the rest of the country, they have oil, cattle, cotton, refineries, factories, farms, ocean, beaches, forests, water, room for growth, their own Army and militia, a population that would defend the borders just like the Alamo.
Don't mess with Texas!
Don't mess with Texas!
3
It couldn't happen soon enough. My image of Texas is of deluded racists who live mostly in poverty in ugly towns and cities. Face it, Texas is mostly physically ugly. The great economic attributes you list are part of an ancient economy. The fact is that Texas needs the rest of the country more than the country needs it. Bye bye.
3
When you secede, we will not cut a trade deal with you, so your oil, gas and other products will be slapped with import duties. Perhaps you will join the hated NAFTA.
You will have to create your own currency, which will be crushed when oil/gas prices are low.
We will have to repatriate NASA, so there goes your space industry.
There will be immigration stations all along your non-Southern borders and flights to/from Texas will be international.
The good news is you can fight the Alamo over and over again with your much larger neighbor to the South.
You will have to create your own currency, which will be crushed when oil/gas prices are low.
We will have to repatriate NASA, so there goes your space industry.
There will be immigration stations all along your non-Southern borders and flights to/from Texas will be international.
The good news is you can fight the Alamo over and over again with your much larger neighbor to the South.
4
So go then. But please remember that the millions of dollars Texas receives from the taxes of the other 49 states, almost twice as much in federal dollars as Texans pay in federal taxes, will not be going with you.
Gee whiz, I can only wonder what your republican governor and legislature will do to make up the shortfall in the great state's budget.
Gee whiz, I can only wonder what your republican governor and legislature will do to make up the shortfall in the great state's budget.
4
Due to the mass exodus north of oil-wealthy second homeowners, many towns in my home state have more Texans than any natives, thus my unwanted familiarity and admitted prejudice. What other place has ice trays, baskets, and muffin tins in the shape of their state? The dark side is just as bizarre with the lead in the death penalty, second only to its no less dark neighbor Oklahoma. Add the religious fervor, politics, and gun loving traits and you have the oddest mix of thinking ever as well as a strong over-representation in presidential candidates.
2
"...a firearms instructor in a wide-brimmed cowboy hat reached for the butt of his holstered gun as I approached him for an interview."
Sounds like what Texans are is scared.
Sounds like what Texans are is scared.
7
I am all in favor of Texas secession. They have taken away JFK and given us LBJ, the brothers Bush and Rick Perry. They couldn't run their own football conference and thus they seized the Big 8 and left us Midwesterners with the Big 12. While Texas politicians are among the most prolific complainers about the federal government, the states receives almost twice as much in federal dollars as it provides in federal taxes. While Austin City Limits is an excellent PBS production, it hardly makes up for the overall destruction caused by the state and handouts.
8
L.H.O was born in LA.
He was also a communist.
He was also a communist.
Texas. I was transferred to Dallas in 1976, leaving a St. Louis many feel was at it's lowest ebb(believe it or not), beset by bleak non--renewal and vacant lots in the city. Dallas was growing and clean, compared to St. Louis. 4 weeks in, I was offered a bedroom in Manhattan and happily left after 10 weeks in Texas. Compared to my former home town by the Mississippi, Dallas seemed...not that cosmopolitan, with none of the old-city urban character other locations breathe. I have several friends in Texas I consider the embodiment of their state, an ex-girlfriend who married a Texan, and enjoy my visits to a state that likes to think the world revolves around it, and often shows absolutely no sense of any ironic self knowledge.
1
I moved to Houston in 2010 to study at Texas Medical Center. A provincial native New Yorker, I fully expected to see many folks wearing cowboy boots and a Texas accent, and to my surprise, there weren't much of either in the urban core. Houstonians took pride in theirs being an "international" city, and as a non-white, I was pleased to never be complimented on my English or greeted in my 'native' tongue during my 2 years there (both have happened to me in Seattle). Houston has many wonderful art museums, many of which are free admission.
I am glad for the friends I made there, and the folks at the Texas Freedom Network are fighting the good fight, but Mayor Parker is right about Houston earning the wrong reputation. Until a Prop. 1 can pass, pro-life means fighting gun violence and supporting cancer screening for women, and voters kick out a Governor that flouts the Constitution by obstructing SCOTUS nominees, I wouldn't consider moving back.
I am glad for the friends I made there, and the folks at the Texas Freedom Network are fighting the good fight, but Mayor Parker is right about Houston earning the wrong reputation. Until a Prop. 1 can pass, pro-life means fighting gun violence and supporting cancer screening for women, and voters kick out a Governor that flouts the Constitution by obstructing SCOTUS nominees, I wouldn't consider moving back.
8
I lived for five years in Houston, one of the ugliest cities on the face of the earth. All my children are Texans, born at St. Luke's in Houston - a world class medical center.
The propagation of the Texas myth speaks volumes about what they hope their state might be but isn't. It isn't big. It isn't bold. It isn't brash.
It's remarkable for trying to prevent minority voters from exercising their right to vote. Its religious bigotry spills over into a desire to prevent poor women from getting access to any kind of meaningful health care. The barely beneath the surface racism has bubbled up and over the rim with a mixed race guy in the White House.
There is a mean-spiritedness underneath the "happy to see y'all" that is difficult to stomach.
Texas? I couldn't wait to see it in my rear view and glad to still find it there.
The propagation of the Texas myth speaks volumes about what they hope their state might be but isn't. It isn't big. It isn't bold. It isn't brash.
It's remarkable for trying to prevent minority voters from exercising their right to vote. Its religious bigotry spills over into a desire to prevent poor women from getting access to any kind of meaningful health care. The barely beneath the surface racism has bubbled up and over the rim with a mixed race guy in the White House.
There is a mean-spiritedness underneath the "happy to see y'all" that is difficult to stomach.
Texas? I couldn't wait to see it in my rear view and glad to still find it there.
14
We're equally as happy that you're gone...
2
So much Irony about a backward place but then noting your kids born in WORLD CLASS medical facility.
1
Mr. Fernandez,
Welcome to Texas! As someone who was raised in the state and born to native Texan parents (actually born across the border in Oklahoma, but the joke is that my parents rushed me across the Red River as soon as they could), I read your article with great interest. I find that, while I agree with you in some respects, I don't think you quite understand the complexity of both the history and culture that makes Texas unique.
You mention F. R. Feherenbach. Have you read his history of Texas, Lone Star? If you have, you will understand that Texas for much of its infancy was isolated from the young United States and because of that had to learn early on to fend for itself. Thus, the rise of the Texas Rangers, the Colt 45, and a fierce individualism that was necessary to fight both hostile Indians and the armies of Santa Anna and his sympathizers. Many Texans didn't want to get involved in the Civil War (basically killed Sam Houston), but felt obligated to help out neighbors who had helped them.
During the Depression and WWII, Texans developed a sense of need for government help and unity. From 1880 or so to 1980, there wasn't a Republican to be found in the state. As prosperity returned, Republicans (Reaganites) capitalized on the old individualism. Don't forget Texas politicians Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, Barbara Jordan, and Ann Richards. We should be proud of our heritage but remember we can't do it alone. As a Democrat I hope for a return to sanity soon.
Welcome to Texas! As someone who was raised in the state and born to native Texan parents (actually born across the border in Oklahoma, but the joke is that my parents rushed me across the Red River as soon as they could), I read your article with great interest. I find that, while I agree with you in some respects, I don't think you quite understand the complexity of both the history and culture that makes Texas unique.
You mention F. R. Feherenbach. Have you read his history of Texas, Lone Star? If you have, you will understand that Texas for much of its infancy was isolated from the young United States and because of that had to learn early on to fend for itself. Thus, the rise of the Texas Rangers, the Colt 45, and a fierce individualism that was necessary to fight both hostile Indians and the armies of Santa Anna and his sympathizers. Many Texans didn't want to get involved in the Civil War (basically killed Sam Houston), but felt obligated to help out neighbors who had helped them.
During the Depression and WWII, Texans developed a sense of need for government help and unity. From 1880 or so to 1980, there wasn't a Republican to be found in the state. As prosperity returned, Republicans (Reaganites) capitalized on the old individualism. Don't forget Texas politicians Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, Barbara Jordan, and Ann Richards. We should be proud of our heritage but remember we can't do it alone. As a Democrat I hope for a return to sanity soon.
3
My state,Montana, also likes to call itself the "last best place". It also relies heavily on federal money- taking $1.87 for every tax dollar given to the federal government. We also go Republican in national elections but have lots of Democrats here ( including our governor and one senator). Why am I going on so about my state? We also have been in the top 2 or 3 for suicide and alcohol rates for several years .
I am not dissing my state. I just think the slogan "last best place" is a terrible one. One can have pride in one's home state and still not think you're better than others.
I am not dissing my state. I just think the slogan "last best place" is a terrible one. One can have pride in one's home state and still not think you're better than others.
7
I'm a Texan and I want the rest of the states to kick the Texan Republican party's dream into reality. Give us our Freedom from your money. Get rid of the four Air Force bases that surround the city of San Antonio, the many Army bases, the entire Homeland Security apparatus that provides many of the best jobs along the border. I want you to require us to carry a passport into the other states, hopefully with a well-enforced 90 day visa. Above all, when those economically-minded Republicans are driven to their knees by the collapse of the economy, if you decide to accept us back, require an amendment to the Texas constitution that prohibits any Texan from running for President. This will eliminate your biggest worry of having another Texan dragging the rest of you into another war that cannot be won and should not have begun.
19
We're just noticing that there are many more places in the U.S. besides Flint, MI where children are being brain-damaged due to lead poisoning. I've long suspected that Texas, with all its oil and gas extraction and refining, has suffered mass brain damage due to pollutants (and more than its share of head injuries, thanks to rowdy bars, bronco riding, fist fights, and Friday night football). The fellow who named them "super-Texans" missed the more accurate moniker, hyper-Texans. If a measure were on the ballot in November to let Texas secede, I'd be more than happy to vote YEA. We could save a lot of money by pulling our troops out of all those bases and redirecting money to the schools and the poor in other states. And losing Texas' Reps and Sens from Congress could only be a plus. The days of Barbara Jordan are long over.
7
The only difference between Texas and Mexico is that Texas is supposedly part of the United States. Austin is the bluest city in America and probably where the rest of the state is heading as the I-35 and Houston population grows faster than the rest of the state.
2
I've been being told for most of my life that Texas is about to go blue. I'm not holding my breath. My Texan friends tell me Democrats there are so demoralized they don't turn out to vote anymore, and the abysmal turnout rates that hover in the 25% range bear that out.
1
Texas was Blue for nearly 100 years before the Reagan years. It will be again.
Some commentator have criticized Texas for radically conservative changes that the Texas Board of Education supposedly made to the Texas curriculum, affecting textbooks across the nation. However, most of these changes were merely proposals that received widespread media coverage before being rejected by the board. The few that were adopted were not as radically as people think. For example, Texas schools are required to teach evolution as an established fact, but teacher are supposed to tell students that some people believe a creator may have initiated the process. This can be accomplished in a single sentence and tells students what they already know. Texas doesn’t teach that states’ rights was the cause of the Civil War. It teaches the root causes of the war were slavery, state’s rights and sectionalism. Most historians agree. The New York school curriculum teaches that “Long-standing disputes over States rights and slavery and the secession of Southern states from the Union, sparked by the election of Abraham Lincoln, led to the Civil War.”
https://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/ss-fra...
https://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/ss-fra...
3
I feel the same way about Virginia, but those who invaded my beloved state do not. I wish native Virginians would resist the change brought by the federal government here; the ultra rich liberal establishment resides in Fairfax, Arlington and Loudoun counties. Their money has destroyed the landscape. Virginia is indeed the mother of the United States, and Sam Houston was born here. Abe Lincoln's ancestors lived for five generations in Rockbridge county, before Daniel Boone persuaded his dad to move to Kentucky. Boone was born in Virginia. And Massachusetts is so proud of Plymouth Rock, but Jamestown was established almost two decades prior.
So for me it is Virginia first.
So for me it is Virginia first.
2
Visited Texas three times, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi. Last trip in 1993. Thought it all interesting and charming at the time. Now, with guns everywhere, right wing politics, and evangelicals, have lost any interest in ever going back. Their issue seems to be that they think the rest of us are as hung up on them as they are on themselves. Nobody is that special.
8
I am liberal but I like living in Texas. Housing is affordable, jobs are available. Bad guys get kicked out of office...eventally. And nothing beats nightlife in Austin.
5
I realize it's just the sub-heading of a tip-of-the-iceberg article about a very diverse place, but perhaps if Texas stopped attacking the rest of this through their deranged political operatives, we'd all be able to live more amicably.
3
I was stationed in Texas while in the Air Force. My best recollection of it was in the rear view window as I was leaving. Have never since met such a bunch of unfriendly folks. Have never been back.
6
Good riddance...
1
Not so many years ago, school budgets in Texas were tight. Voters had a tough choice, cancel the next football season, or drop science classes. You guessed it, Texans made the right choice, and the science programs were dropped.
I guess they figured that science is simplified when you know that the earth is onky 6,000 years old.
I guess they figured that science is simplified when you know that the earth is onky 6,000 years old.
9
I'm a transplant from Queens, NY. I've lived in Austin since 2001 and I'm here to help make this place less red and more purple. Purple is good for the country.
3
Many commenters have assert that Texas revolted against Mexico so Texas slave owners could keep slaves, but the Texas Revolution had nothing to do with slavery. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829. Texas revolted along with the Mexican states of Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Durango, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Yucatán, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas in 1836 when Santa Anna repealed the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and made himself a dictator. Texas independence became the goal only after the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad and Texas was the only state that won its independence. Although Mexico officially abolished slavery in 1821, the law rarely enforced. Slaves were still being sold at auctions in Chihuahua City during the American Civil War. If Texas had remained part of Mexico, Texas slaveholders, like slaveholders in other Mexican states, would have converted their slaves first to indentured servants and then to the debt peonage system that lasted into the 1900s.
6
I am a native Texan but have lived in Boston for 10 years. I have been so surprised how people up here look down on the rest of the country and spend so much time trying to convince people how Boston (and the Northeast in general) is the "best" place to be. I have learned over time that most of this is an inferiority complex: Boston must be an inherently better place to justify the terrible weather, mean people, exorbitant cost of living.
Texas has a lot of pride. But, in general Texans won't go around trying to "prove" that it is the best state. It's more of a confident pride in the unique heritage and culture of the state. Oh and of course the Times and other outlets failed to mention that Texas did not experience the previous great recession. Our policies can't be that bad!
Texas has a lot of pride. But, in general Texans won't go around trying to "prove" that it is the best state. It's more of a confident pride in the unique heritage and culture of the state. Oh and of course the Times and other outlets failed to mention that Texas did not experience the previous great recession. Our policies can't be that bad!
6
Not hard when gas was $3 a gallon
I've never been to Boston but heard that they don't cater much to people south of Connecticut. They are as insulated as any partly because of the long winters and location on the far end of the country where no one really visits. The only thing keeping things open minded are it's colleges drawing people from elsewhere.
1
You had your oil revenues until now. Much of Texas's prosperity was initiated by federal programs.
Texans as a group do make a great deal about their origins, to the point of excess. Believe me, I know something about excess and too much local pride. I live in New York City, and we have Donald Trump.
As for Bostonians, they are not much insecure as New York obsessed. They are always looking to southward, just like our previous and current mayor They even have their own Hangouts around town.
Texans as a group do make a great deal about their origins, to the point of excess. Believe me, I know something about excess and too much local pride. I live in New York City, and we have Donald Trump.
As for Bostonians, they are not much insecure as New York obsessed. They are always looking to southward, just like our previous and current mayor They even have their own Hangouts around town.
Ah, Texas. The good, bad and ugly right in your face. And, the beautiful, too. Lots of qualities, all jumbled up with pride and bragging. You can find it all. Stupid yet somehow smart. Loud and proud. Rick Perry on one side, Willie Nelson on the other. Extreme right-wing nut-job politics presiding over multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, accepting diversity. And, there's a a city for everyone. Dallas for money and work. San Antonio is Mexico with air conditioning. Austin is a lost chunk of liberal California. Houston is exploding with work and money and energy. Rural Texas is as deeply parochial as ever, supplying that right wing ballast that keeps state politics set on full starboard all the time.
But, demographically speaking, the Mexicans are coming. Lots of self-selecting conservative whites are coming to their perceived nirvana, too. The cities are exploding with growth. Austin is the fastest growing city in the country. People are voting with their feet and getting to the happening spot where life is burgeoning and the living is easier.
Change is coming. It's a good place to be, on the cutting edge.
But, demographically speaking, the Mexicans are coming. Lots of self-selecting conservative whites are coming to their perceived nirvana, too. The cities are exploding with growth. Austin is the fastest growing city in the country. People are voting with their feet and getting to the happening spot where life is burgeoning and the living is easier.
Change is coming. It's a good place to be, on the cutting edge.
4
For those of us who grew up in Texas during previous times, the real change that has come about in the last couple of decades is the excessive meanness of the politics. Many of us believe that "What Makes Texas Texas" is hard work, can-do attitudes, hospitality, a welcoming nature, and pride in the state tempered by a belief that, as my grandmother used to say, "We're no better than anybody else."
3
I was born in Texas more than 70 years ago, have lived here all of my life except for a year here or there for education and training. I'm having trouble relating to the article. I hope the NY Times author isn't hung up on the caricature of the state, but it certainly looks to me like he is. My ancestors came here during the pioneering days of the 1850s. They farmed mostly, took care of their families, helped neighbors, formed cohesive community ties. They loved the land, the wide open sky and had a modesty and reverence in their nature. I'm 99.9% sure they wouldn't identify with the gaudy, in-your-face caricature described here any more than I do. The modern culture here would disappoint them, but what the article refers to as Texan is not so different than other cultural pockets in the nation, now is it?
2
I've never met a Texan who could be fairly described as modest.
3
What any reporter should have done -- and what a good editors would have insisted on -- was to have gotten in his car, spent several days criss-crossing the state from El Paso to Brownsville to the Lousiana border, and that reporter would have seen a lot of things to make the skin crawl. They grow roses in East Texas in a community that for generatinos boasted with pride about a sign that said, "The blackest soil. The whitest people..." and where the churches of African Americans just recently were burning down....mysteriously. Some of the worst tenements in the nation still are found in El Paso, and along the border, what still makes Texas Texas is that ranchers who don't value the life of the immigrants. Not all is bad about Texas, but there's far more to it than the sugar and spice depicted in the travel brochures.
5
God Bless America and God Bless Texas--in that order. This is the sentiment I heard many times while growing up and also while working with the Legislature. I'm a native Texan who now lives in Boston. While New England has been wonderful and welcoming to me, Texas will always be home.
2
Amen. I am a New Englander living in Texas. Unassuming, kind, and very patriotic…I have found Texans to be wonderful. Still love the Sox though!
1
I've know people from all over the country who are passionate about where they live and where they come from. The only difference between them and Texans is that Texans don't seem to have a large enough imagination to understand that EVERY STATE has its merits and allure. Let's stop mythologizing Texas.
3
Texas is nice to visit... Austin anyway.
Thanx, but I'm perfectly happy with NYC... well, except maybe the winter snow and icy wind off the lower Hudson
Thanx, but I'm perfectly happy with NYC... well, except maybe the winter snow and icy wind off the lower Hudson
1
I think the whole country is changing thanks to Obama if you voted for him then you can thank him for your changing life. We don't see it in most other states because we are not along the border but we will see the change as well in the next few years.
2
Thank you President Obama. You have done a magnificent job. I am astonished at how much you have achieved, with extraordinary resistance.
11
Change was coming no matter who was president. We are a small part of a big world. Texas is no exceptional.
1
I am currently a transplanted Texan living in the third world country known as New Mexico. Recently transplanted, but as I write this I am in my birth city of Dallas visiting my daughter, son in law, and grandson who are all Native Texans.
I am proud to say I am from Texas and be a native Texan which unfortunately my wife is not. She is a native New Mexican. We met at Texas Tech as undergraduates, fell in love and married in Lubbock, Texas.
Living in NM is tough as my worries about my number stickers and Texas emblems on my Texas made Toyota and my Japanese made four wheel drive utility vehicle I use to haul firewood, dead trees, etc. on our mountain top property.
Long live Texas and let's hope I soon need my passport to drive back and forth to see my kids and grand kids.
JT
I am proud to say I am from Texas and be a native Texan which unfortunately my wife is not. She is a native New Mexican. We met at Texas Tech as undergraduates, fell in love and married in Lubbock, Texas.
Living in NM is tough as my worries about my number stickers and Texas emblems on my Texas made Toyota and my Japanese made four wheel drive utility vehicle I use to haul firewood, dead trees, etc. on our mountain top property.
Long live Texas and let's hope I soon need my passport to drive back and forth to see my kids and grand kids.
JT
3
What most don't realize is Texas is a "State of Mind".
We have pride in our state and nation. And our service in our nation's military proves it.
Most of the comments here are from those in Dallas and Houston – that isn’t real Texas – get out in the country. Travel around.
One thing a lot of folks also don’t realize is a lot of what influences Texas is the outdoors. The beaches, forests, deserts, rolling hills, streams and the mountains. Yep, we got em all. Our big cities don’t influence our culture, they do influence politics, but not the culture or way of life.
We have pride in our state and nation. And our service in our nation's military proves it.
Most of the comments here are from those in Dallas and Houston – that isn’t real Texas – get out in the country. Travel around.
One thing a lot of folks also don’t realize is a lot of what influences Texas is the outdoors. The beaches, forests, deserts, rolling hills, streams and the mountains. Yep, we got em all. Our big cities don’t influence our culture, they do influence politics, but not the culture or way of life.
3
Exactly why I love my home state, California.
1
Death penalty state. Plus GWB killed hundreds of thousands. Texas culture of death. Not a USA state. Is an NRA state.
1
Last time I flew to Mexico, I discharged my planes lavatory sewage over Texas. I've always wanted to get back at President Johnson.
4
You have him to thank for Texas prosperity. He as least cared about the poor and non-whites.
You'll have to drop a lot more waste to make it smell as bad as NYC.
1
Those Texas suits against the federal government. . . what's the won : lost ratio? And on the same general topic, has Texas ever recovered from the Jade Helm "invasion?"
8
Distrust "exceptionalism". Every single state and region has something to be both proud and ashamed of. Name one who doesn't. Apply this rule to countries and you reach the same conclusion if you can think.
People who need to self-identify as Texans, New Yorkers, Virginians, etc. are as shallow and insecure as sports fans who talk about their teams as "us". But sports should be a shallow, entertaining respite where our heroes are our fantasy-avatars, allowing us to better face the ambiguities, relativism of our real life.
Otherwise we are no better than the history-denying Turks, Russians, or Chinese, (fill in the blank here), or Americans --all of whom are too cowardly to admit to their own depredations.
If we are exceptional, it's only because we are better willing to face ourselves, warts and all.
Only the weak brook no criticism of their actions. Only the weak look for a big daddy who will make everything wonderful and restore "respect" that's been stolen from them.
People who need to self-identify as Texans, New Yorkers, Virginians, etc. are as shallow and insecure as sports fans who talk about their teams as "us". But sports should be a shallow, entertaining respite where our heroes are our fantasy-avatars, allowing us to better face the ambiguities, relativism of our real life.
Otherwise we are no better than the history-denying Turks, Russians, or Chinese, (fill in the blank here), or Americans --all of whom are too cowardly to admit to their own depredations.
If we are exceptional, it's only because we are better willing to face ourselves, warts and all.
Only the weak brook no criticism of their actions. Only the weak look for a big daddy who will make everything wonderful and restore "respect" that's been stolen from them.
7
I'm a life-long Texan and I can tell you that Texas has become a parody of itself. It always had that tendency, but never to the extent I have seen over the past couple of decades. Texans like to imagine that they are "rugged" individuals, but they are the most conformist group of people you can imagine. Don't dare, however, try to point that out to them and certainly do not flash any individualism that differs from the group mold.
14
As a transplant from Canada almost 40 years ago, it still amazes (and appalls) me that the Right Wing regressives stiil hold sway in the state. Our current attorney general is a poster child for corruption and arrogance, and the never-ending war on women's rights is almost as popular as suing Washington.
The irony is that the Texas mystique being marketed today in no way resembles the historical help-thy-neighbor attitude that prevailed in the early days.
Texans as individuals are wonderful, friendly people, for the most part, which makes it all the more depressing that they support our repressive state government.
The irony is that the Texas mystique being marketed today in no way resembles the historical help-thy-neighbor attitude that prevailed in the early days.
Texans as individuals are wonderful, friendly people, for the most part, which makes it all the more depressing that they support our repressive state government.
7
Without their oil and the money they receive from the Federal Government, Texans would be as poor as Mississippians...
8
Texas pays more into the federal government than they recieve back. I am not sure where you are getting your made up stat.
3
Dear Texas: yes, please leave the union ASAP. We'll use the federal funds formerly sent to you to expand Medicare, fund Planned Parenthood clinics for women and pass sensible gun control laws. Thank you!!
15
Except Texas sends more to the government than is sent back. It would be a loss for the US if we were to secede.
2
The secession must be approved by 2/3rds of the states. When Texas contributes almost 1/3rd of the GDP and has aamost 1/12th of the population necessary to pay off the 19TRILLION + in debt, what do you think are the chances of that happening? Texas would be debt free, and have a $1+Trillion GDP to spend on its 1/12th US current population. (Think Saudi Arabia) while the US would have under $3 trillion GDP (75%) to fund its 11/12 (91%) programs.
1
You ready to pay a lot more for a lot of goods and services? That funding you save from Texas leaving won't offset other costs.
As a 5th gener we had to leave crazy last year. Our daughter has Dyslexia and Texas is the one state who never adopted the scientific method of remediating reading (Orton Gillingham) but created their own method called Take Flight. All the schools use it - cute little program (but no science behind it)....which is a problem if you want to really learn how to read. I miss the Amon Carter, Kimbell and Bass Hall and the old Neimans.....but good Tex Mex can be found everywhere unless we build the wall.
10
The Take Flight Dyslexia curriculum is used in some Texas districts but not others. It is also used by schools in other states. Texas laws requires that school district's procedures must be implemented according to the State Board of Education (SBOE) approved strategies for screening, and techniques for treating dyslexia and related disorders. The strategies and techniques are described in "Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders," a set of flexible guidelines for local districts that may be modified by SBOE only with broad-based dialogue that includes input from educators and professionals in the field of reading and dyslexia and related disorders from across the state. Screening should only be done by individuals/professionals who are trained to assess students for dyslexia and related disorders. But school district may purchase a reading program or develop its own reading program for students with dyslexia. Take Flight is a two-year curriculum written by the staff of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
When I think of Texas, I think cheesy, corny and somebody has lied to Texans. And they believed the lie.
12
My son just moved to Dallas and first impressions of the neighbors surprised me---not the stereotyped Texans I expected. Again, just a small sample, but, I sense that Rick Perry would be uncomfortable in the gatherings I attended this weekend.
1
I love it when outsiders write about Texas and get it all wrong, every time. A few years in Houston in no way makes you ready to analyze Texas nor does it give you the perspective needed to even begin to understand Texas or Texans.
5
Right. It's like trying to talk about eggs when you're not a chicken.
3
You are so right. I've lived in Fort Worth for 5 years and I still don't understand Texans.
3
I'm thinking that people know a LOT more about eggs than chickens do.
Under the carapace of the swaggering, gun toting Texas the author talks about is also a liberal and progressive tradition, imperfectly embodied by Lyndon Johnson. If and when Texas progressives organize to get out the votes of the changing demographic of the state, including the rising share of Hispanics as well as transplants from other parts of the U.S., Texas need not have governors like Abbott or senators like Cruz.
9
Wasn't LBJ implicated in a lot of other murders besides the assassination of John F. Kennedy?
The article leads the reader to believe this is the way most people think in Texas, yet fails to discuss the parallel population it mentions; poor, minorities, immigrants and working people.
Texas has turned into a mean place to live. The population does not have the same rights as other states because these rights have been eroded or eliminated in the name of "states rights" and good bidness ("business"). The Republican dominated legislature has literally destroyed our primary and secondary education systems. College is a fantasy lived out by the upper middle class because no one else can afford it.
While some of these problems across our great country, Texas is not unique, other than the fact that its leaders are cold hearted.
Texas has turned into a mean place to live. The population does not have the same rights as other states because these rights have been eroded or eliminated in the name of "states rights" and good bidness ("business"). The Republican dominated legislature has literally destroyed our primary and secondary education systems. College is a fantasy lived out by the upper middle class because no one else can afford it.
While some of these problems across our great country, Texas is not unique, other than the fact that its leaders are cold hearted.
18
Compare tuition at state schools here to most other publics colleges in other states and Texas is very competitive.
Manny seems to have omitted the recemt SCOTUS' decision in the suit against Texas for requiring Photo ID to vote and immigration enforcement. As Gov. Perry claimed in 2013, "“endless litigation in an effort to obstruct the will of the people of Texas.” resulted in Solicitor General Ted Cruz arguing in front of the Court multiple times. (and winning 5 times). The one sided report of how many times Texas has sued Washington needs the balance of how many times DC has sued the state of Texas to be fair.
4
Change that you cannot control and that you do not understand is always very difficult to deal with. Texas is not the only part of our country that faces this.
3
Let Texans be Texans. Let New Yorkers be New Yorkers. This big and diverse country affords most of us the opportunity to live where we want to live, where we feel we best fit and at least a chance to be happy. There's terrific things about every part of this country and we don't have to agree with each other about everything in order to acknowledge and appreciate that. A little more tolerance from everyone right would be a good thing.
12
Why identify with a particular state and not America? This sort of provincialism makes it difficult to deal with common challenges and find agreeable solutions.
5
I grew up in New York City, lived in Arkansas and Indiana and have lived in Iowa for the past 30 years. While I enjoy visiting New York, I don't consider myself a New Yorker or an Iowan -- I am an American. Why do so many Texans reverse this dynamic?
4
Yes, if you don't like the way your race, gender, etc. is treated by the state government where you live, just move to another state, right?
2
Maybe Texas has a lot to be proud of unlike many liberal states that are collapsing under the weight of the tax burden they employ upon their residents and industry. Those moving from liberal states should either conform to what works or stay in the rust belt and fade away under liberal rule!!
4
Massachusetts, bluest of blues, is doing great economically if you do your research! The tax burden northern states suffer is having to send more federal tax revenue to states in the south than they get back. Secede, please!
5
Liking "Ole Greg's" kool-ade Tommy. Do you like it when the rich can sue you, but you can't sue the rich.
1
If sitting on a big pool of oil is something to be proud of, then Texas takes second place to Saudi Arabia.
1
There's been two U.S. presidents from Texas and, being products of their environment, neither stands a chance of making it on the top 30 U.S. presidents list...
5
Actually, the elder Bush was a really good man. He has served his country well and proudly since becoming a teen age aviator in WWII. His son however is a failed POTUS due to Iran and the financial debacle.
Lyndon Johnson made a difference in Civil Rights legislation. It took a Texan President who was a master of the senate to do so.
Most people think GHWB was a really good man. That doesn't make him, or any other, a good president. Service in the military is a good thing but that's all it is.
I've lived in Houston since 1977 and this article simply plays to a stereotype. It isn't that one doesn't know folks like those cited in Mr. Frernandez's article. I have worked with many folks like this. However, he describes white, native-born, white 'conservative' Texans -- and (to sell his article?) ignores the millions of us who find the so-called Texan attitudes ridiculous. I suspect the millions of black and Latino folks living here would use other words to describe so-called Texan culture. As for the Vietnamese-Americans, Korean-Americans, and people from places as diverse as India and China and the Middle East, I doubt they even pay much attention. The real key to understanding the attitudes of hard-core whites born and raised in Texas is simple: fear. Fear of becoming a joke. Their fear is justified.
16
There are good things about every state, and Texas too. Austin, while being considered weird or not quite Texas, is itself proud of being Texan and a great place to be. That being said, I can't understand the excessive pride and need of Texans to prove they are great--reminds of a teenage boy who puffs out his chest about everything. Finally, the notion that everything is bigger in Texas? Mountains? Nope. Rivers? Nope. Coastline with beaches? Nope. Biggest City? Nope.
5
Texas is a much more diverse place than most people outside of the state realize. There is no single Texas identity. Yes, we are dominated politically by a far right republican party, but this party never represents more than six out of ten Texans. It certainly does not represent the inner cities of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio or El Paso. It does not represent the "People's Republic of Travis County," or the whole of South Texas. But it does control a primary system that in the end determines which candidate in the general election will have the "R" by their name, and that is enough to control Texas government. This state can save itself, but only if the Democratic Party wakes up from its 30 year nap and changes.
70
Thanks Mark, are we the only 2 sane Texans who chimed in?
C The state can save itself by going Democrat? What needs to be saved? Texas is doing very well thank you. Can you say Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, Gary (ind)and many more? Those are just few of the places controlled by Democrats for generations and they have become hellholes. Todays Democrats are only fit to be in charge of other groups of similarly minded folk: Russia, China, North Korea for instance.
Born in Texas, raised in Franklin, TN, now back in Texas since 1999. Yes, Texas has a brand all to itself and self-perpetuated. It starts in elementary school Texas History and builds from there. Several homes have the Texas flag flying. It's a state all to its own as this article states.
Manny Fernandez, the author, also points to the state's Democrats who feel a little left out of Texas' political state and the opinion others have of it - and he's on point. As one of the states "little to the left" inhabitants, I'm often labeled "liberal" while only feeling intelligently moderate.
Alas, it's a good place to be, raise a family as long as you know not everything is bigger in Texas. Things that are smaller: trees, rain totals, rivers, winter, and fuel prices.
Y'all come visit.
Manny Fernandez, the author, also points to the state's Democrats who feel a little left out of Texas' political state and the opinion others have of it - and he's on point. As one of the states "little to the left" inhabitants, I'm often labeled "liberal" while only feeling intelligently moderate.
Alas, it's a good place to be, raise a family as long as you know not everything is bigger in Texas. Things that are smaller: trees, rain totals, rivers, winter, and fuel prices.
Y'all come visit.
4
I grew up in Oklahoma, lived in Texas for 8 years, followed by Arizona for 11, and now in Vermont for 4. As I read this article next to my partner who grew up in Long Island and has family in Dallas, he continually makes fun of how much people in Texas identify with, love and try to convince others to love Texas. The thing is, as your article said, Texas never leaves you. I still miss it and when "homesick" I drink a Shiner. I keep a pair of boots (cowboy that is) that I bought in Amarillo and I have a "Don't Mess With Texas" sticker. It hurts to see the ultra conservatism emerge because I didn't know anyone with those beliefs when I lived there. Clearly you are not a fan of Gov. Abbott as you refused to call him that throughout your article. (How'd you get that past the editor's?) I hope the Democrat's are right about their belief that this conservatism is temporary.
3
A lot of posters here are having a grand time dissing folks who have pride in the traditional culture of their state. What an outlandish idea, right, pick out some stereotypes and lampoon them. Cowboy hats, guns, Alamo, Country music, hicks, hayseeds, farmers, cows. What a bunch of looooosers, right.
Totally unlike sophisticated places like Washington, DC, the crime capital of the country. Or New York City, cultural capital of the country, with all those rude folks who wouldn't give you the time of day. Or how about Chicago, full of crime ridden ghettos. Yes, all of those places are soooooo much more entitled to have folks proud of their little wonderlands.
Texans, out hunting for food with a gun, how silly. Chicago Thugs out mugging folks with a glock...... much more sophisticated. Right. --NOT !
What is interesting is that so many so called liberals and progressives like to brag about diversity, except for what some folks see as traditional family and cultural values.
Totally unlike sophisticated places like Washington, DC, the crime capital of the country. Or New York City, cultural capital of the country, with all those rude folks who wouldn't give you the time of day. Or how about Chicago, full of crime ridden ghettos. Yes, all of those places are soooooo much more entitled to have folks proud of their little wonderlands.
Texans, out hunting for food with a gun, how silly. Chicago Thugs out mugging folks with a glock...... much more sophisticated. Right. --NOT !
What is interesting is that so many so called liberals and progressives like to brag about diversity, except for what some folks see as traditional family and cultural values.
1
I have to say that New Yorkers are not rude people. As a New Yorker my experience was that rudeness generally came from non-New Yorkers who seem to think that is the way to behave in the big city. New Yorkers are busy people but they are not rude and they are good & helpful. This is not what I experienced in Texas where the crime was high & violent, people made outright offensive comments plus some of the most dangerous drivers I have ever experienced. It's a lawless place in my opinion and they do love their guns. Austin is a wonderful city and quite unlike the rest of Texas.
3
Excellent analysis- and interesting that "tolerance" with so-called "liberals" only seems to go one way. Gee, almost every comment on here is negative towards Texas, disparaging of conservatives, contemptuous of traditional values, and then c the article wonders why people from Texas think "their culture is under attack". If anything proves traditional Texas culture is "under attack", perhaps it is the multitude of rude, ignorant and bigoted comments from the many people on here "attacking" Texas.
They feel their culture is being attacked....??? What, by modernity? Texas' most recent contribution to our great nation is the worst president in modern American history...and they invented the "mega church." Please.
12
No kidding. And by whom? The ultimate arrogance, thinking you're being attacked when the truth is no one cares enough to attack you!
Actually the first mega church was founded in Orange County California - Crystal Cathedral.
Texas is simply a small bore example of the United States. An overweening and endlessly preening region that feels it is "all that" when the reality is it's just a State. One no different from all the rest. Its hubris is in thinking that somehow it is.
14
Texas has a legacy as one of the most important states in advancing and protecting progressive causes. It gave us Lyndon Johnson, who gave us the Civil Rights bills, and Sam Rayburn, who shepherded nearly all of the important progressive legislation of the 20th century through the House. This wasn't too long ago, as Jim Wright would tell you. For decades the Texas delegation was critical to advancing and protecting the Democratic party's progressive policies. People forget too quickly.
5
I'm a Texan born and bred for over 50 years. Have lived in the mid-atlantic area for 8 years now. The first thing a Texan learns, if they ever leave the state, is that nobody cares about their imaginary special pedigree. The second is that their new neighbors think the giant Texas flag hanging over the fireplace is ridiculous because it is. It's all mythology, a type of religion that even none-believers indulge in to blot out the reality that Texas is a horrible state run by horrible politicians who are running a once great state into the ground. Nothing will ever get better in Texas.
16
In LA they'll tell you to 'have a nice day.'
In NYC they don't care whether you have a nice day.
In Texas they'll invite you to come over to watch the game, have a Shiner and some Tex-Mex or barbeque.
In NYC they don't care whether you have a nice day.
In Texas they'll invite you to come over to watch the game, have a Shiner and some Tex-Mex or barbeque.
2
Whatever else contributes to the Texas mystique, there are three things which ought not be forgotten.
1) The state has a unique, compelling, and unforgettable shape.
2) The five letters of ‘Texas’ and ‘Texan’ look like a million bucks on a marquee or headline. If your movie is about Hawaii, you may be tempted to put ‘Texas’ in the title.
3) The simple two syllable name has a musical quality. There are other states which can compete on this ground (Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee, etc.), but more that can’t. There are few movie characters nicknamed ‘Illinois’ or ‘Hampshire’.
This all makes for an unfair marketing advantage.
1) The state has a unique, compelling, and unforgettable shape.
2) The five letters of ‘Texas’ and ‘Texan’ look like a million bucks on a marquee or headline. If your movie is about Hawaii, you may be tempted to put ‘Texas’ in the title.
3) The simple two syllable name has a musical quality. There are other states which can compete on this ground (Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee, etc.), but more that can’t. There are few movie characters nicknamed ‘Illinois’ or ‘Hampshire’.
This all makes for an unfair marketing advantage.
1
Being liberal is not being American, and Texans realize that fact. God Guns and Texas is their motto. Regressive leftists cannot deal with that fact. That's what I like about Texas, the state hasn't been polluted with rampant liberalism.
I admit that.
I admit that.
4
And that's precisely what I don't like about Texas. I'd vote for letting your state secede. Your handle 'WeenieBoogers' says volumes.
3
It is not an exaggeration it is a conflagration of the unique, the outrageous and the sublime. It is not ironic. The politicians are just a bunch of preachers boys trying to fit in, no one in Texas likes Ted Cruz even if they voted for him. Pass the biscuits please, it's another beautiful day in God's country.
1
Texas is composed, to a great extent, by folks who have moved here from other states and other countries - Those that like the "Texas Way" tend to stay, those that don't head elsewhere - Thus over time the majority of folks that live here, like it here - And yes, it is quite different than NYC
Any state the could produce W, Perry, Cruz and Abbot should be ashamed not proud. Self reflection is a virtue and after the disasters that these elected officials have produced everyone in Texas should be taking a very hard look at what is wrong with this state not bragging.
9
Texas – the birthplace of rock and roll thanks to Buddy Holly hailing from Lubbock – witnessed a bizarre music event in 1978: a tour by the Sex Pistols.
The band was at the height of their anti-establishment run and their manager continued to stir the pot by arranging a tour of the South by playing locations such as San Antonio and Houston but not Austin. The sign outside the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas announced: “Tonight – Sex Pistols. Jan 19 – Merle Haggard”. That has to be one of the most unusual to have graced a music venue.
The band played. Beer bottles were thrown on stage and didn’t band leader, Johnny Rotten accuse the males in attendance of being, well, something derogatory?
But no one was killed or even injured. A small event in the history of the State for sure but one that illustrates that Texans have a sense of humor.
The sign can be seen at:
http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/on-tour-with-the-sex-pistols/
The band was at the height of their anti-establishment run and their manager continued to stir the pot by arranging a tour of the South by playing locations such as San Antonio and Houston but not Austin. The sign outside the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas announced: “Tonight – Sex Pistols. Jan 19 – Merle Haggard”. That has to be one of the most unusual to have graced a music venue.
The band played. Beer bottles were thrown on stage and didn’t band leader, Johnny Rotten accuse the males in attendance of being, well, something derogatory?
But no one was killed or even injured. A small event in the history of the State for sure but one that illustrates that Texans have a sense of humor.
The sign can be seen at:
http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/on-tour-with-the-sex-pistols/
3
I was there that night....we had recently moved from NYC...it was a strange event to be sure. Punks vs cowboys.......memorable in a way, and a clear signal to me that I was no longer in Gotham. In some ways it was the definitive Punk experience.
Thanks for bringing up music in this discussion. We Texans have given the world Stevie Ray, ZZ Top, my personal favs theButthole Surfers and so many others.
Texas is like a club. It has a culture, a way of talking, a dress code, a tattoo, a flag, an attitude, rules on what you have to think - thinking is scripted. Some residents of the state join the club, some don't.
1
Oil, a few swamps, some grassland, a whole lot of parched badlands full of narrow minded bigots with an appalling ignorance of the rest of the country and whose world view was formed from inside a military uniform or from shopping sprees in Paris. Take away the primacy of oil and it would be one of the poorest states. While their history (the real one, not what they teach in their fantasy-filled classrooms) may be interesting, it isn't really that unique. The people can be warm and outgoing until you voice a single opinion that is counter to their usually extreme right wing and religion-dominated world view.
I spent a lot of time there in past years; if I never set foot there again it will be too soon. I was once asked to put down my plate and leave from the house of my girlfriend's parents for expressing the (asked for) opinion that the Sandinistas might not be as bad as they had been portrayed in 1980s media. No discussion, no debate, just leave! If it didn't set a precedent I'd be four-square behind their leaving the union, and would watch with glee as half their population scrambled over the new wall that would be put up to prevent illegal immigration from Texas.
I spent a lot of time there in past years; if I never set foot there again it will be too soon. I was once asked to put down my plate and leave from the house of my girlfriend's parents for expressing the (asked for) opinion that the Sandinistas might not be as bad as they had been portrayed in 1980s media. No discussion, no debate, just leave! If it didn't set a precedent I'd be four-square behind their leaving the union, and would watch with glee as half their population scrambled over the new wall that would be put up to prevent illegal immigration from Texas.
9
Your article represents just one part of the citizens of Texas. We also have liberals, moderates, differing views on guns, immigrants from other states and countries. All this is Texas, and not just gun toting conservative Republicans.
3
True. Also true is that there was no such thing as a Republican for 100 years, from the end of the Civil War until 1980 or so. Texas has always leaned conservative in many ways, but the current state government control by libertarian-leaning politicians is a recent happening. With the change in demographics occurring in our state, those of us left-leaning know it's just a matter of time:)
2
But those gun toting, conservative, Cruz/Perry/Bush people leave a huge stink wherever they go--and far beyond.
2
You won't live long enough to see a difference even if the demographics keep changing at the same rate. Leave now and make a difference somewhere where your energy will matter.
1
Having lived in Texas my entire life, like the four generations before me, I am terribly conflicted by this article. On the one hand, two of my most recent art purchases include a Texas Flag by Taft McWhorter and a set of dish towels stamped with caricature maps of Houston and Texas, by a local artist.
Texas-Proud? You bet. But this article describes, not Texas, but Rural, Republican, Tea Party Texas. Yes, I support the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but for me, it is through the Best Bites competition, where the best chefs from all over Houston come together in culinary competition in one of the most exciting and diverse foodie cities in the nation.
Texas Proud? Absolutely, but totally embarrassed at the anti-American governor (as well as his immediate predecessor) with their talk of secession, suits against the federal government, obsession with President Obama, destruction of education, obstruction of health care for our children and most vulnerable, loyalty to big business over human beings, emphatuation with abortion and sex and people who are different, and cynical manipulation of otherwise good people through appeals to their religious beliefs.
And, though I vote in the minority, I am certain that I live in the majority. Houston is diverse, accepting and welcoming. It has, in the University of Houston, the most diverse campus in the nation. In the Medical Center, a microcosm of all the nations on earth. Opportunity unbound.
Texas Proud? Yes. My Texas.
Texas-Proud? You bet. But this article describes, not Texas, but Rural, Republican, Tea Party Texas. Yes, I support the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but for me, it is through the Best Bites competition, where the best chefs from all over Houston come together in culinary competition in one of the most exciting and diverse foodie cities in the nation.
Texas Proud? Absolutely, but totally embarrassed at the anti-American governor (as well as his immediate predecessor) with their talk of secession, suits against the federal government, obsession with President Obama, destruction of education, obstruction of health care for our children and most vulnerable, loyalty to big business over human beings, emphatuation with abortion and sex and people who are different, and cynical manipulation of otherwise good people through appeals to their religious beliefs.
And, though I vote in the minority, I am certain that I live in the majority. Houston is diverse, accepting and welcoming. It has, in the University of Houston, the most diverse campus in the nation. In the Medical Center, a microcosm of all the nations on earth. Opportunity unbound.
Texas Proud? Yes. My Texas.
12
I had always heard that Houston was tolerant and welcoming, but when they overwhelmingly voted to repeal their LGBT protections they showed themselves to be just as intolerant and hostile as the rest of the state. I'd once planned to visit, but now I'm not sure I can.
3
Look, go to Austin if you really wanna see LGBT livin' large. And Houston's Gay Pride Parade is one of the hippest do's around. Just like anywhere else, there are contradictions. First thing you need to understand is that the politics is highly gerrymandered, and that the laws do not reflect the majority. Oh, and Mayor Annise Parker should be a name you recognize...
A casual reading of the comments here suggest that Texas IS under attack. I say this having not been born there or ever living there.
Most of the commenters here seem to detest common sense, calling it "hard right".
Liberalism is gaining a foothold everywhere thanks to a decades long propaganda campaign from news sources, the entertainment industry, indoctrination cloaked as education. A general "dumbing down"of the populace. We are too stupid to govern ourselves.
Most of the commenters here seem to detest common sense, calling it "hard right".
Liberalism is gaining a foothold everywhere thanks to a decades long propaganda campaign from news sources, the entertainment industry, indoctrination cloaked as education. A general "dumbing down"of the populace. We are too stupid to govern ourselves.
Texas is big, therefore it has some good - like more ethnic diversity than most red states. Austin is awesome.
1
I'm thinking if you liberal's had something to brag on ya'll might not mind a people who do quite so much .... Harsh well retreat to your safe spaces and try and come up with something
Having grown up in Texas, and leaving the day I graduated high school, Texas is best viewed in a rear view mirror.
7
We're equally as thrilled that you're gone.
Where are you going that you believe is better?
Texas? I was saddened to hear that it wasn't part of Mexico. God talkers andPeople who stroll around with guns on their hips, heads adorned with silly cowboy hats, and wearing the red, white and blue. Kids required to say the stupid pledges in school. Sounds like Dufusville to me. Allow the immigrants to have the place. I will never go there.
9
Have you ever been to TX ? Because it sounds like you are quoting a movie .
Why give it away when we can sell it?
I grew up in Texas and still have lots of family in the state. It is true that there is no other state in the union whose residents have as much pride and conviction in their specialness and distinctiveness. But that Texas nationalism masks real divides in a state that is changing rapidly. Texas has a massive underclass of poorly paid people who live on the margins, most of whom don't vote so they currently wield little power. The conservatives who currently control state politics are really a coalition of two very different Texas cultures--the rapidly expanding but rootless megalopolitan Texans who inhabit the generic suburban landscapes that stretch for miles around Texas' megacities and the native Texans who are more earnestly anchored in the historic Texas landscapes that are rapidly disappearing. The megalopolitans are generally crassly materialistic, living a life of unrestrained consumerism. The alliance between these two groups will not hold, and Texas politics will soon become much more complicated.
39
Pride? You serve the same Bud beer and barbecue as any other state.
Mr. Fernandez's article is excellent, and the topic of my home state (I'm from Corpus Christi) is as big and wide as the state itself. I should also say that one of the best and most accurate observers of Texas is the NYT's own Gail Collins. That said, I am disgusted by what I see as the backwardness of a lot of my "countrymen", and a poisonous willful ignorance about the world beyond the Texas borders. I guess you could say that we are selfish, self-centered, and egotistical. My dad used to say that Texas was so big that it discouraged travel to other places, which could be true. It would explain why Texans' problems seem so large to us, and not having the benefit of any kind of travel or exposure to other places (other than resort trips to Cancun for those who can afford it), we get mired in the caricature the world has drawn for us. It's almost as if we are proud of our ignorance. As I read the hyper-critical comments in the comments below, I understand and agree with much of the criticism. But a part of me feels like I should be circling the wagons, too. Once I said to my mom that I felt guilty for having lost touch with family and friends, since I'd lived most my life overseas. She said not to worry: that being Texan was like being in the Catholic Church or the Mafia: once you're in, you can never really leave.
1
I'm native Texan. I remember when a man's word was a contract. We were more act to share ice tea and each other's company under a shade tree than bust heads over a beer. Sure, rodeos as were a young man's passage to manhood. Foreigners from the northeast believe we talk slow, so we must think slow. Unlike the northeast, we think before we talk.
There are elements of fighting Indians, Mexicans, gun slingers, the law, and bank robbers. Anymore, we just focus on liberals ;-)
Be it flood, tornado, a broken leg, breached fence, drought, or a bad character from someplace else, Texans are self reliant and help each other. This carries over in our folklore, families, values, and politics.
As for racisism, Texas has no need for perpetual victims. I miss Bud, as fine a man as ever stood in Denton, and black as coal. He has long ago passed. And there is Marvin, a black man my age that was angry when was young, and is as fine a person as you'll ever know.
I've travelled the world mostly alone, and my Texas values have served me well.
It is clear why people move to Texas. The supportive, can do attitude, and active resistance to meddlers, liberals, and thieves is good for business.
If you take time to look, you'll find taste as has the largest oak forest in the world. It might take a bit to realize as it does not look like what you expect.
I am grateful to the immigrants for one thing. Those big belt buckles are finally out of fashion.
There are elements of fighting Indians, Mexicans, gun slingers, the law, and bank robbers. Anymore, we just focus on liberals ;-)
Be it flood, tornado, a broken leg, breached fence, drought, or a bad character from someplace else, Texans are self reliant and help each other. This carries over in our folklore, families, values, and politics.
As for racisism, Texas has no need for perpetual victims. I miss Bud, as fine a man as ever stood in Denton, and black as coal. He has long ago passed. And there is Marvin, a black man my age that was angry when was young, and is as fine a person as you'll ever know.
I've travelled the world mostly alone, and my Texas values have served me well.
It is clear why people move to Texas. The supportive, can do attitude, and active resistance to meddlers, liberals, and thieves is good for business.
If you take time to look, you'll find taste as has the largest oak forest in the world. It might take a bit to realize as it does not look like what you expect.
I am grateful to the immigrants for one thing. Those big belt buckles are finally out of fashion.
2
Wow, makes me want to move to Texas! In exchange, the folks looking for third generation welfare should move to New York, DC or California!
4
Too many in Texas are looking back with foggy mirror. As always the past was not as we envision. It was a much harder life with less time to enjoy Rose colored glasses give the wearer a different view
1
If Texans believe in God as much as they claim they do. There is nothing better than Gods message to rest of America. Look at the shape of Texas State on your map and the side view of toilet is the closest resembelance. I tell Texans no one messes with refuse.
PS: New York Times it is satire.
PS: New York Times it is satire.
1
I was born in Texas, but spent early years in NYC, and returned to Texas 45 years ago. Whether one is a New Yorker, Texan, or has family roots and cultural ties to other countries, it is healthy to have pride in one's identity.
I commented on a recent NYT article, advising the beleaguered Chicago residents to leave their miserable lives and start fresh elsewhere. But perhaps the desire for identity is so strong that even misery is preferred to being rootless.
When one is asked about formative influences in one's life, family, place, origin, and religion often figure in the answers given. Texas is unique, and there are many reasons for Texas pride. But those with strong identity and pride would do well to take that next step, and realize that New Yorkers are special too. As well, those from anywhere. Even Chicago.
Pride in who we are makes us strong and healthy, and anywhere there is a community that lives together, works, raises families and cares for them, has a reason to be proud.
I commented on a recent NYT article, advising the beleaguered Chicago residents to leave their miserable lives and start fresh elsewhere. But perhaps the desire for identity is so strong that even misery is preferred to being rootless.
When one is asked about formative influences in one's life, family, place, origin, and religion often figure in the answers given. Texas is unique, and there are many reasons for Texas pride. But those with strong identity and pride would do well to take that next step, and realize that New Yorkers are special too. As well, those from anywhere. Even Chicago.
Pride in who we are makes us strong and healthy, and anywhere there is a community that lives together, works, raises families and cares for them, has a reason to be proud.
3
Having lived all over the US, and yes Texas being one of those, I can say that Texas was one of my favorite places. The people are incredibly independent, hard working and hard playing. Their demeanor reminds me a lot of southerners, and by the way don't ever confuse Texas as being in the "South", them is fighting words !
I have both family and friends still entrenched in Texas, and for the most part they still love it. I moved from there nearly 30 years ago, and have thought often of retiring there along the coast. I hope that Texans can maintain there true personality of pride and independence, and their loathing of all things inside the beltway for generations to come.
I have both family and friends still entrenched in Texas, and for the most part they still love it. I moved from there nearly 30 years ago, and have thought often of retiring there along the coast. I hope that Texans can maintain there true personality of pride and independence, and their loathing of all things inside the beltway for generations to come.
1
Let's not forget that although Texas has given us George W and, almost, Eduardo Cruz, Texas also gave us Lyndon B. Johnson.
5
We have a Fridge Sticker at home, bought in Texas, shaped like a 'Colt' pistol, which reads: "We don't dial 911".
1
Oh for heaven's sake. That you're proud of that speaks volumes.
3
The state of Texas exports three times the value of goods and services onto world markets as does the failed state of California which is dependent on defense spending via stationed military personnel and defense contractors. This also means that productive economic activity in Texas is taxed to extract surplus that is used to fund the military-industrial complex in the Golden State, which is also home to a third of the nation's welfare recipients. And for some reason, the superior educational system in Texas produces more high-school graduates with better outcomes than the lotus-eating navel-gazers on the West Coast who also produced the two most reactionary presidents of the postwar era (Nixon and Reagan) before they gave up demanding withdrawal from the United Nations and alleging that sex education was a communist plot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B._Utt
1
Texas is a southern state with oil, and not the dysfunction of its neighbor to the east.
The urban centers and the rural districts are being over-run by suburbia, a vaste wasteland of more more more.
The conservative tilt with hypocritical hatred is the false facade of a gerrymanderd politics and power structure.
It's like any other place with contrasts, which is to say, all places.
Like most of America, it was taken from someone else, and some day it will be given back.
The urban centers and the rural districts are being over-run by suburbia, a vaste wasteland of more more more.
The conservative tilt with hypocritical hatred is the false facade of a gerrymanderd politics and power structure.
It's like any other place with contrasts, which is to say, all places.
Like most of America, it was taken from someone else, and some day it will be given back.
1
What exactly do you mean, "... not the dysfunction of its neighbor to the east."?
Maybe I'm wrong Malcom, but your question seems to imply that you may be offended by his remark. Don't worry though. He is talking about Louisiana, not New York. Louisiana has a reputation as a very corrupt state.
I'm a NY/NJ y who moved to Ft. Worth about 4 years ago. Lots of good, some bad in Texas ... just like everywhere else. Most noteworthy to me is the people care about being Texans and take pride in their traditions. Very refreshing when compared to many other places in the US that have few unique traditions and less civic pride.
2
You mention civic pride but Texas has some of the lowest voter turnout out of the 50 states and DC: in 2012, it ranked 48. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/03/12/the-states-wit...
6
Texans showed what they really were after Katrina in 2005 when they opened their hearts and their state to those afflicted by this disaster next door in Louisiana. Whatever faults they may or may not possess, Texans generally have a heart as big as the Lone Star State. I have lived there on the bayou that has my family name on it, but was not born there to my lasting regret...
5
I lived in Houston for about 3 years and I discovered that the people there will act like normal human beings unless they feel the need to live up to the myth of what it means to be a Texan.
2
It's very subjective, isn't it? And filled with self admiration. That's what Dualism is: Good and evil mixed together. With all the magic of a torchlilght parade at night.
Just don't utter the word "dualism" in Texas or someone openly carrying a gun will shoot you dead. The only question will be whether (s)he understood what the word means or not.
Huh. I have 3 degrees from 3 demonstrably world class Texas universities. I perfectly understand the word "dualism." I'd never shoot you, unless you needed killin' (that's a joke, hon.). Stereotype much?
For all of those attacking our state, who feel the need to tell us that they'd never want to live here - we're not inviting you to, and your antipathy is reciprocated. We won't lose a moment's sleep over it, believe me.
5
Texas is proudly different--and sees itself as a moral lesson for the rest of us--all without seeing the contradiction.
3
Yes, Texas is changing. I know it's hard to imagine now, but someday Texas will no longer be a solid red state in presidential elections but the biggest swing state. And of course Texans will be proud of being the biggest in that category too.
3
Texas as a decent place for most folks is long gone, thanks to decades of Republican rule. Gerrymandering and illegal voting laws have blocked liberals and moderates from having a say. As a result, much of the state resembles the third world. The minimum wage is stuck at $7.25, and the state voted not to let poor people get help under the Affordable Care Act, so there are a lot of sickly people here. The roads and bridges are in terrible condition. If it weren't for the federal government stepping in to give kids free breakfasts and lunches, there would be a lot of starving kids on the streets. All of America knows how awful the schools are here. The air and water in cities like Houston is poisoned, and Mr. Fernandez is raising a child in Houston? That's the takeaway that stands out from his article.
12
sounds like you should leave?
Having come from Texas, the best thing about Texas is being from it and not in it.
6
Funny...because I've lived in Texas all my life (53 years) and have even lived in the same city the writer lives in for 40 of those years (he's only lived here 4 years) - and I barely even recognize the place he's describing.
Even funnier, are all those obviously left-leaning demagogues in the comments section, railing against the state while sharing their non-existent expertise on the subject. It is absolutely clear from their hateful and blatantly uninformed comments that they have no idea what they're talking about.
Even funnier, are all those obviously left-leaning demagogues in the comments section, railing against the state while sharing their non-existent expertise on the subject. It is absolutely clear from their hateful and blatantly uninformed comments that they have no idea what they're talking about.
6
With all due respect, I generally expect an outsider to more fairly evaluate a place than a native of that place.
5
Yes, Texas truly is exceptional...
Education Week, ranked Texas 43rd among 50 states in K-12 education in 2016. In 2013, Texas ranked 44th in graduation rates. Texas’ investment per student was 27% less than the national average. Only 51% of students earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. It ranked first in amount of carbon emissions, first in hazardous waste produced, last in voter turnout, first in percentage of people without health insurance, and second in percentage of uninsured kids. Texas ranks the lowest in the nation for women with health insurance, and is the second lowest in the nation for percent of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester. Texas also ranks the fourth highest in the nation for percentage of women living in poverty.
(Stats courtesy of the 2013 Texas Legislative Study Group - Texas on the Brink Report and printed in the Texas Observer)
Education Week, ranked Texas 43rd among 50 states in K-12 education in 2016. In 2013, Texas ranked 44th in graduation rates. Texas’ investment per student was 27% less than the national average. Only 51% of students earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. It ranked first in amount of carbon emissions, first in hazardous waste produced, last in voter turnout, first in percentage of people without health insurance, and second in percentage of uninsured kids. Texas ranks the lowest in the nation for women with health insurance, and is the second lowest in the nation for percent of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester. Texas also ranks the fourth highest in the nation for percentage of women living in poverty.
(Stats courtesy of the 2013 Texas Legislative Study Group - Texas on the Brink Report and printed in the Texas Observer)
17
Maybe Ted Nugents quote, Keep Texas “the last best place" should be, Keep Texas "the best last place."
6
Not to be forgotten when viewing the Alamo: the great war of independence from Mexico was a fight over the right to keep slaves. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 causing the slave-owning American settlers in Texas to declare their independence. So much for the Texan freedom fighters Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.
5
You should learn a little Texas history before posting misinformation you picked up on some blog site. The Texas Revolution had nothing to do with slavery. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829. Texas revolted along with the Mexican states of Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Durango, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Yucatán, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas in 1836 when Santa Anna repealed the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and made himself a dictator. Texas independence became the goal only after the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad. Texas was the only state that won its independence. Although Mexico officially abolished slavery in 1821, the law rarely enforced. Slaves were still being sold at auctions in Chihuahua City during the American Civil War. If Texas had remained part of Mexico, Texas slaveholders like slaveholders in other Mexican states would have converted their slaves first to indentured servants and then to the debt peonage system that lasted into the 1900s.
1
I grew up in California and live in Arizona and so I have no Texas bias. And, if it is to be ms Clinton versus mr Trimp, I will vote for her. That said, simply because Texans reject all that is wrong with DC and the orientation of the left, is no
reason to mock them. It is a good thing to actually have values and to be proud of your state. Maybe others should try it and lose the holier than though attitude.
reason to mock them. It is a good thing to actually have values and to be proud of your state. Maybe others should try it and lose the holier than though attitude.
3
I'd be just fine with Texas if it would stop exporting lunatic politicians onto the national scene. The likes of Cruz, Gohmert, and Perry can hardly be described as the best that Texas can do. Texas used to hold a certain mystique for me but now it's just an outsized pain in America's rump.
9
The problem with Texan hubris is summed up nicely by the historical plaque at the San Jacinto monument - which I've visited several times, nestled incongruously among the refineries and industrial landscape of the Houston Ship Channel - which notes that the tide of the battle in which Texan independence from Mexico and Spain was won turned on the arrival of cannons donated to the cause by a people from my home town, Cincinnati. It's an interesting place, but it is what it is only because it's inextricably connected to and co-reliant upon its fellow Americans elsewhere. Greg Abbott's stoking of ignorance and defiance is as dangerous as it is stupid and disconnected from history and what actually makes Texas the great place it is.
6
I lived in Houston a little over 3 years when Dubya was governor. It's a big state with totally corrupt politics at just about every level, all the while spouting Christian platitudes. Austin is an island of sanity. Natives think their state's S doesn't stink, and the rest of the country isn't worth spit. Every other radio station on the dial spouts either right wing politics or religion. The public education system kowtows to the religious nuts. The Mexican food isn't bad, though. 3 years was enough...
6
So are you back in the land of the perpetual drought, high taxes and $3,000 one bedroom apartments?
I see Texas as most Texans do. It is a special place that has been made more special by the incredible love of their state/country and their desire to be a free people and society.
I see no problem, whatsoever, with those who hold to these conservatives thoughts as being the bedrock of Texas. The author indicates that the Left in the country (especially those who have moved to Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio - primarily New York Libs and illegals from way down south) expect to turn Texas Bright Blue. The Left just can't stand to let people be free from government.
I see no problem, whatsoever, with those who hold to these conservatives thoughts as being the bedrock of Texas. The author indicates that the Left in the country (especially those who have moved to Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio - primarily New York Libs and illegals from way down south) expect to turn Texas Bright Blue. The Left just can't stand to let people be free from government.
3
Manny,
You appear to have become an infected Texan. An Infexan, if you will. But y'all need to travel around the state a lot more. And drink better beer. At least you eat Frito pie...
Please do another in this series, after having traveled around the state a tad bit more. Or go write for Texas Monthly.
You appear to have become an infected Texan. An Infexan, if you will. But y'all need to travel around the state a lot more. And drink better beer. At least you eat Frito pie...
Please do another in this series, after having traveled around the state a tad bit more. Or go write for Texas Monthly.
3
Texans say Don't mess with Texas, but I don't see anyone messing with them. All I see is Texans messing with other people - W Bush, the Koch Brothers, the climate-denialist oil companies - nothing good, only loudmouthed insecurity and paranoia, seems to come out of Texas.
10
The Koch brothers are from Kansas. I bet you use petroleum products made possible by Texas refineries.
3
As a matter of fact, the Koch brothers are residents of New York City.
2
I was born there, a Service Brat. Saw some of the world as a dependent, then more in the USAF. Will never live there again . . . half the state is drunk by noon . . . each and every day !
3
In the United States, per capita consumption alcoholic is 2.33 gallons. The per capita consumption in Texas is 2.29 gallons. http://dryspace.org/data/table2_2009.htm
Well, I 'm a native Texan too and I think your otherwise clever riposte about alcohol consumption by Texans relative to other states is a bit flawed, and in a curious way.
To wit, 2.29 gallons of what consumed over what period of time ? The impressive citation of the URL (web site of Dryspace) is of little help--the tables give no mention of the time frame in which all entries are referenced. Now, obviously, every entry in any Dryspace table could be assumed to have the same time-period basis, so relative comparisons among states MIGHT be valid but, nonetheless . . . . . .
How about a more useful statistic: What Percentage Of Traffic Accident Deaths In Texas And Other States Involve At Least One Alcohol-Impaired Driver? It's still pretty common to see folks driving around in Texas while drinking cold beer. Up here in liberal Minnesota, that sort of behavior provokes a courteous arrest by our very tactful, very well-armed State Patrol.
Readers should take a look at this page:
http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html
The 2008 data for Texas (latest year cited) show that 48% of highway fatalities involved proven alcohol impairment of at least one driver. Only Hawaii was worse (51%). Overall, 88% of all states had better numbers than Texas.
Don't you find it extremely odd that a state so hung up about Bible-banging and "right and wrong" (as Texas surely is) doesn't have extremely strict laws regarding drinking and driving?
E
To wit, 2.29 gallons of what consumed over what period of time ? The impressive citation of the URL (web site of Dryspace) is of little help--the tables give no mention of the time frame in which all entries are referenced. Now, obviously, every entry in any Dryspace table could be assumed to have the same time-period basis, so relative comparisons among states MIGHT be valid but, nonetheless . . . . . .
How about a more useful statistic: What Percentage Of Traffic Accident Deaths In Texas And Other States Involve At Least One Alcohol-Impaired Driver? It's still pretty common to see folks driving around in Texas while drinking cold beer. Up here in liberal Minnesota, that sort of behavior provokes a courteous arrest by our very tactful, very well-armed State Patrol.
Readers should take a look at this page:
http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html
The 2008 data for Texas (latest year cited) show that 48% of highway fatalities involved proven alcohol impairment of at least one driver. Only Hawaii was worse (51%). Overall, 88% of all states had better numbers than Texas.
Don't you find it extremely odd that a state so hung up about Bible-banging and "right and wrong" (as Texas surely is) doesn't have extremely strict laws regarding drinking and driving?
E
1
What I find amusing is how many Texans are commenting about their Liberal Democrat views. Y'all don't get it, the problem with Texas is its extremism, on both ends.
I spent a good amount of time in Texas. Pretty much every so-called Liberal I met was rebelling against judgmental, bible thumping, conservative parents. Like all converts, they embraced their new found liberalism a little too vocally and a little too argumentatively.
What Texans can't seem to master is moderation and the art of putting themselves in other people's shoes, i.e. empathy.
I spent a good amount of time in Texas. Pretty much every so-called Liberal I met was rebelling against judgmental, bible thumping, conservative parents. Like all converts, they embraced their new found liberalism a little too vocally and a little too argumentatively.
What Texans can't seem to master is moderation and the art of putting themselves in other people's shoes, i.e. empathy.
Having lived on a ranch outside San Antonio for 12 years, recently moved to Ashland Oregon, and every night when I get up to check my young boys, a huge relief not to worry about stepping on a scorpion. My 3rd grader, back from his first day in Oregon schools came home and said 'Daddy, we didn't pledge allegiance to Texas today", I said, "that's because we don't live in Texas anymore", he said, "yes, but we didn't pledge allegiance to anyone". I have no doubt that my two boys will mention that they were born in Texas to their first college roommates, and quite possibly, the roommates will be impressed. But frankly, that is about all of Texas I want them to have -
6
Oregon is sooooo much healthier a place to live, and not just in the physcial sense. I hope you can relax, now, and shed whatever Texas that remains in your life and psyche.
1
I understand the importance of place, everyone in New Orleans and most of Louisiana does. But what I've always noticed, and what this article reminded me of, is that Texans talk about Texas the way Donald Trump talks about Donald Trump. With Trump we all know it's a defensive quality of narcissism that has to do with... Never mind. But let's just say that the similarities between Texan self regard and Trumpian self regard are striking, if not creepy.
3
PLEASE don't paint ALL Texans as alike -- I was born in Texas, as were my parents and I have Mexican ancestry (Tafolla is my mother's family name) that goes back long before the immigration of Irish and Germans that came after American independence from Great Britain, and long before the wars of conquests against Mexico. My grandmother used to call white Texans in general "Anglos" when she was in a petulant mood. She certainly experienced the racism of these immigrants her entire life but her pride in her home state never faltered. And my (Irish) east Texas relatives were as racist against African Americans as anyone I've ever known, but my father never was, even though he grew up there. My great grandfather founded a church in San Antonio that is still there, and my great uncle Fidel had a school named after him there. And I'm proud of my cousin Carmen who was appointed the Poet Laureate of Texas only a couple of years ago! My parents ashes are buried in Texas, and mine will be as well.
5
I was born in Massachusetts - birthplace of the American Revolution, not to mention much of the American literary "canon". I lived in New York for seventeen years, the state that gave us, well, New York - and all of its contributions to the global culture. I have lived in California for the last eleven years - the state that gave us "Hollywood" and remains the global epicenter of digital culture. Sure, native Californians can be pretty smug sometimes, but in none of these places have I ever experienced the kind of over exuberant, state-based pride that I have heard from my Texas friends - who are all pretty liberal by the way.
What seems to me most impressive about Texas - given its size and its history - is how little it has contributed to the global culture and to the country's culture on the whole. I like Willie Nelson, Larry McMurtry, and Cormac McCarthy as much as the next guy, but compare any one of these to the endless list of cultural giants from the aforementioned states and you'll get a sense of Texas and its consistent history of underachievement on the global stage. It all makes Texans' singular sense of obsessive, state-based pride seem just as provincial and baffling as ever. But I guess that's what makes Texas Texas.
What seems to me most impressive about Texas - given its size and its history - is how little it has contributed to the global culture and to the country's culture on the whole. I like Willie Nelson, Larry McMurtry, and Cormac McCarthy as much as the next guy, but compare any one of these to the endless list of cultural giants from the aforementioned states and you'll get a sense of Texas and its consistent history of underachievement on the global stage. It all makes Texans' singular sense of obsessive, state-based pride seem just as provincial and baffling as ever. But I guess that's what makes Texas Texas.
5
Your ignorance shows. THE GREATEST pianist post WWII, Van Cliburn, was a Fort Worth native. Country and western music legend George Strait amd Charley Pride, Buddy Holly, Beyoncé, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and other great musicians hail from Texas.
Only NYC has more theatre seating than Houston. And let's remember, big cities in Texas are a lot younger than NYC, Boston, Chicago, D.C.,Toronto and Paris.
Only NYC has more theatre seating than Houston. And let's remember, big cities in Texas are a lot younger than NYC, Boston, Chicago, D.C.,Toronto and Paris.
The only problem with Texas is that it's filled with Texans. Otherwise, great state.
3
Manny... you left out the Texas Longhorn, both the cattle and the school along with Juneteenth - where else would people have the nerve to put a positive spin on being late to honor the Emancipation Proclamation?
Texas is home for the rest of my forever but my heart belongs to the Jersey Shore,
Texas is home for the rest of my forever but my heart belongs to the Jersey Shore,
1
But at least Texans made the Emancipation Proclamation an official state holiday - Juneteenth. Now many other states and cities have official and unofficial celebrations.
Texas is a case study in the power of myth. Its history has been mythologized (and sanitized) until most Texans think their state history is the sum of all John Wayne movies.
Texas has a long, well known, and tedious history of state chauvinism mainly because people here can't get enough of telling themselves how wonderful they are. It used to be done with a wink, but lately it has devolved to a ferocious tribalism, stoked by politicians who demonize the "feddle gummint" and its taxes, then hold out their hands for federal aid when they get in a jam. Suing the federal government is considered the first duty of the state Attorney General, on the grounds that the feds have no right to force Texas to follow the Constitution, or treat the poor like citizens, or even human beings.
Those Republican politicians here who flirt with secession conveniently forget that Texas petitioned to be allowed in to the United States more than once, and they should be glad that the rest of the nation can't vote to expel Texas from the Union.
Finally, if it isn't made in Kentucky, it isn't "bourbon"; it's "whiskey".
Texas has a long, well known, and tedious history of state chauvinism mainly because people here can't get enough of telling themselves how wonderful they are. It used to be done with a wink, but lately it has devolved to a ferocious tribalism, stoked by politicians who demonize the "feddle gummint" and its taxes, then hold out their hands for federal aid when they get in a jam. Suing the federal government is considered the first duty of the state Attorney General, on the grounds that the feds have no right to force Texas to follow the Constitution, or treat the poor like citizens, or even human beings.
Those Republican politicians here who flirt with secession conveniently forget that Texas petitioned to be allowed in to the United States more than once, and they should be glad that the rest of the nation can't vote to expel Texas from the Union.
Finally, if it isn't made in Kentucky, it isn't "bourbon"; it's "whiskey".
4
Let's let them secede and see how they do on their own with their dumbed-down textbooks, guns in every belt and pickup truck, corrupt government and hyper-religionism. Oh, and their getting back more federal tax dollars than they contribute. (I do wish we could carve out and save Austin, though....)
I have lived in Texas for almost 30 years now and find this a very contradictory place. The liberal cities of Houston, Austin, and San Antonio (where a lot of the growth is) versus a conservative countryside population that is being urbanized. The Republicans here are just as much out of touch, as they are in the rest of the nation, and gone are the centrist southern Republicans of the Johnson ilk. Now there is blatant racism, elected radio hosts pandering to the gun, bank, and toll-road lobbies to plaster over the beautiful countryside, and a state attorney who is not willing to take on anything. In contrast, the democrat governed cities are diverse, vibrant, have great relations with big business (sometimes too cozy), but are truly also out of touch with their working population (poor mass transit, expensive housing, terrible air quality), as well as those beyond their borders (metastasizing developments, ground water problems, no investment in infra structure, etc.).
In this I find Texas (because it is so big and diverse, I guess) a miniature version of the rest of America with all its disconnects, power lobbies, left behind middle class, working poor, and a complete lack of planning for the future exemplified in the glaring absence of any real infra structure investments (forget the election-ready high speed train, pipeline, road and bridge repair promises) that would benefit all.
In this I find Texas (because it is so big and diverse, I guess) a miniature version of the rest of America with all its disconnects, power lobbies, left behind middle class, working poor, and a complete lack of planning for the future exemplified in the glaring absence of any real infra structure investments (forget the election-ready high speed train, pipeline, road and bridge repair promises) that would benefit all.
7
I am a native Californian. I grew up with Reagan as my governor. I have seen my state become a liberal bastion of intolerance and disdain for traditional values. A state where the government has intruded into every aspect of life. Private business is tolerated only as a supplier of money to the state and is being taxed and regulated out of existence. This liberal stronghold is becoming more like a third world country with extreme wealth and poverty living side by side with a shrinking middle class.
To my Texan friends I say, learn from California and Reagan. "Freedom is only a generation away from being lost". Hold strong to your beliefs, traditions and values. America is losing its way. If America leaves you, it may be time to leave America. I'll join you in that effort.
To my Texan friends I say, learn from California and Reagan. "Freedom is only a generation away from being lost". Hold strong to your beliefs, traditions and values. America is losing its way. If America leaves you, it may be time to leave America. I'll join you in that effort.
2
You think Texas doesn't have extreme wealth and poverty living side by side with shrinking middle class? So, your example is from a liberal powerhouse and my example is from a conservative powerhouse but the complaint is the same. Maybe the issues hitting American aren't quite as neat as being caused by a liberal or conservative ideology.
2
The Texas first ethos is replicated in many areas of the Great Plains and midwest. There are a few problems with that mindset. Missouri claims to be the show me state (a sentiment echoed in Texas) but both of them stubbornly refuse to be shown any new way to do things. Second, they act in their own self interest and the interest of the state and makes one question whether they would put their self interest or their state ahead of the being an American if they had to choose. Most Texans I have met have proclaimed to be a Texan first and and American second.
12
And yet Texas has more of its residents serving in the US Armed Forces than any other state http://www.statemaster.com/graph/mil_tot_mil_rec_arm_nav_air_for-recruit....
And yet more Texans have served in our military defending our country than those of any other State. Yes, relative population size contributes to that, but there is more to it than just that. We know where our loyalties lie. Just don't ask us to chose between them.
You need to learn US history. The states came first and will always be first. The Feds are supposed to answer to the states, not the other way around.
Lots of hate for TX here. Of course the state isn't perfect, which state is? Do people realize that until Tom Delay gerrymandered the state in the early 2000s it had more democratic reps than GOP reps. W is a blue blood from CT who did his schooling at Andover, Yale, and Harvard. Palin is from AK and Trump is a New Yorker through and through. Was the Republic of Texas a land grab from Mexico? Yep. But how exactly was the rest of country not a land grab from Native Americans or other groups. So much hypocrisy on this board, it beggars the mind. You'd think Audie Murphy, Willie Nelson, LBJ, and Beyonce would buy a little good will. Texas is just like the rest of the US, fantastic and flawed.
5
In actuality, the Dems had the state gerrymandered from the map in the 90's in a way which insured a state which had voted and would continue to vote GOP in national politics and state politics would have a House contingent that was substantially Democrat.
DeLay didn't gerrymander anything. He FIXED it.
DeLay didn't gerrymander anything. He FIXED it.
The Texas Revolution wasn’t a land grab. The Texas revolutionists were Mexicans. They fought to free their land from a tyrant. Texas was one of five Mexican states that revolted when Santa Anna abolished the Mexican constitution and made himself a dictator. The uprising’s initial goal was the restoration of the Constitution of 1824. The goal became Texas independence only after the massacres at Goliad and the Alamo.
1
Texas is the only place in America where you'll find restroom sinks in the shape of Texas. I'm not kidding. Even washing hands becomes an exercise in state pride. Yes, it is that excessive.
5
Houston is a crucial center for export of American goods by way of the Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel. Hundreds of thousands of foreign manufactured vehicles enter the United States through the Port of Houston.
Houston is home to the largest Medical Center in the world. The first successful open heart surgery was performed there. It is home to the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Cancer Research Center, which ranks with or above New York's Sloan Kettering in cancer breakthroughs. It is the largest cancer hospital in the world. The Texas Medical Center is comprised of 59 medical research and patient care institutions, including the largest pediatric hospital in the world, Texas Children's Hospital.
Houston: There are Bush Intercontinental Airport, United's largest hub, and Hobby Airport, a huge Southwest Airlines hub, both of which are major gateways to Latin America.
Lastly there is the legacy of the Johnson Space Center and NASA contractors, without whom, man would have never reached the moon.
In the next census, Houston will surpass Chicago in population, making it the third largest city in the nation.
No, I don't work for the Greater Houston Partnership or any local Chamber of Commerce. I have been here 42 years and it has been a great place to work and live. I am a native of Tennessee and I tell Texans I'm just like Sam Houston and Davey Crockett: I got here as soon as I could.
Houston is home to the largest Medical Center in the world. The first successful open heart surgery was performed there. It is home to the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Cancer Research Center, which ranks with or above New York's Sloan Kettering in cancer breakthroughs. It is the largest cancer hospital in the world. The Texas Medical Center is comprised of 59 medical research and patient care institutions, including the largest pediatric hospital in the world, Texas Children's Hospital.
Houston: There are Bush Intercontinental Airport, United's largest hub, and Hobby Airport, a huge Southwest Airlines hub, both of which are major gateways to Latin America.
Lastly there is the legacy of the Johnson Space Center and NASA contractors, without whom, man would have never reached the moon.
In the next census, Houston will surpass Chicago in population, making it the third largest city in the nation.
No, I don't work for the Greater Houston Partnership or any local Chamber of Commerce. I have been here 42 years and it has been a great place to work and live. I am a native of Tennessee and I tell Texans I'm just like Sam Houston and Davey Crockett: I got here as soon as I could.
6
Don't forget the magnificent arts scene here in Houston. Houston is second only to New York in the number of theatre seats. Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Houston Symphony and the Alley Theatre are world class institutions. And the Museum of Fine Arts–Houston and the Menil Collection are amazing.
Also, the restaurant scene is thriving. Houston's ethnic diversity makes it easy to find just about any type of cuisine there is.
Also, the restaurant scene is thriving. Houston's ethnic diversity makes it easy to find just about any type of cuisine there is.
1
Isn't there some way we could just get rid of it? Ugh. What a disgusting place.
2
Houston is actually probably the most diverse city in the nation. The Asian population here is immense. Hundreds of thousands of Asians including Indians, Pakistanis, Indonesians, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Filipinos, et al. The middle-eastern population is quite large, with mosques dotting the landscape. More and more Hindu and Buddhist Temples are popping up. The European population is significant, with major ties to Norway, the UK, and other oil-producing countries, including Nigeria. I haven't begun to mention the Latin American population that goes way beyond Mexican immigrants, both legal and undocumented. Hundreds of thousands of Central Americans make their home in Houston.
4
What makes Delaware Delaware? What makes Arkansas Arkansas? What makes New York New York? The people of every state have their own distinctions and culture. Why is Texas being singled out as something exceptional?
3
As the article makes clear, it's because the Texans consider it so. If the New Yorkers or Delawarians don't consider their state to be the same source of pride that we consider ours to be, that's their choice, eh?
I'm not sure what it is about Americans that makes us feel like we always got a bad deal. What other country would you rather live in? There are 202 to choose from; 203 if you count Texas.
1
I drove across the north end of the Dallas the other day on the 121 toll road. Counted about 25 or so sky cranes building major commercial complexes. Not real unusual growth as in Opportunity, since this part of Texas as well as the rest has grown torridly for the past 50 years. Thank you New York,Chicago and in between, and California for sending your corporations here along those smart enough to come with them.
2
I'm a sixth generation Texan. Most of the comments on here as well as the article are rife with stereotyping and elitist bigotry. I challenge you to replace the word "Texan" with the word "African American" or "Hispanic" etc. and read the words written by the author and many of the comments here and see how condescending and hateful you sound. This article and many of the comments don't even come close to describing "Texas" or Texans. Racism? Please. Every family I know is multiracial, and the key here is "family- my proud heritage will once again be celebrated next month at our annual 86th Family Reunion. Many of you who have even been to Texas seem to only have spent minimal time in the bigger cities. I live in a semi-rural area near a small town. I go to the post office and everyone speaks, smiles, and holds the door open for the next person, regardless of race, gender, etc. People help each other in times of trouble. People share, donate, fundraise, and those evil "Christians" so many of you look down your nose at are the first to show up with the hugs and the funeral food. Do yourselves and us Texans a favor: don't come here. Obviously you wouldn't fit in nor understand the kindness you'd find. Keep your crime and your bigotry and your schools teaching your kids to hate America instead of pledging allegiance to it. And please, when it all falls apart on you, don't ask us to bail you out. We will have committed our resources to helping our own.
7
You illustrate the problem. You brag about things we all do across the country, but when you do it you think it is extra-special.
3
4Julia,
I agree that there is some unwarranted negatives about Texas (I have a few myself) but please take your own advice and avoid stereotyping other states or places. Let's be clear, schools outside of Texas don't teach their kids to hate America, regardless of what Fox news or apocryphal anecdotes might tell you.
I agree that there is some unwarranted negatives about Texas (I have a few myself) but please take your own advice and avoid stereotyping other states or places. Let's be clear, schools outside of Texas don't teach their kids to hate America, regardless of what Fox news or apocryphal anecdotes might tell you.
3
I think you mean most families or multiethnic, not multiracial. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas was 80 percent white in 2014, up from 70.4 percent in 2010. Texas gets a little whiter each decade because of immigration from Latin American. Most Texas Hispanics are white. However, intermarriage between Anglos and Hispanics is becoming the rule rather than the exception. Anglos, as non-Hispanic whites are called in Texas, make up only 31% of the state’s K-12 students. Nearly 70 percent of Texas students are eligible for affirmative action preference at Texas colleges and universities. Since you only have to have one Hispanic parent or grandparent to qualify as Hispanic, nearly 100 percent of Texas students will soon be eligible for affirmative action. So the outcome of the Fisher vs. Texas affirmative action case before the Supreme Court won’t matter so much in the long run.
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/48,00
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/48,00
Every time I've driven through Texas, I've loved its warm welcome and cheerful embrace. I totally get the "concept" of Texas, as big and expansive as the never-ending landscape of I-10 stretching 900 miles across the state. And it should transcend the right-wing theocratic braggadocio it's been embodying and aggressively broadcasting in recent years.
My family actually began in El Paso, Texas as my father, an engineer at Fort Bliss, pursued my mother, a Mexican nurse, as she walked to work one day. But once married, they didn't stay. My dad said, "I could've stayed but I didn't see a future there. The future was and still is in California". Something about its topographically diverse beauty and easy-going spirit open to all no matter the race, status, sexual orientation, religion or lack thereof, kooky philosophy, or crazy idea. California is a land of infinite variety in people, community, creativity, vision, problem-solving, artistic expression, and more. It's a state that not only looks to a multi-cultural future but helps create the future the nation eventually follows.
I love my Texas beginnings but Texas feels trapped in a limiting past, unable to realize that "bigness" transcends parochial politics, religion, and identity. It's fighting a future California has been creating for decades now. One day demography may well create a more tolerant, progressive, and truly big-hearted Texas and I'll embrace that Texas as warmly as it's welcomed my parents and me.
My family actually began in El Paso, Texas as my father, an engineer at Fort Bliss, pursued my mother, a Mexican nurse, as she walked to work one day. But once married, they didn't stay. My dad said, "I could've stayed but I didn't see a future there. The future was and still is in California". Something about its topographically diverse beauty and easy-going spirit open to all no matter the race, status, sexual orientation, religion or lack thereof, kooky philosophy, or crazy idea. California is a land of infinite variety in people, community, creativity, vision, problem-solving, artistic expression, and more. It's a state that not only looks to a multi-cultural future but helps create the future the nation eventually follows.
I love my Texas beginnings but Texas feels trapped in a limiting past, unable to realize that "bigness" transcends parochial politics, religion, and identity. It's fighting a future California has been creating for decades now. One day demography may well create a more tolerant, progressive, and truly big-hearted Texas and I'll embrace that Texas as warmly as it's welcomed my parents and me.
3
Certainly, the state of Texas is 1% reality, and 99% exaggeration.
3
Texas has always been this way. In California we could care less about Texas or any other state that worries about themselves or any other state.
1
If you "care less about Texas" why waste the time to comment on it?
3
I lived in Texas for years, and I can say this reporter's basic point is right on the money: Texans are reeeeally preoccupied with being Texans. I never did quite understand it. Texas is as much a force of nature as California or NYC, and the people who live there (politics aside) don't have any reason to feel defensive or insecure. So y'all just relax and enjoy being Texans, alright? (And stop giving your reactionary politicos this excuse to paint you into a corner.)
1
I see many comments here from people who buy in to stereotypes, ignore issues of discrimination in their own regions, and pretend their elected officials are all wonderful. Funny to see how many of their denizens voted for people like Trump and Cruz. Also, despite many posts to the contrary, Texas historically sends more to the federal government than it gets back. Here's a link - http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/08/americas-fiscal-union.
1
I have been on work assignments in Houston and Galveston, attended a conference in San Antonio, and driven through long streatches of Texas Interstates. I am friends with transplanted Texans. I have never understood what it is about Texas that inspires such outsized pride and swagger.
There are many stares whose landscapes and coastlines are more beautiful. I like San Antonio, but there are many cities outside of Texas that are much more interesting. I just don't understand what it is about Texas that engenders so much love. But Texans generally do love their state and culture. There must be something that a casual onserver like me has missed.
There are many stares whose landscapes and coastlines are more beautiful. I like San Antonio, but there are many cities outside of Texas that are much more interesting. I just don't understand what it is about Texas that engenders so much love. But Texans generally do love their state and culture. There must be something that a casual onserver like me has missed.
I am tire of hearing about Texas. Give Texas and everybody in it back to Mexico.
1
Honestly, I am so tired of Texas with its noisy claim to somehow being more special than every other place on the planet. I am perfectly happy never to "mess" with it ever again. As for Texans' effort at a last stand, whatever that means, I sincerely hope that it ends up better for them than that other one in 1836.
4
The only problem with Texas is that it stole "the last best place place" tag from Montana and a book title of the same name. After 20 years living in exile, I'm headed home in two weeks to the real "last best place."
My mother, and her family, were from Texas. I visited there most summer vacations in my childhood. I go to family reunions there and take my kids there to see their relatives. Every trip back convinces me that CALIFORNIA is the "best place"! One of the reasons being (besides the weather), there aren't so many Texans here!
1
I'm a native Texan (4th generation on my mother's side), but I lived on long Island for 4 years and in Brooklyn for 17 years. I have never ridden a horse or owned a gun. At this point, I'm not sure it's possible to feel truly a home in either place any more. Politically, I'm a pro-life Democrat. While Texas exceptionalism is real, we don't have a monopoly on it. Both places think they are the center of the universe. Few Texans I know can imagine living in New York. They find it hard to believe that I wasn't afraid to walk home from the subway at 10 pm. But still fewer New Yorkers I know can imagine living in Texas (or anywhere else, for that matter). For many of them, the rest of the country does not exist. Fortunately, I have many friends in both places.
The lede to this story is seriously wrong, when it says, "People in this rapidly changing state believe their way of life is under attack, and they are
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan."
Some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush, the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, it is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A journalist should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texans had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Keep that in mind, if you want to make book on the coming election.
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan."
Some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush, the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, it is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A journalist should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texans had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Keep that in mind, if you want to make book on the coming election.
3
In the summer of 2014, I spent several days in Oklahoma and Texas visiting Oke City, Dallas and Houston and ultimately came away with one main somewhat less than positive impression. Outside of a few select isolated areas, these are cities that are primarily the poster children for soulless urban sprawl and never ending strip malls with little concept of what it means to have real city center cores with vibrant urban communities and people at all economic levels actually living and working in them together in an atmosphere of relative safety.
Austin is a great town - try that!
As a naturalized Texan, I have to agree this place grows on you. For better, worse or just weirder, I'm happy to call it my adopted home. I visit places with better weather, better roads, better beer and cuter women, but I still feel a deep contentment when I return. Think I'll stay.
2
A venture capitalist once told me that the two hardest cities in the country to get a good CEO to move to or from were Houston and Minneapolis/St. Paul. In both cases, he said, weather and misinformation made people hesitant. And in both cases the actual experience made them refuse to leave.
1
Tribalism... pure and simple... like being a marine.. Semper Fi! or a football fan... go Bears! Texans probably love being Texans because they realize the rest of the country is moving on without them and they want to say... we don't care, we're better! It's a very human instinct to identify with one's tribe when you feel threatened. The feds have been interfering with every state that loves its "Suthin' way of life" ever since the Kennedys sent troops to Alabama... So of course there's a deep anti Washington sentiment... I sincerely hope Austin and its liberal ideas overtakes the rural redneck constituency that holds sway now.. Jeez.. look at the Governor... such an embarrassment
2
An article like this teaches us about our country. Sadly, what we learn is that Texas is home to a lot of childish fools - all of whom have a vote. It's the same thing we're learning from the Trump campaign.
As others have commented, if Texans want to leave the union, we'll be glad to donate to their going away party. They are a drag on the nation and we would be well rid of them.
As others have commented, if Texans want to leave the union, we'll be glad to donate to their going away party. They are a drag on the nation and we would be well rid of them.
2
Knowing Tennessee history I consider Texans as cousins. What's the big deal. Also, it is the fact that the country Texas went broke that sent them scurrying to become a state. I don't know if they could really survive on their own again. Perhaps Texas could become a state of Mexico. That would solve the wall issue.
2
I was born in Texas, grew up in Ames, Iowa, and moved to Houston, Texas in 1994 after graduating from college to get a job as a secondary school teacher.
Within days of arriving (literally) I had a job as a substitute teacher, and within four months I had a full time job teaching...wait for it...Texas History.
I assimilated quickly - lured by steady employment, cheap housing, and my new found favorite - Tex-Mex cuisine. Throw in back-to-back Rockets championships, and I was hooked.
In the twenty-two years since I moved, I have grown to love and embrace everything about my native state. I made friends, met my wife, and started a family.
Yes - there are lots of Pick-up trucks. LOTS of pick-up trucks. There are gun stores next to prayer rooms. Literally. Yes, most Texans have have at least one cowboy hat and a pair of cowboy boots-- but for most, these items remain in the closet all year-long, until an obligatory trip to the rodeo in March when they are proudly worn.
Contrary to the common perception of non-Texans, Texans do not 'lament' that we are a majority-minority state - we embrace it. Texans welcome all.
My AP classroom (I'm still teaching) looks like a meeting of the United Nations. Many students are foreign born. Yet, everyone gets along, for the most part. I have found FAR less racial tension here than in the Midwest, where I grew up.
People are friendly here. Opportunity abounds...And people are happy. In Texas, life is good.
Within days of arriving (literally) I had a job as a substitute teacher, and within four months I had a full time job teaching...wait for it...Texas History.
I assimilated quickly - lured by steady employment, cheap housing, and my new found favorite - Tex-Mex cuisine. Throw in back-to-back Rockets championships, and I was hooked.
In the twenty-two years since I moved, I have grown to love and embrace everything about my native state. I made friends, met my wife, and started a family.
Yes - there are lots of Pick-up trucks. LOTS of pick-up trucks. There are gun stores next to prayer rooms. Literally. Yes, most Texans have have at least one cowboy hat and a pair of cowboy boots-- but for most, these items remain in the closet all year-long, until an obligatory trip to the rodeo in March when they are proudly worn.
Contrary to the common perception of non-Texans, Texans do not 'lament' that we are a majority-minority state - we embrace it. Texans welcome all.
My AP classroom (I'm still teaching) looks like a meeting of the United Nations. Many students are foreign born. Yet, everyone gets along, for the most part. I have found FAR less racial tension here than in the Midwest, where I grew up.
People are friendly here. Opportunity abounds...And people are happy. In Texas, life is good.
110
Did you not hear about the Texas state board of education's problems?
Jesus man, sit down and write out a list of ALL of major things wrong with the thinking in Texas.....duh!
Jesus man, sit down and write out a list of ALL of major things wrong with the thinking in Texas.....duh!
1
Genuine question here: If life is so good in Texas, why all the anger and why do politicians such as Rick Perry and Ted Cruz succeed there?
1
I lived in Texas most of my life (although I was a naturalized Texan as opposed to a native Texan, which, yes, matters there.) Despite its absurdly conservative politics, the people are indeed very friendly - my family characterizes Texans as "aggressively friendly."
1
What makes Texas is the overwhelming population of Texasses.
1
I was born and raised in Texas but left forever at age 30, and never looked back. While I loved the lessons learned, the education I received, the hardscrabble upbringing, and the fun, crazy pride of being a Texan, the hypocrisy and ill-treatment heaped on poor people, especially Blacks and Mexicans, just broke my heart and that of my parents.
And those memories still burn deep, how adults could be so mean and turn a blind eye to certain abuses while singing in the choir on Sunday and pounding the Bible 24/7. And now that they’re armed to the teeth and think that THEY are the ones THREATENED would be funny if it weren’t such a sad fact that it’s TEXANS themselves turning their OWN State into a prideful martyrdom!
What's happening since President Obama took office is pure heartbreak for anyone who loves and cares not only for Texas but also for the future of America!
And those memories still burn deep, how adults could be so mean and turn a blind eye to certain abuses while singing in the choir on Sunday and pounding the Bible 24/7. And now that they’re armed to the teeth and think that THEY are the ones THREATENED would be funny if it weren’t such a sad fact that it’s TEXANS themselves turning their OWN State into a prideful martyrdom!
What's happening since President Obama took office is pure heartbreak for anyone who loves and cares not only for Texas but also for the future of America!
5
What Texan identity means: If you are also a Texan--whether your heritage is European, Mexican, African American, Vietnamese, Desi (south Asian), Chinese, Nigerian, Cambodian (to name the most populous ethnic groups in my area) or anything else--you are more my brother than a white guy from from some other state.
Social and community welfare is a matter of intense focus here, but it's handled by the community. It's normal to donate 10-20% of one's income to support the community, which is why: it is possible to get free or sliding scale services like medical care, dental care, counseling, child care; every weekend, children go home with backpacks stuffed with food; people of any religious background or documentation level can get free food, clothing, necessities and rent assistance from religiously backed charities; local community colleges are ranked among the nation's best...it would take a long time to document the full extent of local commitment to the community in the greater Houston area.
When you reduce Texas culture to the way our culture is commercialized, you are making the same grave mistake as saying African American culture is just thugs, drugs, pimps, and hos, as proven by the products that most famously profit off of it. C'mon, please do better.
Social and community welfare is a matter of intense focus here, but it's handled by the community. It's normal to donate 10-20% of one's income to support the community, which is why: it is possible to get free or sliding scale services like medical care, dental care, counseling, child care; every weekend, children go home with backpacks stuffed with food; people of any religious background or documentation level can get free food, clothing, necessities and rent assistance from religiously backed charities; local community colleges are ranked among the nation's best...it would take a long time to document the full extent of local commitment to the community in the greater Houston area.
When you reduce Texas culture to the way our culture is commercialized, you are making the same grave mistake as saying African American culture is just thugs, drugs, pimps, and hos, as proven by the products that most famously profit off of it. C'mon, please do better.
2
OK, enough glorification of Texas, its contradictions, its self-absorption, its in-your-face ultra-conservative politics. If it is a super-state, fine. It represents a set of values which are the polar opposite of mine, and so the question is, as always, can people with polar opposite values and views in life co-exist peacefully? More and more, it seems like the answer, coming from Texas, is "no."
Why else would you glorify the use and misuse of firearms, for example? What they are saying is, "We have zero tolerance." I was disheartened to read that Texas Republican Party officials tabled the reborn secession movement. What could possibly serve the interests of Texas, and the entire 49 United States any better than having Texas go Lone Star?
Why else would you glorify the use and misuse of firearms, for example? What they are saying is, "We have zero tolerance." I was disheartened to read that Texas Republican Party officials tabled the reborn secession movement. What could possibly serve the interests of Texas, and the entire 49 United States any better than having Texas go Lone Star?
3
There is tremendous mineral (oil and gas) wealth doled out in Texas. Accountants call it "unearned income"
It is a safety net that all other states must provide for using earned income. That is to say that the citizens must actually work for their safety net in other states. Not so in Texas.
This windfall has isolated Texans from the realities that the rest of the nation must deal with.
The mineral wealth windfall is what allows Texans to become "loud mouthed and opinionated Texans".
It is a safety net that all other states must provide for using earned income. That is to say that the citizens must actually work for their safety net in other states. Not so in Texas.
This windfall has isolated Texans from the realities that the rest of the nation must deal with.
The mineral wealth windfall is what allows Texans to become "loud mouthed and opinionated Texans".
Texas is the only place that gives New Yorkers an inferiority complex.
(Sheer quantity of defensive comments directly proportional to insecurity.)
(Sheer quantity of defensive comments directly proportional to insecurity.)
3
I'm from Ohio, but as they say, got to Texas as soon as I could. In my career I have lived in Greece, Egypt, China, Thailand and other places (all oil-related projects or jobs). But home has always been and always will be Texas. Two homes - one in Houston, and heaven in the Hill Country. Texas encompasses the original pioneering spirit of what was once America. That spirit lives on in Texas.
1
Mr. Fernandez: living in Texas does not make one a Texan. Your "life as a Texan" is your life as a Californian living in Texas.
3
Right, it's funny to me that people are surprised at Texas, I keep trying to get my Wife to relax and not worry about things that I take for granted. My mom mentioned to her as we were out in a pet cemetary that was a little over grown with poison Ivy, that you can rely on Texas for things that Stick, Sting, Bite, or Stink not always in the Order.
Yeah I grew up here, my Dad grew up here, his dad grew up here and so on back into the time of the republic. My wife is a Yankee girl, and that's fine she's getting there and has gotten a little less gun shy about critters like the cenitepede that invaded the house one day. Or the bats that fly around all night. We had a long discussion about ticks, she asked if I had ever gotten bitten, I laughed and asked which time.
Texas will scare the crap out of some folks, the bugs for one is enough to put most folks on edge, we have two kinds of bugs, the kind that will hurt you and the kind that won't and there is always a question of which is which. The wild places are great, we have poison oak and poison ivy, the things that you don't hear about are the nettles, there are about a half dozen varieties that I know on sight and tend to steer folks away from, because for a plant some of them are quite sneaky, noseburn for example, it'll make you loose your mind if your not aclimated to it and you'll think your gonna die. I could go on for a while about the hazards of Texas, it does have it's virtues, but I'm keepin those secret.
Yeah I grew up here, my Dad grew up here, his dad grew up here and so on back into the time of the republic. My wife is a Yankee girl, and that's fine she's getting there and has gotten a little less gun shy about critters like the cenitepede that invaded the house one day. Or the bats that fly around all night. We had a long discussion about ticks, she asked if I had ever gotten bitten, I laughed and asked which time.
Texas will scare the crap out of some folks, the bugs for one is enough to put most folks on edge, we have two kinds of bugs, the kind that will hurt you and the kind that won't and there is always a question of which is which. The wild places are great, we have poison oak and poison ivy, the things that you don't hear about are the nettles, there are about a half dozen varieties that I know on sight and tend to steer folks away from, because for a plant some of them are quite sneaky, noseburn for example, it'll make you loose your mind if your not aclimated to it and you'll think your gonna die. I could go on for a while about the hazards of Texas, it does have it's virtues, but I'm keepin those secret.
1
I used to live in Texas. Texas is no longer Texas, its DONE. Between the massive invasion from the south and the disgusting people in Austin and the influx of people from places like California Texas is a white star on a flag and a memory now.
There seems to be a clear consensus among the self declared liberal posters that they would like to see Texas Secede. That being the case, when will the Coasts be willing to support a Constitutional Amendment that allows for secession? The last time, ya'll were so clingy that it got 600,000 people killed. Could we make a better go of it this time?
1
I'm a Texan. I have lived in Southern California for 25 years and it is beautiful and I love it and it has seeped into me, loosening my beliefs, expanding my views. But no matter how long I live here, in my heart and my core I will always and ever be a Texan. I was dismayed when I realized that I would be giving birth to my first-born on California soil, eight months after moving here. It was so disloyal ... how could I do that to my State and to my son? I had no choice, but I did my next best thing and named my son after the Father of Texas, and asked his forgiveness. My daughter, born a few years later, insisted she was a Texan for years even though she was born and raised in San Diego ... I felt my State could ask for nothing more. I enjoyed the article and think it does a great job of observing some of the spirit of the state.
As a liberal Democrat I have all kinds of issues with Texas Republicans, but I just wanted to say one thing here. I went to UT-Austin for my PhD, and at that time -- mid-1990s -- my tuition was so low that it was essentially free. I had excellent professors and on top of that got to live in Austin for six years, one of the best cities in the country. For that, Texas, thank you.
3
Texas Republicans have gerrymandered diversity into political oblivion and taken away the right to vote from hundreds of thousands of non-white, non-Republican citizens. They believe in liberty and individual rights unless you are an impoverished woman or sick person. They believe in protecting human life until such life is born, then you are on your own.
I have lived in Texas for most of my 61 years, it is a much meaner place today than when my dad, a career military guy retired here. Very sad! But I'm not moving and not giving in or up. Texas is for all people, not just white politicians.
I have lived in Texas for most of my 61 years, it is a much meaner place today than when my dad, a career military guy retired here. Very sad! But I'm not moving and not giving in or up. Texas is for all people, not just white politicians.
I do business and own property in Dallas. My experience is in the city of Dallas the "Texan personae" is hardly present. But go outside of the Dallas "Metroplex" and you find the characteristic cowboy boots, jeans and pearl snap button shirts along with what at first exposure almost seems like a put on Texas drawl. But, if you have much association with those characteristic Texans you find that that's who they genuinely are. All over the state there is a distinct culture that is being quite well preserved. They do sometimes treat "out of towners" like they are quite foreign, but I have found that mentioning one's "New York City" connection is very well respected. My experience is that there is a predominance of very good business people in Texas who maintain standards of honesty and fair play.
5
Hard to believe that a feature story on Texas could ignore the Rio Grande Valley, where more than 90% of the residents are Latino/a, and the poverty rate is 2.5 times the national average. And instead of the clownish Rick Perry's "oops" as a memorable attribute of the state, how about the late Tejano singer Selena?
5
The article was about Texas and Texans. Not about any specific group, because if you do that, then it's no longer about Texans, it's about Latino Texans and famous Latinas named Selena. Go write that story if you want the world to know about us.
1
Texas reminds me of the province of Quebec ihere n Canada. Blowhards living off the federal wallet. Here, French Quebec is all blustery and nationalistic calling themselves a "nation" yet never ever willing to pay the price to have your prized nationhood. Likely Texas, like Quebec, gets far far more federal dollars than it contributes, yet whines against the feds and "Washington." Embarassing and ignorant.
Quebec constantly threatens to leave and uses this to blackmail the Canadian government to give even more subsidies to the province - see Bombardier, airplanes for the most recent example - and to the province's social services either directly or via the provincial so-called "national" assembly.
The next time Texas threatens secession - show them the door and don't let it hit you on the way out. They can take their significant share of the federal debt with them and the federal government can charge them for federal services. Watch the new Texas dollar quickly go to 50 cents. 10 cents if they go on the gold standard. Just like any Quebec dollar that comes.
Just like Quebec, Texans will find that nationhood, - Texas loud, Texas proud style - comes with a very high price. One that most of these blowhards will be afraid to pay. Both are unwilling to pay the price.
Quebec constantly threatens to leave and uses this to blackmail the Canadian government to give even more subsidies to the province - see Bombardier, airplanes for the most recent example - and to the province's social services either directly or via the provincial so-called "national" assembly.
The next time Texas threatens secession - show them the door and don't let it hit you on the way out. They can take their significant share of the federal debt with them and the federal government can charge them for federal services. Watch the new Texas dollar quickly go to 50 cents. 10 cents if they go on the gold standard. Just like any Quebec dollar that comes.
Just like Quebec, Texans will find that nationhood, - Texas loud, Texas proud style - comes with a very high price. One that most of these blowhards will be afraid to pay. Both are unwilling to pay the price.
13
As a matter of fact, Texas exports more than three times the value of goods and services than the state of California, which is also home to a third of the nation's welfare recipients. The largest employer in the Golden State (so-named because of the color the waterless landscape turns every year) is the US Department of Defense via personnel stationed on military bases and payments to the defense contractors of Silicon Valley. The integrated circuit, BTW, was invented by Texas Instruments in 1958, a decade before Intel Corporation even existed.
2
Drive down I35 from OKC to SAT and you will see the economic engine of the US. Look at the make up of the military and you will find a higher percentage of Texans then average. To say we take more then we give is a fantasy. How about you have a Molson and not worry you self about us and I'll drink my Shiner and enjoy watching Dallas in the NHL playoffs.
1
Sorry y'all, but compared to California, Texas tops the list only of second-best places. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!
2
Compared to California ... Lol... Lets see cal has 12% of nations population but 35% of its welfare recipients
We don't see Texans moving to California the way we see Californians abandoning "their" state.
It's called good weather and compassion Aggie. Oh, as others have noted, Texas purt nigh tops the list when it comes to receiving way more federal tax money than it pays in. The whole state is on welfare.
"Almost no one identified with their state the way Texans do." - Clearly you need to come to Alaska.
8
Yes. Yes. Yes. Any time people talk good about Texas you can always expect the Alaskan to step in and talk about how they're so much better. That's when people remember there is an Alaska. That being said, Alaska, or to be kind to my northern brothers and sisters, Texas is like Alaska, but for people that like it hot.
i spent large chunks of time there at work in many parts the state.
tejas' preferred image of itself wishes to combine what it perceives to be the advantages of being "western" with all the old-school gentility of being "southern" . in fact, tejas is western nor in dixie... it's just bottom of the midwest. i encourage their secessionist movement wholeheartedly.
tejas' preferred image of itself wishes to combine what it perceives to be the advantages of being "western" with all the old-school gentility of being "southern" . in fact, tejas is western nor in dixie... it's just bottom of the midwest. i encourage their secessionist movement wholeheartedly.
4
I'm 61 and as Red as West Texas dirt. The right-wing idiocy of the true believers like Gohmert and the sycophants like Abbott disgust me. But for all that I have to say that I'm Texas born, Texas bred, and when I die I'll be Texas dead.
5
Same here and I have to agree that those two have gone too far to the Right.
When former Governor Oops Perry claimed that Tejas had the right to withdraw from the Union, I almost took a flight down to help volunteer for the effort.
As a liberal democrat, getting rid of Tejas would be the Electoral College Electric Chair for the Republicants.
And it would have the beneficial side effect of keeping the blithering idiots on the Tejas Bored of Edumacation (per Junior Bush) from convincing cowardly textbook publishers from rewriting history and expunging evolution.
As a liberal democrat, getting rid of Tejas would be the Electoral College Electric Chair for the Republicants.
And it would have the beneficial side effect of keeping the blithering idiots on the Tejas Bored of Edumacation (per Junior Bush) from convincing cowardly textbook publishers from rewriting history and expunging evolution.
12
Then do it. Kick us out. Ya'll been saying this cap ever since the issue became mainstream and we're still here for some reason.
Perry made no such remark. You are a fool for passing internet rumors and drivel.
http://www.factcheck.org/2011/08/what-perry-really-said-about-secession/
http://www.factcheck.org/2011/08/what-perry-really-said-about-secession/
Our question here in Colorado is: if Texas is so great, why have you moved here? Loud, obnoxious, always right...is it any wonder we pray for them to secede?
8
You do realize that all of the Front Range was at one time part of Texas, don't you?
1
The same could be said about people from Colorado coming down to Texas. Loud, obnoxious, arrogant, dope smoking fools that hit the brakes through a green light and the gas through a red light.
2
Born in Oak Cliff, Dallas, raised in the military in many other places, I see Texas as being a big state with small minded people. History... EVERYWHERE has that. Oil, cows, boots, nothing special there either. I'll never go back...
12
Good - we look forward to never seeing you again.
3
Good. Glad to hear it. That leaves room for those that want to be here.
2
Raised in the military ? So that means you hopped around and never had TX roots -yea your opinion is an educated one ! (SMDH )
Aww, Manny- Loved this article. Looks as tho you have arrived!
For all the party poopers, I think you should be able to take your gun ANYWHERE. Houston man, today, saved his and his 3yr old's life, after shooting the robber trying to victimize them IN A RESTAURANT drive thru.
And- lack of support for the poor? We have lots and lots of jobs that need fillin, and anyone that wants to be un-poor should get one, or visit their local church. They are heart-ful, and always willing to help.
Bottom line, we also believe, "If you don't like it here, you can ALWAYS leave."
For all the party poopers, I think you should be able to take your gun ANYWHERE. Houston man, today, saved his and his 3yr old's life, after shooting the robber trying to victimize them IN A RESTAURANT drive thru.
And- lack of support for the poor? We have lots and lots of jobs that need fillin, and anyone that wants to be un-poor should get one, or visit their local church. They are heart-ful, and always willing to help.
Bottom line, we also believe, "If you don't like it here, you can ALWAYS leave."
1
I couldn't have said that any better. God bless Texas and the men and women who keep her.
1
Better yet. Progressive, open minded people will continue to move in and gradually change the social structure as the reactionaries simply die off.
I would be perfectly happy if The Donald can make Mexico build the wall--on the north, east, and west sides of Texas so it could again be part of the country from which it was stolen for the purpose of expanding slavery.
10
Go right ahead, but you clearly don't know Texas history and clearly don't know that there were plenty of Hispanics fighting on the side of Texas because they were Texians, not Mexicans.
We're still waiting to get kicked out of the Union, so I dobut you'll ever get around to building that wall.
We're still waiting to get kicked out of the Union, so I dobut you'll ever get around to building that wall.
1
It's been a couple centuries since those old days. Come join us in the present - or at least in the current century.
I've only been a Texan since 1997, but man this rings so true on so many levels. I think the article focuses too much on the rebellious nature of the Texas spirit but I think the largeness of the Texas spirit is much more pronounced than the arrogance. The largeness both in the physical sense and the intangible sense.
2
hmmm….yea, not moved alt all by the article. N i still say…..
"it could always be worse…i could live in texas"
"it could always be worse…i could live in texas"
4
Yea you could actually live somewhere and not have to earn 100k per year to own a home -imagine that ?!?!?!
Texan born and bred, left for another state half my life ago.
Love my adopted state, natural and political climates suit me better. But I'll never be anything but a Texan.
Love my adopted state, natural and political climates suit me better. But I'll never be anything but a Texan.
3
Living in Texas many years while traveling throughout the US has always given me the feeling that Texans are more patriotic as well as truly proud of their heritage....the slogan "don't mess with Texas" is a sign you see whenever you cross the state line from any direction so you are already put on notice...I also think that Hollywood has contributed to this social mystique by creating characters that fit the " all American " definition which the Texans have adopted happily...as an Israeli attending U of H it was an experience that has taught me so much more about the heartland and love of country which is so natural and deeply rooted in the Texan's psyche...in short Texans are Texans first and Americans second....I always tell my friends that should Texas fight with Isis the outcome will be swift and decisive in favor of the Lone Star State....
9
Thank you, sir. And yes, we'd be honored to take the fight to ISIS. If you can get us Whataburger over there at least once a month, that would great because it'd be over in maybe two.
1
Thank you for an article about Texas written by a Californian. Just what we all needed.
12
I am an Asian-American who worked and lived in Dallas for 4 years in the early 2000s after having lived and worked in the New York and the DC areas in the telecom field all my life. As a senior manager, I was shocked to notice the attitudinal difference in the native Texas women in my staff compared to their East Coast counterparts. The Texas women were so deferential to men. I had to convince them I wasn't God. I was dumbstruck when a woman on my staff was so proud she has not been out of Texas all her life. Texas is all she needs. Texas guys also "jokingly" reminded me the of the War of Northern Aggression. I bonded with a black senior manager, a Chicago native, who confided, Dallas is fine but there are places around that I would be afraid to go to. I don't quite know what to make of Texas but Ted Cruz as a typical Texan is no surprise to me.
14
And I'll bet the topping the list of places he is afraid to go is Chicago
I've lived in Texas for almost 9 years and it seems silly to try to characterize a state as large and diverse as a single entity.
I live in a Houston suburb; my immediate neighbors are from Mexico, India and Vietnam. Nearby live African-Americans, Chinese and plain old white folks (like me).
I'm here because my wife and I followed my son's family here and to be near our grandchildren. The few "White Southern Baptist Native Texans" I've met tend to home school their children so they won't have to go associate with kids of different colors or religions.
My junior high school granddaughter has learned in her History class that the Civil War didn't have anything to do with slavery until after the Battle of Gettysburg (six months after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation!). Thomas Jefferson is downplayed in the history texts because he advocated religious liberty.
The Republican politicians talk about the rights of the individual unless, of course, that individual wants to get an abortion or use a restroom not to the politicians' choosing.
This article does say that the state is becoming more diverse. One hopes that this will result in more rational state leaders and educators.
I live in a Houston suburb; my immediate neighbors are from Mexico, India and Vietnam. Nearby live African-Americans, Chinese and plain old white folks (like me).
I'm here because my wife and I followed my son's family here and to be near our grandchildren. The few "White Southern Baptist Native Texans" I've met tend to home school their children so they won't have to go associate with kids of different colors or religions.
My junior high school granddaughter has learned in her History class that the Civil War didn't have anything to do with slavery until after the Battle of Gettysburg (six months after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation!). Thomas Jefferson is downplayed in the history texts because he advocated religious liberty.
The Republican politicians talk about the rights of the individual unless, of course, that individual wants to get an abortion or use a restroom not to the politicians' choosing.
This article does say that the state is becoming more diverse. One hopes that this will result in more rational state leaders and educators.
13
Finally, someone gets to the crux of the matter. Very well said! The times they ARE a-changin' in Texas whether or not the good ol' boy rednecks like it or not! Woohoo, I'm counting the days!
1
In the words of the late Jim Goode of Goode Company Barbeque “You Might Give Some Serious Thought to Thanking Your Lucky Stars You’re in Texas.” He was a more typical Texan than you might imagine with and Anglo dad and Hispanic mom. I should know my Anglo daughter is married to a Hispanic. Politics isn't life. Y'all need to lighten up and maybe grab a Shiner.
12
I was born and raised in Houston and married my British husband in Austin (Texas makes a great destination wedding for Europeans!). The other half of my life I've spent living in the New York area, where my children were born. I think this is very telling: when people ask my 7 year old son what his heritage is, he responds "Half British, half Texan." That Texas pride is clearly genetic!!
7
Texas is a state I want to love, but it won't let me. I appreciate the independence, the rural pride, the quirkiness. But my wife is transgender and I'm genderqueer, and that means Texans would never accept us. Every time one of us went in a bathroom we'd be risking our lives. That saddens me. I hope one day Texas becomes a place that will let me appreciate its charms, but I doubt that day will ever come.
5
Ever heard of Montrose, in Houston? ,Apparently not. And Austin is so liberal that many celebs refer to it as the San Francisco of Texas. You're not well informed...
1
Nopenopenope. Move to Austin. You'll fit right in.
There you go, pressing your difference and shoving it in everyone else's face. You just don't get it. Being Texas isn't about being different, it's about being Texan.
1
Texas' self-boasting and inflated ego are rather pathetic.
12
no - but your fragility and insecurity certainly is.
2
a state based on squatters eights
Not too unlike New Yorkers.
3
Not just Texas, but Tennessee has a salient identity. My conversion to the South, and Tennessee in particular, occurred during a post doc at Hopkins.
Although a child of the Beltway, who would want to live there? When you could see the mists of the Tennessee River, the mountains, hear the strumming and country, and soft drawl.
Love Tennessee for its patriotism, faith, and sweet tea.
Although a child of the Beltway, who would want to live there? When you could see the mists of the Tennessee River, the mountains, hear the strumming and country, and soft drawl.
Love Tennessee for its patriotism, faith, and sweet tea.
7
My parents moved to Texas when I was 3. I grew up in Midland, Texas and attended the University of Texas at Austin and South West Texas State University. I have lived in Texas most of my life and have seen things change. There is a pride in our state and a general sense of independence. However, Texas is a big state. North Texas is not like South Texas, East Texas is not like West Texas, and Central Texas is very different as well. Trying to define a Texas attitude beyond pride and independence is pointless. Things here have always been changing, some times faster than others. The vast majority of Texans do not want to secede, do not dislike Northerners, do not believe conspiracy theories, and generally try to take things with more than a grain of salt.
7
Let's not forget some of the state's darker moments. The Texas City Disaster--in 1948 a tanker full of oil burned in Texas City's harbor, with a second tanker--the Grandchamp was its name as I recall full of ammonium nitrate fertilizer just a few feet away. The tanker burned through the night and 1/2 way through the next morning both ships blew up in an explosion with the force so strong it was felt in Houston over 50 miles away. All that remained was the rutter of the Grandchamp--it sits in the refinery district of Texas City as the only remnant of that terrible day. Thousands were injured or died. Indeed some have theorized that Texas City had less racial prejudice than other Texan towns at the time.
And let's not forget the more recent ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, TX a few years back--another catastrophic explosion just a few years back.
And let's not forget the more recent ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, TX a few years back--another catastrophic explosion just a few years back.
2
,
Con't: Border ranchers are over run, there are groups from out of state coming in to be an extra set of eyes and ears on the border for Border Patrol, who catch and release. We have overflowing holding centers full of men, women, and children who bring in everything from Hepatitis and scabies to bed bugs. There are Repeat illegal criminals who have just been released. Our chief of police isn't even liked by the people who work for him. There are catch and released illegal criminal aliens all over the state, but despite it all, it is still my home,always will be, and damn worth fighting for; whether it be defence from the federal government's overreach and infiltration, overzealous and ignorant city council members, or the people who live off the system to get something for nothing. I will fight for texas.
Con't: Border ranchers are over run, there are groups from out of state coming in to be an extra set of eyes and ears on the border for Border Patrol, who catch and release. We have overflowing holding centers full of men, women, and children who bring in everything from Hepatitis and scabies to bed bugs. There are Repeat illegal criminals who have just been released. Our chief of police isn't even liked by the people who work for him. There are catch and released illegal criminal aliens all over the state, but despite it all, it is still my home,always will be, and damn worth fighting for; whether it be defence from the federal government's overreach and infiltration, overzealous and ignorant city council members, or the people who live off the system to get something for nothing. I will fight for texas.
4
Right there with you, brother. God bless Texas and the men and women who protect her.
1950's - Moved to TX from America and got TEXAS BRAGS, the ubiquitous pamphlet proclaiming Texas as Biggest and Best at everything (til 1959, when Alaska statehood knocked it out.) Separate (B/W) drinking fountains, bathrooms, and even Emergency Rooms! Daily public school prayers ending with "in Jesus' name we pray." Argued with a teacher over whether "since" was a homonym with "cents." Forced to read a book that I'd read 2 grades before in California. Asked the teacher for a substitute assignment, told no because she couldn't read one herself. Late 50's - early 60's: classmates' favorite book was "Conscience of a Conservative," bumper sticker "Impeach Earl Warren" and song "Look Away, Dixieland." 1960's - JFK assassination, kids cheering and laughing. Hospital employees, forced to accept integrated facilities, told to "leave their beliefs at home." As a female college student, I'm barred from the library stacks while wearing slacks. 1970's: Texans flocking to Bible classes. License plates with peace symbols and phrase "Footprint of the American Chicken;" long prison sentences for half a joint in a pocket. On the down-low: the same-sex unofficial wedding ceremony of Rock Hudson and Jim Nabors. KKK attacking Vietnamese shrimpers. 1980's: "Don't Mess with Texas" heard at least as early as 1983. 1990's on: Higher speed limit, open carry, Bush 43, Dick Army, Rick Perry. Not there much, but from here, it looks like Texas Brags all over again.
9
Move to Detroit
1
Aggie: don't need to. I got it good in CA.
Wow what a lot of judgemental tripe! I hate to see when nytimes writes about California.
I'm a descendent of California pioneers, born and raised in SF and educated at Cal and in the tech industry with all the left coast, left wing liberal baggage that goes with that.
That said, "you all" need to take a step back and not be so judgey-pants about Texas. Too much bitterness and meanness here - these are our fellow Americans guys. There are red states and blue states - get over it.
I'm a descendent of California pioneers, born and raised in SF and educated at Cal and in the tech industry with all the left coast, left wing liberal baggage that goes with that.
That said, "you all" need to take a step back and not be so judgey-pants about Texas. Too much bitterness and meanness here - these are our fellow Americans guys. There are red states and blue states - get over it.
27
Sorry, not going to "get over it" as long as the red states are interested in what happens in my bedroom and want to control my wife, daughter's, and sisters' bodies. The sooner we're rid of rigid, fairy-tale, moralistic Christian fundamentalism the better.
2
Native Texan here. Basically, we just want to be left alone to live like we see fit. I notice the 12 reader comments the NYT picked, Id say 80% are negative towards Texas. I dont expect ya'll that live in NYC to understand. When you actually have the freedom to go to the 7-11 and get a Super Big Gulp, maybe you might get an inkling.
12
It's y'all, not ya'll, and how can you say Texans just want to be left alone when you have a legislature that wants to tell people who they can and can't marry, wants to control women's bodies, and makes it harder to vote? I lived in Texas for 20 years and came to the conclusion that it's a state that believes its own press releases, all of which were written in the 1800's.
2
If you want to be left alone, stop tossing loons like Cruz and Gohmert onto the national stage. I'd like Texas to leave the rest of America alone.
1
5th gen native Texan (now proud Washingtonian) and Aggie (3 degrees). So you think you speak for all Texans, eh? Enjoy your Super Big Gulp.
Geography is not the limitation it used to be. A shopping mall from Johor Bahru has the same stores as Los Angeles, Berlin or Beijing. I would guess the same is true of shopping malls in Houston. Perhaps the new state is a state of mind-- one whose fences are created by Google and Facebook.
6
Texas is probably the last place I would choose to live in the US.
22
I'm a native Texan. Left the state a year after I graduated from college -- but not before having the state tattooed on my hip, colored in with the Texas flag, a yellow rose bursting through. While in Los Angeles -- the "land of fruits and nuts", the pastor's wife warned me -- I happily enjoyed access to the beach (that I rarely took advantage of) and the distance from the increasingly right-wing politics, but found myself crying from homesickness during the opening credits to "Friday Night Lights". After eleven years in southern California, I reluctantly returned home to Texas, expecting to feel suffocated. Instead, it's been the contrary. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm constantly griping about the fact that Fox News is on in every government building I visit, or lamenting the nincompoops (Abbott, Patrick, Paxton, Miller, Cruz, Gohmert) who represent me, but I'm far happier than I expected to be. I rent a two-bedroom house for $1,000/mo, my dog has a huge backyard to run laps in, I'm close to my family, I have access to authentic Tex-Mex (to the detriment of my waistline)... While there are times that the afore-mentioned nincompoops have me perusing the Craigslist apartment listings in Silver Lake, truth be told, I fancy myself a sort of Tami Taylor, ready to speak my mind and maybe, just maybe, change someone's mind.
19
Not Tami. Molly. Molly Ivins. Read her. Be her. We need her.
1
When I was in high school, I competed in a science competition with a team, and the prize we won was a trip to Texas to visit some labs. While on this trip, we also camped in a canyon, stayed at a dude ranch, and went to an outdoor musical called "Texas." I'll just leave it at that...
1
Gotta be straight with you...none of that sounds particularly bad.
3
I'm a Californian and this is the only place I ever want to live, however the mean, petty comments about Texas from those outside Texas are just too much.
You just look jealous because these folks have a heightened sense of identity that many US locations don't!
You just look jealous because these folks have a heightened sense of identity that many US locations don't!
24
And many of us DO. Hail California!
1
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texas had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Yes, some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush and the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
The lede to this story is seriously wrong, when it says, "People in this rapidly changing state believe their way of life is under attack, and they are
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan." Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, Texas is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A journalist should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
The lede to this story is seriously wrong, when it says, "People in this rapidly changing state believe their way of life is under attack, and they are
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan." Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, Texas is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A journalist should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
28
Texas. Home of the Hatfields and McCoys. Wonder if they have they calmed down over the years.
4
The Hatfields and McCoys were from West Virginia and Kentucky.
1
They have calmed down, and they are from West Virginia and Kentucky.
1
Wrong state but thanks. In my travels around the world people know the "states," California, NYC and Texas. It's a pride that we hold true that the best things in the US are those facts and we are Tejans first and Americans...first.
1
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas was 80 percent white in 2014, up from 70.4 percent in 2010. About 77 percent of Americans are white. Texas gets a little whiter each decade because of immigration from Latin American and other U.S. states. However, Texas is more ethnically diverse than most states. About 43.5 percent of Texans are Anglo while about 38.6 are Hispanic.
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/48,00
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/48,00
3
I think your zeal is unfounded...
1
It seems to me that those stats do not take into account the hundreds of thousands of illegal Mexicans that live here in Texas. I suspect that the illegals do not comply with the US Consensus Bureau surveys.
2
The census counts illegal immigrants as well as legal residents. Census workers visit homes that do not respond to the mail-out survey forms. Illegal immigrants are not afraid to talk to census workers.
Boston Yankee lawyer I know moved there for 3 years; said when he'd try to discuss intricacies of things they'd say: Are you a naysayer or a doer? They'd insist on holding hands and praying to Jesus for a court victory; didn't they get their Texan legal adversaries were doing likewise and thus it was a relative waste? Did it even occur to them some are not into Jesus?
Like "W" in Iraq: shoot first w utmost confidence ignoring most reality and figure it all out later. Confident ignorance a la Palin. Thinking is such a burden.
But I get that endless deliberation instead of acting may not so good, too, particularly in an unforgiving land like Texas.
I have few problems with country folk; my beloved grandmother was one. Many, many good qualities city folk lack sorely: endlessly talking about their feelings is contrived and self-centered. Friendliness; lack of cleverness.
But Texan insistence on my way or the highway; the proud ignorance and cultural bigotry; the paranoid, needless gun culture; the uber nationalism: grow up: it's a big world and Texas ain't its center by a long shot, pilgrim.
Like "W" in Iraq: shoot first w utmost confidence ignoring most reality and figure it all out later. Confident ignorance a la Palin. Thinking is such a burden.
But I get that endless deliberation instead of acting may not so good, too, particularly in an unforgiving land like Texas.
I have few problems with country folk; my beloved grandmother was one. Many, many good qualities city folk lack sorely: endlessly talking about their feelings is contrived and self-centered. Friendliness; lack of cleverness.
But Texan insistence on my way or the highway; the proud ignorance and cultural bigotry; the paranoid, needless gun culture; the uber nationalism: grow up: it's a big world and Texas ain't its center by a long shot, pilgrim.
38
Tejas, ever the rapacious appropriator, now wants Montana's unofficial slogan that was also the title of a big book of Montana-related literature, "The Last Best Place," over 30 years ago, edited by William Kittredge and Annick Smith. One reason Texas became so rich, is that the Euro American victors seized so many large old Spanish land grants, and has virtually no federal public lands, compared to the real Western states, and all that oil production revenue went into p
rivate hands.
rivate hands.
20
And THAT is why Fracking was able to be developed and used to bring down the price of gas. Fracking is not permitted on Federal lands.
You are Welcome.
You are Welcome.
Right on.
Here's a tissue to dry your jealous tears, Sally.
1
Remember, the Bushes are not native Texans.
26
W was raised there. Thinks like a Texan, acts like a Texan. Huge difference between W and Bush Elder.
Tx identity was formed in the war for independence which was really a war for slavery, which Mexico had wisely banned. This was followed by yet another war for slavery then genocide to eliminate Native Americans and the original Spanish speaking settlers. This beautiful tradition continues today with gun laws so these weapons can be used against African Americans and Spanish speakers. A truly heartwarming story.
24
Thank you for confirming the stereotype of Californians as ignorant and bigoted.
How stupid people are who think they know Texas when they don't have a clue!! For starters, there were almost as many Mexicans fighting for Texas Independence as there were "gringos". Independence had NOTHING to do with salary!!
There has NEVER been any so-called "genocide" to eliminate either the native Indians or ESPECIALLY the Spanish speaking citizens. My family is an example as about 75% of my living relatives are AT LEAST 50% Mexican!!!
Part of "Texan Pride" comes also from the fact we ALL are required to take courses in Texas history. Please don't try to rewrite our history with your ignorance!!!
There has NEVER been any so-called "genocide" to eliminate either the native Indians or ESPECIALLY the Spanish speaking citizens. My family is an example as about 75% of my living relatives are AT LEAST 50% Mexican!!!
Part of "Texan Pride" comes also from the fact we ALL are required to take courses in Texas history. Please don't try to rewrite our history with your ignorance!!!
Note there are plenty of native Spanish speakers who appreciate and value the freedom to bear arms in Texas, me being one of them. I lived in California for a few years, and it is sad to see the dependant class that Hispanics have become around Los Angeles, not all of course, but way too many. The hard working migrant work ethic hasn't been lost on Hispanics, even several generations in the U.S., that reside in Texas. If you are Hispanic, there is no better place to live in the U.S. than Texas. You have opportunity and freedom and more importantly, you don't have a bunch of whiner activists telling you that you are a victim and only the government can make you whole.
1
It seems like all the negative comments center around politics . (Like the Ann Richards comment -democrat much ? Lol) -if you've never been to Texas please don't post a comment based on what you THINK are "Texan" politics (most likely you are incorrect). Politics are only a very small part of Texans (there are liberal democrats in Texas contrary to stereotypical beliefs) -if your biggest complaint about the LoneStar state is about Texas politics -Get Over It !!
22
I have a lot of family in Texas. When I visit we speak not of sex, politics, and religion. Ever. But interjecting Texas history into the conversation is o.k. and can be quite stimulating, especially topics concerning Mr. Sam (Rayburn), the long term Speaker of the House of Representatives,LBJ, and Congressman Wright Patman, Congressman representing Northeast Texas, whose name is on the Congressional Federal Credit Union Building in Washington, D.C. Real good ole boys, FDR liberals all. Yep, things have changed.
1
The writer never mentions that Austin is liberal, that Obama won Harris County (Houston) in both elections, that some of the most racially diverse zip codes in the country are in Texas, etc. etc.
5
Great barbecue, wide open spaces, people who are often down-to-earth and often friendly. In Central Texas, you have water everywhere to swim in during the heat, whether it's the Highland Lakes or the many natural spring swimming holes. Texas has a lot to recommend it.
On the other hand, most of the wide open spaces are private, which may strike you as strange if you come from some place out west or in, say, northern Michigan where you can go hunting all over on State and Federal land. In Texas you typically will have to lease a place to hunt and some places you'll get in big trouble if you park on the side of the road or camp more than a few feet from a river bank you might canoe on! You get used to it, but at first I thought this was very strange.
The place really does grow on you. It's big and varied and has so many customs and quirks and so much history. It's wrong-headed to try and put Texas in a box, though I can understand the temptation of someone from, say, Seattle or Boston to do so.
On the other hand, most of the wide open spaces are private, which may strike you as strange if you come from some place out west or in, say, northern Michigan where you can go hunting all over on State and Federal land. In Texas you typically will have to lease a place to hunt and some places you'll get in big trouble if you park on the side of the road or camp more than a few feet from a river bank you might canoe on! You get used to it, but at first I thought this was very strange.
The place really does grow on you. It's big and varied and has so many customs and quirks and so much history. It's wrong-headed to try and put Texas in a box, though I can understand the temptation of someone from, say, Seattle or Boston to do so.
18
I am a native Texan, and this article is, as the saying goes, all hat and no cattle. The NYTimes has just given us a cartoon version of the state.
Try covering the deep history of Mexican Americans in South Texas. Or African Americans in East Texas. Or Vietnamese Americans along the Gulf Coast. And so on.
Texas is far more diverse than the Broken Spoke, as much as I like two-stepping there. Come on down sometime.
Try covering the deep history of Mexican Americans in South Texas. Or African Americans in East Texas. Or Vietnamese Americans along the Gulf Coast. And so on.
Texas is far more diverse than the Broken Spoke, as much as I like two-stepping there. Come on down sometime.
35
Totally agree. Texas and Houston resident here. If the Times correspondent has been here since 2011 and has not been able to dig past his own stereotypes, maybe he should head home. Mimi Swartz had a much better piece earlier this year.
3
Agreed. Or reread the Texas episodes from the 2015 NYT series on driving north on I-35. It provides a far more nuanced and accurate view of regional Texas.
BTW, there's no "the" in front of Broken Spoke. You New Yorkers don't call it Radio City Music Hall.
BTW, there's no "the" in front of Broken Spoke. You New Yorkers don't call it Radio City Music Hall.
If you think Texans go on and on about how great they are, wait until you talk to Austinite. Oh boy,
14
Of course, Austin is very liberal. Which would certainly explain a superiority complex.
2
Texas does get into you. I was born in Texas. And was not raised with any sense of being a Texan. My parents don't have twangs and listened to rock not country. My politics have always been to the left. And I grew up in a kind of intellectual area near NASA which also has a huge hippy beach-y influence. I thought moving to New York would be right for me--given how free I felt growing up in Texas--wouldn't I be free-er in New York, a liberal bastion? My father told me, there is no place like Texas and that even if I left, I would be called back. I spent ages 19-29 in New York City. And he was right. I never felt that free in New York.
I don't have a pair of cowgirl boots, and I don't own a cowgirl hat. But, at the rodeo this year, I was among a stadium full of people who cheered when the announcer said, "God Bless Texas," and among the majority who remained silent or grumbled when the announcer followed with, "God Bless America." Anyone else cheered half-heartedly. We are Texans first.
I have nothing in common with most people here, I feel, except a sense of just being. There is something about the nearly ugly landscape that has transfixed me, bewitched me, and holds me hostage in a love filled embrace. I love this place.
I don't have a pair of cowgirl boots, and I don't own a cowgirl hat. But, at the rodeo this year, I was among a stadium full of people who cheered when the announcer said, "God Bless Texas," and among the majority who remained silent or grumbled when the announcer followed with, "God Bless America." Anyone else cheered half-heartedly. We are Texans first.
I have nothing in common with most people here, I feel, except a sense of just being. There is something about the nearly ugly landscape that has transfixed me, bewitched me, and holds me hostage in a love filled embrace. I love this place.
38
What is the problem with cheering for God Bless America? Sheesh. My state lost its last army base, and we sorely miss it. Many of my friends have kids who joined the army, navy, marines. I have many friends who are vets, filled with goodwill towards America and determined to make it better. We'll gladly take the defense department work and revenues and we will freely and happily bless our own country. It doesn't take away from love of your own state to love your country. My heart is big enough to love both. I have friends and family in Texas, and their hearts are big enough to love both, same as mine.
Just my 2 pesos worth. Living in Houston or Dallas or Austin or San Antonio is not exactly living in Texas. Those urbanized areas have lost much of the feel of the real Texas. Perhaps Mr. Fernandez should get out of his any big city in the US comfort zone and spend some time in West or South Texas where the spirit of the Republic of Texas still lives.
20
Yes, indeed, and the Panhandle-Plains area should be considered. Idalou and Earth and Muleshoe, Texas welcomes you.
1
Having recently driven across Texas the long, long way, a thought occurs to me. While the Civil War pretty clearly dealt with the issue of secession (except in the minds of some Texans), is there any provision in the constitution prohibiting the other 49 states of our Union from expelling a fellow state? The notion is appealing. It would worsen the lot of poor Texans, unfortunately, but improve the political health of the rest of us. Perhaps Mexico would have them back? Unlikely, but one can dream . . .
28
Yea, Georgia is awesome.
4
Three years ago I drove from Florida to California and back. On the way out I had crossed from Oklahoma into Texas just after sunset. Less than a mile later I was pulled over by the Highway Patrol on Interstate 40 and ticketed for speeding, doing 75 in a 65 zone. I had not even seen a speed limit sign yet. And it was only after I was informed that the speed limit dropped 10 M.P.H. in Texas after sundown that I even realized that I was speeding. Luckily, the officer told me Texas had a plan where, if I paid an additional $75, they would not tell my insurance company that I got a speeding ticket. Of course, I only had 10 days to pay this ticket, so from California I had to scrape up an extra $275 to mail back to Texas so that I would not be driving on a suspended license also. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I did not drive through Texas on my return to Florida. I went around.
43
I grew up pretty poor in town of about 300 people in South Texas. Went to College in San Antonio, moved to Manhattan for almost a decade, then moved to Houston. I really appreciate the attention the NYTimes is paying to my home state, and I read the article eagerly. To be sure, I have a lot of Texas pride, but recognize the social and political contradictions. I think experiencing NY was a good thing for me, and I have tried to adopt the better elements of NY living (non-car commuting, appreciating shared public spaces, etc.) to my daily life in Texas, with some difficulty. Bottom line is, I think it is good to experience a culture different than your own.
I would like to emphasize, however, that having lived in two extremes of the rural/urban scale, two extremes of the democrat/republican political scale, and, lately, two extremes of the social/financial scale, what I am surprised by are not the major differences between the groups, often exaggerated by outside observers, but by the commonalities. Extreme, sometimes bigoted, opinions exist on both sides. Please consider the fact that to an outside observer, NY also seems like a place of major contradiction. Consider the cultural-environmental change that one experiences when making the transition from below 96th Street to above 96th Street. I would read, with great interest, an article devoted to exploring these commonalities.
I would like to emphasize, however, that having lived in two extremes of the rural/urban scale, two extremes of the democrat/republican political scale, and, lately, two extremes of the social/financial scale, what I am surprised by are not the major differences between the groups, often exaggerated by outside observers, but by the commonalities. Extreme, sometimes bigoted, opinions exist on both sides. Please consider the fact that to an outside observer, NY also seems like a place of major contradiction. Consider the cultural-environmental change that one experiences when making the transition from below 96th Street to above 96th Street. I would read, with great interest, an article devoted to exploring these commonalities.
52
I would never live there. And I'm fine with them staying there. Please.
24
Most of Colorado is owned by us.
3
I see your antipathy. And I raise your antipathy. We don't want you here. At all.
1
“If we lose Freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.
Ronald Reagan said that back in 1964. He was speaking of the United States, but I suspect he had TEXAS on his mind. Still holds true between the Red River and the Rio Grande.
Ronald Reagan said that back in 1964. He was speaking of the United States, but I suspect he had TEXAS on his mind. Still holds true between the Red River and the Rio Grande.
11
Good luck in your fantasy world...
2
Of all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon me in this life, one that stands out is the fact that I lived in Texas for over 16 years of my youth. Texas is to America what America SHOULD be to the rest of the world: a shining city on a hill. God bless Texas, and may God save the United States of America!
14
The Lone Star will soon be the Lone Nation if they don't behave.
With that, bye bye federal subsidies and no more political headaches for rest of us.
With that, bye bye federal subsidies and no more political headaches for rest of us.
15
And with us will go the 35 percent of the oil produced in the US. The 30% of the natural gas produced in the US and and about 1/3 of the gasoline refined in the US, not to mention the two largest military bases in the country. Texas would be just fine.
5
As someone who has travelled extensively in the US, including many trips to NC, I can't help but wonder why you don't focus on extreme needs in your state. The discrimination is real.
1
Hate to burst your bubble, sport, but according to the US Census bureau, BOTH TX & CA are NET PAYERSM! You need us more than we need you!
3
The only people more loyal to place than Texans are Pittsburghers.
I'm a thirty-five year Houstonian, and it's a great place to live. We have an incredible ethnic mix and a wonderful arts community, among other assets. While it's certainly not Eden, it's pretty darn nice. Except in August.
I'm a thirty-five year Houstonian, and it's a great place to live. We have an incredible ethnic mix and a wonderful arts community, among other assets. While it's certainly not Eden, it's pretty darn nice. Except in August.
19
you can smell th petrochemical stench that permeates th entire houston area for 200 mile radius
its like living in an organic chem lab
its like living in an organic chem lab
4
Not true unless you live on the east side of Houston. I live on the SW side of the city. No petrochemical odors on this side of town.
"T" is for testosterone. "ex" is for excessive. "as" is for "as for me, I'd rather not" -- or just two-thirds of true character of the model Texan.
10
Loved this article.
Mr Hernandez is hereby granted official Texas citizenship with all privileges and obligations attaching thereunto :)
Mr Hernandez is hereby granted official Texas citizenship with all privileges and obligations attaching thereunto :)
8
Thank you, Mr Nobody at all...
My feelings toward Houston, Texas go this way: I'm happy that I once lived there [during NASA's Apollo program], and very happy that I don't now. The landscape is ocean-floor flat, the weather miserable 90% of the time; roaches, water moccasins, and ants—all Texas-sized—run the place; and not a small number of residents are some of the meanest, dumbest, most self-righteous people in the world. But there are Houstonians who straddle a line between southern and western.
26
I lived in Houston in the early 1980s and it was the worst place I've ever lived as a civilian. The traffic was awful, the humidity worse, the bar fights plentiful and the cowboy culture pervasive. Yahhhh-hoooooo! I met a guy at a party who was leaving on a trip to Aythens (for Athens) Greece and Kev (for Kiev) Russia. The only hopeful sign I saw was that most of my Caucasian co-workers had very few children of their own, while my Mexican friends had three or more in their twenties. So if demographics is destiny, right-wing, white Texas will soon be the defacto northern most state of Mexico. Maybe we should give it back to them.
2
Dear California: Please send more Democrats. Signed, A Texas Democrat
52
Oh, don't worry. They're fleeing Cali in large numbers, due to excessive taxation and other liberal maladies.
2
Five years in Houston? You have not really seen Texas. Demorat controlled Houston is 70% transplants from outside. Mostly foreigners and yankees. We moved to Houston in 2011. In 2015, the day after I retired, we were out of there.
12
Dan Jenkins, former golf editor for Sports Illustrated, and author of books, including "Semi-Tough", is a proud native of Fort Worth, and has a Texas size sense of humor. One of my favorites is, "God must have hated Texas because He put so many Baptists there".
I have visited Texas several times and I am not enamoured of its climate, tornados, and lake-less topography. I am proud to have been born and raised beautiful upstate New York, and currently reside in the gorgeous state of Washington. As for Texans, LBJ would be on Mount Rushmore, were it not for inheriting Vietnam, and George W. Bush will never be a contender.
I have visited Texas several times and I am not enamoured of its climate, tornados, and lake-less topography. I am proud to have been born and raised beautiful upstate New York, and currently reside in the gorgeous state of Washington. As for Texans, LBJ would be on Mount Rushmore, were it not for inheriting Vietnam, and George W. Bush will never be a contender.
12
"Lake-less topography?" Is the huge body of water 1/4 mile from my house just a figment of my imagination? I am sad that you didn't get to experience the lakes, although they are almost all man-made by the Army Corps of Engineers (and give us access to super cheap hydroelectric power!) :-)
1
I have the perfect solution for Texas--give it back to Mexico!
That will make the right-wingers happy because it will return a large number of undocumented immigrants to their country of origin, and please a lot of other Americans who are sick and tired of the undue influence of right-wing reactionaries on our political system because it will remove a whole bunch of political lunatics from our discourse!
Of course I realize that such a step would be unfair to a whole lot of ordinary Texas folks who don't want to live in a right-wing utopia, but maybe they can move up a state or two north and east!
That will make the right-wingers happy because it will return a large number of undocumented immigrants to their country of origin, and please a lot of other Americans who are sick and tired of the undue influence of right-wing reactionaries on our political system because it will remove a whole bunch of political lunatics from our discourse!
Of course I realize that such a step would be unfair to a whole lot of ordinary Texas folks who don't want to live in a right-wing utopia, but maybe they can move up a state or two north and east!
18
As a native of Brooklyn, I have found comfort living in El Paso, and after fifty-plus years in this frontier town, still do not consider myself Texan. As a matter of fact, El Paso has a history of wanting to secede from Texas. We certainly do not appreciate the Republican stranglehold on our voting rights and women’s health care.
33
One simply has to ask, "If the Texans hate the federal government so much why didn't they remain their own republic? According to Wikipedia, "The republic's inability to defend itself added momentum to Texas's eventual annexation into the United States." And of course, there's the fact of the BIG government subsidies for the oil industry and of having had three Presidents who sent plenty of business and money down their way. And, of course, all the other benefits they enjoy as their "fearless leaders" make them all look like braggadocio morons. Good People of Texas need to stop scratching their heads and elect socially conscious people who want to help build America with every one of our states showing pride in the process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas#Republic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas#Republic
20
Do you KNOW Texans hate the federal government ? Or is your opinion based on a stereotype ?
9
Anyone who pays attention know their politicians hate the federal government and they're running the show right now, Michael. This very article says the governor wants to make Texas exempt from following the laws of OUR United States Supreme Court. Do we need to know anything else?
5
We can't, take a look at the shapes of congressional districts in the state, they are drawn to preclude the vote of the cities. We do have the good fortune of gaining a bunch of California's silicon valley jobs and their liberal employees as part of the deal. Soon we will be a blue state and throw out the morons that you see as our representatives (who truly embarrass us too).
5
I am still amazed when I read comments from Northerners (or Northeners who "escaped") who still stereotype the LoneStar state. Texas does have a different attitude however that is what makes it special . People from all over the country are flocking to move to a business friendly state where you can afford to live , yet still have a different opinion about the government should , & generally everyone is ok with that . For those that think Texas is still part of the backwards south from yesteryear they are completely incorrect . So if you were born here and choose to move away then good for you. However don't bash on those that embrace that Texas is what NY , PA , or Ontario CA isn't -that's why Texans love it.
27
Beautifully written, Michael...
10
no. I lived in central tx between 2009 and 2013 having never interacted with anywhere south of the mason dixon line. it was racist, sexist, bigoted in so many different ways... I came in with no stereotypes but left with all of them.
25
Texas can break your heart better than almost anywhere else. It is a place of magnificent, raw beauty that you have to open your eyes and immerse yourself in to fully grasp, a place of great contrasts.
When I lived there for five years as a young adult, I used to say that there is enough geographic diversity in Texas for six states. It starts in the north-east, which is more like Mississippi than the rest of Texas, and reaches a crescendo in the brutal landscape of the Big Bend country to the far south where mountains climb high and the desert reveals its secrets and beauty to those who wait and watch. Between those points, separated by more than 700 miles in that one direction, is the Hill Country, the area near Austin that was home to Lyndon Johnson in which the sunsets open like ripe watermelons across the sky and the air is filled with scents from the creosote in the underbrush and the smell of highly aromatic mesquite trees.
Don't forget the millions of wild bluebonnet flowers blooming around the highways in spring or the soft, almost mystical spring time air itself that every Texan, anywhere in the world, misses when away. You have to feel it to understand.
The rich oil barons, the old time cotton and cattle kings, the new industrial owners and the money traders in Dallas and Houston want freedom, which to them means doing anything they want. In time, Texas could be turned into an industrial, polluted wasteland if those who love it don't speak up.
Doug Terry
When I lived there for five years as a young adult, I used to say that there is enough geographic diversity in Texas for six states. It starts in the north-east, which is more like Mississippi than the rest of Texas, and reaches a crescendo in the brutal landscape of the Big Bend country to the far south where mountains climb high and the desert reveals its secrets and beauty to those who wait and watch. Between those points, separated by more than 700 miles in that one direction, is the Hill Country, the area near Austin that was home to Lyndon Johnson in which the sunsets open like ripe watermelons across the sky and the air is filled with scents from the creosote in the underbrush and the smell of highly aromatic mesquite trees.
Don't forget the millions of wild bluebonnet flowers blooming around the highways in spring or the soft, almost mystical spring time air itself that every Texan, anywhere in the world, misses when away. You have to feel it to understand.
The rich oil barons, the old time cotton and cattle kings, the new industrial owners and the money traders in Dallas and Houston want freedom, which to them means doing anything they want. In time, Texas could be turned into an industrial, polluted wasteland if those who love it don't speak up.
Doug Terry
32
I've truly enjoyed reading each and every one of the 506 comments (so far!) about Texas. For all who have something negative to say about my home state, I will be investigating these negative points of view.
God Bless America!
God Bless America!
7
God bless Texas, moved here last year. Secession, form a separate country? I'm all in.
14
Me, too!
Go!
Go!
2
You'll come to rue those words...
1
I was born, raised and lived the first 49 years of my life in Texas, and I'm a proud liberal. It never seemed to be too much of a problem in San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas where there were always like-minded people. Remember, Texas gave us Ann Richards, Willie Nelson and Kinky Friedman to name a few. I still love Texas for many reasons, but the state politics have become unbearable to anyone who considers themselves progressive. Like many others who love the state, I'm hoping the tide will turn.
54
Proud Texas sons include Bill Moyers who migrated north and we know he kept that soft sophisticated drawl throughout his long incomparable PBS career. And then there is Ramsay Clark, former Attorney General, also transplanted to New York, defending the disenfranchised. Great Americans.
2
Anti-Washington movements are active in quite a few states.. Texas is by no means unique in hatred for left wing bullies Houston is much like big cities in the democrat-run cesspools of the northeast
"Houston and unincorporated Harris County battled a rise in murders, mirroring similar increases in other large cities across the country. Baltimore, for example, has seen killings rise more than 50 percent, while St. Louis has experienced an increase of more than 60 percent, and Milwaukee has seen a similar increase of more than 76 percent...."-
Variety of factors cited in rise in Houston murders in 2015
Houston Cron. St. John Barned-Smith Updated 10:38 pm, Thursday, December 31, 2015 it reports a generall decline in violent crime but an increase in murders much like the gun-control Utopias so loved by the leftists.
"Houston and unincorporated Harris County battled a rise in murders, mirroring similar increases in other large cities across the country. Baltimore, for example, has seen killings rise more than 50 percent, while St. Louis has experienced an increase of more than 60 percent, and Milwaukee has seen a similar increase of more than 76 percent...."-
Variety of factors cited in rise in Houston murders in 2015
Houston Cron. St. John Barned-Smith Updated 10:38 pm, Thursday, December 31, 2015 it reports a generall decline in violent crime but an increase in murders much like the gun-control Utopias so loved by the leftists.
5
I am a 40 year old Anglo who is a native of El Paso and who moved to Dallas with my wife from Brooklyn in 2000. She is a native Texan as well. The point of this exposition is that the right wing whites who keep bemoaning the "loss" of "their" country can't get it into their heads that the concept of Texas, like America, transcends race and ethnicity. I went to a high school where I was on of of 130 Anglos amid 2000 Latinos and I will tell you we were all proud Texans. It's the know nothings all over again.But because the GOP and Trump have demonized anybody who isn't Anglo they totally alienated millions of people who are traditionally very conservative. So about 2024 the millions of whites who are liberal in Texas, they do exist, the Latinos, African-Americanso and Asians will.put an end to this nonsense.
Also, why have I used the term "Anglo" instead of "White???" Check the demographics. At least half of all Latinos in Texas consider themselves "White."
Also, why have I used the term "Anglo" instead of "White???" Check the demographics. At least half of all Latinos in Texas consider themselves "White."
30
Trump has demonized anyone who is not here LEGALLY. It has nothing to do with being Anglo. I am not a Trump supporter for the record.
I was born a half mile from the Rio Grande in Texas and was shocked & puzzled when others said "latinos" were not white?? I never considered them anything else!
I was born a half mile from the Rio Grande in Texas and was shocked to hear others call latinos "non-white." WHAT???
I have never considered Latinos as anything but white. That concept comes from somewhere else!
I have never considered Latinos as anything but white. That concept comes from somewhere else!
I used to live and Texas and I miss the people and mindset there.
I'd be married to a Texas girl if I i did not move to the east coast.
The mindset here is based on competition because of politics and everyone uses you as a ladder. If you move to the east coast for your job then just remember not to share what you know or they will always use it against you no matter what it is. The DC area is a chew you up and spit you out mentality. The people here have no souls
I'd be married to a Texas girl if I i did not move to the east coast.
The mindset here is based on competition because of politics and everyone uses you as a ladder. If you move to the east coast for your job then just remember not to share what you know or they will always use it against you no matter what it is. The DC area is a chew you up and spit you out mentality. The people here have no souls
17
@inachu,
You are right about east-coasters and mainstream liberals. Everyone is politically correct, and 100% phony. It's the liberal side of the authoritarian personality that we have all attributed to the blind conservatives. Liberals have it, too! This newspaper is so filled with readers who have no community with others and no kinship with anyone. The Blue states are filled with empty souls willing to do anything to seem popular and PC.
You are right about east-coasters and mainstream liberals. Everyone is politically correct, and 100% phony. It's the liberal side of the authoritarian personality that we have all attributed to the blind conservatives. Liberals have it, too! This newspaper is so filled with readers who have no community with others and no kinship with anyone. The Blue states are filled with empty souls willing to do anything to seem popular and PC.
8
"Everyone is politically correct, and 100% phony...This newspaper is so filled with readers who have no community with others and no kinship with anyone. The Blue states are filled with empty souls willing to do anything to seem popular and PC."
How can you make such a statement with a straight face? You're doing the very thing you decry: authoritarian judgement! I'm a decades-long reader of this paper as are many in my COMMUNITY of close, long-time friends on BOTH COASTS. My FAMILY is large, very close, multi-cultural and deeply involved in charity and community. I could care less about being "PC" and popular. Where do you think we are, junior high school?'
I'm a liberal progressive who is sensitive to how language and labels affect others because my own family has experienced it, not because I'm desperate for popularity. I strive for progressive values because I BELIEVE in them, not to be PC. To assume I'm "100% phony", with "no community" or "kinship with anyone" is offensive and flat out wrong! How do you reconcile your statement with the complex reality of what I've just described?
Get a grip on your angry bitterness towards the progressive community and get to know more of us before you use blanket terms like "everyone", "100% phony","no kinship with anyone", "empty souls".
How can you make such a statement with a straight face? You're doing the very thing you decry: authoritarian judgement! I'm a decades-long reader of this paper as are many in my COMMUNITY of close, long-time friends on BOTH COASTS. My FAMILY is large, very close, multi-cultural and deeply involved in charity and community. I could care less about being "PC" and popular. Where do you think we are, junior high school?'
I'm a liberal progressive who is sensitive to how language and labels affect others because my own family has experienced it, not because I'm desperate for popularity. I strive for progressive values because I BELIEVE in them, not to be PC. To assume I'm "100% phony", with "no community" or "kinship with anyone" is offensive and flat out wrong! How do you reconcile your statement with the complex reality of what I've just described?
Get a grip on your angry bitterness towards the progressive community and get to know more of us before you use blanket terms like "everyone", "100% phony","no kinship with anyone", "empty souls".
1
east coast finch,
My reply to inachu refers to phony liberals who think attitude and posture are substitutes for thinking and caring. If you are a genuine believer in the values you have, then you are a good guy, not a bad guy.
My anger is towards the current generation of Democrats who value appearances only.
I'll use an analogy to U.S. foreign policy to help reveal my point.
Think about what $ and power do to those who have it. Now consider the relative size of the U.S. military compared to the rest of the world? If you investigate and think, the result is that U.S. global hegemony is scary.
Now think about the typical liberal. He/she is in complete support of U.S. global hegemony, and believes the propaganda from Wash. DC, the media, etc. Why do they believe?
The propaganda pushed on us is in the form of "bait and switch." Fake humanitarian crisis sold to naive Americans thru very effective PR campaigns and marketing.
The liberal wants to be a good person, so he/she supports humanitarian-military intervention to help "those poor people." Washington looks like a hero, the liberal feels proud of him/herself, and the brown/black/yellow/etc. victims on the other side of the planet must now conform to Washington's (Wall Street's & the Petrodollar's) dictates.
If liberals are such good people, why do they accept the word of Big Brother so easily? If Socrates were alive today, he would suffer the same fate he did 2,000 + years ago.
Liberals are very conservative!
My reply to inachu refers to phony liberals who think attitude and posture are substitutes for thinking and caring. If you are a genuine believer in the values you have, then you are a good guy, not a bad guy.
My anger is towards the current generation of Democrats who value appearances only.
I'll use an analogy to U.S. foreign policy to help reveal my point.
Think about what $ and power do to those who have it. Now consider the relative size of the U.S. military compared to the rest of the world? If you investigate and think, the result is that U.S. global hegemony is scary.
Now think about the typical liberal. He/she is in complete support of U.S. global hegemony, and believes the propaganda from Wash. DC, the media, etc. Why do they believe?
The propaganda pushed on us is in the form of "bait and switch." Fake humanitarian crisis sold to naive Americans thru very effective PR campaigns and marketing.
The liberal wants to be a good person, so he/she supports humanitarian-military intervention to help "those poor people." Washington looks like a hero, the liberal feels proud of him/herself, and the brown/black/yellow/etc. victims on the other side of the planet must now conform to Washington's (Wall Street's & the Petrodollar's) dictates.
If liberals are such good people, why do they accept the word of Big Brother so easily? If Socrates were alive today, he would suffer the same fate he did 2,000 + years ago.
Liberals are very conservative!
Wow at ease folks , the Lone Star state is not some ISIS controlled area of Syria or Iraq ! Lighten up ya'll....
37
Given the number of hyper-conservative, religious telebangelists that populate the airwaves in the state I beg to differ.
17
religious telebangelists
typo or pun ?
either way its funny
typo or pun ?
either way its funny
1
I don't know if you're male or female but I imagine you're not only male but a white religious male. That is because for a woman seeking full freedom of choice in her reproductive health care decisions or those seeking freedom from omnipresent, right-wing, evangelical christianity imbedded in all levels of society including government or gay and transgender people seeking full acceptance or the scientists and educators fighting for the inclusion of the science of climate change, evolution, and more in textbooks, Texas is most certainly the American equivalent of an ISIS-controlled area of Syria or Iraq!
3
I live in California (moved here at age 10 from upstate New York, which I loved as a kid and still love) and I love it passionately, after 56 years of living all over this state, from San Diego to LA to the high desert to the SF Bay Area. I would never set foot in Texas, not even to change planes. Yes, I'd pay more for a flight in order to avoid having to do that.
For people who complain about Texas "haters," think again. Many of us simply don't care enough about Texas to hate it. In my case, I practice an old Amish custom: I shun it. And, yes, I know full well that not everyone who lives there is a bigoted, violent, anti-science, anti-woman loudmouth. But when I look at the people Texans send to D.C., and the people they elect as their governor and to their state legislature, I am sicked. I turn my back on the state of Texas and want nothing to do with it, and that is enough for me. And it's easy to do.
For people who complain about Texas "haters," think again. Many of us simply don't care enough about Texas to hate it. In my case, I practice an old Amish custom: I shun it. And, yes, I know full well that not everyone who lives there is a bigoted, violent, anti-science, anti-woman loudmouth. But when I look at the people Texans send to D.C., and the people they elect as their governor and to their state legislature, I am sicked. I turn my back on the state of Texas and want nothing to do with it, and that is enough for me. And it's easy to do.
66
So your entire opinion of Texas is based on government officials ?
10
so do you feel the same about NY and NYers because of Trump? Or is this just a personal problem of yours?
16
Have you seen the ridiculous gerrymandering of the congressional districts in Texas? We have no chance at electing anyone sane as the legislature has chopped up the state into districts that each take a small portion of the large city populations. It is not even remotely representative of the population. We have shapes of districts that span hundreds of miles to achieve the effect they want.
4
What makes Texas, Texas is a lot of Bull stuff. As if being from Texas was anything to brag about or be proud of and yet they think they are better Americans than the rest of us.
Go on back to the days of the Republic of Texas and the Alamo. No tears will be shed here.
Go on back to the days of the Republic of Texas and the Alamo. No tears will be shed here.
16
Come spend some time here and get to know us. Perhaps your opinion will be different.
4
A geologic epoch should be named after Texas for all the trilobites that reside there.
4
The in-your-face ego of Texas exists in inverse relation to its true distinction. States that have made a huge contribution to American culture and the country's economy, oh, well, you know, funny little places like New York, California, Massachusetts, etc. know that discretion is the better part of valor. And furthermore, I will never ever forgive Texas for a political culture so benighted that it constantly expels its worst into American politics to the detriment of the well-being of the other 49 much better behaved and infinitely less craven states.
30
"States that have made a huge contribution to American culture and the country's economy, like New York, California, Massachusetts,"
You might check the history [and Nobel prizes] of a "little ole" company in north Texas called, Texas Instruments.
You do know that by itself, Texas has the 14th largest economy in the world, right? An economy larger than any state but California. You do know that BOTH Texas and California have more PhD's, JD's, & MD's than some states have people, right???
You do know that Texas & ew York are right behind California for Fortune 500 companies, right?
Actually, from your post I suspect that you do NOT know a whole lot!
You might check the history [and Nobel prizes] of a "little ole" company in north Texas called, Texas Instruments.
You do know that by itself, Texas has the 14th largest economy in the world, right? An economy larger than any state but California. You do know that BOTH Texas and California have more PhD's, JD's, & MD's than some states have people, right???
You do know that Texas & ew York are right behind California for Fortune 500 companies, right?
Actually, from your post I suspect that you do NOT know a whole lot!
2
We lived in Houston in the mid 90's for three years while my wife was in medical school. What summed it up for me was a comment heard at a party. A man listened to a description of Manhattan and responded was "you can't tell me it's any bigger than downtown Houston".
Texans choose to believe they are in the promised land, regardless of any facts to the contrary. The reality is Texas is the last bastion of the Old South. Delusional to the core.
Texans choose to believe they are in the promised land, regardless of any facts to the contrary. The reality is Texas is the last bastion of the Old South. Delusional to the core.
38
It's time for Texans to get over themselves.
36
You have not described my Texas. It consists of a stunning skyline, Calatrava-designed bridges, quiet tree-lined neighborhoods, multi-lingual people (me, ahem), HQ for global businesses, amazingly multi-cultural, progressive attitudes, and a history of voting for Democratic presidential candidates. This is Dallas. No cowboys hats nor boots, and few give a flip about guns. A world apart from Houston, and almost anywhere.
17
Beautifully written, Skip...
4
A part of me wishes that the Union didn't get in the way of the Confederate secession. If that had come to pass, we would today have an America that is radically less religious and more liberal. The rest of us would be free to follow the Canadian route, and embrace policies like Universal Healthcare. And the south for their part, would be free to embrace a proudly christian, small-government nation. Maybe a Texas secession today would truly be a win-win for everyone involved.
16
Oh, come on!
1
I've lived in Texas for over 25 years now. There is definitely a pride of place that infects you here. We live on the boundary of a very liberal Austin and a very conservative Texas. The high school that all of my kids attended is majority minority. But the minority are not Black and Hispanic, they are Chinese and Indian. It is a melting pot where all are welcome (as long as they don't brag about how great it was in California).
What I love most about Texas though is the politeness and friendliness of the people, despite our differences we are all Texans and we respect each other for that. Another thing that I really love is that you aren't considered strange for going to church on Sunday here.
I think the Texas view of how its relationship with the USA should be is more in line with an economic federation of semi-independent states. More like the EU than the USA. We really don't like people from outside the state telling us how to run things.
What I love most about Texas though is the politeness and friendliness of the people, despite our differences we are all Texans and we respect each other for that. Another thing that I really love is that you aren't considered strange for going to church on Sunday here.
I think the Texas view of how its relationship with the USA should be is more in line with an economic federation of semi-independent states. More like the EU than the USA. We really don't like people from outside the state telling us how to run things.
17
Beautifully written, Sam...
5
So, as a newly out trans person, I wonder just how polite, friendly and open y'all would be to me... I think I'd get a Bible waved at me and told I'm an abomination.
You know, like in New Jersey, where I live now!
You know, like in New Jersey, where I live now!
5
asg,
Go to Austin. You'd be welcome there. And quite a few other places in Texas as well.
Go to Austin. You'd be welcome there. And quite a few other places in Texas as well.
3
As an American I need Texas more than Texas needs me - if only as a reminder that it's a place I'll never want to live for many, many reasons.
7
Like what reasons ? Have you ever been or basing it on something you read or seen ?
7
Try realty on for a change...might get you somewhere...
We appreciate you staying just where you are. My oldest brother spent 30+ years in San Diego, so I know from many visits the bauty of that place and the rest of southern California.
BUT, from what I read recently, I do NOT want to go there again. A dying, place of great violence, poverty & growing ugliness!
You stick with it!!!
BUT, from what I read recently, I do NOT want to go there again. A dying, place of great violence, poverty & growing ugliness!
You stick with it!!!
1
As someone who had moved from one coast to the other, I am bemused by the people I have met who come from Texas. The pride in their State is like something I have rarely seen, except for maybe the Mormons in Utah who rally mostly around their Mormonism. Yet as different and diverse as Texans are, they still believe it's Texas first. Maybe Congress can learn something from that.
6
People often forget, that before Texas was a state, unlike other states, it was an independent, on going nation, having gotten its' independence from Mexico! Sort of like Brooklyn, which was once an independent City, before the building of The Bridge! No matter where we are, whether true Brooklynites, or true Texans, we have that unique pride and swagger! Ain't going to change, and neither will those identities we hold most dear.
8
I was born in Texas. Grew up in Texas. Graduated from the University of Texas. At one point, I worked on the Texas Tourism account and wrote the state tourism theme line still in use today: "Texas. It's like a whole other country." For a few years I was even the creative director on the "Don't Mess With Texas" anti-litter account. So, I get Texas. The good, the bad and the ugly. And lately, the bad and ugly has been winning the PR war. Too bad. That's not why I've been living in California the last ten years now. But it does make it harder to think about going back.
37
Mr. Bommarito, I was fully aware that "Don't Mess With Texas" was an anti-litter advertising. I'm so glad you to read your response. It's all food for thought.
5
"Making people proud while making people wince."
Yep. That's what I do when I think of Texas (wince, that is)
The U.S.'s own foreign country, right down south there, in the lower 48.
Yep. That's what I do when I think of Texas (wince, that is)
The U.S.'s own foreign country, right down south there, in the lower 48.
14
Was born and raised in Texas. Spent the first 33 years of my life there.
When we (happily) moved to NYC in 2009, everyone asked if I was experiencing culture shock.
"Of course not; I'm finally home. The first 33 years were shocking."
Now on the other coast so that I can be with the same kind of people but better weather, I can't imagine any reason I would ever return to Texas.
"Tis a silly place." - King Arthur (sort of)
When we (happily) moved to NYC in 2009, everyone asked if I was experiencing culture shock.
"Of course not; I'm finally home. The first 33 years were shocking."
Now on the other coast so that I can be with the same kind of people but better weather, I can't imagine any reason I would ever return to Texas.
"Tis a silly place." - King Arthur (sort of)
13
To HonestTruth , Wine Country - Thanks for telling it like it is. Born and raised in NYC, and happy to know that you felt that you were finally "home" as you put when you lived there.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Enjoy that great west coast weather
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Enjoy that great west coast weather
3
Texas bashers in the non-Texas US remind me of US bashers in Europe. In both places I have heard people say, "I hate Texas (or America), but you're okay." The bashing is almost always about politics, the big picture. For Europeans, it's the Iraq War (or in the past Vietnam), the jingoism and militarism, the belief in American exceptionalism, etc. For American non-Texans, it's the conservative politics, the death penalty, the guns, the belief in Texas exceptionalism, etc. But then they like you once they get to know you. It's like they hate the forest, but like the trees. (I am a native Texan who has lived in California, Ohio, and Maryland as well as in Europe and Asia.)
13
I like the reporter's attitude--curious, bemused, recognizes the bad but finds the positive. If you have to move around a lot, this is a healthy attitude. Also, the reporter does not get caught up in negative stereotyping, which is refreshing.
We have some fantastic cities in this country, each with its own culture. But what is discouraging to me is how homogenized so many towns have become, thanks to all those national franchise and chain stores. Too many places have to fight for an identity and character these days. You can go from one town to the next, and the commercial district has the same national stores and restaurants.
Texas is its own proud culture, but unfortunately, it's politics, after Ann Richards was no longer in office, has veered way too far to the right. To me, Ann Richard and Molly Ivins were the most fantastic, smart, funny women. You don't get that way by living in a sane, dull, homogeneous region or state.
We have some fantastic cities in this country, each with its own culture. But what is discouraging to me is how homogenized so many towns have become, thanks to all those national franchise and chain stores. Too many places have to fight for an identity and character these days. You can go from one town to the next, and the commercial district has the same national stores and restaurants.
Texas is its own proud culture, but unfortunately, it's politics, after Ann Richards was no longer in office, has veered way too far to the right. To me, Ann Richard and Molly Ivins were the most fantastic, smart, funny women. You don't get that way by living in a sane, dull, homogeneous region or state.
4
The lede to this story is seriously wrong, when it says, "People in this rapidly changing state believe their way of life is under attack, and they are
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan."
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texans had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush, the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, it is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A New York Times reporter should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan."
I won $100 betting with a friend that Texans had voted for George Bush by a smaller percentage than other states. Some Texans believe their way of life is under attack, but the millions who voted against Bush, the millions who voted for Barack Obama are also Texans, as are those in the tradition of Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, Ralph Yarborough, Kinky Friedman, Annise Parker, and Lyndon Johnson.
Sure, it makes for a more dramatic story if one portrays Texans as a monolithic, feeling besieged, set upon group. However, it simply isn't true. As with most others, it is a highly gerrymandered state, which allows one group to wield disproportionate power and project a narrative that reinforces their power and privilege. A New York Times reporter should know better than to let the noise define the total reality.
21
I'm sorry, but the slogan "the last best place" belongs to Montana, another fiercely independent western state.
5
Houston is a wonderful city. It's only problem is that it is in Houston.
10
I passionately support the idea that Texas should if not secede, then defederate and become their own country. I do not believe the gulf between what I believe and the right wing Texans that run the state is bridgeable. Between their politicians, their educational system and the their indifference to social justice, we can spend all day saying the other guy is wrong, but really, why don't we just stop trying to pretend we can agree. I don't. I think that by having a country for those who believe in the right wing ideas about the role of government and the economic incentive of non regulation, we would in effect drain the poison off. I disagree with Texas in almost every way shape and form. So what? Let them act as a beacon for those right wing ideas and then hopefully the rump state that is less can then enact sensible rules to restrict gun violence and protect the environment. It does not need to be violent. Eastern European states have found a way to de-federalize. We can too. It is worse for us to pretend a common ground can be found. It can't. I am not compromising when I feel that most of the positions of the other side are deeply deeply immoral. So ok, lets go our own way.
9
I went to High School In Wichita Falls, Texas. Left 2 days after graduation.
Went back last year to show my son where I grew up!
Boy am I grateful that I am NOT a Texan in any way!!
Went back last year to show my son where I grew up!
Boy am I grateful that I am NOT a Texan in any way!!
8
Texas can be what it wants, as long as lets the rest of us be what WE want. Alas, part of their cherished identity seems to include dictating to others.
10
If Texas is so special, why are there so many Texans in New Mexico?
Don't you miss your home?
Want'a go back?....
It would be OK...
Michael Bain
Glorieta, New Mexico
Don't you miss your home?
Want'a go back?....
It would be OK...
Michael Bain
Glorieta, New Mexico
6
Listen hear yungun. Texans make up the second highest population in New Mexico and Colorado. If it wasn't for us, your state would fall further into darkness.
5
Funny!
Wish some of the other commenters had a bit of levity.
Wish some of the other commenters had a bit of levity.
1
If one truly wants elbow room, New Mexico has lots. There are no crowds on the Glorieta Mesa. Up there on the Mesa, you can see for miles and miles. The air is clear. The mountains to the northwest, west, and southwest are purple on the horizon. Some ranchers maintain small herds of longhorn cattle ... They are big; believe it! And remind one of a time gone by.
The wind blows and the sun is hot. The ground is studded with cactus. There you need a wide brim hat and tall boots if you spend any time on a horse.
The green piñon are thick on the land there, standing in dark contrast with the long yellowing grasses blowing in the steady wind. The dark blue canopy overhead stretches ones senses — the sky is not a roof in New Mexico up on the Glorieta Mesa.
The land out there tolerates a man; barely. When the Longhorns are no more on it, and man is long gone from it, the winds will still blow there, water will run in the Pecos, the sun will shine, and the birds will wheel in the great blue magnificence.
The wind blows and the sun is hot. The ground is studded with cactus. There you need a wide brim hat and tall boots if you spend any time on a horse.
The green piñon are thick on the land there, standing in dark contrast with the long yellowing grasses blowing in the steady wind. The dark blue canopy overhead stretches ones senses — the sky is not a roof in New Mexico up on the Glorieta Mesa.
The land out there tolerates a man; barely. When the Longhorns are no more on it, and man is long gone from it, the winds will still blow there, water will run in the Pecos, the sun will shine, and the birds will wheel in the great blue magnificence.
I have never visited Texas. I never plan on visiting Texas. Ever. This is a state which has a solid reputation of electing inept Republican governors term after term (and who can forgive what Karl Rove did to the great Ann Richards, who lost to George W. Bush -- and we all know where what happened after THAT). This is also a state where the schools' textbook contents are restricted by a pro-Southern-Baptist agenda, and therefore evolution is a no-no, but God Did Create the Earth in 6 (Literal) Days. Some much for science.
What is there to like about Texas? I don't know. Its government reminds me of another state that seems to be run by an illogical and illiterate theocracy -- Utah.
I doubt Mexico would take either state/republic back now.
What is there to like about Texas? I don't know. Its government reminds me of another state that seems to be run by an illogical and illiterate theocracy -- Utah.
I doubt Mexico would take either state/republic back now.
5
If you have never visited and relying on your knowledge of the Texas stereotype then do you really know Texas ?
10
Everything Mr. Saltzman said about Texas is accurate--the inept Republican officials, the horrible anti-intellectualism of the schoolbooks, the absolutist anti-choice offensive on women, the creationist rubbish….he got it all right.
I think he's right about Mexico too--you couldn't give Texas to them.
I think he's right about Mexico too--you couldn't give Texas to them.
I actually went to school in small-town Texas and our textbooks don't teach Creationism. Also, my teacher was a flamingly gay democrat. So yeah, you don't know what you're talking about.
3
Ship conservatives and Trump supporters to Texas, sell Texas back to Mexico (for a dollar), then build the wall.
13
Could you be any more liberal democrat ?
4
Check out my own comment, pretty much the same idea!
Well, I'm one too, but that was just mean.
1
My mother taught me to either find something nice to say about a person, place, or idea or else say nothing at all. Obedient to this day, I shall say the one nice thing I can find to say about Texas: Ann Richards. Period.
31
Oh, c'mon. Not Molly Ivins, too?
9
I wish she'd taken GWB seriously as an opponent!
EGAD, you're right! an egregious omission on my part!
At times like this, I really miss Molly Ivins. She gave me hope for the state of Texas.
21
The good old white boy network in Texas lives long. These people will be an anachronism to history, it just takes a few decades. Come back in 100 years and it will be majority Latino, everyone will be able to speak Spanish, and there will be no wall on the border with Mexico. And this is not a problem. People everywhere resist change, it is the short-sighted nature that mostly comes with being human. It is stupid to resist change. The definition of success is adapting to changing circumstances. Coal miners ought to learn the same thing. Get some new skills you whingers. No one owes you anything, other than the support you may need while you adapt to change. That we should provide.
7
Only somebody from Texas would propose that a US military exercise was in reality an Obama induced Federal takeover of their state, even given credibility from their state officials.
26
The military exercise you reference generated much more attention outside than inside Texas. Texas has the nation’s largest military installations. All the major Army installations could fit inside Fort Bliss.
3
I traveled many times to different parts of Texas during my career and never found it to be friendly to outsiders. My strongest memory is a dinner with Texans the night after Martin Luther King was killed. I was shocked by their attitude that he got what he deserved. I was very young and to this day am ashamed that I did not respond to this hate speech. These were educated people with responsible positions. I have often wondered if any of them changed their minds over time. When I read about the right wing politics and attitudes sp prevalent in the state, my guess is those people have not.
39
This breaks my heart. I cannot blame you for feeling the way you do. I'm hoping that, 40 years later, feelings/opinions/attitudes/humanity has changed.
1