Surely, Keilor is not so naive as really to mistake a regional style for a genuine expression of kindness! He simply ran out of material for exposition. Alternatively, he was intent on expressing his chagrin with the sort of politician usually elected in the South to Congress. Now, that is a chagrin we call all share! It is a rush to violence, flag-waving, pork-barrel rolling type that we most often see from the South. Why? In part, it is because the schools in the South are the poorest in the US. In part, it is because life in the South has been for a long time very provincial, small-townish, and ruled by a small power elite in each community. Thus, one must be careful, very careful about what one says and how one expresses himself. "Darlin'" and "Sunshine" are part of that care.

Loved this and it is on target. As far Garrison's last question, I blame it on our backward MEN! One basic problem in the South is the absence of women in positions of leadership in most walk of business and government. I mean on local boards, etc. and this causes multitudes of problems, seriously. I think this is seen clearly in issues related to education. Wonder if anyone has ever done a study on % of women on school boards and in leadership positions in schools down South as compared to other parts of the country? I am a school counselor and have been a teacher for more than 25 years so I speak from some experience on the matter. Love Garrison's insight.

Look in the mirror, Garrison. What has Minnesota done differently?

I live in Brazil, where everyday interactions must be at least as warm and friendly as in the South of the USA, if not more so (after all, Brazil is -way- south!) And yet the political culture in Brazil is dreadful. I think this seeming contradiction is because Brazil (and probably the South of the USA) is still much more traditional in terms of family dynamics. To put it another way, here father, mother, children, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents are much more important and present than in the chilly North of the USA. And this has effects in the rest of life. Getting a job is not usually based on merit, but on who you know. Getting into politics is based not on merit, but on who you know.

And this means that instead of looking out for the common good, the res publica, the politician is looking out for his clan, making sure that his connections get what they can from the public trough.

Dear Garrison,

I'm afraid that I have to agree with many people here who indicate, in part, that you may be mistaking form for substance. I recently had experiences with people (well, one person) from the American South whose friendliness, apparently, was a very deliberate facade. Another friend, also from the South, explained this to me as a traditional Southern strategy - appear very friendly to outsiders (and each other) but be very conscious of the differences between the insiders and the outsiders. In short, the "South" (if I can overgeneralize terribly) is a highly insular society that creates a wonderful appearance but is incredibly difficult to penetrate in any meaningful way if you are an outsider.

I don't know if this is true, but it strikes me that many traditional societies the world over seem to follow similar patterns. In Arab culture, hospitality to the stranger is a part of the cultural code - yet Arab cultures are also renowned for violent family feuds and social divisions based on tribal and geographical divisions. Similar experiences can be had in many places in Africa and Asia.

I'm writing from Canada, in the Maritimes, where similar dynamics may be at work. On the other hand, in larger centres (Canadian spelling!), people are certainly more cold. But this also means that when you make friends, the interaction seems more genuine - there is less chance to be deceived by a superficial friendliness that actually acts as a shield against deeper involvement.

Sincerely,

Shaun Narine

Smiling at you, calling you darlin and then stabbing you in the back. But in NY people will pretty much tell you to go fuck yourself, as the joke goes. It's a genteel thang down here. Mince words, always mince words. Helps keep everyone in line and keeps them off balance too. The eeriest threat is the one with a smile.

More shallow sterotyping (or just plain typing vs. writing) about the south's charming warmth and the north's coldness. I suspect GK has interns churning out this tired reportage. Because only one of them could have written something so silly:

"When I was in college, I read Kafka and Camus and tried to write like them, in flat, non-American English"

Hello? You mean writing like their translators. They didn't write in English. Talk about insularity and sloppiness. If the translations seemed flat and non-American, then they were lousy translations.

I live north of the 45th parallel in Portland, OR and I have very good friends in San Diego more than 1400 miles south. We do not think of ourselves as northerners or southerners. We are westerners.

Why does Trent Lott, for example, still hold his seat in the United States Senate, and by the most comfortable of margins? Surely he doesn't actually represent the state of Mississippi with his thinly veiled bigotry. If he does, I certainly never want to go there, no matter how nice the people might be to good upstanding white people like myself. The fact remains that Mississippians know all about Trent Lott, more than I care to know, yet they keep sending him to Washington, and enthusiastically so. GK can't explain it, and neither can I. Voters in the southeastern United States are supposed to be all about 'values,' but aren't tolerance and social justice among them?

I live in the Georgia county where all four grandparents resided. I like to tell folks that my daughters have to make certain that their boyfriends are not also their cousins.

When I moved back here – kicking and screaming, but since have learned to love this area more than I thought possible – there was an election. My grandmother passed the butter beans and told me to cast a ballot for my fourth cousin, who was running for sheriff. “You gotta vote for your people, honey,” she said as she poured more sweet tea.

Today I am working on an election article for my newspaper – I am the liberal editor of a small bi-weekly – and white male faces are all I see. Many of the names are the ones also seen on street signs. Lots of Scots-Irish descendants who pass the collection plates at the Baptist Church on Sunday. All state that they support the war in Iraq.

I just might vote a Libertarian slate this year.

Family and tradition rules government here, which is too bad for non-whites and women. But beneath the politics I see plenty of diversity. The most ardent Methodist women’s group will order funeral flowers from the kindest gay male couple uptown. I owned a head shop for a decade here and my Assembly of God daddy only said this: “Well, Debra, your uncles would have lost the farm without a tobacco allotment.” Most people looked at my city as the most backward place on earth until we got liquor by the drink in 1995. But as much as I love my gin and tonics, I am the first to say that the old meat and three restaurants fell by the wayside as liquor-dependent franchise sprawl seized upon our town. Then the rest of the franchise world steamrolled through, forcing small businesses to close and suddenly this place resembles an interstate exit.

Yes, we are nice people. And in most ways, we really mean it. But women and minorities – who are becoming the majority – need to dive into politics and demand more representation. 43% of us Georgians voted against Bush, and we would like to be noticed by the rest of the world.

Thanks for your article.