What do you think of when you think of Texas?
I’ve always been a Texan and have always known about the old Texas cowboys and all that stuff. When my brother went up to Michigan for Castaway everyone was asking him where his boots were and if he owned horses and cows. I was surprised; I didn’t know non-Texans thought all of us were downright wild cowboys and country folk. Haha, well I guess it’s not everyone, but probably a lot of people. Everyone I know in Texas says ‘ya’ll’, but they don’t all talk like in the old West. I’m just curious, what first comes into your head when you think of Texas? Is it horses and the old West? Or just some cities and a few farmlands?
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Poker
Wedge
J.R Ewing
Yellow roses
Irony. The original Texans migrated illegally across the Mexican border and got pissed when Mexico tried to keep them out.
If only they’d had a fence.
I almost ended up moving there a few days ago, by some grace I got to stay here in Cali. The first thing I thought when I was told we were probably going to move was, “FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK….”
Now the first thing is, “Whew, that was a close one.”
I think of hot dry weather.
I think of cattle ranches and oil fields.
I think of good food.
I think of wide open spaces and big cities.
I think of friendly self-sufficient people.
I think of some folks who might not be so friendly, but they are everywhere.
I think some Texans might wear cowboy boots and hats.
I’m from Michigan
Oil and the death penalty.
The girls. I believe Texas has some of the prettiest girls on the planet.
I think of my philosophy teacher, a Texan. “You’ll never have to ask if someone’s from Texas,” he’d say, “because they’ll tell you.”
He would also go on about how he likes bourbon.
I avoid thinking about it.
Ass-hats. Rednecks. Executives who think it’s appropriate to wear a cowboy hat to a meeting but couldn’t tell a cow from a pig.
Oil rigs,Stevie Ray Vaughan,horses.and capitol punishment! :)
The Lone Star State! (and the state’s shape)
Remember the Alamo!
The JFK assination
Urban Cowboy
How everything there seems larger than life, including the bats I once saw in Abilene (and yes, the hair)
Weird drinking laws
Dell Computers
The list could go on…
Lyrics: “I’m a long tall Texan, I wear a big white hat.” also Televangelists.
Squirrels. You can blame SpongeBob for that one. :P
I think about the stereotypes that people place on Texans, and how much it pisses me off.
I also think of irony, as someone mentioned above, but for a different reason: those who scream the loudest about hating racism and labels are typically the first to judge Texans as racist, homophobic, steer ropin, bronco ridin, redneck, bible thumpin, inbred, illiterate fuckwads. Bassackwards much?
I think of conservatives.
I can’t believe no one said Rick Perry!
I came out of a Fluther hiatus just to say that.
Two awful presidents: Johnson and Bush.
@sarahhhhh I didn’t even know who Perry was until last week lol.
@Blackberry neither did I. But he’s everywhere all the time now.
@sarahhhhh And unfortunately, he’s reinforcing negative texan stereotypes lol. :(
Hey, I live here, and I STILL think Rick Perry is a douchebag.
@Blackberry my impression of Texas is unfortunately everything I see in the media. (Don’t live in the states/never visited) I don’t think good or bad of it either way.
@WillWorkForChocolate I don’t know many people that do like him TBH. But the straw polls were a wake up call.
edit: unfortunately not because I think Texas is bad but because I’d like to visit first hand.
High school football
Military bases
Lyle Lovett
Michelle Shocked
@YoBob Yeehaw, brother! Now why don’t y’all just ride y’all’s hoss on ovah here and fuck my goats while I throw some cow ass and chickin titty on the grill, yeh hear?
Austin is a great city. If I could bear the heat, I would live there in a heartbeat.
Unending scrub land.
Dallas
Houston
Galveston
@Jude I’m used to the heat, but really, in summer we’re lucky if it gets below 95!
Well Yee haw and shucky darn @WillWorkForChocolate. Sounds like my kind of party.
FWIW, I tend to lean quite a bit to the right and, although embarrassed to admit it, according to my grandmother I’m even related to the @$$hole somewhere along the line, but I share your sentiments about Rick Perry.
Stupidity and guns (sorry)
Flat, hot, boring, and yucky. (Sorry)
I had a job offer to curate a zoo in Texas, and turned it down for several reasons, one of which was that it was in Texas.
What do you think of when you think of New York?
A: Loud, narcicisstic atheists who think their shit don’t stink
What do you think of when you think of California?
A: Dumb surfers who say “yo” and “brah”
What do you think of when you think of England?
A: Stuffy, narrow-minded Brits in Mini-Coopers
What do you think of when you think of France?
A: Lazy, stuck-up loudmouths who spit on Americans
What do you think of when you think of Italy?
A: Arrogant men who run around saying “ciao” and pinching women’s asses
What do you think of when you think of Ireland?
A: Drunk, fighting morons
What do you think of when you think of “White America”?
A: Rude, racist, rich people
What do you think of when you think of “Black America”?
A: Loud, reverse-racist, robbers and rapists.
Stereotypes aren’t very flattering are they? Which ones do you fit?
I was going to say, people have stereotypes about every state. People think Texas is full of racist rednecks, but people think California is full of fake plastic-surgery getting health nuts, and people think Nevada is nothing but prostitutes and gamblers, etc. Although most stereotypes are based on some form of fact, it doesn’t mean that “most people” in any of these places fit the stereotype.
@Blackberry I never hear stereotypes about Oregonians. All I know is that Oregon is beautiful.
@Blackberry A bunch of Rain forest dwelling spotted owl killers.
@Blackberry Best I had on short notice. Let me work on it.
Brah, just say “Hot Oregonians” and score, yeh hear?
I think about the best steak I ever had in my life. Warm weather. Really good shopping, especially in Houston. Religious innthe evangelical way. Women who are all made-up and maybe a little too plastic, but I know the female population is not like that down there. Conservative populaton except for groovy Austin. Place where Kennedy was shot.
Highest death penalty rate in the country. They’ll kill you even if your mentally a 6 year old and your lawyer sleeps through the trial.
Flat, dry, hot and ugly.
My dad’s family; they come from Texas.
Assholes. Like I said, my dad’s from Texas.
driving forever to get across it
How come we didn’t have the good sense to let them go when they wanted to go?
Mocking birds
Fire ants
Armadillos
Blue Bonnets
White-tailed deer
Live oaks
Spanish moss
Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles
My relatives that live there. And, yes they fit into all of the stereotypes listed above. They moved there due to the low taxes though..so maybe that mentality attracts those stereotypes?
Wow. Why all the haters? Don’t forget how geographically enormous the state is and the people are as varied as the terrain. Can’t we all get along?
<cringing at the thought of Rick Perry in office>
You and me, both. I think I’d rather have Bush back, than Perry.
One of my ex’s lived in Texas (Austin). The heat was rough. Not good for the hurr. The food was good. The music and nightlife, pretty sweet.
The only other part of Texas that I was in was Houston. Just for an hour stop (airport). The stewardess had bigass blonde hair and the there were a lot of cowboy hats.
I have nothing else to say, as I’ve never been anywhere else there, nor spent time with any other Texans.
Canuck
@WillWorkForChocolate Holy shit. I haven’t paid much attention to Perry but if prefer Bush over him that scares the crap out of me. Time to do a little research.
@Adirondackwannabe
Personally, I’d rather have Bush again than have Rick Perry and I’d rather have Rick Perry than have Michele Bachmann…
@Adirondackwannabe You didn’t get that when I said I think Perry is a douchebag, even though I’m a Texan? :P
“Don’t Mess With Texas”
“Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
@WillWorkForChocolate and @Blueroses Many of these comments are not stereotypes, nor are they made by haters of the Texas state. The question was, What do you think of when you think of Texas? There is a big difference.
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Hey, canuck, aka, @Jude, you don’t got nothing against big blonds now do ya’?
I think Rick Perry is hot. Regardless of what you may or may not find appealing; I personally wouldn’t care if he ate crackers in my bed. Just sayin.’
@WillWorkForChocolate I saw that but most politicians are douchebags. Just wanting those jobs should be grounds for disqualifying most of them. But when you quantify it by saying Bush is better got my attention.
Evil ignorant racist Christians who are evil! And racist! And they want to make you an evil racist Christian too! And did I mention they are ignorant? Herp derp!
Of course not, @syz. I vote on a candidate’s record, background, comments, actions and looks. Of course I notice how someone appears. I think Rick Perry is the whole package and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I find commonsense and brains sexy.
And yes, @Adirondackwannabe, you can’t beat an old longhorn. Well…perhaps it is possible, but that is a story for another day. ;)
When I think about what I like about Texas, I think of my Austin years, 1981–1988. It’s there I developed my songwriting, my stage presence, and most of all, it’s where I met my wife. Here’s a song by Texan songwriter Gary P. Nunn that says it as well as anyone can.
In all honesty, I am probably going to move to Texas at some point, if I have the funds, because I want to own a lot of property that I can build on.
That is an amazing video @Yetanotheruser. Gary Nunn, huh? I’m intrigued. He’s good. I love that song. It’s a cold Lone Star in my hand. Thanks.
Cowboy hats
Oil
Steak
Dallas Fort Worth
Houston (The Galleria)
Big everything
One of my best friends ever lives there…
I miss San Antonio. I lived there for two years near Brachenridge Park. I hated it at first but soon grew to love it. It is a very special place. I had some friends ther too.
.
I think of heat, cowboys and a semi desert landscape.
The Texas farmers prayer:
Oh lord, please send us some rain. Not so much for me because I’ve seen it before, but for the sake of my 10 year old son….
Very large beautiful state, just too hot for me.
Two days of driving through what seemed like Twin Peaks. It was weird, weirder than me and my ex Mr.
Deserts and guns.
I know nothing about Texas other than what I see in movies, so unfortunately, I’m stuck with what is probably an extreme stereotypical view of the place. I don’t actually believe that’s all it is, but that’s what I think about. Plus Leatherface.
@Symbeline: Ha ha ha. Deserts & guns, that’s us here in AZ. Leatherface belongs to Texas though, righto.
State pride and the kitchy souvenirs to prove it.
I’ve been to Texas once (around Austin) and went into tons of little stores – not tourist shops, just whatever was there – and I was fascinated by how many different ways you can incorporate cowboy boots/the shape of Texas into anything from religious decorations to lamps.
I’m skipping past everyone’s answers so I won’t be influenced, then I’ll go back and read them.
The first thing that popped into my head was Texas barbecue. Then I thought of things being really big, including the size of the state and the cattle etc.
Then I thought about the cute accents that the guys have. Especially the accent that belongs to Michael Nesmith, of The Monkees. He just has the cutest sounding voice.
Unfortunately, the next thing I thought of was George Bush and rednecks.
Then I thought of big giant belt buckles, Lonestar beer and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. Then I thought of the song, “All My Exes Live in Texas, That’s why I make my home in Tennessee” Then I thought of Texas style chili and big ten gallon hats and Urban Cowboy.
Heat
Rednecks
Rich people that suck at skiing
Lots of open space
Austin
Conservative philosophy
Swagger
@WillWorkForChocolate “I’d rather have Bush back, than Perry”.. Six of one, old son.. Bush was the idiot who chose his buddy (perry) to ruin Texas when he decided to ruin America.
Do you believe in synchronicity? I do.
I live in England…and tonight (I had not read this yet),
I grabbed a T-shirt to sleep in.
It was my “Don’t Mess with Texas” T-shirt that someone gave me. It’s faded and old, but it’s a favorite.
And then I got on the “Fluther” and there was this question…!
Texas? I think of Kinky Friedman. I think of the Fighting Texas Aggies. I think of my dad cooking bar-b-que every Sunday night without fail. I think of giant nopales and pedernales . I think of county fairs and super-big hair (but not on me). I think of people with an enormous generosity of spirit, one that I miss terribly here and one that is unmatched anywhere in the world. I think of the best food (Tex-Mex) and the best Margaritas. I think of Friday Night Football games. And Christmas in your bermuda shorts. I think of bluebonnets and Blizzards at the Dairy Queen. Oh, and of course, Santa in a Sombrero. The Drag in Austin. The Austin music scene. “Keep Austin Weird.” Shaved ice cones in the middle of the hottest summers. Your skin sticking to your carseat, even when it is air-conditioned.
I think of amazing high school kids in mariachi bands like this group….link These are the Mexican-American kids in America today we never hear about in the papers. The ones that aren’t in gangs, the ones that go to Stanford, the ones that spend hours after school honing their art. These are international champions. They come from a tiny town in Texas that has a budget the size of a buttonhole. (Now that’s Texas pluck!)
I think of the most beautiful, over-the-top, boastful, biggest-hearted, biggest haired state in the Union. And I miss it like the dickens. I’ve travelled all over the world, but Texas is still home.
@john65pennington…..They sure do have some of the prettiest girls on the planet! I agree with you on that one!
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lol
San Antonio is a great place to visit. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it highly.
I just saw a clip from Jon Stewart where he makes fun of Presidential candidate Perry for addressing a crowd on top of bales of hay. Jon recommended’ “to dial back the Texas a notch, you are already at Yosemite Sam levels.”
@JLeslie Typical Stewart. Anyway, Yosemite is not in Texas.
@Nullo I thought the same thing.
If we want to get perfectly technical, the great states of Alabama and Kentucky are far more redneck and “Yosemite Samish” than Texas could ever consider being.
@DarlingRhadamanthus See? That’s what makes me smile right there. In the midst of all the gun totin, redneck, stupid, racist, christianfrikkinrepublicanasshat, crap that people automatically “think” of when it comes to Texas, you (and a few others) got it right.
The hair, the fairs, the barbeque, the Tex-Mex, the football, the talented kids, the bluebonnets, the generosity… except I can’t claim to be the type of asshat who continues to be generous to people that take advantage. I’m just not that forgiving, lol. And don’t even get me started on Dairy Queen. This is DQ country. mmmmmmmm
@Adirondackwannabe Mmmmmmmmm, pizzzzzaaaaaaaaaaa. We have excellent pizza! Especially from this little Italian place just around the corner… toppings on top of toppings on top of toppings on top of ooey gooey melty cheeeeeeeese.
Stop it, I’m getting hungry again.
@WillWorkForChocolate There was a story in yesterdays news about a guy originally from Boston and his job took him to Mississippi, and he couldn’t find a decent pizza anywhere in the state. He had to go back to Boston so he bought 150 pizzas and flash froze them to take back with him. I couldn’t live in a place without good pizza.
Trust me, we gots us some nummy pizza. =0) Actually, Texas is so diversified, I think we have some of everything here. Italian, Tex-Mex (because authentic Mexican is just too bland for us), Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian (dot not feather), French (and Creole), German, Irish, Scottish, I would say English, but I don’t think the Fox and Hound Pub really qualifies…
Oh yeah, that’s another thing I associate with Texas: cafeterias! Not sure why they never caught on up North. You can actually eat cheaply, quickly and healthily in a decent cafeteria.
Ooooh, those too! Wyatt’s, Furr’s, Luby’s, Ryan’s…... fatty food and healthy food. You take your pick and it all tastes good, for an extremely reasonable price!
@Adirondackwannabe – Apparently the guy in the news story did not visit Austin. We have everything from Chicago style deep dish to wafer thin crusts cooked in wood fired brick ovens.
Manga does the best deep dish in town (IMHO) and it’s hard to beat The Brick Oven for their wood fired goodness.
@YoBob Those look awesome, especially the deep dish pizza.
@Adirondackwannabe – What I like best is that they put the sauce on top along with slices of fresh tomato. Their spinach and mushroom is absolutely awesome, but my all time favorite is the “Mangamia” (formerly known as the Mangazilla until a movie company from Japan sued them)
Unfortunately, (unless they have opened a new location South that I don’t know about) I live in a hole in their delivery area here in Austin, so if I want one I have to pick it up myself. Ironically, you can order frozen half baked Pizzas from them to be delivered anywhere (else) in the US. So… the bottom line is that I can get a Manga pizza delivered to my Dad’s place in Wichita Falls, but I cant get one delivered to my home in Austin (sigh!).
That is pretty sad @YoBob. LOL
“Racist Christians.” That sounds pretty darn accurate to me. Interesting.
I think of a dry flat plain, cattle and cowboys, rodeos and line dancing. I know not all of Texaa is dry and devoid of vegetation! At last year’s Newport folk festival my husband and I met the mother of singer Sarah Jarosz. She was telling us about the area of Texas they live in and how green it is. Something about this didn’t compute.
Anyone out there who lives in Texas or knows Texas who can explain how lovely and green it is??? Pray tell me all about it! Dispel my prejudices!
@Aster – Just felt compelled to let you know that I am a 5+ generation Texan on both sides and am neither Christian (in the traditional bible thumper sense of the term) nor racist.
@Earthgirl – Actually most of the time Austin is quite lush. It’s at the intersection of 3 different biological zone types, one of which is “sub-tropical rain forest”. However, we are prone to periodic drought, and at the moment we are in a whopper!
@Aster Where do you get the “racist” part from?
Yo Bob Sounds nice except for the drought of course! Have you ever been to Austin City Limits? I watch that show all the time. Seems like they get some great artists and bands there. I really enjoyed the show with Corinne Bailey Rae. Damn, I just looked it up and now I am pissed that I am missing the music festival on Sept 16th-18th!!! Are you going to go?
@Earthgirl – Austin has a great music scene. (I often quip that the reason I did not achieve the whole stardom thing is that at the time I was trying to make a name Steve Ray Vaughn was giving it away for free in this fair city, and it’s pretty darned hard to compete with that!)
ACL is great, but I’m getting to the age where I hate the crowds more than I love the music. Besides, I’ll take those tremendously talented undiscovered artists playing in pretty much every bar and coffee house in the city over the big names any day!
Yo Bob Of course I should have known that you also play an instrument and have musical ability. What would a renaissance man be without music? What type of music did/do you play? Pray tell. I am all ears! SRV was great, yes, I can imagine if he was giving it away it would have been awfully hard to compete.
@Earthgirl – I am (or rather was) yet another blues based rock-n-roll “guitar strangler”. Alas, a couple of decades have passed since the days of playing at Steamboat, The Black
Cat, and Joe’s Generic on 6th street (those places don’t even exist any more), and it’s been even longer since playing in punk bands in Denton/Dallas in the early 80’s.
These days I content myself with the occasional acoustic jam session with friends or breaking out the classical from time to time.
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