Mr. Paladin
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Atticus Finch said:For years, I've used a portion of the above quote as my "tag line" on this forum and elsewhere. I have always thought that it nicely reveals the complex dichotomy between Southern politeness and the often reserved or aloof---and occasionally hostile---true nature of many Southerners.
I think that, over the decades, a great many people have mistaken Sounthern politeness for stupidity or gentleness. I also think that most those people eventually came to regret their error.AF
Sir, I have always admired your tag line and I find your above explanation very true. I was raised on a ranch around only small towns. My maternal grandmother was the product of fairly prosperous parents who owned a traveling sawmill business which moved all over Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. She was a very proper lady and taught my mom, who in turn taught us. In my line of work I have dealt with many people who mistook Southern politeness for stupidity or softness. I doubt they ever make that mistake again. Having been in large cities for nearly thirty years, I also agree that the politeness is near defunct here, possibly because of demographics and possibly because of the beehive syndrome where people feel they can behave poorly surrounded by a mass of strangers whom they will most likely never see again. It is a shame.