Thoughts on Clothing and Flags

Topic: Southern Clothing

There are many Southern clothing stores that flaunt the confederate flag and represent themselves as the Southern way to dress. A few days ago, one of my sorority sisters emailed us about a new clothing line that her friend just launched called Dixie Gentlemen. In her email she said, “his stuff was a hit at the Carolina Cup! So put your SoPro and Southern Tide today and check his line out.” This company has many clothing styles that are considered to be Southern such as Croakies and overalls. I never considered overalls to be Southern, because I lived in Israel when I was younger and every kid in my preschool wore overalls at least once. Croakies are something that I definitely consider to be Southern. I had never heard of Croakies before I moved to Atlanta. Many of the clothes sold at Dixie Outfitters have Confederate flags on them. At my friend’s middle school, Flat Rock Middle School, a few years ago, clothing with Confederate flags was banned. Many girls wore Dixie Outfitters clothing and people got offended leading the NAACP to get involved. What is your thought about Dixie Outfitters and its representation of the Confederate flag through the clothing that it sells? What clothing styles do you consider to be southern?

NASCAR

(the most exciting part of the hour long shindig)

It's All About the Crashes

Nascar...Okay let’s think about this.

I know plenty of folks back at home who love to spend their Sunday afternoons watching stock car races. I don’t really partake, but here’s the deal. Get a bunch of guys together on the weekend, and give them the opportunity to sit around, drink beer, and watch things blow up. That’s the point of Nascar.

I do not mean to undermine the skills of the drivers, though. It’s the anticipation of crashes that really makes things exciting. If you want pure driving skill, sure - go watch Indy. Follow these links for more information on NASCAR and Indy racing.

NAS What?

NASCAR is a sport that I am very unfamiliar with. I know what it is because I live in the south. I understand the point system because I watch sports center. Finally, I know the names of a few famous NASCAR drivers. I believe that it does take a lot to be a NASCAR driver. The drivers experience a lot of G-forces and have to drive in a cockpit that can reach scorching heats. On top of all this, they have to drive for hundreds of laps without losing focus. One small mistake could mean life or death. Even knowing all of this, I still consider NASCAR not to be a sport.

I feel that NASCAR is popular for one reason in the south. I may feel this way because of stereotypes in the south about rednecks and trash. I feel that NASCAR is popular because you tailgate before the event, during the event, and after the event. I have friends who are in no way rednecks or even souther but still love NASCAR. Regardless, I feel that the sport is watched by so many because it gives people an excuse to get drunk and eat a lot of food. These things are good but if its just a party, its not a sport.

This topic seemed really controversial to me, so I did a little research. Here is a link to a really entertaining debate about what makes a sport a sport and if NASCAR counts.

NASCAR

This week I want to propose a topic about the great American sport of NASCAR. Some people say the acronym stands for Non-Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks, which may be true since the sport did originate down here. The acronym really stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It originated at Daytona Beach, but really caught on in North Carolina as some drivers drove fast because they were transporting moonshine during prohibition. The sport is also more popular in the South than it is in other parts of the country. The South's economy really relies on this sport as well. Why do you think this is the case? Why is it so popular in the south? Talk about your opinion on NASCAR and does your family watch it. Why you like or why you don't?

http://www.shacknews.com/images/generated/48e11a387bbb8_featured_without_text_Nascar.jpg

Southern Suburbia

I feel that the southern landscape is definitely diverse. This happens because of the vast size of the south. There is a variance between each area in rainfall, temperature, water features, vegetation, and human development. All of this makes every area in the south different. It is through this example that I have seen that the south can be many different places.

Personally, I feel that the best landscape of the south is suburbia. When I imagine the perfect southern landscape I see a quite suburban town filled with green vegetation, a mild climate, and plenty of lakes. I imagine and endless amount of trees because they provide shade on those sunny days, they are the perfect place to nap, and to play. The mild climate provides the spring time all the time. Finally, I believe that the ideal southern landscape is suburban because it gives the perfect mixture between a city and rural area. There are plenty of people but not so many that it gets annoying. There are are still plenty of developed commercial areas for entertainment. Overall, a southern suburban town is the place for me.

Here is a link to a website that shows the vegetation growth or destruction in the Unites States. It's interesting that the South is the greenest area on the map.

Landscape

When I was young I lived in Jerusalem for several years and then my family moved to a suburb that was a half hour away from the City. This seemed like an extreme change in lifestyle, but when I moved to Massachusetts, I was surprised by how rural my town was. My house in Israel was in a neighborhood that was extremely crowded, and in Massachusetts I had my own mile long driveway and I lived in a house where I could only see trees and grass when I looked out the window. When I think of the north I think of a more urban place like New York City, or Boston, but when I think of the south I think of a rural area with farms, empty land, and houses that are spread apart over large pieces of land. This is only true in some cases, the cities in the north are very populated, but there are still places that are very rural. Before I first visited Atlanta I thought of the South as an empty place, but the south has both urban and rural areas. I have lived in a suburban area my whole life, and I think that it has many advantages. The school systems in suburban areas are usually better than many school systems in cities, and they have become a place for families with children. In the city everyone is close to each other and there is much less space, but in the suburbs people have their own yards where they can take space from their neighbors and community which helps form a stronger family relationship.

Southscapes