The two iron banks I bought: "Mammy" and "Uncle Mose"

I went to the Suwannee County Christmas on the Square event yesterday, and among the locally made Christmas gifts, knick-knacks, furniture, luxury sheets (two competing booths, by the way) there was a covered tent selling antiques.

Among the rusted horseshoes and dented wind vanes I spotted a set of old rusted banks, each weighing a few pounds and standing a little over 10 inches tall. One was shaped like the iconic “Mammy” or “Aunt Jemima” figure, the other like an “Uncle Mose” figure.

When I asked the seller where he got these and what they were, he answered “They’re banks. And I pick them up wherever, mostly in the South or on eBay, people don’t really know how much they’re worth.”

This really got me thinking: how much are these worth, and to whom? Who originally made these, and who was the intended purchaser? And what does it mean for me to now own them? If I put these out on my kitchen counter, what would people say? According to this article on identifying real versus fake “Mammy” banks, I’m fairly confident this is not a recent reproduction – but I do not know how old it is. Could be from the 1980s, could be from the 1880s, I’m really not sure. I might check out the book  “Mammy and Uncle Mose: Black Collectibles and American Stereotyping”, and I read this academic article on “Stereotypes of History: Reconstructing Truth and the Black Mammy”.

That’s the purpose of this post: to see what people would say, what you would say these objects mean now, and what they meant when they were produced? I found some initial responses on the Straight Dope message board, but I’m curious what our readers think.

TI and JT

I was listening to the new chart-topping song “Dead and Gone” by rapper T.I. and pop-star Justin Timberlake, and noticed an odd omission. Near the end of the song, there is a set of verses with each line beginning with one of the cardinal directions – but not all of them:

“I turn my head to the east… I don’t see nobody by my side

I turn my head to the west… still nobody in sight

So I turn my head to the north, swallow that pill that they call pride

The old me is dead and gone, but the new me will be alright”

Leaving out the South is especially surprising since T.I. is from Atlanta, Georgia and Justin Timberlake is from Tennessee near Memphis. To add to the mystery, T.I. is the self-proclaimed “King of the South.”

One theory to explain this discrepancy comes from the BBC radio blog:

“The handy thing with this song, though, is that half way through Justin clarifies his geographical position (metaphorical or otherwise) by, according to the lyrics, turning his head every direction except South. So hopefully, that’s where he is . . .”

I’m not convinced that this explains the cold-shoulder to the South, but it is at least an ego-soothing explanation. You can listen to the song here:
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Dead_And_Gone/21198567

While much of the country was trying to find, foster, or avoid love during Valentine’s Day, President Obama’s Stimulus Package (or more formally the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) looked to be on its way to passing, and it seemed appropriate to pass along a little information on how this will directly affect the South.

A Wall Street Journal article breaks down an earlier version of the stimulus bill to see how each state fares – and Florida was not at the top. But, on an unusual note, Alabama and Georgia are both doing better for per-capita spending compared to New York and Massachusettes.

WSJ Stimulus Map

Click to read more…

I was sent an article about charitable giving differences between Liberals and Conservatives, which ends with the surprising conclusion that Liberals support taxes and policies that benefit the poor, but tend to be less giving to charitable causes than Conservatives.

Giving in the South

This got me thinking: does the stereotype of giving Southerners ring true? Are Southerners more compassionate, at least with their dollars? Click to read more…

Ain’t got but: Have only.

“He ain’t got but himself to blame.”

To round out the series, here are the final 3 Wonders of the Panhandle: Wakulla Springs, the Suwannee River, and the state capital Tallahassee.

6. Wakulla Springs

Wakulla Springs

The signs you see everywhere at Wakulla Springs proudly state that it is one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world.  The Spring flows up and out from an underground river at a rate of over 400,000 gallons per minute. While the county government of Wakulla County claims the springs as the largest and deepest in the world, the Weeki Wachee Springs go down to a verified 403 feet, which makes them deeper.

Even so, I’ve been to Wakulla Springs, and it is truly a stunning place, full of quintessential North Florida wildlife and glass-bottom boats to fully appreciate the wonder of the springs. I highly recommend going.

A few famous movies were shot at Wakulla Springs in the 1940s and 1950s: two of Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan films, “Tarzan’s Secret Treasure” and “Tarzan’s New York Adventure,” and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

Click to read more…

Unemployment in the United States is at 6.7% (as of the November figures). What about in the Panhandle? What about in the South more generally? With the NY Times reported “States’ Funds for Jobless Are Drying Up” these questions have a more tangible important to our readers in the South.

Using Jeff’s map of the Panhandle as my starting point, I compiled the unemployment averages of all 29 counties in the Florida Panhandle from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The most recent numbers available for October are compared below to that month’s national average of 6.5%.

Data is for Panhandle counties in the following order: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Dixie, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton, Washington

Click to read more…

Mind to:  Intention of doing something. Often used aggressively.

“I’ve got a mind to go down there and tell him how it is.”

Would argue with a fence post: to be stubborn, or to constantly argue.

“Steven won’t ever shut up. That guy would argue with a fence post.”

I am happy to introduce the first post in our newest series, “Southern Voices.” In this section, we present reflections from people who live or lived in the South who have unique insight or revealing experiences that help achieve the main goal of this site: offering an accurate view of what it means to be the South.

Without further ado, “Southern Voices” presents Kiran Patel, from Live Oak, Florida and now residing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Southern Hospitality…Desi Style.

Growing up as an Asian-American in the South was interesting, to say the least.  I think my family was like the second Indian family in my hometown when we moved there in the late 1980s.  I distinctly remember secretly wanting a southern accent, and sometimes I threw one in, just for kicks. Stop, visualize, and listen: petite, soft spoken, pink-wearing, 90-ish pound Indian saying “hey y’all!”  My sister and I came home to watch Country Music Television everyday – I was in love with Billy Ray Cyrus.  I also remember kind of shunning my own culture (Indian, Hindu) in my middle and high school years.  Why?  I am not sure anymore, but I definitely regret it.  I remember attending Fellowship of Christian Athletes , I remember allowing my friends to pronounce my name kuh-ron (instead of “kee-raan”), and I remember rarely talking about my ‘weird’ religion.  I am not sure why I wanted to fit in so much, but I did.  Maybe it’s because it’s hard to forget being called an ‘injun’ very early in life, maybe I just wanted to be like my friends.  It felt weird to be different, so I tried not to be.  It’s funny though because now culture is such a huge part of who I am.  What is it about that little town that made me stay quiet?  I don’t imagine my friends would have judged me, but, oh well.  So you learn.  I hope new minorities in my hometown are less timid about their culture.  I haven’t been to my hometown for an extended period of time in ages.  But I have to admit, sometimes I miss its small town appeal…who knows. Click to read more…

Near ‘bout: Almost.

“Randy near ‘bout fishtailed on that dirt road.”

A "typical" gun owner

After Obama won the election, gun sales increased as much as 50%. Many people who I discussed this with live in Chicago, where handguns are banned, and where experience shooting a gun is in short supply. When it came out that I grew up shooting guns (and quite a good shot, might I add), I immediately heard people say “Of course you’ve shot a gun, everyone in the South owns a gun.” 

Ah, how I love a testable thesis! Click to read more…