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.

I find myself becoming more and more defensive the education I received in my hometown.  I used to mock it. I mean, I went to high school in some podunk town in the middle of nowhere.  But as I finished college, started working, returned to school, I realized: what the hell?  It wasn’t such a bad education, after all.  I mean, we have friends at University of Chicago, Duke, Harvard, and plenty of other star schools.  We all had the same education.  We turned out okay.  I suddenly became too mature to make fun of my little town.  I even found myself defending the intelligence of small towns in a grad school theory course recently.  Sure it has its flaws but it also has a lot of potential.  Ha, my family alone produced like 75% of the valedictorians and salutatorians from ‘98 to ‘02 (okay, minor exaggeration).  Oh yes, did I mention I grew up in the shadow of two brilliant siblings?   Seriously, our family adventures in the South would be such a funny sitcom:  Southern Hospitality…Desi Style.

Now mind you, I was pretty excited about leaving my hometown, and I don’t plan to return in any permanent manner – ever (as of now).  I just like big cities, I guess.  BUT, I do want to contribute to its growth, I just don’t know how quite yet, Maybe I’ll stop cracking so many jokes about girls getting married before getting their diplomas.  To each their own. Oh, but that brings up another point: there are like three (hyperbole, of course) of us from our graduating class who aren’t married and with kiddos.  Umm, I am 24, single, and I am well past my prime.  Hmmm…

Did I mention I returned to the South after a couple of years in the Midwest?  I’m getting back into the swing of things in Georgia, and geez, if you think people make fun of the Panhandle, come to Georgia.  Lots of stereotypical humor in the big peach.  I wonder when (if) degrading Southern humor will ever fade.  How much of it has truthful undertones?  How much of it is just an easy way to get a quick laugh without really being witty?  Who the hell knows?  It’s still funny to me. I say we all need to laugh a little more, and get offended a little less.  I know that’s not politically correct, but I really believe that.  We’re so focused on “X-pride” (X being whatever you’re proud of/part of) that we often forget, sometimes a joke is just a joke.  I am obviously not condoning racism, bigotry, sexism, but as an Asian minority, female I must admit, I laugh when I realize I sometimes drive like your stereotypical Asian girl or when I can’t get enough corny pictures at the zoo.  The world has too many problems (many of them obviously rooted in racial disparities-consider the effects of racism on chronic disease) to focus on silly banter.  I mean, the South isn’t the only racist part of the country, after all!  In my little utopia, people laugh at themselves, at others, and racial undertones are non-existent.  Maybe just one day…Is that a totally ridiculous thought?  Is that too idealistic coming from a Southerner?  It is, isn’t it?  Maybe I am just really, really, really naïve.  Guess that’s my problem to figure out.

Was this supposed to have a point?  If you’re a minority in the South, don’t hide your culture.  Be proud, be different, be yourself.  If I had to do it all over again, I hope I would be more open about my traditions.  I feel like I missed out on part of my childhood because I wasn’t. Eh, there’s always now to make up for it!  There’s plenty of culture to be discovered in our little part of the world…