Texas

Crickets...

They're not proud. They're defensive.

I think several parts are very nice. I have family who moved to Austin and they love it

I think Texas is cool. It is diverse geographically and racially. Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston are all major US cities that have very different feelings. UT Austin, Baylor, SMU, and Rice are all prestigious colleges. Very very big state too.

Plus a governor in a wheelchair.

All the smart, good people leave.

You know, like all red states. The question is, why are red states such hypocrites? You just know all of them have had abortions or fuck black people or live in glass closets, but why can’t they just come clean and say “Screw church. There is no heaven or hell, and Jesus was black.”

They are brainwashed by two years of mandatory “history of Texas” propaganda in middle school.

Brainwashing. They do have Tex-Mex, though, so...

Many Californians have moved there for the lower cost of living. Some of my friends learned that you kind of trick yourself when you live in LA, thinking people aren't as racist, sexist, any "ist". It's a cold shower.

isolation, OP, and fear that they are missing out. missing out on gambling from Louisiana, Culture from the coasts, nature from well, anywhere. and even nice beaches of florida

OP, I work with three native Texans (all gay men), all happy that they moved to California and who rarely mention their home state, so not everyone originally from there is prideful or boastful.

Is most of the state desert?

Texas is a state I could MAYBE live in. It beats Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama at least.

Its like saying France is horrible. There are pockets that are very different. Great sections or cities like Houston. All Hispanic sections like the Rio Grande Valley. Scary conservative sections of Texarkana. Texas is HUGE. Lots of different types of people can be very happy there. And can actually afford to live there - unlike the coasts.

What's with all the posts about texas? Some troll really has a hard on for the subject.

Rice and UT-Austin are well-regarded. SMU and Baylor, not so much.

R14 I think France and Texas are similar in size. You’re right in stating how there is a range of different city cultures in the State. I work in one of Texas’ progressive stronghold cities and also own a home in NYC that I use as an office and pied a terre. I work in Texas because I followed the opportunity for a bigger job out West, and I was lucky to have that option. I’ve enjoyed my first three years working here but will retire back East. Still, I appreciate a lot of things about Texas, including many of the people I have met here. It’s also beautiful at night, and you can do well financially, and the food is really good here, too. I can’t be fake or snobby about a community that has treated me well.

Agree R17 - Texas is very livable - and has lots of jobs. Rejecting Texas is a first world problem.

I drove across Texas twice. The only part worth seeing is the hill country, which is actually quite beautiful, I could stayed right there and been quite happy. I had mixed results with the people, who ranged from very friendly to rude/hostile.

The rivalry between UT and A&M is bizarre. My youngest brother went to a weekend Aggie meet and greet to check it out. He said it was almost cultish. He ended up at UT Austin and enjoyed it. A&M churns out conservative Republicans.

New York

Ugly, stupid city filled with garbage people.

What makes New Yorkers so proud of their shitty city?

R14, you complain about people lumping all of Texas together, and then proceed to lump in "the coasts." There are different levels of affordability out here as well.

R21, why do you assume the OP is a NYer?

Its impossible to paint Texas with one broad brush. It's vast and has almost every climate in one state and the people are different in each region.

Whoever said there is no culture is an ignorant troll. HGO, a renowned ballet company and thriving theater district in Houston along with a diverse population of immigrants and some of the best dining in the country. Houston is a culinary hotspot.

[quote] Texas is a state I could MAYBE live in. It beats Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama at least.

Just about anywhere beats those states.

Can't speak for R21 but in my experience here at DL, its NYers who sneer the most at any state that's not NY. CA is a close second.

Texas isn't the best but it's by no means the worst. Go to OK or some other midwest state and get back to us on shitty deplorables and no culture.

All (two) of the nice parts of Texas are obscured by the fact that the majority of the state is a cesspool of ignorance, intolerance, fake bravado, and failed conservative ideology.

But it gave the world Janis Joplin.

And Janis got the hell out of Port Arthur and never looked back.

I thank Texas for Tex-Mex food and BBQ, and Austin. The rest can be blown up.

About a decade or so ago, there was not even a mention of her in that town. She's now on their website but when they interviewed the citizens, they said she was a very poor representative of their city.

Big Bend looks pretty.

Wish I’d had a history teacher like the one in R6

Big Bend is amazing and a quirky place where people go to get off the grid. The surrounding towns are full of artists and other eccentrics. The Marfa lights and stargazing are must dos.

It's Port Arthur R29. I live in Texas and avoid that place.

The Drive Friendly signs always crack me up. We do not drive friendly here, at least not in the cities.

I've always had fun in Texas. I quite like most of the people I've met there travelling. The weather is to my liking, and I enjoy those little lizards which seem to be everywhere around Houston and Dallas. I hope to go back soon sometime.

Marfa Lights SPOILER. Stop reading if you don't want to know.

A group of scientists did a study and found they are caused by car headlights.

Those little lizards are anoles and they are cute little guys. Its spring now so it's a real lizard fuckfest around my house now.

Is Tex Mex different from New Mexico food?

I believe so R40 but I'm not sure.

Too many Mexicans for me.

We see you WWing yourself, Trumptard R42

I didn't realize it was already time for our weekly "Bash Texas" thread. Time sure flies.

What BS, OP. The food alone is reason to love Texas. I dream about my favorite taqueria there and no place on the East coast can come close. There is good and bad EVERYWHERE.

Is the dick in Texas good or not?

The dick is so so there. Much better in Oklahoma.

[quote] SMU and Baylor, not so much.

SMU is not at all in the same category as Baylor. It's a decent school even though it attracts a certain kind of rich asshole.

If TX is so diverse, why has the GOP dominated politics there for so long? There must be a lot of compartmentalizing going on in that state.

Did a bit of sleuthing and I am pretty sure that OP is the troll running around obsessing that white people are evil and also about MM and Harry. A lot of TikTok threads too.

The GOP has dominated only since the 90s due to redistricting. Texas is far less segregated than other parts of the country.

Because those " diverse" folks dont get to the polls and the rural areas are still very large and conservative.

Those "diverse" folks vote for black and Hispanic candidates to local office, so I am thinking that yes they do vote.

Texans sure seem defensive.

R6, you know they have to pledge allegiance to the Texas flag every day? I thought my kindergartener was making shit up until he won a math award and I had to go watch the ceremony where they made the kids do the Texas pledge.

Not from here, not staying here, just passing through.

I dont remember that R55.

Nothing about it seems worth visiting.

R56 We said the Texas Pledge every morning when I went through school. We also had a school pledge.

The Texas pledge was added in 2003.

I didn't mind Houston. Fantastic Indian food.

The late Anthony Bourdain loved visiting Houston's diverse culinary scene and dispelling Texas myths.

I was born in 1964 so I missed the pledge. Why was it introduced and it had to be a republican that instigated it.

Good Indian food because there are a ton of Indians here. Running into an indian- Americans with a texas twang is hilarious.

[quote] Why was it introduced and it had to be a republican that instigated it.

I don't know. I grew up pre-pledge but I am a teacher now and the kids all say it and do the Roman (fascist) salute when they say it. Interestingly, the Roman salute was originally used for the Pledge of Allegiance, but was dropped in the 30s due to its adoption by fascists in Europe. I have fond memories of singing Texas songs in school when I was a kid, but I think the Texas pledge is fucking stupid.

In Oklahoma you had to sing the Rodgers and Hammerstein song every morning. I liked it, however I am a DLer.

Please rise for the National Anthem of Texas.

Lived here most of my life and never even heard the pledge.

"Garbage people"? You sound like garbage, OP.

The Texas pledge was added to the morning routine amidst all of the patriotic showboating that occurred after 9/11.

This bumper sticker I saw there tells you everything you need to know:

"I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!"

But that wasn't a Texan R70.

I know quite a few people who have moved there, so it must not be bad! They have jobs so even more people will be moving to Texas now.

I have new neighbors from Chicago and they love Houston. They have a nice house and as the husband said "never shoveling snow again" is a big bonus.

A lot of people really like living in Texas and don’t wish to live anywhere else. That seems to annoy people for some reason.

It is odd that some people fixate on one particular state to "hate". Its just a place and like all places it has good and bad. No matter what NYers and Calis say, those places aren't paradise either. I also find people who dislike a place they've never even visited closeminded and pathetic.

Wait until it floods R73

Already been through them R76. Luckily the neighborhood was built to help prevent our area from flooding. We basically had a huge party.

Fuck you, Op.

R78 that's exactly what OP wants. Reaction. It's a troll.

They have the best Tex-Mex food and you can speed as fast as fuck there. With a few nice livable cities where you can actually afford a great, big place to live without being a hedge funder or a drug dealer. Sounds not so bad to me.

If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to move somewhere not on either coast, I think I would pick Tx fairly easily. I’m certainly not gonna freeze my ass off in Chicago.

There's a toll road near Austin that has a speed limit of 85 mph meaning people are doing at least 90. I rarely drive over 80 so I stayed in the right lane. Couldn't wait to get off.

Another bumpersticker "America? You mean Texas and its 49 Bitches."

Never seen that one R82.

The pride is deeply seeded. While I abhor my state’s politics, I am proud to be Texan. Why?

Education. I agree that the curriculum in the eighties and early nineties when I attended public school emphasized local history. I recall learning our motto, bird, flower, song, etc. I also remember having to learn “Texas Our Texas” and perform it with classmates at some sort of recital. In addition to Texas history in 7th, Texas history was also taught in elementary school as well as a whole semester on our city’s history.

Size. As a young person, you learn about geography and size matters. It was a point of pride that our state is the largest in the continental US. Only a handful states carry the size mantle and in the remote, unpopulated vastness of Alaska and Montana disqualified them from significance. I recall feeling a sense of competition with California which was the more populated and influential due to Hollywood.

The Lone Star. Having seceded to establish our own country for ten years is likely responsible for our pride. We did it on our own and we believe we can do it again when the US oversteps. The Texas flag is derivative of the US one. In our history, we plucked our star from the American flag, and set it in a field of blue with one red and one white stripe. If you find the American flag attractive, then you typically find the Texas flag pleasing, too. The singular star is powerful imagery and is superior to random crests and animals.

[Other points of pride follow. These were important to me, but each Texan is different.]

Football. The Dallas Cowboys had five Super Bowl wins and more appearances in the seventies, eighties and nineties. Being America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys became something to be proud of. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders revolutionized NFL cheerleading and became a sensation during the period. The Houston Astrodome was considered a wonder when it was erected. Excellence in pro football mattered nationally and to us locally.

Five Consecutive Miss USA Wins. Michelle Royer winning an unprecedented third title by a single state in a row was surprising. When Courtney Gibb and Gretchen Polhamus made it four and five, respectively, Texan dominance was undeniable. Seriously, I still remember these names after all these years. Still cannot remember #1 and #2 for the life of me, though. Regardless, this mattered and cemented the notion of Texas Beauty. Farrah Fawcett helped on this front, too.

Dallas TV Show. Wealth, ruggedness, drama. With only three networks, a show set in one of our cities was special when so much was set in California, New York and generic midwestern towns. And it was POPULAR! Who shot JR and Bobby emerging from the shower were plot lines that riveted the nation.

I’ve never lived in Texas, but the Texans I’ve known have been kind, funny people, and not racist, sexist, or any other “ist”.

I lived in Houston for a short while several years back. Going from my hometown of LA, I was pretty snobby about having to go to Texas and was certain I’d hate it. Not the case at all. Houston has a vibrant food scene with great ethnic restaurants. The homes and lot sizes are quite large and people took pride in their homes. Shopping was fantastic, too. I found Houstonians friendly and polite and there is an abundance of highly educated people there. Can’t speak for the rest of Texas but I actually liked Houston. Look, even in California, we have places like Fontana and Richmond we’d like to forget.

I was visiting friends in Las Cruces, NM in February 1986. The brand of canned coffee they drank had "Texas Proud" and some graphic on the can. I sort of guffawed at this, and one of the fraus took exception. "Lee Harvey Oswald was from Texas", was my reply. Shut her right up.

"A lot of people really like living in Texas and don’t wish to live anywhere else. That seems to annoy people for some reason."

Only New Yorkers

Aren't New Yorkers annoyed at everyone?

[quote]What's with all the posts about Texas? Some troll really has a hard on for the subject.

Exactly.

I find the texan accent incredibly sexy.Like no other US accent.Hard to explain why as a brit.

[R91] It’s very masculine. A man with a Texas accent seems like they know how to work on cars and ride a bucking bronco. Sort of the opposite of a British accent!

"Aren't New Yorkers annoyed at everyone?"

Damn right. That's what give us life.

In many ways Texas is STILL a flyover state. It's not a MUST SEE destination for foreign visitors.

Texas doesn't like foreigners, so it's a win-win.

Currently reading "The Son" by Philip Meyer.

I love it.

It is an easy way to grasp all the complexities of Texas.

My dears, everyone in political science education (high school and college) knows that there are the regular textbooks and then there is the "Texas edition." And guess which one leans ultra-conservative? Their textbooks are like the Fox News of education.

Increasingly, publishers are using the"Texas edition" as the regular textbook, sans the Texas state politics section. I find that quite disturbing.

NYer here who loves Texas, especially Houston. I had similar stereotypes until I had to work there on assignment for long periods in different cities. I strongly dislike Dallas and think Austin is small and overhyped - but Houston is a surprising city with great food, one of my favorite museums, unpretentious, affordable with a thriving gayborhood. I could totally live there - and have considered it seriously after 30 years in NYC. I also like San Antonio - more history and sense of place if a little more rough around the edges and less diverse and cosmopolitan than Houston. But the Riverwalk and loft area around it has really grown along with the city.

It's not all bad. Texas has Navarro College Cheer Squad (and Queen Monica Aldama), featured on Netflix's Cheer.

R95 tell that to all the foreigners living and working here.

R97 that's controversial even in Texas. A lot of people are not happy that the TSBE has been stacked with religious nuts instead of actual educators. Luckily enough people raised enough of a stink that they didnt get their way in rewriting some history.

The reason why Texas patriotism is so annoying (versus say Michigan patriotism which is far more prevalent in that state where people try to "buy Michigan") is that all Texas' moral values are rotten and if the whole country were run by them, Texas would be a third world slum of shantytowns and starving beggars. But of course it wouldn't turn out that way because if the rest of the country WERE run by Texan principles, Texans would change their principles just to be perverse. Essentially Texans are the Greens of the Hippodrome in old Constantinople. Factional subhumans for the sake of conflict. But with real world consequences.

[quote]all Texas' moral values are rotten

What values are you talking about? Can you give specific examples of "Texas' rotten moral values"?

Considering Texas is full of so many different people I'm kind of curious too. It's like when Republicans spout off about "traditional American values". America is too diverse to identify any particular values. My values may be vastly different than yours and vary between ethnic and religious groups.

[quote] Can you give specific examples of "Texas' rotten moral values"?

Gerrymandering, voter repression, intimidation and outright electoral fraud.

Policing.

Texas' laughably poor educational system, run by and for religious hypocrites.

Treatment of immigrants, particularly Mexicans (obviously), women, minorities, and of course, gays.

George W. Bush, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz.

— and that's just for starters.

The most common accent I hear in Texas, besides regular American, is not Southern, nor redneck. It's Latino, followed by Middle Eastern.

Love the brisket. I like the straighf-orwardness of the people, but the state is nothing but flat, empty space and unsustainable sprawlburgs. Austin is way past its moment and is just and most of it is just another ugly sprawlburg. Hill country has been ruined by tourism development.

My mom for years wanted to retire to the hill country but it's gotten too popular. Real estate is outrageous. She should have bought 15-20 years ago. As it is, she ended up buying some land in Trinity and she will definitely be out of the busy city there. You cant even get a pizza delivered in Trinity. It's a podunk little place but she loves the slow pace and friendly small town folks.

The only truly great thing Texas has that other states don't is Asian-sryle boiled crawfish. And despite the huge numbers of SE Asians in South Louisiana and coastal Mississippi, you won't find Asian crawfish boil there.

Oh, yeah, and Texas brisket. And true Mexican AND Tex-Mex food everywhere.

And the family that owns HEB is quite liberal/progressive.

But it is taking entirely too fucking long for that state to turn purple.

Asian crawfish boil is readily available in Houston -- when there's not a pandemic going on.

I've got my smoked brisket ordered for Memorial Day. Can't wait.

That crawfish looks delicious.

R109, HEB is apparently a great company to work for. I know people who have been trying to get hired and there are simply no openings because people stay and they promote from within so very few jobs open up.

I drove across the US in 2014. took the southern route to see my brother in El Paso. took a day and a half to cross Texas. I thought Big Sky Country was absolutely beautiful...for the first two hours. Then I was desperate for signs of civilization. There were random solitary houses every 40 min or so.

From what I’m reading a lot of people’ issue with Texas relates to the right wing crazies that are in politics here. I assume most gay Texans on data lounge don’t support those policies. They are likely voting democratic and also living where change is needed. Shouldn’t that be applauded rather than looked down upon?

[R115] Thank you!

[quote]The pride is deeply seeded.

R84: Oh, dear!

Once TX starts voting blue, it'll be a favorite state because that's going to be a huge chunk of electoral votes that moves out of the Republican column.

R26: That's nothing compared to the hate directed to California and especially NY.

According to the gays on here, the men are hotter in Texas. True? Verification?

Until you drive across Texas, you have don’t understand it. You understand the myth of “everyone on their own land”, “bigger is better”, self-reliance. You can live hours from civilization. Truly remote areas where you just don’t see other people,. A completely different view of the world.

No, it's a feudal view that came from Latin America. It has nothing to do with wide open spaces and everything to do with the rich being allowed to run everything.

Texans believe schools exist to teach lies to the children. How often have Texans asserted false things: like the idea that they can break up into five states any time they want, a power they were never granted even before they rebelled against the nation in treasonous fashion in the Civil War.

For a generation if not more, American school books have been dumbed down to satisfy the liars on the Texas who insist on teaching evolution as a "theory' instead of a fact. The plain truth is that every member of the Texas School Board in the last fifty years should have been in jail for corrupting minors. Every one without exception.

The state itself is beautiful, the people are often Republican.

[r120] Yes. There are a LOT of damn good looking white hung men in Texas; Dallas especially

R122 the rich run everything everywhere not just Texas.

Never heard that one R123 and I grew up here.

You're wrong, R123. From the "Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States" passed by Congress on March 1, 1845:

[quote]New States of convenient size not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas and having sufficient population, may, hereafter by the consent of said State, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission under the provisions of the Federal Constitution

Now, whether that's still valid (especially after Texas secession from and readmission to the Union) is another question. But the fact is Texas was given the right to divide into five states.

Well, don't divide it. Two U.S. Senators is plenty for those people.

I heard they didn't want to teach critical thinking there, so I suspect that's why the state behaves as it does. Good luck Austinites! Though those white liberals can be just as blind as their right wing counterparts lol. They're a self-consuming bubble. Fuck 'em.

Be formed by the US, not Texas. And since Texas was claiming New Mexico at the time, that might be considered one.

A benefit I haven't seen mentioned is there are no state taxes in Texas. But sales taxes are about 8.25%. Property taxes are not high where I live on the Gulf Coast. My assessment went up $15 this year. Home prices outside of the big cities are a bargain. I spent most of my life in California, was transferred here about 13 years ago. When I retired 10 years ago, I decided to stay here and still believe it was a sound decision.

132, where are you on the gulf coast?

I'm in Beaumont, the town made famous by Mayor Becky, and her nails.

And you think it was a wise decision to spend your life in Beaumont, TX.

Wow.

Moved from NYC to the Gulf Coast. Shockingly cheap - and simple - life. When you’re tired of the hassle and expense, Texas let’s you live cheaply with access to everything you need. Fought the battles - including for gay rights - for 30 year. And now I’m ready to relax and just enjoy life. Sold my apartment and can live 25+ years without working now. Very content.

[quote]Texas let's

Oh [italic]dear[/italic].

[italic]Oh[/italic] dear.

R137, I'm not R136, but I'm curious about where you live exactly. Enlighten us!

"What makes Texans so proud of their shitty state?"

The same thing that makes New Yorkers so proud of their shitty city: an insane belief and outsized pride that where one lives makes them special and superior.

R135, I'm not "Beaumont" but life is what you make of it, not geography. He may have perfectly sound reasons for choosing to stay put. Family, friends, job....its not our place to judge anyone on where they live but, like I said, if you choose to base life on location and nothing else you are going to be unhappy no matter where you are at.

I make fun of OK and Nebraska but I'm sure I could find joy there if I had to move.

"What makes Texans so proud of their shitty state?"

The same thing that makes New Yorkers so proud of their shitty city: an insane belief and outsized pride that where one lives makes them special and superior.

This.

Beaumont seems like an odd spot to settle even for someone moving to Texas. My grandparents lived there and the entire town smelled like cabbage from the pollution the refineries put out. Anyway, I am happy you are happy there. I landed in a strange place myself.

I thought the cabbage smell was my farts. Seriously, we sometimes find an area where we are happy. I've lived in over 20 places in my life, most in California, a few in other states and one in another country. Where I was, was less important than what I was doing. I've lost ties to friendships over the years. But what I have found here in Beaumont are some great neighbors. The house I live in cost 1/10th of the current price of the house I grew up in, in Los Angeles. And this one is bigger and nicer. It's a quieter life, but something I need at this point in my life.

Beaumont, I like you. Next time I visit my fabulous sister in Manvel, I will raise an Asian-boil crawfish in your honor.

California.

Let the hate begin.

CA is nice to visit but wouldnt want to live there.

What about New York, R 145?

r92 Perfectly explained and summarised.

Texas: Greatest state in the U.S.A.!!

Old Joke Texas Anatomy: Dallas = Brain Austin = Heart Houston = Asshole

^^ A Dallasite's idea of being clever.

What is San Antonio? The gallbladder?