Dear Guest: I apoligize for the way that sounded. I dod not mean that Southerners are in some way inferior. I do mean, I grew up around the historical myths that are repeated above, and the symbols that come with them. I respect may things that are Southern, including cooking, music and courtesy. But not the brand of local-patriotism characteristic of some southerners that involves taking pride in bigotry. And I think I had not personally encountered that attitude in many years, so that reading this thread was a bit of a shock.

After one year as a freshman at Washington and Lee, I decided that I, personally no longer wished to think of myself as Southern. That was right for me. Subjectively. I did not mean to suggest anyone else needs to see things that way.