When I bought my house in the Third Ward, I was driving in with a van of furniture and whatnot and passed a group of 60 or so blacks riding horses down Southmore St., with do-rags, sports jersies and the rest. I've seen my share of black cowboys, but seeing it in one of our inner-city neighborhoods was a bit of a surprise. There had been a stable right nearby, which has since moved. No more neighborhood riders now. When I went to Chicago for college, a professor said I didn't have an accent when I told her I was from Texas. I kinda went off on her a little more forcefully than I intended. But, honestly, a Texan now has to want a Texas accent to have one. I know some people who cultivate it. Most people sound like everyone on television.
I think that out in the country there are still alot of people that live these stereotypes, and accent is one of them. I am around people young and old that live this life and most always will.
What? Why am I going to embrace anything that has nothing to do with me? I have never been on a horse, never been to a country music concert, milked a cow, drilled oil or any of that crap. None of that is in my "cultural heritage" as you put it. Some people in the state obviously fit the stereotype. Some people in Houston fit the stereotype. But I am not one of them. The ignorance of people elsewhere in the country just amazes me. I remember we had clients in from Detroit and when they were walking into our building they asked where were the throughs for our horses. They were 100% serious. They were disappointed because they were looking forward to taking pics with our horses in front of the building.
