Editorial Clarification

Just in case there are people out there reading my blog who are not from The South and who also might have heard about or even watched the controversial NBC show yesterday morning in which a well-known comedian spoke out about a controversial issue, I would like to issue the following clarifications:

1) Virginia is not considered the "Deep South". For the most part, we consider the Deep South to include Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, & South Carolina. In fact, even though Virginia was indeed part of The Confederacy it is not considered by Southerners to still be part of The South anymore than Florida is. I am not talking about geography folks.

2) D*g F*ght*ng is not condoned in The South. It is found (according to Wikipedia) in other parts of this country and the world. It is not practiced out in the open nor is it legal in the South. I can't find any evidence that it was commonly practiced in the community where the accused grew up.

3)D*g F*ght*ng is not part of our "culture". It is not "culturally acceptable." It is no more indicative of the Southern culture than being shot in the back while eating at an Italian restaurant is part of the New York culture.

Now, I understand that she did not mean to condone the behavior only give a reason or excuse for it. However, we do not excuse people's criminal behavior based on their background. We are not really angry about her having or having not condoned the criminal act. Her comments suggesting that this was commonly "culturally acceptable" in the Deep South were without merit. I don't think she meant to offend an entire region of the country either. However, in later comments to the press, I did not find her apologizing for doing just that.