[Grovenet] Re:Bubbaville

[Geri]

"You see, Southerners are prone to give nicknames to people they  like, and 
toddlers can't always pronounce those nicknames properly.  (Grandparents 
especially get labeled with some really strange monikers, don't they? LOL) So 
'Bubba' is a word brimming with love and respect, in my own  mind, and isn't it a 
shame that it has become synonymous with pot-bellied,  beer-swilling, dumb 
rednecks?"
       
       Growing up in the South, I know lots of little kids called
       their brothers "bubba" or "bubby," often beyond the time
       they actually learned to speak their brothers' names.
       
       And I have Jewish friends who call their grandmother "Bubby,"
       which is a Yiddish term of endearment for a nurturer.
       
       And like I said before, the NW does have more than its share
       of its own version of rednecks ...  which is why I said what
       I did in the first place.  ;-)  And still mean it.
       
"Geri, we Southerners used to have a certain snobbishness about the South, 
 too, and I'm sure certain residents here still do."
       
       Yes, I believe so.  :-D  When I visit all my relatives/friends
       in Louisiana, I run into it now and again.  (Told you I was
       a native Southerner, didn't I?)
       
".....because I need the stimulation of associating with those who share
some of my thirst for knowledge and curiosity about our world .... and
common interests, such as environmental concerns and the natural environment."
       
       I am certain you will find this in the NW!  I know you'd find it in this
       immediate area, Joy.  It really sounds like the Pacific NW is the
       right place for you.  :-)  You'll find so many folks who share your
       interests and concerns.
       
       Many of us on GroveNet also know each other offline, too, so
       if you come to F.G./this area, look us up!

Geri


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JBlair2154 at aol.com>
To: <grovenet at rdrop.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2006 12:09 AM
Subject: [Grovenet] Re:Bubbaville


: Robert, your comments about unlivable places such as "bubbaville"  in the 
: South made me smile. I know exactly what you mean. There is still a lot  of 
: poverty and ignorance in the South -- at least in some areas -- and I  certainly 
: hope there is less of it in the Pacific Northwest. But I'm not smiling  because 
: of the images you evoke; rather, by the word "bubba. " I consider  it my duty 
: to enlighten you (and most of the rest of the world): this is a fine,  
: meaningful word corrupted by time and misuse. 
: 
: I first realized this as a young AF wife living in Turkey.   American GIs 
: were wont to refer to all male Turks as "habes."  (For  example, every bus had a 
: "back door habe," who monitored and assisted passengers  exiting through the 
: back door.) My Turkish dictionary informed me that "habe" is  defined as a word 
: of respect meaning " elder brother."  And I  immediately thought of my 
: childhood, and my own beloved brother who had  been killed in a highway accident 
: when he was a teenager and I was only 3 years  old.  I had always called him 
: "Bubba."  My older siblings had called  him "Brother," more often than by his 
: given name.
: You see, Southerners are prone to give nicknames to people they  like, and 
: toddlers can't always pronounce those nicknames properly.  (Grandparents 
: especially get labeled with some really strange monikers, don't  they? LOL) So 
: "Bubba" is a word brimming with love and respect, in my own  mind, and isn't it a 
: shame that it has become synonymous with pot-bellied,  beer-swilling, dumb 
: rednecks?
: 
: That said, I'll go on record as confessing that I would like to  live in a 
: community where demographics show a higher-than-national-average  educational 
: level. Not because people with less education, wherever they live,  are 
: necessarily better people, or less intelligent people, but because I need  the 
: stimulation of associating with those who share some of my thirst for  knowledge and 
: curiosity about our world....and common interests, such as  environmental 
: concerns and the natural environment. 
: 
: Geri, we Southerners used to have a certain snobbishness about the  South, 
: too, and I'm sure certain residents here still do. However, we are better  
: travelled now and more aware of our own shortcomings, and besides, are learning  to 
: like some of the Yankees who now live among us. (grinning)  And I'm  relieved 
: to learn that not all of you GroveNuts agree about everything. I'd be  
: worried if you did!
: Joy
: "Save  your Confederate money, boys, the South shall rise  again!"
: 
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