Southern Etiquette (or Reason #658 Why I Love Tennessee)

Folks often don’t understand the rather complex and deep rules of etiquette in the rural South.

We believe in showing respect the way our mama taught us to, so here are some rules that might help you understand our ways. 

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-WiscoDave

*****

The author pretty much nails it but I'll throw out a couple observations.

That whole waving at each other while in your trucks...... It's only on rural roads, never on a numbered highway and hardly ever in town. Plus it's only from truck to truck, never in cars, occasionally in SUVs  and only man to man, never women. I have never had a single woman wave to me in the entire time I've lived here.

Sir, Ma'am, and Miss: Manners count. You call every older man sir until told different or until the other gentleman introduces himself. Younger guys..... I still call them sir and they sir me back. Once we introduce ourselves, it's first names, Bubba or Buddy. Younger folks, but especially the ladies, will address you by your first name but preface it with Mister if they know your name but aren't genuine friends. For instance, at LadyDoc's office, Miss Casey behind the counter calls me Mister Ken, and we've known each other for almost 10 years. Hell, even LadyDoc calls me Mister Ken and I call her Miss Jenifer.

Women are a little different but there's no hard and fast rules. Call the younger women Miss regardless if they're sporting a ring or have kids with them. Middle aged women are ma'am or Mrs if you know their last name until they tell you different. Older women you always call ma'am until they tell you otherwise, then you preface their given name with Miss. The woman across the road is Kathy, her 90 year old mother is Miss Catherine.

As long as I'm on the subject of names, proper names are a thing around here. I can tell somebody my name is Ken and they'll still call me Kenneth. No big deal, it's hard to get upset with somebody calling me by my birth name. By the same token I know a Lawrence, a William, and a Timothy.

Language: You absolutely do not cuss here in public, even if you're with a friend lest you be overheard by somebody else. We don't even have foul language on bumper stickers. Not once in the past 4 years have I seen a Fuck Joe Biden bumper sticker even though this is a heavily Red area. I have seen plenty of Let's Go Brandon stickers, though - it's the same sentiment, just a little more polite.

When I was in California, I wore a patch over the breast pocket of my work coat that read 'I'm Just Here To Fuck Shit Up' and I wore it everywhere without a second thought. After we moved here and the weather turned cool, I put my coat on and went to town. I was getting all kinds of cold looks until I realized what I'd done and took the patch off.

Opening doors isn't anything new to me. I'll hold the door open for anybody and always have. The difference here is I'll get a smile and a thank you instead of a dirty look like I got in California.

Nobody here in Macon County flashes their lights to warn about cops because everybody here just pokes along as it is. Besides, everybody know where all the speed traps are anyway. Hell, I wave at the parked cops as I drive past and they wave back at me.

Guns - everybody carries them, mostly concealed but sometimes openly, and it's bad form to comment on somebody's gun or obvious bulge or to focus on it. Just ignore other folks' guns just like they're ignoring yours.