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I think if you went downstate of Chicago, you'd be fine with the use of ma'am and sir.

Lavabe wrote:I think if you went downstate of Chicago, you'd be fine with the use of ma'am and sir.

You're probably right about that. I have a couple of co-workers who commute from IL. One has lived several places in the South and has commented that S. Illinois is very similar to AL and AR in many respects.

colchar wrote:

CathyCA wrote: _____

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.
_____

You'll also find that those southerners in the room who are married to each other were related, often closely related, before they actually got married.

My wife's parents have two or three cousins in common. The closest relation in common, though, is that her father's first cousin is her mother's third cousin, so it doesn't REALLY count. My wife also has a pair of distant cousins who are "into" each other. They're either first or second cousins to each other, I forget which. Nice.

My wife and I were watching TV last night as usual. She likes to put on documentaries to fall asleep to, as "plot" tends to suck her in and keep her up. So, the show she chose? Something about brothers and sisters who were having "relations" and even having children. They were all separated at birth and later "discovered" each other. One set met and dated before finding out they were related. The other two couples knew from the start, because they'd been searching for their lost sibling. They called it "genetic sexual attraction".

There was one old set that was in England. Guy had been married for 40 years. Had kids and grandkids. Was a school teacher. Then he found out about his sister that he'd never known. He met her and started following her around and going on trips with her. Started sitting VERY close to her. The wife felt very left out and angry as things progressed. Luckily, his interest in his sister wasn't returned by her. She just wanted a brother. So, they've kind of come to an understanding. A weird one, but one nonetheless.

The second couple was from Germany. They were half-siblings. Same mother. When they split, the father had taken their son. The mother later had a daughter with another man. The father helped the son find his mother and sister. I wasn't paying too much attention at the time, but I think he died and left the son a letter or something. So, the guy went to find his mom and sister. A few months after he found them and reconciled with the mother, SHE died. He was suddenly very lonely and sad, as was his sister. They ended up "comforting" each other. They ended up having four kids. The first was taken away from them after ten months. The next two were taken immediately upon birth. They've managed to keep the final daughter for a few years so far. Two of the kids have some disabilities, two are healthy. The man hass served two years in prison, and is facing another 17 months for their latest kids. He's gotten himself fixed since then, but the German government sees children as proof positive that they've had "relations", hence, prison. The mother hasn't had to serve any time. They have a new lawyer who's trying to attack the law as discriminatory, cause it tells people who can and can't have sex, even between consenting adults, which he argues is a fundamental human right. The argument is that "incest" is when some sicko parent takes advantage of a child, or an older sibling forces themselves on a younger one. Consensual relations between siblings that are adults who weren't even raised with each other are only biologically related, so the "ick" factor shouldn't be there. Apparently, with Germany's past, they're terrified of being accused of violating people's human rights, so the lawyer is confident of their chances.

The third couple is from, you guessed it, the Southern United States. They showed them fly fishing together down at the "crick". Again, they weren't raised together. The guy was put up for adoption at birth. They aren't too worried, as they hide their relationship from others (don't know how a show on BBCA is going to affect that) and just act like brother and sister in public. This was the couple that met BEFORE they knew, though the found out within a few days of meeting. The funniest part is when the sister said, "I don't get the problem. It's the pursuit of happiness. It's right there in the Constitution." Nice.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. I get the "ick" factor completely, but I can also see the argument about how, if they weren't raised together and they don't have kids, it's not THAT different from two strangers meeting. I mean, I have a half-brother I've never met. He changed his name, which I didn't know until recently. If I'd never had contact with him, and two of our kids had met in college or something and started dating, we might not have known for YEARS, until my dad showed up for the wedding and recognized his son as the father of the bride or whatever. But, then again, that wouldn't be a brother-sister situation, but a half first cousin situation. I don't know, it's all kind of confusing to me. I'm just glad that I know for a FACT that I am NO relation to my wife, except in the human way that ALL people are related.

captmojo wrote:What type of lady would one find in East St. Louis? You know, the ones right alongside the river.

Not sure the guy above would pass for a pimp. We don't have a pimp smilie.

Someone asked for a pimp smiley? ;)

Ask and I provide! Maybe I should be the emoticon ?

Wow. Check out the list of cousin couples:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_couple

Miles wrote:Wow. Check out the list of cousin couples:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_couple

Jerry Lee Lewis was the only other one I knew.

My former roommate had a brother who was also his cousin.

And I used to work with a guy who was married to his own sister. Seriously.

bjornolf wrote:

Miles wrote:Wow. Check out the list of cousin couples:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_couple

Jerry Lee Lewis was the only other one I knew.

Josiah Bartlett was on that list. I always knew there was something wrong with the prez in West Wing.

colchar wrote:

bjornolf wrote:

Miles wrote:Wow. Check out the list of cousin couples:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_couple

Jerry Lee Lewis was the only other one I knew.

Josiah Bartlett was on that list. I always knew there was something wrong with the prez in West Wing.

When I saw the list, I figured out where they got the name. (How embarrassing for me. )

Where does West Virginia fit in with the Southern/Midwestern/Eastern paradigm?

I think West by God Virginia is Southern in attitude and maybe dialect, but not in cuisine or climate.

Some say the boundary of East and Midwest is where carbonated soft drinks are called "soda" (East) instead of "pop" (Midwest). Therefore, Pittsburgh might be the easternmost Midwestern city...

And John Gorka wrote a song that described me when I was a strutting high school Turk....

I used to fall for Italian girls
They filled my dreams, they made my world
If I had moved less awkwardly
They might have had their way with me

The longer names, the darker hair
They made me weak, they made me stare
I couldn't say a word to them
Their figures so full of vitamins

I wasn't cool, I wasn't bad
I was the only one I ever had
And they posessed the world's delights
Espresso mornings, lasagna nights

(Chorus)
Oh, the Italian girls
The Italian girls
They made my world

They were strong and they were proud
Some were sweet and some were loud
They'd fill me up with what they'd cook
And put me down with just one look

I followed them through summertime
I made them laugh, I made them rhymes
But they left me there for other ones
Who had the dough when day was done

Just one thing keep me free - they were not in love with me

Now they've married and gained some weight
But that weight I appreciate
For it's the work of all those meals
And what you eat is what you feel

(Chorus)

I used to fall for Italian girls
They filled my dreams, they made my world
But passion dies and fades away
Or lives to fight another day

And then I got to Duke and discovered blond WASPs....
and my lack of success was even more spectacular!!

Turk wrote:I think West by God Virginia is Southern in attitude and maybe dialect, but not in cuisine or climate.

I think most Southerners reject West Virginia because it became a state by abandoning them (it split from Virginia) when it came time for secession before the Civil War.

bjornolf wrote:

Turk wrote:I think West by God Virginia is Southern in attitude and maybe dialect, but not in cuisine or climate.

I think most Southerners reject West Virginia because it became a state by abandoning them (it split from Virginia) when it came time for secession before the Civil War.

You mean, the War Between the States, right?

I am terribly confused about West Virginia. On the one hand, all the signs on the turnpike when crossing from Kentucky to Virginia are for Tudor's Biscuit World. BISCUIT WORLD! It HAS to be Southern.

But then again, we were driving on a turnpike. It was a TOLL road, with many tolls. That's definitely more of a northern thing.

Lavabe wrote:

bjornolf wrote:
I think most Southerners reject West Virginia because it became a state by abandoning them (it split from Virginia) when it came time for secession before the Civil War.

You mean, the War Between the States, right?

You mean, The war of Northern Aggression, right?

captmojo wrote:

Lavabe wrote:

bjornolf wrote:
I think most Southerners reject West Virginia because it became a state by abandoning them (it split from Virginia) when it came time for secession before the Civil War.

You mean, the War Between the States, right?

You mean, The war of Northern Aggression, right?

The War of Northern Aggression is what I always heard it referred to.

Oh, here we go............

I'm married to a southern boy who grew up in the last capitol of the Confederacy, Shrevepatch Louisiana. It tickles me to see him bristle when explaining all about state's rights and the Yankee aggressors. My preferred response is a gentle smile.

Besides, "Northern girls, with the way they kiss, they keep their boyfriends warm at night...."