Autobiography of Me and the South

I have lived in the South all my life. I was born in Wilmington, NC in 1989 and have lived there ever since. Even though the South is my home, I do not feel as though I am a southerner. Wilmington is not the most Southern town either. Of course there are the stereotypical southerners in and around Wilmington, but I feel like Wilmington has a greater mix of tourists and people from all around. My parents had a huge influence on why I do not feel like a southerner. Both my parents are from Ohio and lived in Boston for a number of years after they got married. My older brother was born in Boston in 1986. Because of the history of my parents, our family has never participated in activities that are stereotypically southern. I have never hunted or even really shot a gun for that matter. None of the rest of my family lives near us; they are spread out all over the east coast. Things of this nature were never a part of my life. However, I do like grits and sweet tea which are southern qualities. So when Ms. Webb asked how we feel about people writing about "us," southerners that is, I do not feel like they are writing about me. I do not identify myself as a southerner especially like the southerners who are written about in books like "Confederates in the Attic." They can write about southerners as much as they like; it does not bother me. I really like to travel a lot, and I think when I am able, I am going to move somewhere that is really cool which may mean not in the South. Basically, I am technically a southerner, but I do not identify myself as one and, on many levels, cannot identify with what the stereotypical southerner is supposed to be.