If a whole new category of home decorating can combine the terms "shabby" and "chic," then surely I can create a new personality blend of "sophisticated" and "redneck." I like to think of myself as moderately dignified with a sense of class and decorum - I like posh food, deep red wine, a well-formed sentence, jazz, G.K. Chesterton, and crisp white linens...how much classier can you get than that?
And yet, as the refined and prescient philosopher, Lyle Lovett, once crooned:
"Redneckness has got to be a disease,
you catch it on your fingers
and it just crawls right up your sleeve."
He's right. I know when and where I caught it. My brother-in-law races cars down in Lebanon, Mizzourah, and a while back we went to watch him...you know, sort of an obligatory-familial-duty-thing. As I walked into this place, I had already determined what kind of people these fans were, and if my nose wasn't stuck in the "I'm-SO-better-than-you" position externally, it certainly was ever-so-slightly stuck up internally. And that little voice in my head (remember...the snobby one I've told you about) called them "yay-hoos" "oakies" "hicks" and any other derogatory term that sprang to mind. We stood and saluted the flag as we sang the national anthem, then bowed our heads for corporate prayer...add "cheesy" to that list.
Then something strange happened. A little old pot-bellied man in a glorified deer-stand proclaimed with his disctinctive southern-Missouri twang, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" I have never been the same...the roar of those engines vibrated to the very core of my being, and that which I previously regarded with utmost scorn, suddenly became alive, exciting, even irresistible! I envisioned a career change - myself behind the wheel - I do LUV speed, afterall. I was a fan...immediately...united with the whole redneck host surrounding me!
In some ways this became a defining moment...I have learned to indulge that side of me that loves bluegrass, shooting guns and the occasional Marlboro...I sometimes even listen to 92.3 WIL!! But, please, don't judge me too harshly - at least not until you've experienced your own personal NASCAR!
2 comments:
Look at it this way: Red's one of your best colors, isn't it?
Last time I wore red, (other than a Cardinal jersey) one of our elders told me I looked ready to head down to the "red-light" district...so maybe it's not one of my better colors!
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