Jun
Goober Goof
One of our fellow Heathens was surprised to hear that there are Heathen groups in places like Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. He probably assumed the old stereotype was true: goobers guzzling moonshine and having banjo fights. He might have imagined Heathens populating trailer parks and living on grits and Moon Pies. Nonetheless, he had been quite surprised when I mentioned Heathen groups in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
Most of us might think his ignorance is funny. I am sure it is very funny if you live in the North. If you live in Mississippi or Alabama or Georgia, you are probably quite irate at this point. The problem is not just the old stereotypes of the Deep South, but the fact that there are still people who believe them. Even worse, the stereotype did not go away. It changed from hillbilly shacks to trailer parks. Despite the fact that we live in a modern world, there are still folks who believe the old mistaken images.
How do we get rid of these silly old things? Most folks realize they are not true. I think that some folks want to believe in them. They want to believe that one region or another is somehow peculiar. Whether they admit it to themselves or not, they perpetuate the old mistaken beliefs. Have you ever noticed that some folks do that with all aspects of their lives? Rather than look at the objective reality in front of them, they choose to believe something else. It is partly a case of denial, and partly one of willful ignorance.
The only safe way to live is to face facts as they are, not as you want them to be. Whether it is living conditions in the Deep South or the nature of your own well-being, blunt objectivity is essential. When we face facts we deal with reality. When we alter facts, we let reality deal with us. Better that we do the dealing than be the ones who are dealt.
