What Makes Texas Texas | Hacker News Reader

What Makes Texas Texas

nytimes.com

40 pointsbenbreen68 comments

There is something about this place. Hard to explain. You just fall in love and never want to leave.

I came as a young man and stayed for a long time. Had to leave for 10 years but I finally made it back. This place has only been good to me. The people, the climate, the opportunities.

God Bless this Great State. It is the last Bastion of Truth and Freedom.....

Life-long Texan here, and I couldn't disagree more. I grew up in the rural pandhandle area and lived in Amarillo, Austin and Houston. Now, I'm living on the road in an RV, driving across the nation, and I've found many places more beautiful, friendly and accepting than Texas ever was. Texan exceptionalism is a bizarre and subjective phenomenon that I'll never understand.

I also grew up in the panhandle. The state isn't so bad, but it's also not great.

I don't understand the exceptionalism, either. There are a lot of really nice places in the world, and frankly big chunks of Texas (anything north of San Angelo and west of Abilene) are pretty depressing on social, cultural, and ecological fronts.

>God Bless this Great State. It is the last Bastion of Truth and Freedom.....

Oh my god I just groaned so hard. Seriously? Somehow Texan exceptionalism is a whole extra level of silly on top of "normal" American exceptionalism.

"God Bless this Great State. It is the last Bastion of Truth and Freedom....."

I imagine those trying to seek abortions would have a very different definition of "freedom" that you do.

and so I imagine that those who stand for the lives of unborn children have a different definition of freedom than you.

political discussions on HN always go so well.

edit: sorry for the smart ass comment. political reductionism pisses me off.

Except those seeking abortion services aren't pushing their beliefs on anyone. It's like they're giving people a... a choice, instead of dictating to people.

> political discussions on HN always go so well.

It's a good idea to hit the 'flag' link on them.

There is a view of Texas collectively as a largely backward state filled with trigger-happy cowboys and whatnot. That might be true. However, there is much more to the state than just that.

I don't mean to generalize here; anecdotally, Texans on an individual level are friendly, conservative in their beliefs yet tolerant of others. The friendliness is what really surprised me when I first landed here. It really is charming and makes meeting new people incredibly easy and fun.

I must add that as a young man, its a great state to be in. Love Texan women: beautiful, charming and very real.

I spent my highschool and college years in Texas, and I couldn't agree more. Austin is a beautiful city with a beautiful culture, and even more "boring" places such as Dallas and Houston are filled with super friendly and down to earth people.

I now live in Silicon Valley, and I find that there is much more social tension around here. I've been hated on as a young techie, as a Chinese immigrant, as someone who moved in from another state and doesn't "understand" Bay Area culture. People here are also the opposite of "down to earth".

I've never experienced any of the above when I lived in Texas, yet the first time I went to a NBA game here a few years ago someone shouted at me "Go home China boy, Yao Ming isn't playing today".

Weather in Texas is atrocious though.

>Weather in Texas is atrocious though.

Crickets. Crickets are their own season. People don't even know.

>There is a view of Texas collectively as a largely backward state filled with trigger-happy cowboys and whatnot. That might be true. However, there is much more to the state than just that.

It doesn't help that Texas plays up the wild west stereotype as much as it can to the rest of the country and the world, nor does it help that Texas' government panders to secessionists and lunatics, such as the Jade Helm conspiracists, and pretends moderates, liberals and Democrats really don't exist in the state outside of the holding pen of Austin. Texas likes to pretend it's only part of the United States as a half-hearted favor, at least whenever a Democrat is in the White House, but it won't say no to agricultural subsidies or disaster money from the government, even when it has plenty of cash on hand to cover itself.

Personally, as a Texan who loves Texas, I kind of wish Texas would get over its bullshit. If I never see another Texas political ad filmed in front of a barbed wire fence and a haybale it will be too soon.

Unfortunately, it really depends on where you are, and what color your skin is. I don't think recently arrived refuges would have the same opinion as you do: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2016/02/gun-wielding-prot...

Well considering 40% of Texas is hispanic, including myself, it's not really about the color of your skin. That incident was because syrian refugees cause a lot of trouble all over Europe and we don't want them here.

>That incident was because syrian refugees cause a lot of trouble all over Europe and we don't want them here.

You don't want them here. Don't presume to speak for the rest of the state.

You're right, I had to google it.

Apparently only 51% of the state said they would disapprove of accepting Syrian refugees into Texas even with a security clearance process in place

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/02/25/uttt-poll-bar-muslim...

Ugh. That's just disgusting, and something to be ashamed of.

So that doesn't change my statement at all. The friendliness and welcoming largely depends on the color of your skin.

> syrian refugees cause a lot of trouble all over Europe

Not really. Doubtless a few have, but most of them are regular people who have lost everything trying to escape from a war zone.

The former sovereignty of Texas is a big factor. The State owned the vacant land, unlike most western states, where the Federal government did.

You have the whole politics of ranchers and resource barons that creates an unusual political dynamic, just like other "interesting" states like NY or California.

As a Texan I love this shirt [1] both ironically and unironically.

1. http://smbc.myshopify.com/products/texas-shirt

As a former Texan (not sure if that's possible), I can say I'd wear this around San Francisco.

I think the term would be non-resident Texan.

>But Texas is not under attack. It is merely changing as America changes with it.

Attack is too strong a term, but he massive spike in non-Texans immigrating to cities like Austin (for tech/creative jobs) and Houston (for energy and healthcare jobs) is having a noticeable impact on everything from housing prices to public culture.

I found Houston to be quite cosmopolitan. I'd call it "working-person's cosmopolitan." There is a tolerance there borne of abundance and tradition, which has become its own common-culture sort of thing. People in Houston almost never get high and mighty or self-righteous on you for anything. On the downsides: Get mistaken for a teenager on a prom date, and you can be refused service in a fancy restaurant. Wait staff will "sir" and "ma'am" you. You can encounter some testosterone. Sometimes, this will even come from the cops.

At the very least, there is an expectation you will be polite, if you stay away from the rougher spots. The ethos there is live and let live, for the most part. Here in the Bay Area? It's definitely not "Live and Let Live." Many here feel free to splat you in the face with their judgement.

EDIT: Also, to debunk a stereotype, I know from a friend who worked with the DA and also as a private defense attorney, that Houston juries are not blindly Pro-Gun. There are certain things you do not do, certain things you do not have, or a Houston jury will put you away because you are a "gun nut." From another source, I know of a retired military DOD contractor who lost his job and his house because a Houston jury looked askance at his shooting a burglar in the butt as the burglar was climbing through the window of his house. Why? Because the burglar at the moment of the shooting, was leaving. Even in Houston, property isn't more important than human life.

See, perhaps: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/11/the-s... - and maybe the US blob should be more like a large circle.

Also, Koreans can flip to the extreme opposite corner sometimes.

> Get mistaken for a teenager on a prom date, and you can be refused service in a fancy restaurant.

Wait, what? I don't understand. Why do people feel that teenagers can't be allowed to have nice dinners?

I still don't understand myself. I was 39, and my girlfriend was 27, but she still got mistaken for 14 sometimes. (Back then, I was getting mistaken for my 20's.) They didn't explain, just refused to serve us.

Isn't that how Texas started? Isn't that how America started? Isn't that what happens in all places at all times?

Get with the program!

Negative net migration is a thing. Texas has been at the top of domestic migration numbers for a while now, and the north east has been suffering negative figures. The north east would have to be pulling a lot of international migration in order to break even.

That is part of the fabric of Texas for the past 150 years! My parents moved to Texas in the 1970's as part of a previous wave of immigration.

And Dallas, who now has the most people moving to it than any other state in Texas and percentage wise, more than any other major city in the US.

Any other city

I moved to Texas when I was 19, from South Carolina (if ever a state was more aggressively regressive than Texas, it would be South Carolina), and I lived in Houston and Austin for a lot of the past couple decades. I travel full-time, currently, but I still call myself a Texan; and not just for tax purposes. There's a lot to love about the state, or at least the major cities.
I'm regularly embarrassed by the governor and the state legislature, particularly in recent years as anti-woman/anti-immigrant sentiment has shaped the political landscape in toxic ways. But, I love so many things about the place. I love the food trucks (which are unmatched anywhere in the world), the fantastic Mexican and Asian food in Houston and Dallas and Austin (easily competitive with the best California and New York have to offer on those fronts, and you don't have to dress up or spend a fortune to enjoy it), the visible and unique counter-culture in all of the major cities (weirdos in Austin or the Montrose are unlike weirdos anywhere else), the music scene that often seems completely independent of the world outside of Texas, the summer-year-round weather (even the hot days are fine with me, if it means winter will be short and mild), and the diversity of its best cities (though Austin is a bit too white and suburban for comfort, and getting whiter and more suburban over time, unfortunately).
I like to think I'm above jingoism, but I love Texas. I travel full-time these days, because there's a lot to love about all sorts of places in the US (currently in Eugene, OR, as I've never really explored the Pacific Northwest, and summer is a great time to do so). But, I'm pretty sure I'll circle back to Texas eventually, as I always do.
But, don't move to Austin, y'all. You'll hate it. It's just one big traffic jam, and the restaurants and bars are all too crowded now.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic about that list line about Austin.

When I lived in Austin in 2006-2008, the traffic was atrocious, and it's only gotten worse in most areas. That city has a particularly profound infrastructure expansion problem, and the high growth has only exacerbated it.

Yes it's a common troupe, like in portland or seattle, that Austinites don't want more people, especially Californians, migrating in.
But come one come all! We have plenty of space and opportunities.

I can't tell, either.

Of all the states, I could see Texas leaving the Union. It gets talked about in any number of states, but the only one I could realistically see doing it is them. On friendly terms, too.

They left the eerily influential Texas textbook commission and troll-friendly patent courts off the list of things that make Texas distinctive.

This article reads like the goofy cliches New Yorkers spout after spending their first week in Los Angeles.
So here's mine:
Texas is enormous and odd and has no state tax and yet you can't drive 20 miles without seeing another massive multi-billion dollar highway construction project that seems about 100 feet taller than it needs to be.
Dallas is not Austin is not Houston.
Austin in the context of Texas pretty much makes no sense. Might as well be its own state within a state. One that needs really, really strict DUI laws -- not dopey politicians picking fights with Uber. Day drunk, no tech to be seen, and basically a cultural vacuum given what it should be given its massive population and history.
Dallas makes little sense either. Amazing travel hub. $59 flights to/from anywhere. Want a $19 rental car? They got 'em. And they'll email you the night before to see if you want to upgrade to a minivan for $23. Why aren't other hub cities like this? Dunno. I must underestimate the scale. Easy to do there.
But Texas is on the path to becoming unmanageable just as California did before it. Whether this comes from growth, or growth compounded by cultural "diversity" tearing its internals apart remains to be seen. I'm not optimistic. Too big, too broken, and too growing. People are opinionated and divisive. And a little bit nasty. And armed. When you hear about "doing what's right for America" and "compromise" -- Texas is the exact place that would benefit the most from it. Yet Texans don't seem interested in starting the conversation.
But this article barely scratches the surface of what I saw. Texas is a surprising, complex beast. And I only spent about four days there.
Also, consider investing all your retirement savings in Torchy's Tacos.

>This article reads like the goofy cliches New Yorkers spout after spending their first week in Los Angeles.
> I only spent about four days there.
Ok... what would we call your strong opinions?

"Strong opinions" works for me. Are those still allowed here?

i was born and grew up in Texas, moved away 25 years ago and still have a couple of Texas quirks. I simply cannot live in a state that has an income tax, and I still worship the Alamo.

The lack of an income tax is great although one should note that property taxes in TX are considerably higher than average. Around 2.5%+ or so.
To optimize one's tax situation in Texas, the ideal situation is to live in a cheap condo/house and make a high income.

> To optimize one's tax situation in Texas, the ideal situation is to live in a cheap condo/house and make a high income.
That's not entirely a bad thing as it's environmentally friendly. It probably means that a higher portion of taxes are paid by the relatively less well-off, but if that suits them, so be it.

Yep.. Texas is frequently last or near-last on the progressiveness of their state tax scheme. The poor pay much more tax in Texas than they would in most other states due to the reliance on sales and property taxes for revenue.
Having done business there as well, it seems like a sport to aggressively minimize property taxes by claiming 'ag' exemptions for having some cows graze your property a few days per week. Obviously used by the rich more than the poor.
It's clearly their prerogative how to run their state but it left a bad feeling in my mouth.

the stars at night are big and bright....

If IRC, that song is actually one of the most recognizable songs around the world....everyone knows about the claps!

What song is that? I grew up two states away from Texas, and worked in Dallas for some time, and the only thing I can come up with is Chuck Norris's "Eyes of a Ranger". I'm pretty sure that's not what you mean.

See the other comments below. Deep in the Heart of Texas. Once you hear it though, you'll instantly recognize it. YouTube it.

Yeah, but non-Texans didn't standup in front of their school in 4th grade with a cowboy hat and red bandana and sing the shit out of that song. We practiced for weeks.

clap, clap, clap, clap

deep in the heart of Texas

Unrelenting jingoism for the 13 years of mandatory schooling, that's what makes Texas Texas.

Well, that's part of it. There's also the unrelenting jingoism for 5 years of growing up before going to school, and the fact that Texas is fucking awesome.

I mean it's not terrible if you really like small animals, tiny hills, tiny rivers, tiny lakes, short mountains and trees that are barely shrubs; even the weather is pretty half assed.
But then I guess not all of us can grow up in places that have some scale to them.

Trolling is a nart.

You must have a very different definition of "awesome" than many other people.

It's easy to see why Texans think their way of life is under attack -- you literally can't even begin to count how many guns Obama has taken away from Americans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVpx6JN1A4U

https://vimeo.com/86440068

Conservatives as a whole are easy people to sell to. They have a fundamental revulsion to change, regardless of how positive it is, and their ears will perk up whenever they hear a point of view which matches their own prejudices. Texas, therefore, is an easy sell to Texans who tend to skew conservative. Just spend a few days in the state and listen to television and radio ads. They don't say "Texas." They say "Teckshussssssssssssh."
The culture of the state is by and large indistinguishable from that of Alabama or Mississippi with the exception of cowboy hats, large belt buckles, and a predisposition for beef over other superior forms of barbecue.
I've lived there. I'm moving back there. But virtually my entire group of friends who lived or still live there didn't originate from there... and people who have come from other areas of the country or world tend to snicker or roll their eyes when a Texan starts bragging about that particular culture.

Liberals as a whole are easy people to sell to. They have a fundamental revulsion to status quo, regardless of how positive it is, and their ears will perk up whenever they hear a point of view which matches their own prejudices. California, therefore, is an easy sell to Californians who tend to skew liberal. Just spend a few days in the state and listen to television and radio ads. They don't say "California." They say "Cali."

Nah brah, it's "Cali... brah!"
The old joke is, "Conservatives love humans but hate humanity. Liberals love humanity but hate humans."

Having family in both South Texas and in Mississippi, I wouldn't even compare the two places.

I spent my first twenty years in Mississippi and the last fifteen in Texas... I'd say they're pretty comparable, except for the economic disparity

Reply on news.ycombinator.com