By Lisa Green
One
of the best things about taking Disney vacations is getting the
opportunity to meet fellow Disney fans from all over the world.
I’ll strike up a conversation with people waiting in line for rides,
sitting next to me for a parade or Fantasmic, and shopping in gift
shops. I seem to have one of those faces that invites people to talk to
me. I get stopped and asked for directions, asked about the pins on my
lanyard, my Disney tee shirt, etc. Raymond, Megan and Joseph are used
to this and find it funny, if not highly entertaining, more often than
not. It means I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from all over the
world!
I like learning about different cultures. Even within the United States, there are regional differences
in certain words for things, how we raise our children, how we interact
with strangers and each other, what kinds of foods we cherish and so
on. These differences gave me the idea for today’s post. We’re from
Louisiana. The South has some very strong regional traditions, cultural
norms, and firmly held “ways” that make us easy to spot when we
travel. While not originally from the South (I’m mainly a Midwestern
girl), I’ve been here 26 years which means I’ve lived in Louisiana
longer than I’ve lived anywhere else and there has been plenty of time
to adapt!
Next time you’re at Walt Disney World, you can recognize Southerners (and Louisianans) by a few telltale signs:
Our children always say “Yes, Ma’am or Sir / No Ma’am or Sir” to every adult.
This is not because we’re especially strict parents – it’s a
cultural norm so strongly prevalent and extremely important – children
would be considered incredibly rude if they didn’t say it. It’s an
absolute must, just like please and thank you. I’ve found that some
non-Southerners find the ma’ams and sirs a bit alarming and may say,
“Oh, you don’t have to say that to me.”…Southern kids DO have to say
it. To all adults, all the time. That’s just the way it is here.
We rarely refer to our elders (or superiors at the office, even) by their last name.
Mr./Mrs. First Name is completely acceptable with the exception of
school teachers. Our children’s friends have always called us Mrs. Lisa
(pronounced “Miss Lisa”) and Mr. Raymond. It’s that way for everyone.
We rarely call our grandparents Grandma or Grandpa. Oh, there’s a lot of variety in grandparent
naming, but those aren’t usually among the choices. Mamaw, MiMi, Ma,
Granny and PawPaw, Pa and Pops are pretty common.
In these parts, Soda/Pop is “Coke” like tissues
are “Kleenex”. You say, do you want a Coke? Then follow up with which
kind it will be if other varieties are available…Dr. Pepper, Sprite,
Diet Coke, etc. Also, a shopping cart is a “buggy”. If inquiring
whether or not you’re about to do something (like have lunch) we may
say, “Are you fixin’ to eat?” “Fixin'” to do something may be even
further shortened to “F’in'” by some folks.
We make eye contact with everyone, we smile and wave to strangers,
we stop in the middle of walkways and store aisles if we run into
someone we know – we stop and visit. We strike up conversations with
complete strangers nearly everywhere we go. Annoying? Maybe, but since
we move a little slower and take life a little easier than people in
other places, it’s just the way we are.
We don’t usually yell at one another in public.
Southern gatherings are pretty quiet affairs – although booming
laughter, happy squeals, and good-natured teasing about rival football
teams are completely normal. Having a public disagreement would be
considered completely unacceptable. Yelling/lecturing children (or
spouses) in public is rarely seen – we tend to use “the look” with our
children to stop certain behaviors with the unspoken promise that
misbehavior will be dealt with as soon as we get home.
On our last visit to Walt Disney World, we were in Epcot when I spotted a bad situation
– a family in the middle of an argument. Normally, I would never
become involved, but I could tell what the problem was right away – they
were lost. The mom (of the formidable, robust variety) and kids
(looking mortified and miserable) were walking several yards away from
the dad (who was clearly distraught) – angry words were being hurled
from the mom towards the dad. Seriously, I wouldn’t normally butt in,
but I was embarrassed for them all and feeling the waves of hostility
passing back and forth (with me in the middle)…I found myself close-ish
to the dad so I quietly asked (very tentatively)…”Could I maybe….help
you find something?” The relief on his face was almost funny – it seems
they were looking for Soarin’ and we were almost to the entrance
for the World Showcase on the Mexico side. I turned around and (I know
pointing is rude, but desperate times and all that) pointed toward The
Land Pavilion, giving directions. He thanked me and turned around to
gather his family…while listening to his wife yell, from 10 yards away,
“You were WRONG, weren’t you!!!!!” Oh, well….One thing I can tell you
for certain. They were not from Louisiana.
How would we spot Disney guests from your part of the world?
For more information on Southern Slang – this is hilarious (and educational!).
This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at@life_of_green
Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at
Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!
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