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Peter Applebome, former correspondent for the New York Times and author of Dixie Rising: How the South Is Shaping American Values, Politics and Culture, spoke at UGA on March 18. Some highlights:
On Southern influence: “What struck me was how much the country became influenced by the South and how little this was perceived.”
On Southern symbols: “Three of the best-known names in the world are Coke, Elvis and Jesus--two of whom are from the South and the other one might as well have been.”
And another Southern symbol: “The South is a place where barbecue is a noun--and it matters.”
On Southern distinctiveness: “The cliché is that the South is slowly losing its identity with the end of slavery, fast-food restaurants . . . that it is falling into the same homogeneous whole. I think that’s complete nonsense.”
On Southern values: “I think there are human qualities about the South that are incredibly enduring and appealing.”
On Southern education: “The South has made a lot of strides in education and certainly UGA is a perfect example. But if education is as critical to economic and cultural growth as everyone says it is, it is hard not to see the South behind the rest of the country.”
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