The root of Southern hospitality

I've heard it questioned many times: What's the big deal about the South? Why is it Southern hospitality? Aren't people from other regions nice, too?

The short answer only adds to the fuel of this rather patronizing debate, especially in regard to those who view the South as a mere breeding ground for the most undesirable members of our ever changing society.

But then a more comprehensive rebuttal evokes accusations of abiding by a "neo-Confederate fantasy" rife with Lost Cause folklore that's ordinarily commingled with charges of endorsing every imaginable position of hate.

So what's a Southern boy to do?

Yours truly all but looks for a fight when it comes to defending my defenders -- warts and all -- especially in this age of political correctness and social hypersensitivity. And why? Because it's necessary. Further, I do not concern myself with falsified labels from those who are filled with more animus than I could ever be. Call me a bigot, or anything of the sort, and I'll laugh in your face.

Although I've deviated from what was originally intended to be written, I must confess that going on a tangent about the War Between the States is always tempting because the fact that such an event actually occurred lies at the very heart of my treatise.

To the point, there is something about this thing called "Southern hospitality." Cynics can say what they want, but there is a shared predilection among the descendants of the former Confederate nation that appears to be lacking among the other regions of our blessed Republic.

Take, for instance, a recent piece from LiveScience.com managing editor Jeanna Bryner. Entitled "Happiest U.S. States Pinned Down," Bryner referenced a study that listed the 50 States (and the District of Columbia) in order of their well-being.

And coming in at #1 is, surprisingly enough, Louisiana. In fact there were six Southern States -- Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama included -- in the top 10, and no portion of the Southern Commonwealth finished lower than 28th.

Imagine that -- the most backwards and financially deficient States with the highest cholesterol levels and the lowest SAT scores are generally happier, and thus, more hospitable than their affluent rivals. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.