My buddy Sally is one of the few people I'll talk to on the phone for long amounts of time and not mind it at all. One reason is the questions she'll ask for discussions sake. For example:

What defines a Southerner?

It isn't simply a matter of geographic or historic boundaries. Is Kentucky the South? Not according to historic records, but lots of folks say so. Sally had this discussion with a Northerner with an interest in the South, he stated it's our pugnaciousness. I say it's our graceful survival. Depending on where you live you've got horrid humidity, rough patches in winter (shut up, Dr G. You know how the roads get here), hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes (although we've yet to see one truly damaging), mosquitoes. Add on to this we're the butt of the rest of the USA's jokes, and are probably the most misunderstood area of the US. We were decimated by war and rose from the ashes. And with all this people are SO nice here. It's difficult for me to travel to other parts of the country because people just aren't as helpful, respectful, or just plain nice.

First person who says racism gets a boot in the ass. Racism exists everywhere, it isn't any worse or better here than anywhere else.

I also said we can be defined by food, but she assures me this is a humanity thing, not a southern thing.

Also, I'm tired, on allergy meds, and Flavor Flav is on TV. All of those make you prone to run off at the mouth.