After Cass Sunstein’s contentious confirmation hearing, I decided to pick up a copy of Nudge to see what all the fuss was about. Did you know “Don’t Mess With Texas” started as an anti-littering slogan? Weird.
Will
Will writes from Washington, D.C. (well, Arlington, Virginia). You can reach him at willblogcorrespondence at gmail dot com.
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It still is an anti-littering slogan. To Texans (at least me and mine) it’s never been anything but a hokey slogan, which is why the good natured ribbing about Texas pride with that slogan as exhibit A from non-Texans has always struck me as weird.Report
I read Radicals in Robes and wasn’t impressed with it. Hopefully, this one will be better.Report
When I moved to N.Y. state, I was surprised to find that so many people outside of Texas believed that the phrase was derived from some historic, “Don’t Tread On Me” type battle cry. Some of them even seemed a bit deflated when I revealed the true origin of the phrase. It reminded me of how even subtle standoffish attitudes that, unfortunately, some Texans promote, can create so much unecessary tribal tension. If you add unbridled arrogance to the equation, then obviously, the monster grows.
I sense similar contempt when Americans chant “U.S.A.!” at a sporting events. It’s generally a playful form of ribbing, and not some crude support for an occupation.
To echo the comments above, to most Texans, the saying has never been anything but a humorous quip derived from the anti-litter commercials of the mid 80’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_With_TexasReport