Tennessee: Myth v. Fact
Debunking common myths and misconceptions
about the state of Tennessee
 By R. Neal

When people from other parts of the country think of Tennessee, they probably think of simple, rural folk and backwoods men in overalls tinkering with their moonshine stills as their scantily clad women run around barefoot and pregnant.

These stereotypes are rooted in American music and literature about the South and the Southern Appalachian region, perpetuated by popular comic strips such as Lil’ Abner and TV shows such as Hee-Haw and the Beverly Hillbillies, and more recently reinforced by the likes of Toby Keith and Paris Hilton.

But most of the things you think you know about Tennessee are probably not true. For example, you probably think that the University of Tennessee’s head football coach is paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million per year while Tennessee public school teachers’ annual raises don’t even cover the increase in their health insurance premiums. But you would be wrong. Coach Fulmer makes $2 million per year.

Here are some other common myths and misconceptions about Tennessee that you might be surprised to learn are simply not true and in some cases just downright silly:

Myth: Moonshine corn liquor is big business in Tennessee.
Fact: Cannabis long ago replaced moonshine as Tennessee’s largest cash crop, although meth labs have gained ground in recent years. Most analysts trace the decline of the moonshine industry to the prevalent use of car radiators (which contain significant amounts of lead) as improvised distillers.

Myth: You can marry your sister at the age of 13.
Fact: This is a common misconception that couldn’t be further from the truth. You can only marry your cousin, and you must both be 16. Unless you have a court order.

Myth: On the average, women in Tennessee earn less than their male counterparts.
Fact: Anyone who knows anything about labor laws knows that this is simply not true. As prescribed by Federal law, waitresses, receptionists, and secretaries all make exactly the same minimum wage in Tennessee as they do in any other state regardless of gender.

Myth: Women’s rights activists are battling a bunch of senile old white guys in the Tennessee Legislature who want to restrict women’s reproductive rights.
Fact: The proposed anti-abortion amendment would allow a different group of senile old white guys, namely judges, to also make decisions about a woman’s reproductive rights.

Myth: It is legal in the state of Tennessee to shoot a proud bitch at large.
Fact: Actually, it turns out this one is true. Tennessee Code Title 44, chapter 8.411 specifically states that “Any person crippling, killing, or in any way destroying a proud bitch that is running at large shall not be held liable for the damages due to such killing or destruction.”

Myth: The Confederate Flag is still a revered symbol of the Old South and proudly displayed by homeowners and pickup truck drivers all over the state of Tennessee.
Fact: The flag in question is the Confederate Battle Flag, or more accurately the Confederate Navy Jack, not the flag of the Confederate States of America. It represents the struggle for liberty and freedom from federal interference in states’ rights. It has nothing to do with the 19th century Southern agricultural economy that exploited human slavery for profit. All these self-righteous critics of the South need to get their facts straight. At least that’s what all the guys with paintings of Jefferson Davis on their living room walls tell me.

Myth: Racial prejudice and bigotry are still prevalent in Tennessee.
Fact: Tennessee celebrates racial and ethnic diversity. Lawn jockeys are available in either whiteface or blackface at the merchandise outlets in Pigeon Forge, an East Tennessee tourist Mecca that caters to a sophisticated and culturally diverse demographic from Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina.

Myth: Southern Baptist is the predominant religion in Tennessee.
Fact: Tennessee embraces religious freedom. There are plenty of regular Baptists and even a few Methodists, too. One way you can tell the difference between Baptists and Methodists is that Methodists will acknowledge one another at the liquor store.

Myth: Many school systems across the state forbid teaching evolution in favor of teaching the King James Bible version of creation.
Fact: This is propaganda spread by Episcopalians. Public schools in Tennessee offer a well-rounded biology curriculum based on the New Living Translation and the New American Standard versions of the Bible in addition to the King James version.

Myth: Tennessee has a regressive tax system that favors the wealthy at the expense of the poor.
Fact: The liberal tax-and-spend people would like you to believe this. But the fact is that Tennessee’s tax system is fair. Everyone, rich or poor, pays exactly the same 9.75% sales tax on groceries and clothing for their kids. A lottery ticket costs the same $1 for the richest guy in Bell Meade or the poorest working single mom living in public housing. The wheel tax imposed by many counties across the state is the same for the Bell Meade guy’s new Mercedes Benz as it is for that single mom’s fifteen-year old beater Toyota. And nobody has to pay income tax. What could be fairer than that?

Myth: A Democrat can’t get elected in the “Red State” of Tennessee.
Fact: Despite the fact that Tennessee voted overwhelmingly for Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, we elected a Democrat as governor in 2002. Of course, one could quibble that Governor Phil Bredesen has in fact turned out to be a Republican who wouldn’t even support the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004. But there was a big “D” beside his name on the ballot in 2002, and he stopped short of actually campaigning for George Bush. And that’s about as “Democrat” as it gets in Tennessee.

So now that you are armed with the facts, help us spread the word about Tennessee and the fact that it’s actually a pretty nice place. It could be a lot worse. But I’ll let a Democrat from Mississippi or Alabama explain that.

OK, then.

(R. Neal operated the South Knox Bubba blog
from 2002-2005.)

 

 
  
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