My 9 yr old son can be quite the smart ass. Everyone in my family, but my mother, is a smart ass, so I guess we all received the smart ass gene from my father. Of course, there appears to be a plethora of smart asses in the Northeast. I worked with many over the years there. Perhaps smart ass-ism is more of a regional phenomenon, I'm not sure.
Yes, there are smart asses down here in the South as well, but not nearly in the large herds as up in the NE.
Now, let's segment smart ass-ism (this is the part for my Southern friends): there's Wise Ass-ism and Ball Busting.
Wise Ass: If I'm being a wise ass it's because I don't like someone or something.
Ball Busting: If I'm busting balls (or, not to be sexist--also known as "busting chops", "busting your hump", and some others) it's because I like someone.
The South (and Midwest) are known for being friendlier, but what I have noticed about the South in general (note: yes, I'm painting with a wide brush, this does not apply to everyone but overall I think it true) is that, while friendlier, they are also much more thin-skinned. It's generally harder for them to tell the difference between Wise Ass-ism and Ball Busting.
So, my Southern friends, here is the key: when we say something smart ass you can tell if it's Ball Busting if we're laughing. If we're not, we're being Wise Asses.
And to be perfectly clear on this, Busting Balls is an art form and requires, to do it well, great creativity. Thus, if we take the time and effort to "bust your balls", it's because we like you--we don't waste our energy or creative juices on people we don't like.
Thank you
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