Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide

by Tony Horwitz

“The know-nothingness in this country just seems to be getting stronger,” he said. “People are proud of their ignorance, and when you challenge it, they fall back on conspiracy theories and fake facts.” He gestured at his man cave filled with fossils he’d painstakingly collected. “It’s like centuries of science never happened.”

“You got your West Texas out there with a bunch of flat ranches,” he drawls. “Up north you got them Dallas snobs with their Mercedes.” Houston and the Gulf Coast formed another region, as did San Antonio and its environs, “where the Tex meets the Mex.” Nearer the middle of the state “you’ve got the People’s Republic of Austin, with a bunch of hairy-legged women and liberal fruitcakes.” Last came East Texas. “This is where the South begins; this is life behind the pine curtain.”