Sunbeltism Takes Over America–And The South

The South changed and now influences the rest of the country as a different beast

A country song is now one of the most successful singles in Billboard history. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has spent 17 straight weeks atop the Billboard 100. It’s a sign of how the “New South” has taken over the country.

It’s something I’ve talked about for years, but others are beginning to notice as well. “There’s an emerging barstool-SEC-morgan wallen-ella langely white culture that’s no longer geographically rooted,” journalist Matthew Zeitlin wrote last week. The comment was meant to explain the allegedly annoying middle American transplants to New York City. It underscores how this new culture is now the identity for generic Americans and can be found anywhere. If you’re a middle-class white person, this is your culture now. You don’t even have to be Southern.

I’ve often called this the New South, but a better term is needed. Plenty of non-Southerners express it, even if it’s primarily associated with the land below the Mason-Dixon line. The best way to think of it is “Sunbeltism.” The Sunbelt is sometimes used as a synonym for the South, even though it extends all the way to California. The Sunbelt’s exact boundaries is a topic to be debated elsewhere. But it’s fitting for what it represents. “The South” evokes strong connotations. This term ditches those in favor of a marketing label. Instead of evoking the Lost Cause and plantations, it calls to mind sunshine, suburbs, and strip malls. Many now don’t even need to physically move to the Sunbelt to be part of it. They can just adopt its culture and remain in the Midwest.

It’s not just about certain music tastes and dress styles. It’s a mentality. Sunbeltism is optimistic, conservative with a small c, and present-oriented. “Life is good” is its defining motto. (There’s a good reason southern suburbs were filled with Life is Good apparel in the 2000s). It’s not given to sympathize with woke. Don’t expect its adherents to state their pronouns or check their white privilege. They’re too busy having fun and making money for all that.

The South has largely adapted to its new Sunbelt identity. It lost some of its distinctive qualities, but in the process, it made itself the new standard for Americaness.

Zeitlin offered a good summary of its characteristics. Pop country, college football, cowboy boots, and general broishiness are all part of it. Certain corporate brands such as Buc-ee’s and Zaxby’s are tied to it, as well as the general popularity of southern cuisine.

There is a southern edge to it, with the country music, cowboy boots, and SEC football. But it’s not the old South. There are no rebel flags here, no paeans to the Lost Cause, and no memorials to Robert E. Lee. The region’s fervent Christian faith is also set aside to be more welcoming. The bad old South is in the past. This version of the South is about the present and a bright future.

That gives its universal appeal. You don’t need roots in the South to assimilate to it. Authentic Southerners, transplants, and even people who don’t live in the region can all get into it. The positive Sunbelt vibe is inclusive.

The culture isn’t a political phenomenon. Liberals can be into it as much as any conservative. But it is definitely not woke. It is small-c conservatism after all. Men are men and women are women here. Sunbelters stand for the Anthem and think America is the greatest country on Earth. They aren’t interested in hearing different opinions on the matter. They love the free market and aren’t ashamed of consumerism. They religiously follow social norms and respect authority. The worst thing to be for a Sunbelter is “weird.” Blue hair, odd hobbies, and strange clothing are frowned upon here.

This is their conservatism. It’s more about how they live their lives than how they vote, even though they mostly vote Republican. Some Sunbelters can be Trump worshippers, some can be Trump haters. Politics is ultimately secondary to business. What’s most important is getting the government, woke scolds, and anyone else who would interfere with the pursuit of happiness out of the way.

Sunbelters may have some socially conservative tendencies, but the culture is fine with the vice economy. It’s hard to imagine Sunbeltism without sports betting. The corrupt state of modern college football is supported by the culture. This mentality doesn’t let moral qualms get in the way of profits and sports.

If one wants a good representative of Sunbeltism, there’s no better choice than LSU coach Lane Kiffin. He’s a Trump supporter who will cynically complain about the alleged racism of Ole Miss and is a notorious womanizer. But he does it all with a big smile and a good sense of humor. He’s a winner, and that’s what counts the most.

Sunbeltism is a pretty white affair. Outside of SEC Greek Life, this isn’t necessarily intentional. Sunbeltism is just what many white Americans like. It’s not a secret white nationalist project. But just by being white and not checking their privilege, Sunbelters draw the ire of the Left. It’s why Zeitlin and his peers are annoyed that the culture pops up in New York. They want it to stay below the Mason-Dixon line. But it’s broken containment.

While it is very white, other groups can assimilate to it–to an extent. It also embraces some “multicultural” elements. While country is favored, rap is still popular. Sorority rush toks, a crucial element of the culture, often feature white women gyrating to rap music. On top of all this, Sunbelters love cheering on black athletes playing for their alma mater. They’re not bothered by their favorite teams being majority black. They think that’s what it takes to win.

The music of the Sunbelt also reflects this “diversity.” Many country hits incorporate rap influences, as well as elements from rock and pop. Critics have lamented how pop-country has become a cosmopolitan “monogenre,” but Sunbelters like it just fine.

The black elements of the South aren’t really part of Sunbeltism. In fact, these elements can be a turn off to its appeal. FreddyLA7, the German World Cup tourist who became a national sensation, couldn’t get enough of Sunbelt culture in his American travels. He fell in love with Ella Langley’s music, college football stadiums, chain restaurants, and southern landscapes. But he did manage to have one unpleasant experience in the Sunbelt. That’s when he boarded Atlanta’s train system and experienced a bit too much Magic. Blackness wasn’t part of his Sunbelt affair.

Few would openly admit that Sunbelt’s whiteness is critical to its appeal, but it is. The ghetto culture of the urban South is only acknowledged for its old pop-rap classics.

Sunbeltism is whiteness, but like pop-country, it’s open to other influences–so long as they’re not weird.

The South’s increasing prestige and wealth drives Sunbeltism’s appeal. It’s arguably the heart of the nation now. That’s a reversal from how Southern identity developed after the Civil War.

It was a backwater thanks to the devastation of the Civil War. The South clung to older ways while the rest of the country modernized. The South took this distinctiveness as a point of pride and doubled-down on its unique identity through its traditions and customs. The Lost Cause stood at the center of white Southern identity and defined the region. It was happy to be unlike the rest of America. But things began to change with the New Deal and the Civil Rights Revolution.

Now we’ve got the Sunbelt, and most Southerners seem pretty happy about it.The South ditched its historic culture in favor of a more marketable one.

Aaron Renn recently noted this as why Sunbeltism appeals to the rest of the country.:

People think that the South is the last region of the country that still has a historic, authentic culture, or that it is steeped in Lost Cause-ism or clinging to its past in other ways. In my observation, it’s basically the opposite. No region is more ready to jettison its past in order to make more money (or win football games). Try getting people to change something in New England or the Midwest and you can really see the difference. The extreme generic sprawl of Southern cities shows how unsentimental they are when it comes to this. The battles over Confederate monuments and the like show this dumping of history in progress - and the preservationist arguments usually seem to turn out to be a minority position.

The old, particularist elements of the South can still be found in the region. But the old elements are no longer at the forefront. Sunbeltism defines the region now.

Sunbeltism isn’t exactly the ideal right-wing culture. It doesn’t care much for the past or traditions. It isn’t concerned with “cultural revival” or the great achievements of Western civilizations. It can be crassly materialistic and a bit boorish.

But it’s white, it’s relatively conservative, and it’s vastly superior to wokeness and black chic. Its national appeal indicates that America isn’t eager to return to the peak woke era, regardless of whoever the next president is. They want to have fun and listen to country instead.

There are a lot worse things than Americans choosin’ the Sunbelt as its cultural lodestar.

Order Scott Greer’s new book, “Whitepill: The Online Right and the Making of Trump’s America,” from this link.