I lived in Texas for two years. The number of times I had the following conversation was staggering:
Texas is the best place in the world!
Oh? Where else have you been?
I ain’t been anywhere else… Why would I go anywhere else? Texas is the best place in the world!
Sometimes there was legitimate confusion on their face. Sometimes it was delivered deadpan. Sotimes it was more of a challenge or threat. It was always flabbergasting…
I felt like Austin was trying way too hard. The city felt like 20% over the top hippies, 40% normalish but traumatized people trying to live their lives, and 40% right wing nut jobs.
That’s still much better than most of Texas which seemed like 40% normalish people and 60% right wing nut jobs, though.