A lot of this that may be true in 2024 was not necessarily true at earlier times. For example, my father was quite proud of being the first member of his family to graduate from college (followed by his brother and younger sister), and that all of his children had bachelor or post-bachelor degrees.

Similarly, he would have said yes to 2B and a polite "no thank you" to 2A, 2C, and particularly 2D. Evangelical Christianity, particularly of the right-wing variety, did not become common in west Texas until the early 1980s, and it was something neither of my parents held an interest in. (My parents were Methodists who rarely saw the inside of a church beyond weddings and funerals: as my Nashville-born Southern Baptist BFF once put it when we were in college, "Christ, y'all might as well have been Catholics!")

Finally, the performative aspects of 3a-c were a source of much amusement to my dad. Much as I said in the piece, a real Texan of my father's generation didn't wear cowboy boots unless they were about to ride a horse. Similarly, you didn't own a pickup unless you lived on a working farm. Anyone who did either was quietly laughed at behind his back.

Your grandfather sounds awesome, though.