Don’t Mess with Texas
I always learn something new at conferences, even if it’s not directly related to the conference theme. Scott Kincaid, a Texan, and I were chatting and he asked me what I thought “don’t mess with texas” meant. I said something like you shouldn’t attack Texas or they’ll kick your ass. Another conference goer said something similar.
It turns out that the phrase is part of an anti-litter campaign launched in the 80′s! Who knew?
June 16th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Hmmm. The shouldn’t it have been “don’t mess UP Texas?”
Not as macho, I guess.
June 21st, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Yeah I knew this, although I can’t recall why. There were bumper stickers and maybe some advertising. I never lived in Texas but had some relatives who did, maybe they told me. Or, I visited Dallas for a week or so in the late 80s, maybe it was then. I’m told it was a pretty successful campaign (in Texas). Apparently it’s the 20th anniversary of this long-running campaign. See the Don’t Mess With Texas site.