Letter: There’s more than one meaning for the word ‘Dixie’
“Dixie” specifically refers to the spirit of St. George, UT and Washington County, the good-naturedness and goodwill of the people. “Dixie” means friendliness, kindness, respect for all, doing good to others, family, working to build community, and a myriad of other similarly uplifting attributes. Any behavior that deviated from these attributes, especially racism, were and still are violations of the Dixie Spirit, and they are condemned as such by those of us who cherish the heritage of what the Dixie Spirit really means.
Thousands of words have more than one meaning, many with opposite meanings (contronyms). The definition above is what Utah’s Dixie and the Dixie Spirit mean to me. I do not conflate this definition of “Dixie” with the culture of racism that is associated with the other definition of “Dixie.” The two definitions are polar opposites.
The Cherokee tale of two wolves within us comes to mind, the good one and the evil one. The wolf that lives is the one you feed. Please have courage to feed the good wolf of Utah’s Dixie. Keep the name along with its good definition.
Roger Cox
West Valley City