Ins and Outs of my Life

BUBBA

O.K. so I am from the south. There are still a few Bubbas around here. In case you don't know, that is a name. It is a nickname for Brother. If a boy has a sister, he could become a Bubba.
Thirty years ago, Bubba was seen as an affeciate name. "Tell Bubba, it is time to eat." a mother would tell the sister.
Now, when you hear Bubba you think of the big bully with no social skills. He is like a big nerdy red-neck guy. At least that is how he is presented on T.V. and in writings of various kinds. Bubba is often the big brute in most jokes.
Well I happen to know a couple of Bubbas. The funny thing is they are both part of my family. One is my cousin. The other is my husband's cousin's child. My cousin, Bubba is the younger brother of a sister. Bubba is about fifty years old now. Bubba doesn't fit the profile of a Bubba. The only thing that makes him a Bubba is he is a younger brother. I guess you could say he does have some red-neck qualities as he does like to farm a lot. He has always lived in the country and he loves to drink Beer and listen to Hank Williams Jr. But hey, that describes a lot of 'southern boys.'
I definitely don't see him as unintelligent. In fact, he is pretty darn smart. He is a very kind man and not a bully. Bubba has a real name but no one has really ever heard it except his family. In fact, he was named after his father. Because they had the same name, Bubba just seem such a better name for him at the time. I have never asked Bubba if he likes or dislikes his name. I assume he likes it or he would have demanded folks call him by his real name long ago.
The other Bubba I know lives in Florida. He is five years old. Bubba is also a little brother and looks like a little angel. His sister is only two years older and when he was a newborn, she was just a toddler calling for him.I can still hear that little angel calling "Bubba, where Bubba?" Bubba hasn't stuck with him much as I think everyone is beginning to understand it does have a sterotype attached to it. But our little Austin still occassionally gets called Bubba especially by his sister.
So, the next time you hear the name Bubba or any other name that tends to have a sterotype, be careful. Chances are that person actully isn't like his or her sterotype at all.